GEM Impact at its Best: Blassreiter Soundtrack… Still Can’t Say Its Name (Review)

A few months ago we spoke with Norihko Hibino specifically about GEM Impact’s work on the Blassreiter, and again just last week he mentioned it as being one of the team’s milestone projects. Well, The soundtrack has just been released by Lantis in Japan, and having listened to the whole thing through, I completely understand why Hibino feels that it’s such a big deal for the team.

Of course there’s the hybrid orchestral/electronic sound that the team is known for, but also featured are piano ballads, live jazz performances, and stirring orchestral pieces. Spread across two discs, there’s about two hours of music from GEM Impact alongside the vocal themes that the team had no part in.

Find out why this release is so important to the GEM Impact team after the jump.

I’ll start by saying that the album is intensely dark and subdued. There are some fast-paced action tracks here and there, but for the most part, vocal themes aside, it’s minimal and downright moody. The fact of the matter is that there isn’t a single track on this album that I don’t like, making it hard to know where to begin!

Okay, maybe I’ll start from the beginning.  The foreboding first track, “Introduction of the Apocalypse,” starts things off with solo piano playing mostly dissonant bass notes as clattering sounds are heard in the background. From here, things get more energetic with “Circuit,” a fast-paced drum ‘n’ bass piece by Izutani that we mentioned specifically in the Blassreiter interview. It’s interesting that we throw around the phrase “It sounds like Metal Gear Solid, but…” when we speak with Norihiko Hibino, but the fact of the matter is that while tracks like “Chasing” and “Joseph the Savior” take a similar approach, the progressions and melodies here are much more catchy than the material heard in MGS.

There is a heavy emphasis on live instrumentation here as well, which is definitely a good thing. “Pain to Afflict” sports flanged acoustic guitars with lots of reverb, giving it a cowboy-esque feel. “Loneliness” is a solo piano ballad that is melancholy and minimalistic, while “Old Days” takes piano and adds violin to create an emotional, nostalgic atmosphere. The layered violins and high-pitched piano accents in “Flood and Aftermath” create a rich sound that actually reminds me of Yuki Kajiura’s work on Xenosaga III. Another piece, “Lonely Anger,” conveys just that with distorted guitars all by their lonesome, wailing out in the distance.

Live jazz enters through “Beatrice,” which features an upright bass and flanged guitars that lend an ethereal feel, and the flute solos are superb. In an interesting combination of styles, “Searching” takes electric guitars with lots of reverb and mixes it with filtered percussion, smooth belltones, and an upright jazz bass, making for one of the most compelling tracks on the album.

I only want to mention a few more things, and one of them is the “Blassreiter Main Theme,” a minimalistic piece with Hibino on sax and glassy pads in the background. A more rousing piano and saxophone version is found at the end of the album. The theme is also remixed twice afterwards, once in an orchestral/techno style and the other in a funky jazz style with slap bass and groovy synths.

Finally, I should mention the vocal tracks.  While they are all good in their own right, I don’t know if they fit in with the rest of the atmosphere here.  I don’t really know if they’re supposed to though.  Then opening theme, titled “Unripe Hero,” does have a grunge feel with a punk-like bassline, but the female vocals are as sweet as any other anime theme song out there. The closing theme, “Sad Rain,” fits a little better, imparting a warm feeling with electric piano, brass, and acoustic guitars.

So there you have it. This is some of GEM Impact’s best work, and if you’re a fan, you definitely owe it to yourself to pick this one up. Even if you’re not a fan, I think the moody style really lends the album a distinct sound that isn’t your every day GEM Impact material.  Head on over to CDJapan or Play-Asia for your copy.