 | Album Title: Dariusburst -Another Chronicle- Live in O-East -revolt- |
| Record Label: Enterbrain | |
| Catalog No.: EBCD-0008 (Limited Edition); EBCD-0009 (Regular Edition) | |
| Release Date: October 31, 2011 | |
| Purchase: Buy at Ebten |
Overview
Dariusburst Another Chronicle Live in O-East -revolt- is a recording from a live show in June 2011. It features music from throughout the series arranged by Shohei Tsuchiya and Hirokazu Koshio. There is a heavier focus—rightfully so—on the recent Dariusburst games, adapted and more suited for a live show. The renditions are performed by guitarists Hideaki Kuroda and Jiro Yoshida, keyboardists Norihiro Furukawa, Katsuhisa Ishikawa, and Hirokazu Koshio, bassist Shohei Tsuchiya, drummer Tomohisa Furushima, and vocalist Remi. The regular edition contains the audio recording, while the limited edition includes a bonus DVD with a video recording. How does the release turn out?
Body
The majority of the album is arranged by Shohei Tsuchiya. The album opens with an arrangement of “Good-bye my Earth,” from the original Dariusburst, featuring Remi, the vocalist on the Dariusburst Another Chronicle Original Soundtrack. The track mostly highlights the main melody nicely, and Remi’s vocal work is enjoyable. Although the track starts off fairly straightforward—drums, guitar riffs, and keyboard work—I really like the mid-section breakdown. It offers a bit of a jazzy flair, and I like the calming effect of the keyboard work before moving into a sexy guitar solo that brings a lot of energy and emotion to the mix. Following that is another Dariusburst track, “The World of Spirit,” which captures the essence of the original, although I prefer this version. I think Remi’s vocals are enthralling and bring the main melody to the forefront. As for the musical accompaniment, I like the groovy jazz influence throughout the remix. The piano work is the most captivating portion and mellows the track a bit.
Tsuchiya’s other main focus on the album was arranging his Dariusburst: Another Chronicle tunes for a live show. Rather than elaborate on some of the shorter themes in the suite, he trims the major portions—the first, third, and fifth themes—into more manageable tunes for a live show. The first, “Suite Photoconductivity ~First Tune: Iron Fossil~,” takes the original, which was a surreal, evocative tune, and turns it into an upbeat theme featuring some jazzy piano chords and an overall groovy soundscape. Remi’s vocal work fits this rendition well and brings out the emotion in the piece, ranging from sultry, intoxicating moments to more powerful, yet not overbearing, operatic sections.
The second, “Suite Photoconductivity ~Third Tune: Bolt and Sword~,” has a much more rock-oriented approach compared to the original. The combination of Remi’s vocals and the funky guitar work is fantastic and heightens the energy of the piece. In addition, the string accompaniment in the later portions manages to accentuate the melody with its romantic sound. The last section, “Suite Photoconductivity ~Fifth Tune: Tyrant~,” is the longest of the live versions of the various suites. Compared to the original, this one definitely saw the biggest transformation. While the original was much more sinister in approach, the arrangement, by contrast, is very soothing and relaxing. I love the overall balladic, jazz-tinged soundscape, as I think it adds a unique sort of depth to the melody, not to say the original wasn’t melodically deep. The piano complements the vocals nicely, and the guitar gives off a rustic soundscape.
Hirokazu Koshio focuses on two medleys for his contributions to the album. The first, “DBAC Mix,” focuses on themes from Dariusburst, Dariusburst Remix -Wonder World-, and Dariusburst: Another Chronicle. The mix opens with “A Soothing Sensation,” Baiyon’s contribution to the remix album for the first game, providing a short but fitting opening; its rhythm can at times be heard throughout the mix. The second theme, “Baptize Silver Hawk,” from the first game follows and provides a very entertaining heroic section before moving into the darker “Abyssal Holic,” also from the same game. I like the pulsing bass line with ethereal, distorted synthesizer work. The transition to “Crushing the Enemy Somberly,” Ryutaro Nakahara’s contribution to the Dariusburst remix album, accentuates the darker passages of the former with the industrial tones of the latter. The mix ends with “Abyssal Dependence,” closing on a sinister note. I like the addition of the funky guitar in the background and the staple “Warning” sound effect.
The other mix, “Darius Classics,” by Koshio, focuses on the classic Darius themes, mainly composed by Hisayoshi Ogura, although it incorporates a theme from Darius Twin composed by Shizuo Aizawa. The medley focuses on the series’ main themes, and I think it’s the more successful of the two. I love how Koshio takes the “Coin” jingle from Darius II, “Chaos,” and the main theme from Darius, turning them into this groovy, ethereal, enticing mix featuring spacey synthesizers and electric guitars over a heavy bass. It moves into “Say Papa,” the final stage theme from Darius II, in a synth-focused rock piece that gives off a nice feeling of adventure. One of my favorite sections is the fusion of “Self” and “Visionnerz” from Darius Gaiden. I love how the sultry vocals of the latter complement the melody of the former, and the rock-and-piano accompaniment gives it an edge not present in the original. Another fusion section pairs “G-Zero” and “Adam” from G-Darius. I love this section the most due to the exhilarating electronic beat, the sinister soundscapes of “Adam,” and the synthesizer melody of “G-Zero.” It’s an impressive take on my favorite soundtrack in the series, focusing on two of the most popular themes. The piano- and synth-focused “Fake” from Darius Gaiden follows, keeping up the energy, and it seamlessly flows into “A Flashing Dual Hawk” from Darius Twin, which adds a heroic touch with piano and guitar serving as particular highlights. As one might expect, the medley ends with “Boss 7” from the original Darius, with cheers from the audience heard as it starts. I love the jazzy piano accompaniment that works with the synth and industrial elements of the melody.
Each artist also arranged an encore piece. Of the two, my favorite is by far Hirokazu Koshio’s, partly because of the strength of the original piece as well as the small things he does to elevate it for a live show. His take on Ogura’s “Hello 31337” from Dariusburst is probably my favorite thing on the entire album. I love the intense beat, the overall industrial tone of the original, and the small flourishes that Koshio adds to the mix, such as the intricate synthesizer accompaniment, piano, and rock sections that add nice personal touches to the mechanical nature of the beast. The closing piece on the album, arranged by Shohei Tsuchiya, is the last part of the Dariusburst: Another Chronicle suite. His take on “Suite Photoconductivity ~Sixth Tune: Guidance~” closes the concert (and album) with a very romantic piano rendition of the theme, with Remi’s vocals. It really contrasts with the energy of the rest of the album, but also manages to bring the listeners back down to Earth before departing the venue.
Summary
In the end, I think the Dariusburst Another Chronicle Live in O-East -revolt- album provides a great listening experience. The older Darius themes are given their due respect, and the Dariusburst themes bring a lot to the table. I also like how the Suite pieces are adapted for shorter listening, even if the overall atmosphere is a departure from the original sound. If you’re a fan of the Darius series, definitely consider checking this one out. The limited edition is especially worthwhile for those looking for a video recording.
