ReMix:Final Fantasy Tactics "Antipyretic for Your Precipitous Apoplexy" 5:21

Alright, I'm STILL waiting for some Breath of Fire V treatment around these parts, but I'm going to have to take solace in Hitoshi Sakimoto representation from jnWake & minusworld's proggy Final Fantasy Tactics medley masterpiece! Impressing the Dwelling of Duels faithful with a gold medal outcome in the monthly compo, jnWake shared that he actually wasn't familiar with Sakimoto's game, but quickly came to respect it:

"Yet more stuff from Dwelling of Duels! This one's my entry for August 2023's Sakimoto Month where me and minus got the gold medal. :-D

Sakimoto Month was about picking songs composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. Somehow, I had never played any game composed by him so choosing sources was a bit challenging, but a couple listens to the FFT OST (and a thorough check of the composing credits) was enough for me to pick a few tracks and I started writing a mini-medley of them. The title of the remix is a reference to the 3 sources selected ("Battle on the Bridge" is called "Precipitous Combat" in the official OST on VGMdb).

Anyway, for this track, I experimented with adding an orchestra into my usual prog. metal affairs and I think it worked out well. It was pretty challenging to write the arrangement (and my computer struggled with the samples...) but it was worth it in the end.

For this track, I collabed with minusworld for the second time. Like last time, he played rhythm and lead guitars plus bass. Real playing always adds a lot to these tracks, especially to leads. I particularly love the guitar solo he came up with!

Hope you like it!"

We liked it a teeny, tiny bit, yes. ;-) Since this uses three themes (with a cameo of a fourth even), jnWake kindly provided an arrangement breakdown:

"Source usage!
0:00-0:37: This is based on the intro of "Antipyretic" (piano is doing a modified version of the "arpeggio" the strings play there). The 2 chords (G# and B diminished) are a small alteration of chords that play in the intro to "Antipyretic" (at the end of each "phrase").
0:37-0:58: Still based on the intro of "Antipyretic"...
0:58-1:10: Guitar riff and melodies taken from "Battle on the Bridge".
1:10-1:16: The previously mentioned chords return!
1:16-1:40: This section mixes a ton of stuff... The main melody is in both "Battle on the Bridge" and "Antipyretic" while the backing takes from both sources as well (piano from "Antipyretic", rhythm from "Battle on the Bridge"). Violin/flute arpeggios are from "Battle on the Bridge".
1:41-1:55: More of those arpeggios, now on guitar/synths.
1:55-2:25: 2 takes (one metal, one orchestra) of a melody from "Antipyretic".
2:25-2:31: Horn section based on a part of "Apoplexy". I like to imagine this represents the enemy forces get reinforcements or something like that.
2:31-2:59: Rhythm guitar and strings play a melody from "Apoplexy".
2:59-3:13: Based on "Apoplexy" again, both chord progression and melody.
3:13-3:37: Melody from 1:16 returns, now over a different chord progression.
3:37-4:01: "Apoplexy" melody from 2:59 returns, over a more "epic" chord progression.
4:01-4:26: Guitar solo! Same backing from 1:16 section.
4:26-4:50: Synths and brass play a riff from "Battle on the Bridge", with piano doing the "Antipyretic" "arpeggio" from the intro.
4:50-5:07: The chord progression from the intro returns once again. I like that it sounds pretty dramatic by the end.
5:07-5:22: Outro! Piano part is actually based on yet another track from the OST ("Shock!!~Despair"), but it was a very small quote so I didn't feel like adding it to the list. I believe it's also featured as the game over theme, so it was a fitting end."

prophetik music was lovin' it, so let's take another trip down prophetik play-by-play lane:

"intro is so meaty, i love it. this opening section is super metal-cinematic, like what you hear in The Astonishing or something. the section at 0:37 is a clever take on the antipyretic intro, same with the how you brought in battle on the bridge at 0:58. lead guitar work at like 1:30 is great.

1:55 brings back the antipyretic theme, but i like the reptition you use to reinforce some of the more fun rising elements of the theme. the horns at 2:25 are pretty obviously synthy, but i feel like that was at least partially intended.

the 2:59 groove is probably my favorite in the track. the shift at 3:13 right after is super significant, though. [...]

4:01's guitar solo is dope as expected. the first main descending riff is so good, same as 4:16 through 4:26. 4:35ish, the continued more desperate vibe of this section is really exciting and a good progression towards the ending, and the build and sustain at 5:03 is perfect. outro is pretty fast for such an epic track, but overall fine.

easy to see why this won a gold medal. FFT has some excellent tracks (for such a long soundtrack, too) and this really highlights some of the excellent themes that sakamoto wrote for it. excellent work."

Just glomming on a couple of quick highlights from my side, :45-1:04 was a strong moment after the initial build-up, the textures from 1:16-1:25 & 1:29-1:38 were intense, I loved the guitar and synth doubling the lead from 1:40-1:56, and that FM synth line at 2:07 was a thing of triumph! These bros really just moved from strength to strength, including orchestral samples with a touch of PS1-era aesthetic. And who's a king for that solo at 4:01? minusworld, bringing the goods per his usual! A DoD champion and certainly earning flowers from OCR now as well, it's all hugs, kisses, and a trophies for this track, an acknowledgement of a strong fusion of themes for jnWake's arrangement and great guitar work from minusworld in this truly titanic medley!