Primary Emotions/Themes: Controlled violence, dark brooding, gothic romanticism
Thoughts: A single but potent piano note plays over a dark series of chords. The souls reaped from fallen enemies laid bare, crystalized into solid red orbs. Each orb bearing the face of the unfortunate being who was slaughtered by the hellish fiend known as Dante.
Pipe organs flare out of the distance, a choir quickly joins them conglomeration of notes as the dark overtones swell into existence. The world becomes dark as the music slowly seeps into every crevice, every nook and every cranny. Like a slow but brooding fog the music slowly takes over everything in it's path, reflecting the darkness held within.
"Let's rock baby!" Says a white haired man wielding an over sized sword and two guns that have an abnormal aura around them. Pushing play on the stereo behind him the foul creatures that have entered into this place are quickly dispatched. They leave behind curious red orbs that are swiftly collected by the white haired man - death follows in his wake.
Devil May Cry is an action packed game that was quite unlike anything that had come before it. The locale's in the game are highly influenced by the Gothic styled architecture as well as more modern interpretations of the same style. The music reflects this stylistic choice intimately.
Dark ambient passages interrupted by pipe organs, choirs are common place in one of the two predominant styles in the soundtrack. These sections blend together and create a deep and brooding atmosphere that reflects the darkness hinted at in the games surroundings. They add that extra touch to drive the atmosphere to the next level.
On the other side of the musical spectrum the game engages in guitar based combat music. While the guitar is the primary instrument it is hardly ever the sole instrument being played. It is almost in perfect harmony with electronic effects and beats. These two elements work together to create a high energy rock/EDM hybrid that has a dark edge to it. It's fantastic, and something I've heard implemented elsewhere like it is here.
The way that the tracks weave in and out of each other is what pushes this soundtrack over the edge for me. It goes from a collection of cool songs with unique ideas to something that becomes incredibly memorable and impactful. The care taken to ensure that the tracks work together through their ordering and the natural ebb and flow that comes from that is immaculate. I'm so glad that this soundtrack finally got pressed to wax - it is one of the high points of my collection.
Written October 23th 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment