If there is one thing that RPG's in general are notorius for, it is the hundreds or even thousands of random battles that you encounter through the game and the "battle themes" that accompany them. As annoying as they get after twenty or so hours, some of them are as much a part of a game as any of the other elements. The most distinctive ones are those done by Nubuo Uematsu for the Final Fantasy series. Anyone who has played one of these games no doubt has had that installment's version of the battle theme stuck in their head. Uematsu and a group of musicians known as the Black Mages took some of the better of themes from the world of the synthesizer to the more exciting world of rock instuments.
There is plenty of keyboard work done in the pieces, played by Nobuo Uematsu himself. As far as that goes, the music doesn't deviate to much from the sound of the OST's. There is nothing wrong with that, as the main lines from the songs will seem very familiar. However, it is the addition of the other band instruments that takes the Black Mage's work to the next level. The guitar and bass work by Tsuyoshi Sekito, Michio Okamiya, and Keiji Kawamori is outstanding and really gives the songs the rock feel that they were shooting for while keeping that Final Fantasy sound. Arata Hanyuda's drum work is very good, as he does a great job of driving the music without taking over since many of the earlier Final Fantasy battle themes didn't have to much of a drum beat due to the limitations of the early systems. Of course, the Black Mages had great material to work with in the first place.
The music will be recognizable to anyone who has been in the series for a while. Sometimes it is was a little hard to place at first, as the pounding intros that players may remember have been taken out of these mixes. Those Who Fight Further (FFVII) and The Fight With Seymore (FFX) made the jump to rock beautifully, but both were pretty much already there to begin with. J-E-N-O-V-A is a little more of a stretch. It is still heavily synthesized like in the game, with a synthesized drum beat as well. Guitars seemed to be added just to accompany the synthesizer, and they do a pretty good job in that capacity but are nothing special. The better pieces on the CD may be those where the keyboard takes more of a back seat. Battle Theme (FFVI) uses the strings to give it a very dark sound, and has the least synthesizer work. It also moves like a real battle theme. Dancing Mad (FFVI) is just plain odd. The transitions from rock to what almost feels orchestral aren't very smooth. It may stay true to the original, but it may be the weakest piece on Black Mage's CD. The song that may have changed the most, and for the better, is Battle Scene (FFI). The original piece was about 30 seconds long due to good old 8-bit technology. The new version is faster paced, with many added guitar and keyboard parts in the middle. Force Your Way (FFVIII) also goes a little crazy in the middle and may have the best new ending. It slows down slightly with a great build-up to the the final race to the finish. Battle, Scene II (FFII) is another song that stays true to the original. Nothing has really been added to it, and it sounds great. One song that may appeal to differnt people in different ways will be The Decisive Battle (FFVI). It feels like a race to the finish without taking enogh time to establish any one part. However, as a battle theme the quick pace was probably intended. It is a good battle theme, but not a good song.
With the exception of a few rough edges, the Black Mages put together a great CD. What is even more interesting is that they seemed to incorporate several different sounds into the CD as well. You have the rock feel that makes up most of the CD, but there is also an almost dark metal feel to some of the music. This is a great translation of Uematsu's music, and that should be expected as he is a member of the band as well as the composer. While the sound might not appeal to all, this is deffinately worth checking out by any fan of Nubuo Uematsu or his work.
Overall Score: 8 Best Piece: Those Who Fight Further (FFVII)
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