The Legend of Heroes -Zero no Kiseki- Super Arrange Version
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Album Title: The Legend of Heroes -Zero no Kiseki- Super Arrange Version |
| Record Label: Nihon Falcom |
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| Catalog No.: NW10102880 |
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| Release Date: February 18, 2011 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Amazon Japan |
Overview
The Legend of Heroes -Zero no Kiseki- Original Soundtrack was one of Falcom’s most disappointing soundtracks: derivative, barren, and rambling. Nevertheless, the game sold well enough that Falcom dedicated an arranged album to it. Arranged by Yukihiro Jindo and featuring soloist performances, the album transforms various original pieces from the score into substantial musical highlights. But along the way, the album loses Falcom’s distinctive sound and ends up tripping over itself…
Body
The opening arrangement of “Inevitable Struggle” reflects Falcom’s modern rock sound. Yukihiro Jindo pumps up the synth-heavy original piece with piercing violin melodies and elating guitar passages. Aspects of the track seem contrived compared to similarly styled classics like “Genesis Beyond the Beginning”, though it definitely expands on the original to offer a solid anthem. In contrast, “Formidable Enemy” and “Intense Chase” stay very close to their original — already high-octane rock pieces that were adored by players. Nevertheless, Masaru Teramae’s electric guitar performance brings a lot more energy to the melodies and there are plenty of exuberant solos. Whereas the former will appeal to fans of hard rock, the latter has a retro feel that fits Falcom’s roots. Neither are spectacular arrangements, but they’re among the most enjoyable arrangements here.
“Zero no Kiseki” expands the main theme for the game into a five minute orchestration: the first portion an epic cinematic orchestration, the second section a striking classically-oriented piece. Sadly the original melody — originally created for the vocal theme — is so simple and pop-flavoured that it doesn’t suit either treatment. And while the shift in the second half is refreshing, the opening orchestration is so derivative — with its epic choruses and booming percussion — that it loses Falcom’s trademark sound in favour of a bland Hollywood imitation. “Arrivederci!” is a much more convincing emulation of the Hollywood sound; after all, it’s melodies suit this treatment much better and a few of Falcom’s trademarks are thrown in for good measure. While synthetic, the implementation is robust enough for the arrangement to shine.
“Police” is one of the most disappoointing entries here, transforming a decent acoustic track into a sickly light jazz piece. The soprano saxophone work is especially obnoxious here and would be more suited for a dating sim soundtrack. “Firm Strength” meanwhile suffers from an identity crisis — the ostinato sounding like Falcom’s answer to “Tubular Bells”, but the melody sounds like it belongs in an easy listening album. Both tracks are odd choices, given they were hardly highlights on the original score and bring little substance to the album. What’s more, they’re such stylistic shifts from the rest of the album that they end up being unwanted interruptions rather than desirable interludes. Along with the pointless demo version of “Inevitable Struggle”, they’re also the shortest and least developed tracks here.
Extending an already effective original, “Someday, Surely” is a small ensemble piece that inspires deep emotions in listeners. While the writing is excessively sentimental, the lush harmonies and beautiful violin solos from Akiko Nagano make up for it. But certainly the most gushing of all the tracks here is “Get Over the Barrier! -silent devotion-“, based on a recurring theme from the original score. Yukihiro Jindo creates a beautiful organic timbre by blending radiant violin and piano solos, uplifting orchestration, and emphatic beats and trapset. Compared to similarly styled pieces on Ao no Kiseki, the stylings are schmaltzy and the melody is pop-flavoured. Yet while some will be turned off by this, the excessive approach will be appeal to many listeners. The soundtrack concludes with another epic action-packed orchestration, “To be continued!”, that is professionally produced but still out-of-place. At least the pop-flavoured melodies and sentimental interludes here are definitely Falcom.
Summary
There is no doubt that The Legend of Heroes -Zero no Kiseki- Super Arrange Version expands on the original score with extensive developments, novel stylings, and rich implementation. But in doing so, Yukihiro Jindo often loses the character of the original pieces in favour of epic orchestrations and schmaltzy performances. This sounds especially contrived when the originals tended to feature simple melodies. What’s more, the lighter tracks here are completely devoid of substance and the handful of rock arrangements adhere very closely to the originals. The final album does not come together as a satisfying whole, with its shifting styles and underwhelming arch, and manages to be even less satisfying than the already flawed original score. Let’s hope that the arranged album for the vastly superior Ao no Kiseki score improves on this.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on August 1, 2012 by Chris Greening. Last modified on August 1, 2012.
About the Author
Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!
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