ReMix:Golden Axe "A Golden Axe Journey" 6:51

Ah, The Game Awards. You either tune into it for announcements of upcoming new games, industry recognition for the year's game releases, or any popcorn-munching voting drama in the Players' Voice category. Thankfully, during the 2023 event, Sega fans got treated to a new trailer - showing in-development footage of not one but five new entries for some of their classic franchises. One of which was Golden Axe, of which its 2008 outing, Beast Rider, faced an unfavorable reception - but I believe that both the dev team and arranger on this mix alike would rather forget that. We have jmabate (Jean-Marc Abate) and his party paying orchestral rock homage to the original hack-and-slash sidescroller, and thankfully not avenging any losses while fighting the Death Adder in his way:

"This track was arranged and performed by pleasure! I wanted to make a medley as a unique track to tell the story of Ax, Tyris & Gilius to their vengeance."

Metal:

• Drum & bass: jmabate
• Guitars: jmabate
• Vocals: Matt Berra
• Lyrics: Matt Berra (English) & jmabate (Latin)

Orchestra guests:
-Strings

• Cello: Chromatic Apparatus
• Violin: ViolinGamer

-Brass

• Trombone: Dewey Newt
• Trumpet: TSori

-Woodwinds

• Flute: Terminated Weasel
• Oboe & clarinet: Gamer of the Winds

-Choir

• Bass choir: Soul in Sadness
• Tenor choir: MooglePower
• Alto & soprano choir: Psamathes

-Percussion

• Taiko & tambourin: Chernabogue

We have a medley that goes more for tonal moods rather than game progression - going in order of "Old Map", "Battle Field", and "Wilderness" before the latter two sources move back and forth for the sake of a transition. It felt like a fun rock-ska-sounding affair going into the initial presentation of performers and themes. Then, the movement into "Turtle Village 1" at 3:17 suddenly drove this into ominous metal territory with double kick drums and screeching guitars before letting loose with choirs into the following "Death Adder" section. Even when I initially heard the track on YouTube 3 years ago, I didn't think that a death metal voice could co-operate in conjunction with the choir in the background, but these two parts contrast so much that they work with the idea of going from 0-100 in quick succession. Top that with some final lead guitar work before continuing the metal run back through "Wilderness" one last time, and you know that Jean-Marc was right to refer to this track as a "journey"!

This version was a resub based on production values, and I am so glad this got touched upon. Among the initial naysayers was DarkSim, who approved of the cleanup here:

"This one's a wild ride, for sure! I went in with fresh ears, and despite it being one of the most difficult genres to mix well, I think you've done a decent job. No complaints on the arrangement front either - I like the way you establish a chorus, then circle back to it at 6:10 for the finale. For a long piece, it's chock full of surprises. The choir halfway through was epic, and then the guttural vocals gave me a giggle (in a good way!).

Ultimately it's going to come down to production again, and although there were moments where it's very mushy (the flute arpeggio section at 1:01, and the low piano from 3:37), the majority of the track did the business for me. It's mastered too quietly, but if I turn it up 20% above my normal listening volume then it sounds OK.

Looking back at my previous vote, I don't hear any of the really egregious mixing problems in this version that I flagged last time, so although it's still not a clean mix, the key elements are audible, and the strength and creativity of the arrangement do enough to carry this over the line."

Seeing the word "creativity" on a game that hadn't had a mixpost for over 20 years may see this on a different level than your Sonic, your Streets of Rage, and maybe your Shenmue, among other Sega IPs. Whether the upcoming title draws more attention in the remix scene remains to be seen, but no matter what, Jean-Marc's sheer ambition speaks levels to his confidence as a visionary, and I'll be damned if he rests on his laurels. Fantastic work from the team, and here's to the eventual game release!