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Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou & ESPGaluda -Perfect Remix- :: Review by Dave
OverviewA hail of bullets conceal a hidden destiny in these shooting games, and as with most Cave games to date, these bullet patterns withhold a weird solution. Dodging in and out of bullets is anyone's idea of fun, and with this game featuring arranged music from two shooter games, it becomes an experience where you get the best of both worlds, not to mention that the idea is just as weird as those bullet patterns. The games that these tracks are from are Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou and ESPGaluda, and it is N.T. who composes the ESPGaluda tracks on behalf of Basiscape. As ever, each soundtrack takes an electronica and trance form, and when one listens to these arrangements, it is much of the same thing. Super Sweep offer a real hoard of arrangements in this album, and with Namiki being the man behind the original composition in Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou, it is easy to say that these arrangements should also offer a truck-load of developed melodies. Ayako Saso takes the centre stage here with six arrangements, whereas the other nine, namely Masaharu Iwata, Hiroto Saitoh, Takayuki Aihara, Shinji Hosoe, and some other growing names, all arrange a total of eighteen tracks collectively. Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou RemixAyako Saso arranges four tracks in this section of the album, and by introducing a laid back style to the disc she also turns it into a warm-up feature that prepares us for the ESPGaluda tracks. Her creations vary in decency, but all in all, they are collectively profound. The first track that we hear from her is a good one. The steady trance rhythm in the background of "Select" provides the track with a sturdy backbone, and not only this, it adds a real sense of flavour to the track, too. The original theme was somewhat clouded by an overly emphatic drum line, but this version from Saso really lets the development in the melody ring so well that the music will lift your soul. Saso continues to impress with a darker arrangement named "Boss," and in comparison to the original track, one can hear that it is a step up in atmosphere. She takes the original track's amazing guitar lines and turns them into something even more awe-inspiring through a selection of rhythmic pulses. "Stage 4" is her next arrangement, but it is a pretty average one. Even so, the development of the rhythm is intriguing, so the overall effect of this mechanical track is an original one. "Name Entry" is her last track of the section, and it is quite enjoyable to listen to as well. It ranks along with "Stage 4" as an average track which is quite catchy but nothing else. Each of these four arrangements are a cut above each of their original melodies, which is certainly an achievement, and although some, namely "stage 5" and "Name Entry," fall below expectations, the tracks are collectively impressive.
Hiroto Saitoh boasts the second greatest amount of tracks in the section, and in all honesty, they are amongst the finest in this part of the album, too. Once again, these tracks lack the epic vibes that the ESPGaluda section gives, but Saitoh does well to keep the themes flowing with buoyancy and atmosphere. His first track on the album is "Stage 2," which is a notch above Saso's "Stage 5" arrangement. There are a number of ascending pitch bends that keep the track alive, but it is really the steady dance beat that keeps ears open. Collectively, the track is amazingly efficient in the speed that it develops and the mystical atmosphere it creates, but when each part is broken down, Saitoh's mainframe of simplicity is exposed. Saitoh certainly takes a different approach to the likes of Saso and Iwata with his arrangements; he lets the rhythm take a proactive role, whereas he constructs his melodies upon a series of simple instrumental threads. This style is especially exposed in his next arrangement, "Last Boss"; a series of different instruments are used here and each of them receive the main melody. "Last Boss" is probably his weakest arrangement, but with it being highly effective with its screaming sound effects, it remains as a good addition to the album. His last arrangement is "Ending," and this proves to be an invigorating synth vocal experience; although it is quite simplistic at first, it soon begins to build up in calibre. En masse, Saitoh's arrangements are pleasing as he takes the original tracks and expands upon them wonderfully. (This is opposed to other arrangers such as Shirou Satou, who barely justify the original melody). A Driving Emotion Type-S/Bushido Blade Original Soundtrack co-composer, Takayuki Aihara lets his efforts become noted with two decent arrangements for this section. The first of such is "Stage 3," which is a track built up around a simple piano melody and a vigorous techno beat. This track is extremely different to its original, as the background melody in the former is brought to the front here as a main melody. His next track on the album is even more impressive; "True Last Boss" develops around a rockin' drum line and some hard electric guitar chords to give a real feeling of power and fear. Aihara's contributions to this section are important for the albums originality, as he is one of few who actually introduce new melodies into each track. Effectively, Aihara belongs in the 'quality over quantity' clan with Namiki and Masaharu Iwata, and they all compose fewer tracks put together than Ayako Saso alone. Iwata provides the album with a glorious arrangement called "Stage 1." The melody in this track receives a lot of development, and with it being an inspirational one too, Iwata really hits the jackpot with this track. The mixture of vocalists, clock sound effects, and blaster-like warping noises, really gives this track a great edge. Last but not least, Namiki arranges his own "Evac Industry Stage 5" here in "Stage 5," which is a mystical adventure. The key feature of this track is its upbeat style and mystical glockenspiel melodies, which both create an eerie atmosphere at first, yet one of movement later on. All in all, these three composers do well, which is more than what I can say for Shinji Hosoe, who provides the section with two feeble arrangements of filler tracks from the album. On the whole, this section of the album proves to be an effective build up to the ESPGaluda remix section. None of these themes are as powerful as the ones which soon follow, but one thing that they each hold is a superb sense of atmosphere. The best atmospheres are created by composers such as Masaharu Iwata and Takayuki Aihara, but unfortunately we see very little of them here. Nonetheless, the other composers do a great job too, as indeed, both Hiroto Saitoh and Ayako Saso arrange a majority of the tracks in this section to provide the initial standard that the other arrangers must compete against. This section is an interesting one, and it links us wonderfully into the next section .ESPGaluda RemixThe ESPGaluda game is another shooter from Cave, and its gameplay is just as fantastic as Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou's; yet with the gameplay offering very little in the way of originality, N.T. sets out on the disc of creating a really influential score for the album, which is something that Namiki never did. The arrangements here reflect upon his initiative, and with a different set of arrangers featuring here than in the Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou remix, one can expect more originality, too. Ayako Saso doesn't feature as prominently as she did in the first section of the album, but still, she arranges two tracks here. Her first track in the section, namely the trance dance "Stage 5.1," is a very interesting interpretation of the mystical original, and it excels in comparison to other arrangements on the disc. This track is nowhere near as melodically developed as "Select" from the Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou remix, but it turns out to be extremely catchy nonetheless. Her last arrangement for the album is the epic "Ending," which is a blend of some orchestral majesty and techno rhythms. This blend works surprisingly well, as with the techno beat providing a melodic piano line with a really good bass, everything seems to wrap up nicely. All in all, when her efforts throughout the album are added up, we can see that she seems to have put more effort into her arrangements for the ESPGaluda remix, despite the lesser number of them. She truly impresses here, and hardly disappoints with these tracks. The lead arranger in this section of the album is Keiichi Okabe. He doesn't just arrange the most tracks, but also creates the best themes, too. He ensures that this section of the album maintains a beat filled style with the electronic ecstasy that he provides us with here. His first track is a typical dance track that really should take the stage in Ibiza; "Stage 3" is musical adrenalin at its best, as with such an electronically mastered drum beat and an inspirational piano line, it really is a great track to rave along to. The original track is totally re-mastered here, as although the same driving rhythm enters, the main melodic line is just so much more emphatic. Okabe's next arranged track is called "Stage 5," and it is a darker dance track which focuses more on the bass line than the melody itself. Once again, this is a typical dance club track, as with such a 'pump it up' bass, one can't resist dancing to it. This arrangement lasts for just under four minutes, and there is so much rhythmical development during this time that we are left with a different track than what we started off with. Okabe continues to outstand here with a theme that wasn't much on the original soundtrack but is now a true gem. His last arrangement on the album is the atmospheric "Last Boss." This track takes an even darker form than "Stage 5" did, and so, it really becomes a great representation of the last boss fight. The only negative things about this track are that the screaming sound effects and pace changes discovered in the original are missing. Nonetheless, that is probably the only negative aspect of all of his arrangements here, as each of them truly impress.
Once again, we meet the 'quality over quantity' clan, but this time the previous members are removed and three more are put in their place; Hirota Saitoh, Takanori Izumi, and Shinji Hosoe all join in to give the listener some pleasurable action filled tracks. Hirota Saitoh arranges "Separated by blood ~ Joined by blood" from the original soundtrack to produce "Stage 1 & Stage 5.2." This track is very similar in style to Okabe's "Stage 3," but it takes a much more adrenalin pumping path with its melodies. Saitoh even adds some original melodies that sound almost as if they are being improvised on a live keyboard. All in all, the track proves to be extremely impressive and very addictive, too. However, none come in a form as addictive as Takanori Izumi's "Stage 2." This track takes a much more airy synth form towards its start, and then, when it develops, everything becomes much more precise and fun to listen to. Izumi adds in a series of sound effects to make it sound like a robot is rapping, too. All in all, the atmosphere of this track is extremely powerful. The last main arranger is Shinji Hosoe, who makes up for his feeble efforts in the Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou section with "Name Entry," a simple, but ambient gem. He uses a significant amount of train-like sound effects in this track to end the album with a sense of mysticality and purity. Keiichi Okabe's efforts here match that of Sano's and Saitoh's works in the first section. His true dance orientated flair lets rip in this section, which proves to be a good listen. The themes featured here are so much more powerful than in the Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou section; if we take the Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou Remix section's "Stage 5" and the ESPGaluda Remix's "Stage 5.1," we can easily see the difference in atmosphere. Izumi's and Hosoe's contribution are great here, too, thus making this part of the album the most invigorating overall. SummaryAlthough the opening part of the album is half as impressive as the last, it still manages to take your breath away. This type of reaction isn't because the electronica genre is as deadly as anthrax, but more that it can be the basis of some great rhythms and awesome bass. Many fans will find it difficult to move away after hearing the likes of Okabe's "Stage 3," and so, you will be literally glued to your seat, attached by powerful melodic cement. The Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou/Ketsui ~KizunaJigokuTachi~ Original Soundtrack and the ESPGaluda Original Soundtrack are fantastically represented in this musical gem from Super Sweep, and this album should certainly spur many fans on to play these games by Cave, too. Arcade soundtracks are hard to come by, so you could imagine my joy when I heard that this album was going to be released by Super Sweep. This album should take anyone aback, as with its trance and techno style dominating that of some mainstream albums, it becomes a must buy. This is another sweet success from Super Sweep. Percentage Overall Score: 89% |
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