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The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Classic Castlevania Threads => Topic started by: Intersection on September 21, 2013, 08:03:23 AM

Title: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 21, 2013, 08:03:23 AM
I know. If any one of us is here, I'd imagine it'd be to praise the extraordinary music the series has brought us, not denounce it.

Yet I'm almost certain that, somewhere in your distant memory, you'll find a particular tune, a particular track, one that might have felt... odd, that didn't quite fit, that you might not, in the end, have liked as well as the others.
And, on the other hand, if you need to be vocal about that abhorrent piece of music that you'd absolutely detested, go ahead and share. It's one of the few times you'll be able to.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 21, 2013, 08:34:45 AM
I'll start by throwing my selection into the mix:

I could never really take to Harmony of Despair's soundtrack.
The composition might (or might not) have been decent, but it had been so marred by the dreadfully poor quality that all I could hear was a monotone mess of unpleasant tones. To be fair, it certainly did well to set the game's bleak, somber accents; it gave HoD a very particular sense of atmosphere that was unique to it. But over the course of the game's many areas and many tracks, the musical experience simply fell apart from the sheer tedium and repetitiveness of a soundtrack crippled by its heavy, cringe-worthy sound quality.
Much of the game's music had sacrificed any recognizable melodic sense; even when it was there, it was entirely hidden under the loud and aberrant background voices (the quality, again, didn't make it any better). After a few extended sequences of play, I was nearly considering turning the sound off.

The bottom line: after several hours of play, HoD's soundtrack sounded like musical mud.
Why? Most probably because the very specific sound Hokkai intended to achieve is far beyond the capabilities of the instruments he used to convey it. The result was a flat, muddled mess.

HoD does offer one or two nice tunes, though. I enjoyed Successor of Fate, while it lasted. Oh, and this:
Theme of Maxim Kischine - Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS-NC51KG1g#)
I'd just stumbled on this recently. This manages to turn one of the game's worst tracks into something extraordinarily good. Again, the culprit here wasn't the composition at all: it's only the abhorrent sound quality. Thank you, Jorge, thank you.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: X on September 21, 2013, 10:56:55 AM
I think the only game that had the lowest points for music out of the entire original series in my mind was HoD. Not so much of the tunes themselves as I like some of them, but more 'n less the quality that was used. While I enjoy chip tunes Michiru Yamane's works require much more substance in her pieces, and having them in chip tune format was a near-death experience for the game. But I have to say that for me over all, LoS is the least liked for CV music.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 21, 2013, 01:52:47 PM
I think the only game that had the lowest points for music out of the entire original series in my mind was HoD. Not so much of the tunes themselves as I like some of them, but more 'n less the quality that was used. While I enjoy chip tunes Michiru Yamane's works require much more substance in her pieces, and having them in chip tune format was a near-death experience for the game. But I have to say that for me over all, LoS is the least liked for CV music.
Actually, Michiru Yamane didn't compose HoD's soundtrack. Most of the music was done by Shoshiro Hokkai.
Apparently, Yamane only worked on some of the tracks from the game's boss rush mode. Probably just a ploy to cite her name in the game's team.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: X on September 21, 2013, 09:34:17 PM
^^^
News to me  ???
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Lelygax on September 22, 2013, 12:10:44 PM
LoS music and "I am the Wind" from SotN.

^^^
News to me  ???

Its in the staff roll pal :P
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: DarkPrinceAlucard on September 22, 2013, 03:36:06 PM
Not many tracks I did not like in CV.

But one that comes to mind is "I am the wind" at the end of symphony of the night.

I remember being so impressed about everything in symphony after beating the game such as the gameplay,levels,and most of all great music, and then that song played at the end of the game and it felt so out of place.

So far the best end game music I have heard in a CV game is Lament of Innocence.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: X on September 22, 2013, 10:18:26 PM
Quote
Its in the staff roll pal :P

I don't pay too much attention to the credits  :P  ;D

Quote
But one that comes to mind is "I am the wind" at the end of symphony of the night.

I remember being so impressed about everything in symphony after beating the game such as the gameplay,levels,and most of all great music, and then that song played at the end of the game and it felt so out of place.

I agree with this. I also felt that the ending theme of CoD didn't jive with the game itself either. I liked it even less then 'I am the wind'.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Johnny on September 22, 2013, 10:32:52 PM
I know a lot of people didn't seem to like Graham's Battle Music from Aria of Sorrow:

castlevania aria of sorrow music graham battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7BZkmLSYM#)

IMO I get it yes its supposed to be fast paced because its a boss battle but the tune in and of itself just seems way too scatterbrained and disorganized. Also, its not just cause its GBA Music either cause in Castlevania Legends how they remixed Vampire Killer to be the final boss battle worked far better IMO:

Castlevania Legends Music (Game Boy) - Vampire Killer (Final Battle) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgmkCme5wLg#)
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Lelygax on September 23, 2013, 10:05:19 AM
What happened with these guys from KCEN after Legends and Saturn SotN?
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Pfil on September 23, 2013, 11:05:21 AM
I love to death almost all CV music.
I didn't like HoD at first, but then I tried to understand what the composer tried to do, and I find a cool music that doesn't fit with CV, but now I can't imagine HoD without it, and I think it's cool to listen to. It's still one of my less favourite CV soundtracks.

That said, there's some things I don't like...

* LoS and MoF soundtracks. The only theme I like is the MS logo at the beginning.
* I am the Wind.
* One theme from CV 4 that is in major mode and doesn't fit with the game.

And I believe Simon's Theme, Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears are SUPER, SUPER, SUPER overrated. But I don't think they are bad. I'm just tired of them.

And now I prepare myself for the insults to come  :P
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 23, 2013, 12:48:58 PM
I love to death almost all CV music.
I didn't like HoD at first, but then I tried to understand what the composer tried to do, and I find a cool music that doesn't fit with CV, but now I can't imagine HoD without it, and I think it's cool to listen to. It's still one of my less favourite CV soundtracks.
But I'm sure we all agree on that: Harmony of Dissonance wouldn't be the same without its own, idiosyncratic musical style.
Still, I remain convinced that Hokkai's composition would have far more successful if its audio quality hadn't been so limited. And I'm quite sure his music might have been even better if its orchestration had been slightly more... varied.

That said, there's some things I don't like...

* LoS and MoF soundtracks. The only theme I like is the MS logo at the beginning.
* I am the Wind.
* One theme from CV 4 that is in major mode and doesn't fit with the game.
Well, LoS and MoF are a different story. Personally, I don't exactly consider them to be Castlevania soundtracks. So I don't really list them here.

I am the Wind didn't exactly fit in SoTN. It didn't go well with the game's atmosphere, its spirit... or even the rest of its soundtrack. I think we all agree here.

SCIV? You'll have to tell me exactly what track you're speaking about. But I don't remember there being any track in that game that I didn't take to... It has what's probably my favorite Castlevania soundtrack to this day...

And I believe Simon's Theme, Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears are SUPER, SUPER, SUPER overrated. But I don't think they are bad. I'm just tired of them.

And now I prepare myself for the insults to come  :P
Ah, you're actually not alone there. Vampire Killer and Bloody Tears are great, lively themes that can really take hold of you in the heat of battle. But once you get down to the tunes themselves, they're rather simplistic. I love them, but they're not my favorites.
Now, as for Simon's Theme, I completely disagree with you. That theme is extraordinary... How dare you slander it? You imbecilic wretch! (Just kidding  ;D)

But hey: if you don't want to get insulted for you tastes, share them here! It's one of the few places where you're safe (well, at least as long as others don't follow my example).
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Pfil on September 23, 2013, 03:33:12 PM
Oh yeah! Call me dirty b**ch!  :P

**ties herself to the bed**

Hahaha!

Jokes aside, I know I'm the only one who's not fond of Simon's theme, and the reasons are the same of VK and BT.
I find the rest of the SCV4 soundtrack to be spectacularly atmospheric, with only one exception, there's one theme that sounds funny to me, and that's why I believe it doesn't fit in CV. When I return home I will check which one is it.

And yes, I can't imagine HoD without its soundtrack. But the sound quality is horrible.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Lelygax on September 23, 2013, 04:03:30 PM
Oh yeah! Call me dirty b**ch!  :P

**ties herself to the bed**

I will use this chance :P

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: X on September 23, 2013, 06:05:09 PM
Quote
I find the rest of the SCV4 soundtrack to be spectacularly atmospheric, with only one exception, there's one theme that sounds funny to me, and that's why I believe it doesn't fit in CV. When I return home I will check which one is it.

I think I know which tune you are referring to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIn-PXpfSg4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIn-PXpfSg4)

Did I guess right? If so then don't worry so much about it. It was only for two secret areas and that's it.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Pfil on September 23, 2013, 10:03:56 PM
Almost. Thanks for taking the time. That one you mentioned is a little funny too, I didn't remember it until I heard it now; but I found the one I was talking about, it is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rklx-pskx-k&list=PL891516D5CE3DD2E4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rklx-pskx-k&list=PL891516D5CE3DD2E4)

The funniest part is the beginning, then the music improves a little.
Still, I think it doesn't fit the atmosphere of the game.

But anyway, there's 35 tracks, and 30 of them are incredibly atmospheric, it's an excellent soundtrack for a technically amazing game.

And The Palace and Chandeliers, OMG! How beautiful!
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 24, 2013, 09:43:21 AM
Oh yeah! Call me dirty b**ch!  :P

**ties herself to the bed**

Hahaha!
Well, well... Now that's significantly more interesting...

Almost. Thanks for taking the time. That one you mentioned is a little funny too, I didn't remember it until I heard it now; but I found the one I was talking about, it is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rklx-pskx-k&list=PL891516D5CE3DD2E4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rklx-pskx-k&list=PL891516D5CE3DD2E4)

The funniest part is the beginning, then the music improves a little.
Still, I think it doesn't fit the atmosphere of the game.
Really? It didn't strike me as particularly unfitting. Although I'll admit the beginning can seem somewhat strange. It's not my favorite tune, either, but it does its job pretty well...

But anyway, there's 35 tracks, and 30 of them are incredibly atmospheric, it's an excellent soundtrack for a technically amazing game.

And The Palace and Chandeliers, OMG! How beautiful!
But... Dracula's theme, anyone? So... haunting, so entrancing, so powerful, even -- heck, I'd been expecting something like Dance of Illusions when I'd gotten there the first time. Or am I the only one to have found it so extraordinary?
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: shelverton. on September 24, 2013, 10:03:38 AM
Almost. Thanks for taking the time. That one you mentioned is a little funny too, I didn't remember it until I heard it now; but I found the one I was talking about, it is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rklx-pskx-k&list=PL891516D5CE3DD2E4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rklx-pskx-k&list=PL891516D5CE3DD2E4)

The funniest part is the beginning, then the music improves a little.
Still, I think it doesn't fit the atmosphere of the game.


LOL! That is actually my favourite track in the entire game. It wasn't always like that but suddenly it started to grow on me and now I think it's a masterpiece. But I don't necessarily think it sounds like "Castlevania music" to be honest, so I guess I can see what you mean. But it's quirky and eerie and strangely beautiful, IMO.

On topic: I was never a big fan of "Simon's Theme". It's very iconic and I think it's pretty catchy, but I dunno... It's not bad but it's not as AWESOME as many people says. Compared to the "stage 1" tunes that came before AND immediately after it (Vampire Killer, Bloody tears (sort of), Beginning, Reincarnated Souls and Opposing Bloodlines) it doesn't even sound very Castlevania-ish to me.

Another song I have a real hard time appreciating is "Invitation of a crazed moon" from PoR. I really love the rest of the soundtrack in that game, but the very first song is not my cup of tea. At all. It does everything right on paper, but completely misses the mark anyway, or something. Can't explain. I guess it boils down to personal taste.

Finally, I was not a fan of the remixed tracks in Castlevania Chronicles. "Wicked child" was especially hard on the ears for me... the NES version is fantastic though.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Pfil on September 24, 2013, 10:37:52 AM
Well, well... Now that's significantly more interesting...
Haha! That's because you first said...
You imbecilic wretch! (Just kidding  ;D)
...so I felt a joke was right  :P

But... Dracula's theme, anyone? So... haunting, so entrancing, so powerful, even -- heck, I'd been expecting something like Dance of Illusions when I'd gotten there the first time. Or am I the only one to have found it so extraordinary?
That tune is awesome! The atmosphere it creates is really haunting.

LOL! That is actually my favourite track in the entire game. It wasn't always like that but suddenly it started to grow on me and now I think it's a masterpiece. But I don't necessarily think it sounds like "Castlevania music" to be honest, so I guess I can see what you mean. But it's quirky and eerie and strangely beautiful, IMO.

On topic: I was never a big fan of "Simon's Theme". It's very iconic and I think it's pretty catchy, but I dunno... It's not bad but it's not as AWESOME as many people says. Compared to the "stage 1" tunes that came before AND immediately after it (Vampire Killer, Bloody tears (sort of), Beginning, Reincarnated Souls and Opposing Bloodlines) it doesn't even sound very Castlevania-ish to me.

Another song I have a real hard time appreciating is "Invitation of a crazed moon" from PoR. I really love the rest of the soundtrack in that game, but the very first song is not my cup of tea. At all. It does everything right on paper, but completely misses the mark anyway, or something. Can't explain. I guess it boils down to personal taste.

Finally, I was not a fan of the remixed tracks in Castlevania Chronicles. "Wicked child" was especially hard on the ears for me... the NES version is fantastic though.
Yes, it's the beginning that sounds funny to me. But it's not bad, of course.
Yes, Invitation of a Crazed Moon sounds very rare, it also did to me the first time I played the game.
And yes again, the Chronicles remixes are weird, they are like a techno version of the original ones, or something like that.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 24, 2013, 11:07:49 AM
On topic: I was never a big fan of "Simon's Theme". It's very iconic and I think it's pretty catchy, but I dunno... It's not bad but it's not as AWESOME as many people says. Compared to the "stage 1" tunes that came before AND immediately after it (Vampire Killer, Bloody tears (sort of), Beginning, Reincarnated Souls and Opposing Bloodlines) it doesn't even sound very Castlevania-ish to me.
Ah, well, it's all a matter of taste. It's might not be the most intricate piece of music Castlevania has seen, but... it is awesome, all right. It's the iconic opening to one of the series most iconic games: of course it's Castlevania!
But then again, I feel the same way about the other tracks you'd mentioned -- Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears, Opposing Bloodlines? I love them all, but I still don't find them as good as some of the music I'd heard from other games.
Vampire Killer is catchy, but doesn't have that dramatic substance that could make it successful outside of its original format. Hence some of the tiresome heavy-metal VK arrangements in later games that I could never take to... When I listen to it, it's most often only on the NES version.
Beginning has a similar problem, although it was more successful in transitioning into different instrumentations...
Bloody Tears? It's absolutely great: musical, catchy, enthralling -- but so incredibly short! And, again, it lacks substance. So after hundreds of loops of the same 30-second tune -- no matter how great the music actually is -- it eventually loses its luster.
Opposing Bloodlines? It always came off to me as exceedingly repetitive. Maybe it was a matter of personal taste, but it also felt as if it lacked more interesting content. Still great, anyhow.
But remember: if anything, I've only dissected their faults to make their unmarred qualities shine even brighter. So I don't need to be insulted, either.  :P Don't forget, I love this music just as well!!

Another song I have a real hard time appreciating is "Invitation of a crazed moon" from PoR. I really love the rest of the soundtrack in that game, but the very first song is not my cup of tea. At all. It does everything right on paper, but completely misses the mark anyway, or something. Can't explain. I guess it boils down to personal taste.

Finally, I was not a fan of the remixed tracks in Castlevania Chronicles. "Wicked child" was especially hard on the ears for me... the NES version is fantastic though.
Yes. I could never really take to Invitation either. It didn't sound anywhere near what I'd expected, and it kept feeling odd ever since. It's all right, but definitely not one of my favorites.
And yes again, the Chronicles remixes are weird, they are like a techno version of the original ones, or something like that.
Yup. I second you there.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: shelverton. on September 24, 2013, 11:16:54 AM

But remember: if anything, I've only dissected their faults to make their unmarred qualities shine even brighter. So I don't need to be insulted, either.  :P Don't forget, I love this music just as well!!


Don't worry, I would never insult another person because of his/her taste. Quite the contrary! It's really interesting to see what other people think about these things. And I think most of us can agree that Castlevania music as a whole is friggin fantastic  ;D Even the tracks we don't necessarily "love" are still better than 90% of other video game music out there...
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Pfil on September 24, 2013, 02:37:11 PM
Don't worry, I would never insult another person because of his/her taste. Quite the contrary! It's really interesting to see what other people think about these things. And I think most of us can agree that Castlevania music as a whole is friggin fantastic  ;D Even the tracks we don't necessarily "love" are still better than 90% of other video game music out there...
Exactly! Just because there's some CV music isn't my favourite, that doesn't make it worse than the rest of VG music.
Don't misunderstand me: there's a lot of excellent VG music out there. But there's nothing (in general terms of music, even) that can match what CV music is!
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Puwexil on September 25, 2013, 02:43:18 AM
Lords of Shadow, Mirror of Fate, Judgment and Harmony of Despair stand out as the lowest of the low the series has sunken to in terms of musical expression. All of them are unlistenable, by and large. I suppose I don't outright detest all the music to Legends, but it's incredibly shrill in instrumentation, which just serves to further bury the meager compositions.

Everything Takashi Yoshida contributed to Aria of Sorrow is garbage. Curse of Darkness contains a lot of filler tracks, mostly in the form of cutscene BGM, though I'd be happy never to have to suffer material like Infinite Corridor or Dracula's Castle again. To belabor the point, every time Yamane is called upon to compose a track for a chaotic realm-type area, I die a little inside. Similarly, I disliked the overall tone of her work in Portrait of Ruin, for indulging in false sentimentality and coming off as more than a little sappy. Several remixes in the Dracula X Chronicles miss their mark, usually for adopting a tiresome orchestral sound backed by a choir and embarrassing electric guitar accompaniment.

Pressure, Inversion, Castle Escape etc. are really boring. Generally no one composes good tracks for "panic" events in video games. Platinum Moonlight can't sustain itself for one loop, let alone extended listening during exploration.

There's probably more but I'm popping a vein now.
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: DoctaMario on September 26, 2013, 09:01:02 AM
For me, probably a good portion of both Sorrow games. I don't know what it is but the music for those were decidedly average IMO except for a couple tracks.

And I agree with Shelverton about Simon's Theme. It's good but not amazing, especially in light of the fact that there really aren't any bad pieces on thr CV4 OST
Title: Re: Castlevania music you... didn't like
Post by: Intersection on September 27, 2013, 09:31:55 AM
Lords of Shadow, Mirror of Fate, Judgment and Harmony of Despair stand out as the lowest of the low the series has sunken to in terms of musical expression. All of them are unlistenable, by and large. I suppose I don't outright detest all the music to Legends, but it's incredibly shrill in instrumentation, which just serves to further bury the meager compositions.
I agree... halfway. Lords of Shadow and Mirror of Fate are not "unlistenable", but offer a rather generic soundtrack that isn't anywhere near what we've come to expect from Castlevania. Judgment offers precious little in terms of musical originality, but does have some great remixes in its soundtrack. Among other things, it has my favorite version of Dance of Illusions, Iron Blue Intention, a great rendering of Castle Dracula, and a few other good tracks. Now, some Harmony of Despair's music is truly difficult to listen to; many of its metal rock versions of classic music are absolutely terrible. Yet it also happens to have my all-time favorite piece of Castlevania music in its OST -- Heart of Fire. It also comes with surprisingly good renderings of Castle Dracula, Nothing to Lose, or even Vampire Killer. So it's a very mixed bag.

For me, probably a good portion of both Sorrow games. I don't know what it is but the music for those were decidedly average IMO except for a couple tracks.
I agree. Most of the music from the Sorrow series was decent, but nothing more. There were, however, some truly good tracks there: Ruined Castle Corridor, Clock Tower, and Heart of Fire (!) for Aria; After Confession, Condemned Tower, The Pinnacle, along with the remixes of Bloody Tears and Beginning for Dawn.