Coven and the Labyrinth of Refrain Arrange Soundtrack

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

	Album Title: Coven and the Labyrinth of Refrain Arrange Soundtrack
	Record Label: MissKissDisc
	Catalog No.: MKDS-0004
	Release Date: December 26, 2016
	Purchase: Buy at Amazon Japan

Overview

As with many of Tenpei Sato’s soundtracks for Nippon Ichi Software, he typically releases an arrange soundtrack afterwards on his own label. With his last album, Witch and the Hundred Knight Arrange Soundtrack, there were definitely improvements compared to some of his Disgaea arrange soundtracks. Does this trend continue with his latest arrange soundtrack for Coven and the Labyrinth of Refrain Arrange Soundtrack?

Body

The album opens with “Draw Near,” a playful, quirky piece in the vein of Disgaea with a large focus on accordion and vocals. With the arrange version, there is an added slower section in the middle that exudes a more mysterious air and helps give the piece a more intriguing progression. It certainly improves upon the original. On the flip side of things, “Witch’s Depression” is a more mysterious and haunting piece to start, with a bit of a gypsy vibe going for it. The added middle section brings a more jovial touch to the piece, offering a bit of a Renaissance sound with woodwinds that adds a bright mood to the piece. “Moonlight Piano” is a piano- and strings-driven tune with both beautiful atmosphere and melody, and a choral backing that brings a haunting quality to the piece, with a more romantic flair thanks to the smoky jazz piano featured in this take.

“Toy Box” features a playful melody, magical atmosphere, and a focus on woodblock instrumentation while adding a soft, piano-driven section that gives off an innocent air thanks to its ethereal choir and soft electronic touches. It certainly conjures up an image of a child playing with his toys, but I’m not sure if this was the intended portrayal. “Fairy Doll” remains largely unchanged with its flamenco guitar, accordion, woodwind, and harpsichord combination that give off a bit of a Baroque sound mixed with a Renaissance flair; however, the addition of a violin solo gives a bit more of a festive, yet reflective, sound to fit with the rest of the piece’s overall tone. “More Than Words” is a poignant, piano-driven piece that becomes a bit more vocal-focused compared to the original, giving it more of a soft pop ballad flavor. It is enjoyable but comes off as a bit saccharine.

The main theme, “Labyrinth of the Refrain,” certainly carries the same spirit of the original, but it does improve thanks to the addition of live violin instrumentation; however, there aren’t any major additions or changes to this theme. “Rose Bed,” steeped in Baroque influence with its strings and harpsichord focus, improves by adding some more classical texture, this time in the form of a strings-driven waltz section. Another piece that doesn’t add a whole lot aside from instrumentation updates and solos to give it a bit more edge is “Green Blood.” It has the same musical texture as the original and is still certainly an enjoyable piece, but doesn’t do as much as some of the other pieces on the album.

One of the more successful transformations is “Lost Ruins.” While the haunting choir and strings of the original are still intact, the addition of a male choir brings a much more complex tone to the piece with an almost religious overtone that accentuates the original’s mystical and, at times, desperate sound. My personal favorite of the album is “Detuned Beat,” which takes a more typical rock-driven battle theme, amps up the energy during the more rock-oriented section, but opens up with a stunning piano section that ties together the classical style heard in many of the softer pieces to great success. “Recollection,” another classically influenced piano piece done in a waltz theme, also doesn’t drastically change, but has a more romantic feel thanks to the new subtle piano additions.

The vocal theme, “A the ha lluri da,” sung by Emi Evans, follows in the footsteps of past vocal arrangements by updating the instrumentation and extending the original’s run time. As with the original, it blends ballad stylings with modern Japanese language and a futuristic take on Welsh while also conveying a lot of emotion in its strong melody. Likewise, the piano rendition of “A the ha lluri da” becomes a bit more classically influenced, and also sees an update with the addition of strings that give it a more poignant and romantic air that borders on fairytale-esque in nature.

Summary

While Tenpei Sato’s arrange soundtracks may not be as groundbreaking or avant-garde as other arrange albums released for various game soundtracks, they typically highlight some of the more popular and successful tunes on the respective soundtracks. They also give a chance for those unable to purchase the soundtrack, due to the more pack-in nature of Nippon Ichi Software’s soundtracks, to hear a good representation of the overall soundtrack. While some of the tunes on this album certainly change drastically, they all retain their overall feel. Either way, the music of the original was one of his strongest efforts in recent years, and while not perfect, this arrange soundtrack is certainly another step in the right direction.