Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Game Music, Gear, Reviews

Mondo of Blood – Castlevania Rondo of Blood & Symphony of the Night OST Vinyl Review

November 16, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | 2 Comments Share this

[Disclaimer: I received copies of both of these vinyls from Mondo specifically for review purposes.]

I’ve admittedly had a lot of opinions on the Mondo releases of the various Castlevania soundtracks on vinyl LP, but until now had not gotten the chance to do an in-depth review of any of them. Mostly I never reached out because I assumed my bias towards the franchise music would make my opinions too cynical, and it wouldn’t be fair. However, after four previous vinyl releases from Mondo for the series, and the announcement of both soundtracks to Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, I figured that perhaps now was the time to offer my critique.

The soundtracks from both games are held in high regard both with fans of the series and casual gamers alike. While far more have played through Castlevania Symphony of the Night than they have Rondo of Blood due to the latter’s limited release in the states via ports, the soundtracks for both offer different things while still bringing depth to the history of Castlevania music.

So, how do these releases stack up; both as individual offerings as well as compared to the other Mondo releases in the series?

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Doujin, Game Music

Castlevania SotN Tribute Album’s Kickstarter Give Fans the Chance to Pick the Music Covered

November 8, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Castlevania SotN Tribute Album’s Kickstarter Give Fans the Chance to Pick the Music Covered Share this

Before Halloween, we reported on the release of the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night tribute album, Resurrection of the Night, to Bandcamp thanks to Materia Collective and arrangers Wayne Strange and Tim Stoney. Since the album’s release, a Kickstarter has been launched to help fund the album’s follow-up, Alucard’s Elegy. The follow-up hopes to continue producing high-quality orchestrated arrangements of both music from Symphony of the Night, as well as tracks from a few other Castlevania game titles in the series.

<a href="http://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/album/resurrection-of-the-night-music-from-castlevania-symphony-of-the-night">Resurrection of the Night (Music from “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”) by Wayne Strange</a>

“We look forward to doing so much more with a live orchestra and choir, and the second volume will feature a new set of tracks that will become the second act–or inverted castle–of this midnight saga.”

Currently, the Kickstarter has a pledge goal of $30,000 to produce a secondary album with 10 tracks. Additional funds raised will add additional tracks to the album. Not only can you score both the original Resurrection of the Night album along with Alucard’s Elegy by pledging to the Kickstarter, you’ll also get a say in what tracks will be arranged on the new album. (As of yesterday’s update, “Crystal Teardrops” is in the lead by vote for getting the arrangement treatment.)

“Unlike the current voting, songs added to the album via stretch goal may be from ANY Castlevania game, so long as it’s a licenseable track. Yes, that means classic tracks such as Bloody Tears, Wicked Child, Beginning, Opposing Bloodlines, Simon’s Theme, Reincarnated Souls, etc… would ALL BE IN PLAY.“

The Kickstarter campaign for Resurrection of the Night: Alucard’s Elegy runs until November 26th. You can purchase the original 13-track Castlevania: Symphony of the Night tribute album, Resurrection of the Night, on Bandcamp for $13.
Doujin, Game Music

Celebrate Halloween with a Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Arrangement Album

October 24, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Celebrate Halloween with a Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Arrangement Album Share this

Some Halloween-related fun from Materia Collective is getting released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Playstation game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Resurrection of the Night is a 13-track arrangement album created by arrangers Wayne Strange (Video Games Live, Zelda Reorchestrated) and Tim Stoney (Zelda Reorchestrated) to pay tribute to the classic soundtrack crafted by series-mainstay Michiru Yamane. The album seeks to cover the most well-known tracks from Symphony of the Night in a fully-orchestral style, from the now iconic Dracula battle music “Dance of Illusions” to the beloved waltz “Dance of Pales” and the energetic “Tragic Prince”.

The music from Richter’s castle will be laid before you with Resurrection of the Night. We intend to delve deeper into the anguish that Alucard must endure with Alucard’s Elegy. Because we would be moving into more story-driven material we would like to make this experience a truly authentic one. That means hiring a professional choir, and, if our dreams are fully realized, a symphony orchestra. But enough talk, have at you! – Wayne Strange, Producer & Arranger

<a href="http://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/album/resurrection-of-the-night-music-from-castlevania-symphony-of-the-night">Resurrection of the Night (Music from “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”) by Wayne Strange</a>

A follow up album titled Resurrection of the Night: Alucard’s Elegy will also be coming to Kickstarter to fund all-new live orchestra and choir recordings for release on CD and vinyl. Alucard’s Elegy will offer tracks from the game’s inverted castle and more for listeners to enjoy.

While it’s hard to improve on a soundtrack that’s already meticulously crafted and well-known, it’s sounding like Resurrection of the Night could prove to pay proper tribute to the game’s legacy. The album is currently available for pre-order on Bandcamp and will fully release on October 30th.
Chip Music, Game Music

Shiryu Music Releases Castlevania: Chiptunes of the Night

May 22, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Shiryu Music Releases Castlevania: Chiptunes of the Night Share this

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Shiryu Music has composed an album of retro-mixed chiptune versions of many classic tunes of the SotN soundtrack.

“Castlevania: Chiptunes of the Night” is my long and delayed tribute to Michiru Yamane’s incredible soundtrack. You might have found me teasing this release in the past years with me chiptune demakes/remixes/covers from such timeless classic songs as “Wood Carving Partita” or “The Tower of Mist”. But this time I went for the complete soundtrack, or at least the tracks that I could get my hand on sheet music and/or MIDI files. – Shiryu

<a href="http://shiryu.bandcamp.com/album/castlevania-chiptunes-of-the-night">Castlevania: Chiptunes of the Night by Shiryu</a>

Of the 32-track album, “Disc 1” features retro-makes of several tunes from Symphony of the Night done with a NES sound library, while “Disc 2” does the same track up with SNES sound fonts, meant to give tribute to the oldschool sounds of the earlier Castlevania games to this, the game that helped kick off a new genre of “Metroidvania” games.

Some tracks do a good job of down-mixing the iconic tunes of SotN, while others leave a bit to be desired. (The NES version of “Tragic Prince” starts off great but then gets a bit grating on the ears, in my opinion.) However it’s a solid effort and a commendable tribute to composer Michiru Yamane’s most recognized and revered soundtrack.

<a href="http://shiryu.bandcamp.com/album/castlevania-chiptunes-of-the-night">Castlevania: Chiptunes of the Night by Shiryu</a>

You can check out the entire album on the Castlevania: Chiptunes of the Night Bandcamp page for a listen.
Chip Music, Game Music

Mega Ran Highlights with Mega – Lo – Mania Tour Documentary

August 20, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Mega Ran Highlights with Mega – Lo – Mania Tour Documentary Share this

Need more Random aka Mega Ran in your life? Then you may want to consider pre-order his new tour documentary Mega-Lo-Mania! Coming in more digital and physical formats, the documentary will chronicle the chip-hop artist’s recent tour and appearance at PAX. Along with the 33-minute film, directed by Michael Cardoza as he followed Mega Ran and soul/funk band The Lo-Classic, you’ll also be receiving 5 never-released recordings and some other goodies.

“I had a blast. It didn’t totally go as I’d expected, but I think that’s the best story to tell; that it won’t always work out 100% according to plan, and that making adjustments on the fly is such a big part of what we do. I love the way the documentary came out.” – Mega Ran

Need more to convince you? Here’s a sneak peak of one of the exclusive live band recordings to be released with the documentary:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – “Aria Of The Bloodline” (Live Practice Instrumental)

Pre-Order @ Mega-Lo-Mania Purchase Page
Featured, Game Music

Castlevania: Timeless Classic Or Retro-Goggled Nostalgia (Editorial)

October 14, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 25 Comments Share this

As a career classical singer, I am quite acquainted with the concept of the purist. One dictionary defines the word as “one who desires that an item remain true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences.” Nothing could better describe the overriding attitude of so many toward Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and its soundtrack. But is this purity deserved? Nobody can be told what to like or dislike – and I am a huge proponent of this – however, there is a difference between loving something because of a personal attachment and recognition of its quality among its contemporaries (or past entries), and loving something mainly for a personal and nostalgic value. One love is not any more or less ignoble than the next, but only one of these allows for a level-headed conversation. Like my first-year film textbook read, “If we break everything down to a ‘that’s just your opinion’, then there is no point in discussing anything.” How true! So, read on as I attempt to make a case for the latest game and music entry in the Castlevania series. (more…)