Coven and Labyrinth of Galleria Original Soundtrack

	Album Title: Coven and Labyrinth of Galleria Original Soundtrack
	Record Label: Nippon Ichi Software
	Catalog No.: N/A
	Release Date: November 26, 2020
	Purchase: Buy Used Copy

Overview

The Coven and Labyrinth of Galleria Original Soundtrack is the latest offering from Tenpei Sato. The game itself, developed by Nippon Ichi Software and known for their strategy RPGs, is their follow-up title into the popular dungeon RPG, Coven and Labyrinth of Refrain in Japan (Coven of Dusk: Labyrinth of Refrain in the West). Does the soundtrack make for a good standalone listen and how does it rank compared to the first game’s soundtrack?

Body

The album opens with “GALLERIA,” the main theme of the game and sets the tone for the rest of the soundtrack. It has moments of mystery and playful whimsy all supported by strings, piano, and vocal elements. The end result is a memorable tune with a strong melody. “Spring Watch” brings a magical atmosphere with it through the use of strings and mallet percussion that gives off a mysterious vibe while “Mystic Perfume” utilizes strings, harpsichord, violin, and ethereal vocals to showcase a wonderful melody and give it a sense of mysticism. On the more playful side is “Dirty Entertainer” which combines brass, block percussion, strings, harpischord, and accordion to give off a mysterious and whimsical vibe while “Stray Cat” uses woodwind, vocal elements, and acoustic guitar to craft a playful melody that gives off Phantom Brave vibes.

“Dancer at Dusk” is a strings and accordion focused tune with a romantic, Spanish influenced atmosphere, almost like a tango. The end result is fantastic with an equally memorable melody. There are also a couple other dancer oriented tunes. “Final Dancer” is a bit more frenetic in nature. Retaining a similar instrument set of accordion, piano, strings, accented by choral elements, it bears an even stronger tango influence and helps craft a whimsy and sultry atmosphere. Lastly, “Dance of Evermore,” is a rock/orchestral battle theme with a fantastic energy with an electric guitar-led melody, vocal support, and an extremely memorable melody.

Other action oriented tunes include “Despairing Pianist,” is a tune with a strong sense of tension, a wonderful melody, and a beautiful harmony between piano and strings. “Zoom in Quartet” also utilizes piano and strings to great effect. The melody itself, largely played by violin, is exquisite while the accompanying strings and piano support has a frenetic and classical air to it, similar to “Flaxen Necklace” from Soul Cradle. On occasion, there is also some vocal elements that give it a more powerful aura. “Aku-max” is a rock oriented battle with electric guitar and violin leads supported by piano and percussion. The end result is a theme with a fun melody that also carries a sense of urgency with it. Similar instrumentation can be found in “Crowd-Close-Confined,” although focusing more on the orchestral side of things when it comes to the melody. It also has a great energy and is a personal favorite. Lastly, “No-stalgica” is a more dramatic theme with a rock and orchestral base. Female vocals, electric guitar, choral elements and the slower tempo compared to other battle themes makes for an excellent tune with fantastic musical texture.

Other highlights on the album include “A Mite of Comfort,” a classically influenced piece with piano, strings, and vocal support in the style of a waltz with an exquisite melody and a warm and comforting aura and “Darkside of Memory,” a more pensive and mournful violin-led tune with harpsichord, giving it a bit of a Baroque feel to it. “Oldfashioned Lover Girl” is a slow jazz tune that utilizes a phonographic filter to give it an old-timey sound that complements its sultry and romantic air. On the flipside is “Secret Jazz Band,” a super fun tune that is effervescent and upbeat with its brass band and piano soundscape. It’s another highlight of the album. “Club Coven” is another fan favorite that combines accordion, strings, synth, violin, and vocal elements alongside electronic accompaniment to give it a club-like feel, although one fitting for the soundtrack rather than something more modernized.

Last, but not least, are the two vocal themes on the album, both sung by Emi Evans. The first is “Taiyo Yeskala,” the first credits theme and one with a more mournful sound. Piano and violin help craft this sorrowful atmosphere while Emi Evans’ singing, utilizing her futuristic take on Hebrew and Italian languages, mixed with words from  the Japanese language, is evocative and haunting. The end result is simply stunning. The other vocal theme, “Eureka” evokes a more joyous sound. The strings and harpsichord help craft a Baroque feel while also invoking a sense of happiness. The vocal performance is simply entrancing and is sung using Japanese and Emi Evans’ unique interpretation of the Ukrainian language. The end result has a fairy tale quality to it. There is also a piano version of this same theme, “Eureka~Piano” that replaces the vocals with piano, changes the arrangement a bit to sound more somber, and features strings as an accompaniment that adds to the musical texture.

Summary

The Coven and Labyrinth of Galleria Original Soundtrack is a very successful follow-up to Tenpei Sato’s soundtrack for Coven and Labyrinth of Refrain. The melodies featured on the album are quite memorable and the range of styles really helps bring a great diversity to the album, even more so than the first game. Fans of Emi Evans will also be happy to see her return to sing the vocal themes for the album. For now, this is only obtainable as a pack-in bonus for the release of the game in Japan, or from a third party seller on an auction site, but I imagine that if this title is localized for the West, this will also be included in the limited edition, as most of Tenpei Sato’s soundtracks are.

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 28, 2021.

Tags: Coven and Labyrinth of Galleria, Coven and Labyrinth of Refrain, Emi Evans, Nippon Ichi, Tenpei Sato

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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