Dariusburst Chronicles Saviors Original Soundtrack
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Album Title: Dariusburst Chronicles Saviors Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Zuntata Records |
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| Catalog No.: ZTTL-0076 |
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| Release Date: January 13, 2016 |
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| Purchase: Download at Amazon |
Overview
The Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors Original Soundtrack accompanies the Playstation family and PC release of the same name. Although the game features a variety of music from Darius’ rich musical history, this album is primarily original music written for the game, barring some exceptions, by Shohei Tsuchiya and Hirokazu Koshio. How does it stack up to the other Dariusburst music in the series?
Body
The album opens with “Freedom,” by Shohei Tsuchiya, a groovy and funky tune with an excellent melody and soulful vocals; however, I’m not entirely sold on the performance of the singer, Omega Bone, during the verses of the tune, especially in the beginning where it is more a capella, but the performance during the catchy chorus of the tune is better. While Tsuchiya is the primarily composer and sets the overall tone of the album, Hirokazu Koshio contributes a few tunes. “Chronology” is an atmospheric electronic tune with a soothing sound that incorporates vocal samples. Another version, “Chronology -Another Century-,” is a more dance oriented rendition with some additional strings in the accompaniment. Lastly, “Abyssal Withdrawal” features an industrial sound that is very OGR in style and tone, however, Koshio’s style is also present. It’s a great dance tune but a bit repetitive.
Tsuchiya’s “Shining Eyes” is a very avant-garde piece, featuring fast paced percussion, glitchy electronic tones, synthesizer, operatic vocals, and keyboards. It certainly manages to stand out on the soundtrack for its creativity. His “Splendid Form” is very reminiscent in style to his Dariusburst Remix Wonder World tune “Crushing the Enemy Lightly,” providing lighter electronic tunes, synths, and a drum n’ bass influenced drum pattern. “Dream Road,” which features piano by Kumi Tanioka, is a very ethereal piece featuring sound effects, vocal samples, and distortion that gives off a very unsettling, yet peaceful, atmosphere. Tanioka returns as a pianist for “Restful,” a jazz influenced piece featuring Rhodes keyboard that has more of a jam session feel to it. “Peaceful” features a sultry sound with a jazz influence with its bass guitar, saxophone, and synth tones while “Watch” is more acoustic in nature, also giving a peaceful atmosphere. One of my favorites is “Expecting You,” a tune that blends jazzy piano chords, exotic vocals, industrial tones, and orchestra to create an excellent listening experience. The dramatic orchestral bridge is certainly a highlight of the tune.
The rest of the music comes from previously released games, Dariusburst Another Chronicle, Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX, and Dariusburst Second Prologue. The first two, “Departure” and “Opposition” originally featured on the Dariusburst -Another Chronicle- Mini Soundtrack released in 2010. “Departure” is more similar in style to “Goodbye, my earth” from the original game. Intense percussion, occasional vocal samples, and distorted brass make up the majority of the theme. It’s not among Tsuchiya’s best, but is still a respectable addition to the series. The second theme, “Opposition,” has a very discordant nature. Passages of upbeat nature transition into successive passages dominated by heavy percussion, progressive rock keyboards, and ominous bell chimes. In the end, it’s a very fitting theme for the Dariusburst series, given the style of the first game. The next two pieces on the album are from Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX. “Catabolism” provides sharp synths, percussion, chaotic orchestral hits, and wispy vocal samples for an engaging listen while “Finale” features dramatic choir and a nice melody, but not much else.
The last four tunes from a previously released game are from Dariusburst Second Prologue. The first, “Kannanshinku,” is a peppy electronic tune with quirky manipulated vocal samples and acoustic guitar to make for an odd, but satisfying combination. “Senshinbanku” has a retro flavor with jazz tones thanks to the muted saxophone and bass guitar. However, it veers towards cacophony at times making for a jarring listen. On the flip side, “Konkukannan” is a peaceful electronic tune with acoustic elemenets and distortion, but comes off as fairly forgettable. Lastly, “Nangyoukugyou” is an wonderful tune featuring choir, dramatic orchestral elements that give off a somewhat heroic vibe.
Summary
In the end, the Dariusburst Chronicles Saviors Original Soundtrack is certainly a mixed bag. The music featured from previously released games comprises a bit less than half of the music and where most of the hit or miss comes from. The original music, on the other hand, is a bit more cohesive in tone and certainly fitting for the series with some missteps along the way. The end result is an interesting listen and fans of modern Zuntata will probably find the most enjoyment out of the eclectic nature of the soundtrack.
Posted on September 28, 2016 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on September 28, 2016.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
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