Super Robot Wars JAM Project Theme Song Collection

	Album Title: Super Robot Wars JAM Project Theme Song Collection
	Record Label: Lantis
	Catalog No.: LACA-5845
	Release Date: December 25, 2008
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

Overview

JAM Project are a J-Rock group that principally make theme songs for animations. In addition, they have been a regular force on Banpresto’s Super Robot Wars games, given their extensive use of mecha anime crossovers. After debuting on the PlayStation’s Super Robot Wars Alpha, they have appeared on nearly every main game on the series, each time releasing singles featuring their opening and ending theme songs. In 2008, Lantis generously combined their full-length theme songs together in a single package, the Super Robot Wars JAM Project Theme Song Collection. Let’s look more closely at the featured contents…

Body

In what started a series’ tradition, there are first of all two performances by the group to open and close the original PlayStation version of Super Robot Wars Alpha. The opener, “Steel Messiah”, is one of their most melodramatic entries to date and perfectly suits the opening animation. Expect powerful male vocals crying semi-operatically above rhythm guitar riffs and a particularly loud drum line. In the full version exclusive to the single and compilation, JAM Project greatly elaborate on the thematic content and also introduce various contrasting sections, most notably a guitar solo at 2:32 followed by an awesome ‘orchestra meets rock’ unifying section. The ending theme “Power”, on the other hand, follows the tradition of a rock ballad. The introduction offers a pleasant combination of electric guitar leads and supporting orchestration, before a succession of vocalists emphasise the reflective, bittersweet quality of the ending. Spanning some five and a half minutes, the full length version here is really given a chance to breathe and gradually grow more motivating, culminating in a powerful recapitulation in the last minute. Both are among JAM Project’s greatest hits.

Following their successful series’ debut, JAM Project returned to interpret the opening and ending themes for Super Robot Wars Impact, though neither quite live up to the precedent of Super Robot Wars Alpha. “GO!!” benefits from a great expansion of material from its soundtrack appearance. In particular, the extended introduction gives the track plenty of rhythmical impetus and ensures the chorus sections featured in the single sound much less abrasive. Compared with “Steel Messiah”, however, the thematic material is quite a bit weaker and the flashy guitar and synthesizer solos sound a bit tagged on. Nevertheless, the vocalists and instrumentalists here still create a great attitude here and prove true dramatists. The ending theme “Departure” follows the precedent of “Power”. It initially takes a more balladic approach with romantic male vocals, soft piano backing, and electric guitar dabs. However, it eventually explodes into something more happy-go-lucky complete with unison vocals and elating guitar solos. It’s a really clichéd way to the end the soundtrack, but at least stays true to anime tradition.

JAM Project also led the score for 2nd Super Robot Wars with two theme songs, featuring in the fifth and sixth tracks of the score. After being left cripplingly short in game animation and soundtrack release, in what has become a recurring trend for the series, it’s delightful that the opening song “Skill” is given a chance to really expand on this compilation. The most enjoyable feature here are the ‘call and response’ vocal passages between the female and male vocalists, who both really bounce off each. The rock accompaniment verges on melodramatic, but this is arguably part of the charm and it certainly adds to the anison spirit. The ending theme “Forever & Ever” is also greatly elaborated upon here. Once again, there is creative use of both the male and female vocalists here, but in a rather different way. Whereas some parts of the song resemble a romantic duet, others are closer to a rock anthem. Unfortunately, the song comes across as a bit disjointed overall despite its touching moments, though gradually becomes more unified during the latter half. Overall, the theme songs for 2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha are enjoyable, but they’re really not up to the superlative quality of their direct predecessor.

Moving on to the selections from the excellent soundtrack to Super Robot Wars MX, it’s pleasing how JAM Project made a bigger effort to integrate their music into the style of the rest of the soundtrack. The opening theme “VICTORY”, in particular, is especially striking with its gothic harpsichord introduction and use of ensemble vocals during the chorus. The verse of the song is actually more conventional J-Rock, but there are still plenty of idiosyncracies in its treatment. Interestingly, this track also receives an awesome orchestral rendition in the orchestral release, though the fully fleshed original featured here is also very charming. The ending theme “Promised Land”, on the other hand, is a little deeper than most ballads with its part-ethereal, part-rustic new age instrumentation. Vocalist Masami Okui brings out a wistful and reflective quality to the melody, without being overly sentimental. The full version featured on the single and vocal collection doesn’t offer that many novel elements to the track, but the melody is given the chance to expand more and there are some fantastic instrumental passages, such as the folksy finale. Clearly JAM Project are capable of being versatile when they want to be.

The fifth game featured on the compilation is 3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha. The opening theme “GONG” is one of JAM Project’s most erratic works. Following an instrumental progressive rock introduction, it moves into a soft reflective vocal passage, before suddenly exploding into a clamour of J-Rock inspired by Malice Mizer. The rest of the song is even more divergent with everything from operatic backing vocals, punchy chorus passages, and a semi-orchestrated finale. It’s far too random and unpredictable for my tastes, though the individual sections are still quite enjoyable. “Brother in Faith”, in contrast, perhaps thankfully follows the more conventional format of JAM Project’s past ending themes. It opens in a balladic format with soft female vocals and unobstrusive new age instrumentals. The chorus is a more motivating ensemble passage that forms a clear but subtle contrast with the verse section. The song is nicely capped off by bridges featuring interplay between an extravagant electric guitar solo and Celtic woodwinds that surprisingly works. Overall, it’s a special way to end the game and sounds even more lovely in its full version here.

The penultimate selections on this album are from Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations. “Rocks” is a typical opening theme from the band, featuring particularly energetic rock instrumentals and anthemic melodies presented by the band’s male and female vocalists. It adheres very closely to anime tradition, following more erratic entries like “VICTORY” and “GONG”, and will be clear favourites with fans of the band. However, some parts are more ambitious, for example the apocalyptic instrumental introduction, the use of vocal manipulation, and the peculiar fast guitar solo. It’s a pity that these features weren’t better integrated with the rest of the song, as the introduction especially reveals some unfulfilled potential. “Portal” also stands out as polished, well-produced, but ultimately somewhat unoriginal ending theme. The close harmonisation of the male and female vocalist really brings something to the piece and embodies a sense of companionship at the end of the game. The instrumentals are comparatively dull, however, with typical acoustic guitar chords and somewhat tacky ethereal synthpads. Overall, while certainly good, the theme songs for OG are some of the less distinguished of the series.

The vocal collection ends with the two vocal themes from the last main title in the series, Super Robot Wars Z. “Crest of ‘Z’s” is a clear departure from the conventional J-Rock sound the band seemed to rely too much on in earlier titles. New arranger Ikuo Shibatani offers some interesting stylistic twists here, making the guitar riffs much more gritty than usual and intersynching them with some hard techno frills. The introduction is also spectacular and shows JAM Project’s taste for the melodramatic with its dark operatic vibes. Certainly it’s necessary to listen to the full version on the single and compilation to experience the full charm of the theme. It would be good to see JAM Project develop this fusion sound in future Super Robot Wars titles. The ending theme “Cosmic Dance” is quite a bit different too, spearheaded by Element Gardens’ Junpei Fujita. The vocals have a bittersweet quality to them and a slightly bluesy feel, while the instrumentals are a charming blend of organic and electronic new age elements. The climax at the 3:53 is simply elating and a wonderful way to end the compilation as a whole. It’s probably the best ending theme of the entire series.

Summary

Overall, this album is the definitive compilation for fans of JAM Project’s work on the Super Robot Wars series. The experience of hearing these songs in full here, particularly the openers, is far more satisfying than hearing the shortened version on the games and soundtrack releases. It’s also wonderful that all the songs from the seven games are featured in one place. After all, it’s more economical and convenient to purchase this album than seven singles, and there’s plenty of variety and excellent melodies to make the entire experience worth it.

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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