Rock/Metal Archives - The Greatest Game Music

99 Levels to Hell Soundtrack

99 Levels to Hell Soundtrack, Dalle Oldman, 2013

Dalle Oldman‘s 99 Levels to Hell soundtrack release could have only happened in the age of self-distributed digital albums. Few music labels would have been willing to release a 78-minute album for a game of 99 Levels’s low profile. Unfortunately, the album’s second half is a collection of cliché-ridden, bland sound collages filled with little more than eerie noises. These dark ambient level tracks inspire boredom much more than they suggest tension or anxiety.

But we’re not here for the glacial second half of the 99 Levels to Hell soundtrack. What makes this score a must for any heavy metal fan are its first 40 minutes. Remember, this is a game that takes you closer and closer to the Horned One’s realm. What better musical accompaniment for this scenario than a very, very heavy dose of death metal? (with some sprinkles of thrash metal thrown in for good measure).

Throughout the decades, a fair number of game scores have made good use of metal’s screaming guitars and pummelling drums. However, very few game soundtracks have dared to venture into metal’s more extreme sub-genres. Oldman, on the other hand, doesn’t hesitate to plunge his music into the abyss. In the process, he writes the heaviest, most pulverising metal riffage ever composed for a game score. Almost straight away, 99 Levels to Hell lunges at your jugular with an endless supply of spectacularly brutal ten-ton riffs.

Music of such uncompromising heaviness and furious energy might seem like overkill for a relatively modest 2d platformer. But maybe it is the game’s cartoonish nature and underlying quirkiness that allows Oldman to get away with writing music that seems too big for the game that it accompanies. There’s no pretense of realism or seriousness in 99 Levels to Hell‘s colourful sprite work, no particular narrative to underscore. All that 99 Levels to Hell asks for is music that pushes adrenaline levels during the boss encounters as hard as possible.

On that account, the 99 Levels to Hell soundtrack emerges triumphantly. It’s a wall of sound rendered in raging shades of black by an album production that beautifully balances clarity and force. But if heaviness was all that Oldman had to offer, 99 Levels to Hell‘s metal portion would quickly find itself on a highway to numbing monotony. Thankfully, Oldman avoids turning the music up to 11 constantly, while never sacrificing its searing intensity. The first few album tracks are mid-tempo monsters, perfectly-oiled churning machines that listeners can easily hop on to descent into the underworld.

“Big Red” and “Spider” slow things down further, engulfing the music in the suffocating crawl of an unstoppable hell beast. It’s only later on 99 Levels to Hell that Oldman cranks up the tempo, to glorious results. Anticipation keeps building and building, and finally finds release on the blazing “Mad Pope” and “Satan”. Both tracks are fiery displays of white hot fury, channeling the soundtrack’s ferocious energy into ten minutes of some the most uncompromising battle music game music has seen.

Oldman matches this variation in tempi with his ability to inject shreds of melodicism into his compositions. This opens up ways to connect with the 99 Levels to Hell soundtrack other than through relentless and joyful head-banging. Early on, Oldman peppers his tracks with clean, melancholic guitar motifs that are surprisingly effective in their haunting mood. Their slow-paced gloominess contrasts perfectly with the mercilessly pounding riffage. These Gothic Rock-influenced elements make room on “Virus (Brain 1)” for downright catchy, defiant guitar melodies. What makes this elaborately constructed track even more astonishing is that Oldman manages to combine these fists-raised-to-the-skies choruses with heavily syncopated rhythms that owe a big debt to prog metal gods Meshuggah.

Additionally, Oldman’s riffage itself introduces a fair share of melodic sounds. These can be consonant (“Meat Ball”’s majestic riffs, observing the carnage on the battlefield from high above) or exceedingly harsh. Tortured guitar glissandi first rear their wailing heads on “Wall Worm”. Oldman keeps building on these twisted melody bits that explode like shrapnel throughout “Meat Balls” and “Tron (Brain 2)”. The strangulated howl of these demons only turns louder and more piercing on “Mad Pope” and “Satan”. On “Hell Mode”, it even morph into jabs of raw guitar dissonance. Finally, once “99 2.0”’s last notes have subsided, you’re left with the exhilarating realisation that metal game soundtracks don’t come more intense than 99 Levels to Hell. Sometimes just one half of an album is enough to provide heaven for metal heads.

01 - Knight On Wheels Dalle Oldman 03:44
02 - Big Red Dalle Oldman 04:23
03 - Spider Dalle Oldman 03:03
04 - Virus (Brain 1) Dalle Oldman 04:23
05 - Wall Worm Dalle Oldman 03:38
06 - Meat Balls Dalle Oldman 03:50
07 - Tron (Brain 2) Dalle Oldman 04:44
08 - Mad Pope Dalle Oldman 03:45
09 - Satan Dalle Oldman 04:53
10 - Hell Mode Dalle Oldman 02:09
11 - 99 2.0 Dalle Oldman 04:53

Alpha Squad Soundtrack

Alpha Squad Soundtrack, Stemage, 2011

On the Alpha Squad soundtrack, Stemage – founder of metal band Metroid Metal – faced the same challenges as many artists who made their name in the game music arrangement scene and now embarked on their first original soundtrack. No longer able to rely on other composers’ works, can the new material still meet heightened expectations?

Alpha Squad was a deliberate throwback to the top-down arcade-style shooters from the 80s and early 90s. Stemage’s metal chops certainly marked him as a fitting candidate to score the action-filled mayhem. Developer Dragon Divide had acknowledged that much when they contacted Stemage to write music for Alpha Squad. At the same time, his soundtrack would need to strike a significantly more upbeat note than his Metroid Metal output to match the game’s tongue-in-cheek approach and no-frills gameplay.

Stemage rises to the occasion with assurance and ease. His approach mirrors that of the game itself, marrying old school virtues with an up-to-date presentation. That means: focusing on what was best about 8- and 16-bit run’n’gun scores, and present it with live instruments. Stemage duly observes the musical conventions of classic 2d action games and this brings about significant changes to his approach. His compositions on the Alpha Squad soundtrack are far more melodic than anything he had written up to this point. Not only does Stemage find a handful of short, punchy guitar melodies for almost each track. What’s more, he’s happy to play them over and over again, building each cue around such hooks to make the most of these catchy tunes and embed them deeply in listeners’ memory banks.

His approach pays off in spades from the start with opening track “Alpha Squad Theme”. Lovingly paying homage to its genre predecessors, it’s a theme that’s full of bravado and just the slightest bit cheesy. True, the song relies almost a bit too much on similar variations of the theme. But that won’t change the fact that you’ll be humming this melody right after the first listen.

There was never any doubt that Stemage also has the skills to pull off more complex guitar material than these ingratiating tunes. But Stemage never turns this solo outing into a mere shred fest. He always puts melodies and concise song-writing first, while leaving space to wrap his tracks in increasingly complex guitar textures. In short, it’s the perfect balance between guitar showmanship and melodic instincts. The latter often bring a distinct and welcome pop influence with them, best heard on “New City”.

That’s not to say that Alpha Squad is lacking in fiery power and steely riffage – far from it. “City” will have metal fans grinning and giving their neck muscles a good workout. Pummelling drums, aggressive rhythm guitars that are served well by a powerful album recording, and an edgy, yet melodic guitar solo: they all make for a track full of ferocious tension that grabs you by the throat from the first note and doesn’t let go — and you’ll be all the happier for it.

In interviews, Stemage professed to the daunting nature of writing music that had to address a certain location or mood. Of course, he easily clears this hurdle as well on the Alpha Squad soundtrack. Examples are plentiful. “Jungle” and “Haunted” both create a claustrophobic atmosphere through similar means, but still emerge as distinct tracks. “Haunted” takes the aggressive riffs of “Boss” and slows them down to establish an oppressive, suffocating mood. “Jungle” ratchets up the stifling attitude of “Haunted” and throws a constant barrage of pulverising riffs at the listener, as the unbearable humidity and walls of impenetrable foliage close in.

Other location tracks take a less fierce approach and audibly delight in painting their settings through colourful instrumentations. “Winter” follows a slightly more complex structure, moving from a calm opening to another vigorous guitar work out. Chiming, repetitive guitar phrases work their chilly magic on what is arguably the Alpha Squad soundtrack’s most subtle and best-developed cue. You wouldn’t expect metal’s raucous energy to gel well with the static nature of your typical ‘snow stage’ music. And yet, Stemage makes it work.

Indeed, the Alpha Squad soundtrack’s biggest artistic achievement might be this kind of variety. It’s a common assumption that metal is a fairly one-dimensional affair, with the volume and aggression levels constantly reaching 11. Stemage’s beautifully intricate, creative work here proves this stereotype wrong over and over again. His melodic metal formula adapts to the game’s different locations and scoring requirements with complete ease and unquestioned success, resulting in one of game music’s best – and most fun – metal scores.

01 - Alpha Squad Theme Stemage 3:36
02 - City Stemage 3:45
03 - Alliance Stemage 1:20
04 - Sewer Stemage 4:18
05 - Boss Stemage 2:08
06 - Secret Stemage 1:08
07 - Desert Stemage 2:19
08 - Haunted Stemage 3:20
09 - Arena Stemage 2:46
10 - Winter Stemage 5:26
11 - Jungle Stemage 4:27
12 - New City Stemage 3:44
13 - Final Boss Stemage 2:12
14 - Overworld Stemage 3:50

Battletoads & Double Dragon Soundtrack (SNES)

Battletoads & Double Dragon Soundtrack (SNES), David Wise, 1993

In 1993, the Battletoads franchise was in a slightly curious spot. The 1991 NES original had been successful enough to spawn several ports. There was also Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, a SNES (and later Sega Master System) game that ultimately felt like a remix of the 1991 NES title. So where to next for the burgeoning, but not quite yet established franchise? Publisher Tradewest had released Battletoads on several platforms and held the home license for the venerable Double Dragon franchise. Why not combine two forces of nature in one amazing game? The match seemed to be an entirely natural one, given that Kevin Bayliss, co-designer of Battletoads, was a big Double Dragon fan.

However, things didn’t quite pan out as expected. For starters, with Rare developing the game, Battletoads & Double Dragon felt like it was shoehorning the world of Billy and Jimmy Lee into the more comic-like antics of a Battletoads game. It didn’t help that Double Dragon characters made appearances under the wrong names. Ultimately, Battletoads & Double Dragon garnered respectable but rarely enthusiastic reviews at the time of its release. That impression seems to continue with more recent assessments of the game: a decent enough brawler that doesn’t live up to the potential of the franchise crossover.

Once more, the game was first released on the NES, followed by Game Boy, Sega Genesis and SNES ports. And of course, David Wise was responsible for the scores. Out of the quartet of Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtracks, it’s the SNES one that takes the crown. Wise takes the hard rock influences from the SNES Battletoads in Battlemaniacs – where they awkwardly shared the limelight with orchestral sounds – and puts them front and centre. He’s helped by a guitar tone that is far punchier and more exciting than the thinly buzzing guitars on Battlemaniacs. On the Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack, the guitars (and the rest of the rock band ensemble) are sampled to a very impressive standard that makes these compositions truly come alive. It’s hard not to think of Wise’s work here as a precursor to the amazingly realistic sounds he coaxed out of the SNES for Donkey Kong Country.

What’s more, Wise’s writing for guitars is flawless, his riffs beautifully melodic yet powerful, varied and instantly memorable. Thanks to this strength, “Main Theme” successfully kicks off proceedings at a steam-rolling, mid-tempo pace that references Battletoads’ earthy rock intro, but updates it for the 16-bit era. Amidst the fist-raising hard rock, Wise tastefully sprinkles in a few synth leads that effectively underscore the game’s space location.

The rest of the Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack follows this stylistic lead, dishing up some of the best melodic hard rock written for the SNES. “Abobo” reprises material from “Main Theme” in a slightly faster rendition, before moving through a number of various new riffs. This sort of variety and flow shapes almost the entire soundtrack. As a result, most tracks do feel like fully-fledged (if abbreviated) hard rock songs, performed on the SNES. “Robo Manus” dials up the tempo a few notches and immediately jumps into the action with utter joy and abandon. Its head-banging fury is delivered with a big grin, capped off perfectly by a clean guitar solo with a catchy pop influence.

On a handful of other tracks, Wise indulges in some genre mixing that is as well executed as the Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack’s hard rock stylings. “Big Blag” and “Shadow Boss” bring to the table the new jack swing influences that the original Battletoads had avoided. The irony here is of course that Battletoads was so clearly modelled after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES games and their new jack swing-heavy soundtracks. Wise’s tracks live up to those outstanding role models, with all the necessary cool swing and energy in their rhythms and colourful orchestrations that the SNES makes possible. “Big Blag” focuses mostly on its grooving beats, complemented by brass and organ leads, while “Shadow Boss” seamlessly merges hard rock guitars and funk inspirations.

What “Abobo” and “Big Blag” make clear is that the SNES version of the Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack is less interested in the intriguing moodiness of the Genesis port and instead simply goes for succinct, entertaining rock and funk action. The SNES score isn’t as creative as the Genesis soundtrack, but ultimately more successful. It keeps up the momentum until the last track, while the Genesis score begins to fizzle out towards the end. That’s largely due to the proliferation of repetitive material on the Genesis soundtrack, which doesn’t have the palette of instrumental colours to draw upon that helps the SNES port to dress up its musical ideas in new disguises.

The advantage of having more instruments to work with becomes particularly obvious on “Roper”. On the Genesis, the track feels a bit too fragmented to make the most of its initially intriguing mood. On the SNES, Wise can fully indulge in the Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack’s most ambitious genre mix that brings together introspective yet catchy synth melodies, funk brass fanfares, tribal drumming and fiery guitar salvos and sludgy riffs. It’s particularly the crunchy guitars that help to connect the different song sections better than what the Genesis soundtrack accomplishes. It also doesn’t hurt that the SNES version achieves more impressive changes in dynamics, making the track’s changes in direction exciting rather than jarring. If someone questions the SNES’ rock credentials, point them in the direction of the Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack.

Conversion notes

The Genesis version of the soundtrack is discussed above at some length already. The NES original is surprisingly underwhelming and no match for the 1991 Battletoads NES score. Tracks are fairly short and repetitive, evidencing little inspiration or energy. In fact, this might be Wise’s least impressive Battletoads soundtrack. The Game Boy port has a bit more grit and power than the NES version, while excising some material and compressing other pieces. That being said, the end result still isn’t anything to write home about.

01 - Main Theme David Wise 2:03
02 - Abobo (Stage 1) David Wise 2:45
03 - Big Blag (Stage 2) David Wise 2:11
04 - Roper (Stage 3) David Wise 3:03
05 - Robo Manus (Stage 5) David Wise 2:16
06 - Shadow Boss (Stage 6) David Wise 1:55
07 - The Dark Queen (Stage 7) David Wise 1:29

Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade)

Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade), David Wise, 1994

The final entry in the Battletoads franchise also happens to be one of its less well-known ones. Electronic Arts made a rare attempt at releasing an arcade game, publishing Battletoads as a coin-op, three-player beat’em up. It’s hard to say how successful or not the game was, but no console ports ever saw the light of day. And so, three years after the release of the original NES Battletoads game, the franchise was laid to rest – at least until E3 2018.

The fact that the arcade Battletoads didn’t seem to have made any waves is a bit of a shame. According to both reviewers of the arcade title and the 2015 Rare Replay re-release, this Battletoads game might well have been the strongest entry in the franchise. In a departure from previous Battletoads titles, this game skipped any genre-hopping (no more platforming and speed biking) and only focused on the brawling elements. This made for a less adventurous, but more focused game. Battletoads was also enhanced by great graphics that ramped up the cartoonish violence that had always been part of the franchise – but usually in fairly tame fashion. This time however, Rare was clearly happy to work outside of the limits set by Nintendo’s content policy. The result played like a test run for Conker’s Bad Fur Day, with plenty of blood, swearing and crude jokes.

Of course, David Wise’s soundtrack follows this over-the-top aesthetic. The result is music that’s almost the polar opposite of the NES original’s soundtrack. That earlier score effectively undermined action scoring stereotypes, full of jittery tension and frayed nerves. On the other hand, this Battletoads soundtrack is the most testosterone-driven score of the entire franchise. It makes for few stylistic surprises, but fittingly underscores the game’s cartoonish, exuberant mood.

First track “Vulture – Robotic Rabble – Bonus Round” wastes no time in setting the course that this Battletoads soundtrack will take. With its speed metal-inspired staccato riffing, “Vulture – Robotic Rabble – Bonus Round” is easily the heaviest Battletoads track so far. It takes the hard rock sound of the SNES Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack and cranks up the intensity to take this score into metal territory. The guitar tone is hollower than on the SNES game, but “Vulture – Robotic Rabble – Bonus Round” is sufficiently varied and filled with enough indomitable energy that its fairly muddy sound matters little. And between the sledgehammer riffing, Wise still weaves in a handful of rousing guitar leads.

“Big Blag’s Stronghold – Scores” is closer to the SNES Battletoads & Double Dragon’s melodic mid-tempo riffing. And indeed, Wise finds a memorable riff that he rides for all that it’s worth, right from the track’s beginning. Once the track’s rock-solid groove is firmly established, Wise finds the perfect moment to layer in anthemic synth fanfares. The synths bring flawlessly timed cinematic drama and raised-fists-to-the-sky defiance through their proud, catchy melody. “Boss 1” is a more straightforward metal track, setting a galloping rhythm section against howling guitar riffs. The drums’ constant push is merciless, but thankfully never turns monotonous (a sin “Boss 2” is unfortunately guilty of).

Like Battletoads & Double Dragon, this Battletoads soundtrack is built on heavy rock guitars, with some genre mixes and experiments thrown in for good measure. Their number is slightly larger than on Battletoads & Double Dragon, giving Battletoads are more colourful feel. “Arctic Caverns” is a less surprising affair than its NES counterpart of the same name, but the cue is still a playful and effective evocation of its location. Wise has great fun pitting hammering ten-ton riffs against chiming Christmas bells and the expected bouncy rhythms. Despite the jaunty synth melodies though, “Arctic Caverns” never turns into overt parody and remembers to simply keep rocking.

Other tracks that venture outside of the standard hard rock/metal template reprise parts of the Battletoads franchise’s musical heritage. “The Dark Queen’s Battleship” feels like a more focused take on the synth pop/rock/new jack swing melange that was Battletoads & Double Dragon’s “Roper”, with an insidiously catchy beat that despite little variation is strong enough to carry the entire track. “Hole” recalls the carefully paced mid-tempo orchestra/rock mix that the SNES Battletoads in Battlemaniacs soundtrack.

However, “Hole” pulls off this approach much more successfully. The composition – despite its length – never meanders, with a clear sense of progression and constant rhythms. The latter help the music to develop an impressive sweep in steady, calm fashion as the claustrophobic atmosphere builds and builds and heavy melodies push the music forward, but only under great duress. It’s arguably a repetitive track, but for good reason, as the cue keeps hammering home its defiant melodies against increasing odds.

To close the musical history of the Battletoads franchise – at least for now – Wise caps things off in a more celebratory mood than on previous Battletoads games. “Ending – Credits” opens with a beautifully layered brass fanfare, highlighting Wise’s impressive orchestral writing skills that would power several of Donkey Kong Country 2’s highlights. More intriguing still is the cue’s B section, an expansive violin melody with good amounts of light woodwind counterpoint. It’s a style of music that hasn’t been heard on any previous Battletoads score. It’s fun to see that while in some ways this Battletoads soundtrack plays more by the rules than previous franchise scores, it keeps an appetite for musical surprises – maintaining a proud tradition that started with the 1991 NES original.

01 - Vulture (Stage 1) ~ Robotic Rabble (Stage 6) ~ Bonus Round David Wise 2:16
02 - Arctic Caverns (Stage 2) David Wise 2:55
03 - The Dark Queen's Battleship (Stage 3) David Wise 2:50
04 - Hole (Stage 4) David Wise 4:05
05 - Big Blag's Stronghold (Stage 5) ~ Scores David Wise 3:55
06 - Boss 1 David Wise 2:09
07 - Korpse Kount David Wise 1:36
08 - Ending ~ Credits David Wise 1:12

Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack

Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack, Yoko Kanno, 1998

After a somewhat rocky start (that initially didn’t even see all episodes screened), Cowboy Bebop went on to become one of anime’s cultural milestones – on both sides of the Pacific. Setting itself apart from almost anything else produced for TV animation in either Japan or the USA, Cowboy Bebop merged disparate genres and visual styles in ways that helped the series introduce many new Western viewers to anime. Its cross-cultural appeal was partially based on its use of tropes that were familiar to Western audiences – Western, pulp fiction, film noir and cyberpunk (all within a space opera setting). Shinichirou Watanabe’s creation turned out to be popular enough to spawn a movie sequel and feature on many ‘best of’ lists in the years that followed.

As one would guess by looking at the series’ title, music played a crucial role in its eclectic aesthetic. Not surprisingly, the collaboration between director and composer on Cowboy Bebop was closer than usually – and the result was one of the most distinctive, attention-grabbing anime scores ever written. After her breakthrough with the orchestral fantasy masterpiece that was The Vision of Escaflowne, Yoko Kanno changed gears in spectacular fashion. Using jazz (and its many permutations) as the basis for Cowboy Bebop, Kanno branched out into a dizzying array of genres. She successfully dappled in everything from blues and metal to country music and opera, matching the series’ free-wheeling stylistic approach. Ultimately, Cowboy Bebop cemented Kanno’s status as one of anime’s foremost composers, able to seemingly nail just about any musical genre.

With the series pulled out of development hell by multimedia company Bandai Visual, it was no surprise that a video game adaptation was released even before Cowboy Bebop became such a rousing success. Released for Sony’s PlayStation by developer BEC (Bandai Entertainment Company) just a month after Cowboy Bebop first aired, the game was decidedly less creative than the series. Taking its cue from titles like Starfox, Cowboy Bebop was adapted into a straightforward third-person rail shooter, with gamers controlling protagonist Spike Spiegel’s spaceship Swordfish II. Released only in Japan, the game didn’t seem to leave much of an impression – but thankfully, it did feature an original score by Kanno (rather than just a reworking of her music for the series). Curiously enough, the game soundtrack never received an official release – an absolute rarity in Kanno’s body of work.

Where would Kanno take the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, after having explored so many musical genres already? As it turns out, her choice isn’t that surprising – to underscore the game’s shooter action, Kanno goes with heavy metal as her main inspiration. While Cowboy Bebop features few stylistic surprises and is nowhere near as creative as the TV series’ music, this game score still takes a special place in Kanno’s discography. Nowhere else in her entire oeuvre has Kanno focused so strongly on metal (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex featured its fair share of growling guitars, but in a much grungier, industrial vein).

As such, the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack mostly lacks the kind of emotional and tonal subtlety that characterises so much of Kanno’s work. Her aim here is a different one – to write a bunch of melodic, upbeat metal instrumentals and she succeeds with flying colours. While her game music for Cowboy Bebop isn’t particularly profound, Kanno’s arrangements are as dense and carefully crafted as one would have come to expect. This helps her raucous cues to flow seamlessly between song sections and always sustain their fairly substantial running time. Her compositions’ pacing is helped by the fact that due to the game’s linear rail-shooter format, Kanno can (mostly) write songs with a specific length.

“Stage 1/2 (Part One)” and “Stage 1/2 (Part Two)” quickly demonstrate just how accessible and fun the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is. Launching into a searing attack from the entire band (including rock organ), Kanno herself soon takes centre stage on keyboards, as she audibly enjoys churning out some big, glossy 80s synth hooks that land the music fairly close to hair metal territory. At this early stage, the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack registers as Kanno’s most pop-influenced work, with a steady supply of catchy, anthemic melodies that turn into sky-high declarations of victory once powered by the blazing metal backing.

In fact, most tracks here sound like roaring band jams that keep energy levels high at all times and also give other instruments the chance to improvise and shine. “Stage 1/2 (Part Two)” is particularly indebted to delicious 80s cheese, relying on its pop-infused grooves to straddle the divide between the chrome shine of its synth hooks and the grittiness of its fiery metal instrumentation. Kanno’s keyboard work again mostly focuses on the repetition of memorable, short phrases.

That said, a longer keyboard solo towards the end of “Stage 1/2 (Part Two)” points towards the transformation that the score is about to undergo. There’s no huge stylistic change afoot, but after “Level 3/4 (Part One)” opens with a triumphant synth clarion call that takes after Van Halen’s “Jump”, the cue makes space for more virtuoso keyboard parts that now move the music towards prog metal. It’s not a big surprise, considering Kanno’s trademark dense arrangements and playing skills. Thankfully, “Level 3/4 (Part One)” never loses the soaring quality and hooky rush of adrenaline that makes the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack such a joy to listen to.

The synths change style again on “Level 3/4 (Part Two)”, now aiming for space rock’s laid-back sense of wonder and otherworldliness. Floating, wordless female voices contrast nicely with the still densely jam-packed arrangements and lead into a majestically gliding mid-section – before the band launches into a ferocious finale full of neo-classical soloing that still maintains a good amount of cheery melodicism. Kanno increases this stylistic tilt on “Level 5/6 (Part One)”, again subtly changing the music’s style and tweaking it towards power metal when she layers more operatic female vocals on top of the particularly dramatic metal arrangements. “Level 5/6 (Part Two)” then decides to simply go for the jugular, presenting itself as the album’s most straightforward, chugging rocker that delivers all of the showboating and head-banging intensity you could ask for.

There’s one more aspect to the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack and its quality is a bit more dubious. Each level cue ends with a boss segment – and Kanno is on audibly less secure footing when forced to write music with no clearly defined end point (as the boss fights could take any amount of time). Earlier tracks don’t fair too badly – while the boss segments on “Level 1/2 (Part One)” and “Level 1/2 (Part Two)” don’t develop much, they are appropriately sharp and don’t overstay their outcome. On “Level 1/2 (Part Two)”, Kanno even experiments a bit, crafting an unlikely combination of syncopated big drum beats and another 70s prog rock keyboard solo. Later on, these boss segments turn more humdrum, meandering along with an anonymous martial flair and disappointingly vague cinematic ambitions. Thankfully, it’s only a small stain on what’s otherwise another outstanding entry in Kanno’s body of work – a true hidden gem and yet another feather in her cap.

01 - Level 1/2 (Part One) Kanno, Yoko 5:14
02 - Level 1/2 (Part Two) Kanno, Yoko 5:16
03 - Level 3/4 (Part One) Kanno, Yoko 5:03
04 - Level 3/4 (Part Two) Kanno, Yoko 5:03
05 - Level 5/6 (Part One) Kanno, Yoko 4:04
06 - Level 5/6 (Part Two) Kanno, Yoko 3:39
07 - Bonus Track Kanno, Yoko 3:00

Final Soldier Soundtrack

Final Soldier Soundtrack, Masakatsu Maekawa, 1991

There’s no doubt that one of the TurboGrafx-16’s strengths was its stellar line-up of shoot’em ups. However, that also meant any developer who decided to throw their hat in the ring would find it harder to stand out from the crowd. Hudson Soft should have been well-placed to hit the target with Final Soldier, their third entry in the Star Soldier franchise and successor to commercial and critical success Super Star Soldier. Alas, Final Soldier offered little that other shoot’em ups hadn’t already brought to the table. Contemporary reviews agreed that this Japan-only release delivered the polish expected from a Hudson Soft shoot’em up. At the same time, a lower difficulty level meant that the game was over relatively soon for experienced players. A solid, well-designed game rather than a great one, seemed to be the general conclusion.

Scoring duties for the Final Soldier soundtrack went to Masakatsu Maekawa, who had already amassed several years of industry experience by this stage, debuting with 1986’s Metro-Cross (at least he probably did – available sources aren’t entirely clear). A member of developer Now Production since graduating from university, Maekawa was immensely prolific in the 1990s, for example working on Hudson Soft franchises such as Rolling Thunder, Adventure Island and Splatterhouse. Leaving Now Production in 1994 to form his own company Music Worx (a subcontractor for game sound) did little to slow his output during that decade.

In some ways, his Final Soldier soundtrack resembles the game it accompanies, in that it doesn’t innovate in any particular way. Instead, the music focuses on doing what it does really, really well – in fact, much better than the vast majority of similarly styled shoot’em up scores of the era, making this the most substantial score in the entire Star Soldier franchise. The genre inspirations for Final Soldier are obvious – melodic metal, sprinkled with a fair share of pop influences, as well as power metal tendencies (galloping drums and anthemic leads).

So far, so common for early 1990s Japanese shoot’em up scores – but Final Soldier exceeds in two areas. Maekawa’s optimistic, energetic melodies strike the perfect balance between repetition and variety – riding their hooks long enough to make their full impact, while always moving along to the next well-developed tune before the music starts belabouring the point. And these dynamic melodies are all over the Final Soldier soundtrack, keeping the cues on point and pumping them full of substance, despite the tracks’ relatively short running time.

The other secret to the success of the Final Soldier soundtrack is the stellar drumming. Like very few other game composers, Maekawa manages to write synthesised drum tracks that actually sound like a (very talented) human drummer, chock full of creative ad-lib fills and rolls, playing around the beat rather than merely keeping it. In fact, on many cues the drums are effectively the second lead instrument. Together with the vigorous melodies, they turn these cues into full-blown synth metal tracks that happen to be performed on the PC Engine sound hardware (which rarely sounded better than it does here).

If the above points – the melodies and drumming – don’t seem like that much of a big deal, listen to the Star Soldier franchise’s next instalment Soldier Blade. Written in the same style, that soundtrack relies on solid but more repetitive melodies, the rhythms efficient yet more perfunctory. The result is a good score, but undoubtedly a step down from the Final Soldier soundtrack.

And while Maekawa’s approach is generally fairly straightforward – quickly set up high-energy rhythms to back buoyant melodies – he also creates a predictable, but compelling album arc, courtesy of assured changes to the formula. “Taking Off” bursts out of the gate with galloping drums and sing-along leads that quickly establish the music’s 80s pop-metal credentials. A more significant role for steely bass on “Sole Warrior” adds tension and focus to the music, while the bright synth melodies remain joyful and empowering. Staccato elements imbue “Progression” with added drama, helping its upbeat groove to push the proud melodies forward.

From here on, things get increasingly intense. On “Sky High”, melodies and rhythms are more harried and rushing than before, without forsaking the music’s tuneful nature. “Infinity” is the Final Soldier soundtrack’s most extended composition and also its richest, best-developed cue – if you need proof of Maekawa’s outstanding drum programming, head straight here. Particularly exciting is the cue’s B section, with a mechanical bassline powering a thin, precariously placed melody. And while “Into the Core” takes things a step too far by forsaking the music’s usual rhythmic variety and melodic abundance, the preceding level track “Turn On” satisfyingly caps off the score’s careful tightening of the screws. Melodies are now surprisingly dissonant and ghostly, at times rising perilously before nosediving right after having reached their peak. A brief note-shredding passage just before the loop cleverly harnesses all the tension Maekawa has built up so far.

After all this, “Dead or Alive” and “Caravan Stars” (music for the game’s two time-attack modes) don’t add anything new but maintain the score’s nearly consistent level of excellence. Ultimately, the Final Soldier soundtrack doesn’t just register as the Star Soldier franchise’s best score, but also emerges as one of its era’s finest shoot’em up scores – a melodic gem bolstered by virtuoso performances.

01 - Taking Off (Stage 1) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:56
02 - Sole Warrior (Stage 2) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:36
03 - Progression (Stage 3) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:40
04 - Sky High (Stage 4) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:24
05 - Infinity (Stage 5) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:58
06 - Turn On (Stage 6) Maekawa, Masakatsu 2:24
07 - Dead Or Alive (2 Minute Game) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:50
08 - Caravan Stars (5 Minute Game) Maekawa, Masakatsu 1:36

Formula 1 Soundtrack

Formula 1 Soundtrack, Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis, 1996

If you developed a racing video game in the mid-90s, there was apparently little choice other than to score it with electronic beats. And few companies knew this rule as well as Psygnosis. After all, they actually helped write this musical law with their enormously successful Wipeout franchise. Those games helped to take video game soundtracks into the mainstream like few other titles before.

Keeping this in mind, it’s surprising that 1996’s Formula 1 received a straight out, pure-bred hard rock/metal score. The masterminds behind Formula 1‘s revved-up beauty of a soundtrack are Mike Clarke and Stuart Ellis. While Ellis joined the project as a session guitarist, Clarke’s name will be more familiar to game music aficionados. As Psygnosis’ Sound Director, Clarke had mainly worked on Amiga titles before leaping into the CD console era. He would later return to work on the less remarkable Formula One 99. However, more helpful musical references for Formula 1 from Clarke’s career are Lifeforce Tenka and Destruction Derby Raw.

All three scores are guitar-driven howls of instrumental force. But the Formula 1 soundtrack doesn’t go for the grime and grit of the lesser Destruction Derby Raw, or for Lifeforce Tenka‘s processed, haunting feel. Instead, Formula 1‘s pristine instrument sounds and the technical exactitude of its hundreds-of-notes-a-minute guitar soli match the immaculate high-tech precision of the racing cars that this music underscores.

Psygnosis also licensed music from guitar virtuosos Steve Vai and Joe Satriani for the Formula 1 soundtrack. That of course meant that the pressure was on Psygnosis’ in-house musicians to match such instrumental prowess. Thankfully, when necessary, Stuart Ellis certainly lives up to the note-shredding standards set by these guitar gods. At the same time, Formula 1 never turns into a hollow display of instrumental pyrotechnics.

“Track 1” kicks proceedings off with rock-solid, crunchy hard rock riffage and a comfortable groove. Its bluesy feel might be a rarity on the album, but smoothly eases listeners into the album. “Track 7” later revisits the same sort of groove-rock feel. It’s the kind of metal that’s confident enough to rely on a great riff and let it work its magic. Of course, there’s no shortage of guitar showmanship during these tracks’ soli.

“Track 2” and “Track 11” are more pressing and urgent affairs. The music picks up speed and mental images of cars racing at breathtaking speeds are impossible to suppress. Ellis once more proves that his riffs are just as excellent as his soli, and like other cues, “Track 2” slows down to catch its breath at the beginning of its last third, before putting the pedal to the metal for a furious finale.

When you put together fast cars and hard rock, it’s difficult not to think of “Highway Star”. And indeed, “Track 3” does sport shades of Deep Purple. A Hammond organ not only adds splashes of colour and character, but also underlines the influence that Ritchie Blackmore’s work has on Formula 1‘s sound. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Van Halen are other valid points of references that identify the Formula 1 soundtrack as a first-rate representative of classic heavy metal.

Things only get better with “Track 4”, whose soli tear into the song with hair-raising intensity. Still more interesting is the cue’s central riff. It’s a rhythmically tricky, yet unexpectedly grooving show stopper that might be the album’s most creative single musical idea. It regularly trades places with monolithic jack hammer riffing, backed by the album’s first pronounced use of double bass drums. True, the drumming and bass lines of Formula 1 don’t attract as much attention as the guitar fireworks. Still, their rhythmic support is never less than flawless and at all times maintains the album’s exuberant energy.

After the heaviness of the preceding cues, “Track 5” is a welcome breather. With its care-free attitude, “Track 5” barrels down the race track with a big grin on its face. Of course, there’s still space for lightning-fast guitar soli that lead to a huge, euphoric finale. That moment of exhilaration is followed by the Formula 1 soundtrack’s most creative concoction, “Track 6”. Clarke and Ellis prove their versatility and mix in funk elements that are as energetic as their rock counterparts, but lighter on their feet. The cue’s stroke of genius is the way it electronically chops up the guitar riffs during its B section. It then tosses shreds of the riff across the stereo field, in a way that cleverly matches the tracks’ opening stuttering funk rhythms, but in entirely unexpected ways.

The score’s other noteworthy genre experiment takes place on “Track 10”. A particularly sludgy riff and growling bass lines make for the Formula 1 soundtrack’s grimiest track yet. Unexpectedly, Clarke and Ellis balance this focus on the bottom end with swelling and tinkling synth pads. Initially (as on “Track 9”), their job is to provide the guitar soli with an amorphous, cinemascope-sized backdrop, so they feel even larger than life than they already did before. But then, “Track 10” even drops guitars entirely during its mid-section. Instead, it throws in an unexpectedly atmospheric section dominated by those whale call-synths – before crashing back into the grinding opening riff with fierce abandon. You couldn’t ask for a more satisfying conclusion of one of game music’s best metal scores.

01 - Track 1 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:38
02 - Track 2 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:53
03 - Track 3 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:54
04 - Track 4 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:48
05 - Track 5 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:58
06 - Track 6 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 3:05
07 - Track 7 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 3:16
08 - Track 8 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:34
09 - Track 9 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:52
10 - Track 10 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 2:51
11 - Track 11 Mike Clarke / Stuart Ellis 3:13

MUSHA Soundtrack

MUSHA Soundtrack, Toshiaki Sakoda, 1990

It’s safe to say that Compile’s well-regarded Aleste series reached its pinnacle with 1990’s MUSHA for the Sega Genesis. It ranks as one of the 16-bit era’s best shooters, with lightning-fast gameplay, an immensely challenging difficulty level and some of the most breathtaking visuals ever seen on the Genesis – all the more impressive considering that MUSHA was a first-generation title. What really helped to set the game apart was its visual style. Feeling that MUSHA had to differ significantly from its franchise predecessors, the developers came up with an unusual mix of sci-fi tropes and traditional Japanese lore. As a result, your flying mecha shoots super-charged electric shurikens while facing off against enemies like robotic ninjas and Japanese castles on tank treads.

Another one of MUSHA’s virtues fondly recalled by many gamers is its superlative soundtrack, delivered by Toshiaki Sakoda. Sakoda had worked on previous Compile titles such as Aleste 2 and the first two instalments of the Crush Pinball series. On this occasion, the music formed a more critical part of the game’s stylistic foundations than usually. In fact, art director Kazuyuki Nakashima used the phrase “Edo Metal” to pitch the game’s concept to Compile’s leadership. According to Nakashima, the developers soon settled on a “speedy heavy metal sound that would match the fast scrolling and would play from the start of the opening demo non-stop without interruption”.

As a fan of Van Halen and Michael Schenker – but also Beethoven – Sakoda happily obliged in this quest to overwhelm gamers’ senses. Setting his sights high, Sakoda aimed to achieve something he felt hadn’t been done before: the world’s first heavy metal game soundtrack – or in his words, a “heavy metal suite” that could stand on its own outside of the game as a unified piece of work. Working within the confines of Genesis FM synthesis posed obvious challenges, but Sakoda met them head-on. He spent a month creating his FM guitar sound and via trial and error identified ways to give the synthesised instruments the feel of being played by humans, such as “a modulation envelope to evoke the feel of a human arm strumming”. Company leadership’s attempts to add traditional Japanese instrument sounds to the soundtrack were met with Sakoda’s determined resistance.

MUSHA Soundtrack

Given the results, it’s impossible to disagree with his choice to keep the MUSHA soundtrack a pure-breed metal beast. Sakoda aimed to create “heavy, dangerous songs that left an impact on you” and he succeeds with flying colours, writing some of the most ferocious compositions in all of game music. As foreshadowed by Nakashima, Sakoda adopts speed-metal tempi for much of his work here. Still, he often mixes it with the melodicism and neo-classical leanings of artists like Van Halen and Iron Maiden (something that came naturally to Sakoda as a classically trained guitarist). The resulting mix lands MUSHA firmly in power metal territory – and while it’s up for debate whether MUSHA was indeed the first heavy metal game score, it is most definitely one of the very best.

Sakoda’s fondness for metal’s potential to super-charge the on-screen action was already on display in Aleste 2 and Devil’s Crush. The problem was that Aleste 2’s metal-flavoured boss tracks suffered from thin material (and some really monotonous rhythms), while Devil’s Crush featured one of the most excellent compositions to grace the TurboGrafx – but unfortunately not much else. The MUSHA soundtrack is a much better-developed example of Sakoda’s vision for a metal game score. Indeed, his work feels like a fully-fledged, first-rate power metal album that happens to be played through FM synthesis.

Most shooters begin proceedings on an upbeat, empowering note with their first stage theme. However, Sakoda chooses to let the music engulf gamers right away via the blazing intensity of “Fullmetal Fighter”. Speed metal-style drumming and genre-typical staccato 32-note riffing set pulses racing right from the start, and things get only more hair-raisingly full-on when Sakoda layers dissonant, sometimes downright manic leads on top of this fiery foundation. And just as the music reaches peak intensity, Sakoda unleashes his heroic B section, with a comparatively simple, immediately stirring lead melody that most countries would be happy to adopt as their national anthem. It’s textbook power metal, executed to a level of excellence previously unseen in video game music.

Other tracks repeat this mix of note-shredding leads and more melody-driven B sections, which harness the music’s rocket-like propulsion and take it through the stratosphere. “Armed Armor” goes further still, with one of the soundtrack’s most virtuoso guitar soli topping off the chorus, soaring above the constantly hammering rhythm guitars. Final stage track “Aggressive Attack” manages to take things a notch higher still. The galloping drumming and syncopated rhythm guitar accents make this a head-spinningly breathless flight, while the rousing melody leads now must struggle to be heard over the rhythm section’s onslaught. That is, until Sakoda unleashes the soundtrack’s most expansive melody – creating the perfect mix between a merciless assault on the senses and melodic redemption.

MUSHA Soundtrack

Of course, Sakoda is more than able to vary his approach throughout the MUSHA soundtrack. Other level tracks like “Galvanic Gear” and “Divine Devise” adopt slower, stomping tempi and a more atmospheric approach in their melodies to contrast with the score’s high-energy aesthetic. “Galvanic Gear” is a perfect example of how much more varied Sakoda’s drum work is than in earlier genre exercises like Aleste 2. Meanwhile, “Divine Devise” showcases the composer’s virtuoso handling of the Genesis’ sound chip during the revving-up guitar effects just before the loop.

Boss battle tracks equally evince creativity. On one end of the spectrum is “Stratospheric Struggle”, which must be one of the blindingly fast game music pieces ever penned, opening with an astonishing bass line that sets the tone for this blistering cue. On the other end of the spectrum, we find “Phase of the Phantom”. It cranks up the tension not by breaking speed records, but instead through its thick atmosphere of dread, courtesy of industrial undertones, liberal use of dissonances and extreme, disorienting changes in timbres, from a high-pitched, nervous lead to a buzzing bass oscillation.

Commensurate with the astounding complexity of the MUSHA soundtrack’s arrangements, Sakoda never turns the music into a blunt object of sheer force. Instead, he injects even the score’s most forceful moments with intriguing details – take the squalling rhythm guitars on “Stratospheric Struggle” that subtly but effectively provide counter-rhythms to the relentless melody leads and drums. In fact, Sakoda consistently uses his rhythm guitars not just to power the music along, but also to make it more complex still through additional melodic counterpoint and polyrhythms.

The best example of this approach is “Noh Specter” – the soundtrack’s longest track and the one where the sheer density of Sakoda’s writing approaches prog metal territory. Melody leads change every few seconds as Sakoda puts together a breathtakingly dramatic track that climaxes in a glorious over-the-top finale as two harmonising guitars shred through some of the fastest arpeggios the Genesis’ sound chip allows for. It’s one of the countless occasions on which the MUSHA soundtrack proudly showcases the precise, powerful guitar tone Sakoda has achieved through his hard work. Significantly less warm and earthy than the SNES’ guitar tone (see Mystic Ark’s “Hey! Don’t Attack Me!” for a handy comparison), MUSHA’s guitars are harsher and more brittle. While this wouldn’t work for any guitar-driven rock style, it perfectly suits the aggression of an 80s power/speed metal score like MUSHA. Chiptunes metal probably never got better than this.

01 - Theme of MUSHA Aleste (Opening) Sakoda, Toshiaki 2:37
02 - Fullmetal Fighter (Round 1) Sakoda, Toshiaki 2:34
03 - Galvanic Gear (Round 2) Sakoda, Toshiaki 3:04
04 - Phase of the Phantom (Round 2 Boss) Sakoda, Toshiaki 0:59
05 - Armed Armor (Round 3) Sakoda, Toshiaki 3:11
06 - Divine Devise (Round 4) Sakoda, Toshiaki 3:10
07 - Stratospheric Struggle (Round 4, 5, 6 Boss) Sakoda, Toshiaki 1:57
08 - Noh Specter (Round 5) Sakoda, Toshiaki 3:58
09 - Offensive Overdrive (Round 6) Sakoda, Toshiaki 1:41
10 - Aggressive Attack (Round 7) Sakoda, Toshiaki 3:26
11 - Alpha Wave (Ending) Sakoda, Toshiaki 1:29
12 - For The Love of... (Ending) Sakoda, Toshiaki 3:22

T2: The Arcade Game Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

T2: The Arcade Game Soundtrack (Sega Genesis), Matt Furniss, 1993

Game developers certainly didn’t pass up the opportunity to make the most of the blockbuster juggernaut that was Terminator 2: Judgment Day. At the time the third-highest grossing movie worldwide (behind Star Wars and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), James Cameron’s work prompted numerous video game adaptations. In fact, when Midway ported their arcade rail shooter Terminator 2: Judgment Day to home consoles, they had to change its name to T2: The Arcade Game, to differentiate it from the already existing T2 games. That didn’t stop Midway Manufacturing Company from porting the game to as many platforms as possible – even to those that don’t seem like obvious candidates for a rail shooter (the Game Boy?)

The arcade original, with its polished presentation, remains fondly remembered. The reception of its many ports was quite varied. The Genesis adaptation fared well enough, with reviewers agreeing it offered a fun opportunity to blast away at robots – as long as you didn’t mind the inherently limited rail shooter gameplay. As was often the case at the time, each port received an original soundtrack – and the Genesis game was lucky enough to be scored by Matt Furniss.

The year prior, Furniss had scored the Genesis, Game Gear and Sega Master System versions of The Terminator. Those soundtracks – despite their obvious qualities – were a bit too short on substance to qualify as classics (although Furniss coaxed some imposing, hefty bass sounds out of the Game Gear and Master System). The T2: The Arcade Game soundtrack is Furniss’ strongest entry in the franchise, the best T2: The Arcade Game score and an intriguing addition to the Terminator franchise’s musical universe. While Geoff Follin and Tommy Tallarico used their franchise assignments to write either experimental sound collages or 80s-inspired, hook-laden pop/rock, Furniss takes the most obvious approach: an all-guns-blazing, unrelenting action score.

Like the game, the T2: The Arcade Game soundtrack knows not to outstay its welcome. Clocking in at less than 15 minutes, the score hits hard from the get-go. Furniss’ masterful handling of the Genesis’ Yamaha YM2612 sound chip is well-known, and T2: The Arcade Game might be one of his crowning achievements. Each instrument has both a crystal-clear sound and a powerful presence that are an absolute delight. Fitting for a game with such an industrial, futuristic narrative, it’s particularly the percussion that steals the spotlight and not surprisingly, Furniss builds his tracks around densely layered rhythms. The drum sounds that Furniss teases out of the Genesis hardware are stunningly forceful and crisp. If one was to look for a demonstration of where the Genesis surpassed the SNES’ sound capacities, the T2: The Arcade Game soundtrack would be a prime example.

Right from the start, “Mission 1”’s hard-hitting drums ramp up the energy and tension. They contrast nicely with the more measured synth lines that at times turn surprisingly melodic, ringing out like majestic guitar chords. This explosive mix is bolstered by a busy, supple bass that allows Furniss to keep this mix of energetic and cinematically sweeping elements constantly moving. While Furniss obviously knows how to write adrenaline-driven compositions, there’s no shortage of melodies and potent atmospherics on the T2: The Arcade Game soundtrack.

On later tracks, Furniss varies his compositions by changing the nature of their rhythmic attack. “Mission 2” and “Mission 4” make extensive use of syncopations and poly-rhythmic percussion layers, moving the previously hard rock-tinged music closer towards prog rock and dance music. Furniss marries this outburst of frantic energy with more fragmented melodies – they help guide listeners through these whirlwind compositions that keep delivering new ideas at a frightening pace. On the short, trenchant “Mission 4”, Furniss is happy to indulge in the music’s disorienting effect, with an erratic synth lead that contributes to the panic-stricken mood. On “Mission 2”, he anchors his cue through a constantly pumping bassline that feels more threatening than empowering. Of course, “Boss Theme” turns out to be the soundtrack’s fastest, most single-minded track and its hyperactive bass and furious speed are really all it requires to sustain its short run time.

The T2: The Arcade Game soundtrack changes its tack a bit on “Mission 3” and “Mission 5”, turning into something a bit more grooving. “Mission 3” opens with a head-nodding hip hop influence, while the synth leads become more active and intricate. Once more, Furniss builds a potently claustrophobic, dystopian atmosphere and underpins it with a complex rhythmic web – pay attention to the snare that travels between the stereo speakers, subtly enhancing the soundscape.

Final level track “Mission 5” turns out to be the T2: The Arcade Game soundtrack’s most intriguing cue. For the first time, Furniss sets the scene rather than jumping into the action right away – it’s the melodic outburst at 0:48 after a relatively quiet start that really brings the track to life. Furniss delivers an anthemic tune, but its chromatic resolution and the impossibly heavy bass chords gnawing at the music drag the melody down just as it is about to soar. This kind of emotional complexity comes unexpected, but it’s another example of Furniss’ exemplary attention to detail on what is one of the Sega Genesis’ most vividly realised scores.

01 - Mission 1 Furniss, Matt 2:16
02 - Mission 2 Furniss, Matt 2:05
03 - Mission 3 Furniss, Matt 2:18
04 - Mission 4 Furniss, Matt 1:19
05 - Mission 5 Furniss, Matt 2:38
06 - Boss Theme Furniss, Matt 1:17

The Path Soundtrack

The Path Soundtrack, Jarboe / Kris Force, 2009

One effect of the resurgence of the indie game scene from the second half of the 2000s onwards was the proliferation of titles that questioned the received knowledge of what actually constitutes a game. An early example of this emerging type of work was The Path, a reframing of the Little Red Riding Hood tale. The Path turns the classic fairy tale into an exploration of female sexuality and the painful process of growing up.

Particularly the former story aspect makes The Path a fascinating addition to the world of games, given how depressingly rare nuanced depictions of sexuality are in video games. In the game, the player takes charge of six girls of various ages and leads them to their grandmother’s cottage. If you stay on the path though, the game will tell you at the end that you’ve failed. Players can only unlock The Path’s mysteries by walking off into the woods, where the wolves lurk.

A game with such a cerebral set up required music that was equally out of the ordinary. That the developer managed to get American singer-songwriter Jarboe (of legendary avant-garde rock band The Swans) to pen the The Path soundtrack was quite a coup. Jarboe would collaborate with Kris Force, head of San Francisco music ensemble Amber Asylum. Not only had both artists previously collaborated on Swans albums, but Kris also brought her game industry experience to this project. A quick disclaimer: while Jarboe is credited with The Path‘s music and Kris Force with the game’s sound, the Bandcamp album release credits both artists. Given how much The Path blurs the line between music and sound design, for the purpose of this review both artists will be regarded as the creators of the soundtrack.

If both artists’ pedigree sets high expectations, the The Path soundtrack easily fulfils them. In fact, the score turns out to be one of game music’s most unique – and challenging – creations. Often closer to sound design than “music” in the traditional sense, The Path conjures a potent atmosphere of suffocating dread and nightmarish visions that few other game scores can match. But don’t make the mistake of assuming The Path is a straightforward horror score that simply wants to frighten you.

Instead, Jarboe and Kris Force have something more intriguing on their minds. The Path’s aim is to lure listeners into a disturbing world of sounds and keep them there. To this end, the composers musically mirror the duality that underlies the game’s narrative. It’s safe on the path, but aren’t the forest and all its mysteries much more interesting, no matter how dangerous they might be?

As a result, the soundtrack pivots with morbid obsession around the dual axes of sensuality and terror. Both these poles intertwine inextricably on the musical maelstrom that is the The Path soundtrack. Accordingly, several compositions weave a spell that is both alluring and frightening. Second track “Forest Theme” already subtly prepares the ground for the album’s more disturbing moments. Jarboe’s ethereal, layered vocals paint the image of a haunted location, warning us of the wolf. At the same time, Jarboe’s delivery has a calm, inviting quality that makes the prospect of meeting the wolf intriguing rather than simply terrifying. Allure and menace, forming the dichotomy at the basis of The Path, already begin to clash.

It’s particularly the sensuality of the The Path soundtrack that sets this score apart from many of its horror genre brethren. Even an abstract composition like “Woodsman Wolf” radiates warmth – albeit in the shape of searing, claustrophobic heat. Jarboe’s ritualistic chants float over incessant sound effects of thrusting saws and axes chopping away at wood. All of these elements fill the sound stage with a disturbing ambience that is as sexually charged as it is violent. The walls move in closer when abrasive guitar feedback rises and makes the air even thicker with paranoia and fear.

Another composition that marries charisma and discordance is “Charming Wolf”. Its jazzy overtones come courtesy of sometimes atonal saxophone fragments and brushed percussion. They clash with a wall of buzzing guitars and the roaring sounds of a motorbike — the classic sign of the authority-defying male teen. Only here, his sense of cool and danger is actively menacing, as those unsettling guitar sounds get more and more out of control towards the end of “Charming Wolf”.

Setting the The Path soundtrack even further apart from more conventional game scores are two spoken words pieces. Jarboe performs both of them impeccably. The first track is a combination of earlier versions of the Little Red Riding Hood tale. They are far more cannibalistic and sexually explicit than one might expect. However, there’s ultimately a happy end to the story told here. That’s not the case for “Little Red Riding Hood”, which importantly closes the album’s narrative arc. This is the ‘classic’ version of the tale – but it cuts out after the wolf has devoured the girl. No hunter to rescue Little Red Riding Hood, no punishment for the wolf – only the protagonist’s death.

The difference between these two readings of the tale crystallises the point The Path seems to want to make. It might be safe on the path, but never straying from it will eventually lead to disaster. The only way to survive is to confront dangers, experience pain and loss, learn from them and achieve maturity – not exclusively, but to a significant degree in terms of sexuality. The fact that both game and soundtrack describe this process of growing up as one of inevitable female suffering and hurt is hard to ignore and less than easy to accept. Then again, maybe such inevitability is merely meant to reflect and comment on the cruelty of a largely male-dominated world.

Ultimately, this is but one possible reading of the The Path soundtrack. And that’s precisely why this is such a stimulating work, both intellectually and emotionally. Jarboe and Kris Force’s score demands intellectual engagement and allows for varying interpretations of its intent and effect – and for how many game scores could you say this?

01 - Safe Song - The Path Jarboe / Kris Force 2:38
02 - Forest Theme Jarboe / Kris Force 7:03
03 - Little Girls Jarboe / Kris Force 1:04
04 - Charming Wolf Jarboe / Kris Force 3:27
05 - Fey Wolf Jarboe / Kris Force 4:59
06 - Forest Interlude 1 Jarboe / Kris Force 1:28
07 - Woodsman Wolf Jarboe / Kris Force 3:26
08 - Werewolf Jarboe / Kris Force 5:59
09 - Girl in Red Jarboe / Kris Force 3:15
10 - Forest Interlude 2 Jarboe / Kris Force 4:06
11 - Grandmother's Tale Jarboe / Kris Force 7:18
12 - Cloud Wolf Jarboe / Kris Force 6:55
13 - Epilogue Jarboe / Kris Force 5:21
14 - Little Red Riding Hood Jarboe / Kris Force 5:58
15 - Forest Reprise Jarboe / Kris Force 2:22
16 - EAT Jarboe / Kris Force 0:52