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Reviewed by: Zeugma 440
Secret of Evermore OST is a CD which contains both instrumental music and a selection of the OSV (Original Sound Version - the very sound that you hear when playing) of the game. In this review, I will comment on the most noteworthy tunes of the soundtrack.
==BONUS MUSIC==
The first 6 tracks are previously unreleased high-quality tunes composed (and arranged) especially for the CD by Jeremy Soule and his brother Julian.
10 Print "Hello Word”: Whoa! This one could be named Stargate of Evermore: it is THE orchestral heroic theme which was absent from the game. Wonderful indeed!
Variations of Castle Theme: This is the jewel of the album: marvelous piano variations of a certain theme (even if I absolutely don't know which one it is =} ). The piano has an important reverb effect, as if it was played in a large hall. The overall atmosphere is mighty and surprising (I'm always amazed to hear what can be rendered with a single piano). If you like piano, I recommend you to get this one immediately because it is just too good!
The Secret of Evermore is a jazzy arrangement of Dog Maze. It reminds me of the kind of sound that can be heard in Sting's songs (especially It's Probably Me). Out of the SNES instrument limitations, one can hear that Jeremy Soule has more than one trick up his sleeve! The Secret of Evermore is maybe that its composer didn't have enough instruments to express what he wanted to in the OSV.
Ancient World is background music. It starts with faraway dinosaur noises lost in a windy atmosphere. Then, a flute starts playing a slow melody. The whole sounds primitive and fits very well its title. However, it is just background music...
Greek Temple: This is probably how SoE would have sounded like if it had been released on PSX! This arranged version sounds more modern than the original, but has lost its mystical atmosphere. This is not a reason to forget it nevertheless!
Pirate Theme: You remember Crustacia? A flute melody and a pirate ship lying high and dry? Yeah, that's it! But this time, the flute is back with some extra: guitar chords and congas in the background give it an even more "Pirate" sound
==ORIGINAL SOUND VERSION==
Tracks 7 to 29 are like a "Director's Cut": a selection of 22 original themes from the game (notice that I didn't write "best of"!)
Merchant Theme: Only one instrument, only one place where this tune is played. I nicknamed this one "The Spanish" because the guitar melody always makes me think about Spain (and maybe because the guy at the counter looks Spanish). Anyway, this little air has something special in its simplicity that I still like.
The Queens: There are very good ideas in this "emotional" track: the bass and the guitar are fine, but the synth pad doesn't have its place here: when one hears the end, this background instrument doesn't sound nice. With an orchestral arrangement, The Queens would be great!
Flying: The Airship Theme gives you the impression of floating in the air, thanks to an ascending/descending harp and bass pattern. The overall track is quite good.
Greek Temple is a unique work! While a harp and a warm pad weave the background music, an echoing harp plays the main melody. The whole has a very cool and mystique atmosphere that you surely remember if you ever played the game.
The Scientist: This track is probably one of the most noteworthy of the game. It features a VERY warm pad and bell sounds. At the beginning, one can feel uneasy, a bit disoriented, as if one woke up in an unknown place. The other part of this short track appeals very much to me: these sounds which were "disturbing each other" in the first part gradually harmonize to express the fascination of a new discovery.
Introduction: A very soft and soothing piece of music in which one can truly appreciate the talent of J. Soule: a breathy synth choir, an acoustic guitar and a flute give this track a kind of ethereal atmosphere which always relaxes me.
Mini Boss: In SoE, boss themes are based on tribal drums, which gives the fight a specific and unusual atmosphere (well, having played Final Fantasy, I was ready to hear the strings section and the fast-paced drums, so I was kind of shocked when I encountered my first boss in SoE). Here, strings and bass do not lead the tune: an acoustic guitar improvises a melody while some tribal drums and a synth choir play the background chords.
Cecil's Town/Dark Castle: These tracks are both kinds of lullabies: in the first one, a background harp and a synth choir render a calm and peaceful atmosphere; in the second one, a piano and an oboe do basically the same. Very nice.
Rat's Chamber: Suspense dominates this tune which is played when you reach the last rooms of the temple. High strings introduce a flute melody and a very low choir, which gives you the impression of entering an ancient and very important sanctuary.
The Tinkerer: As far as I'm concerned, I don't like this song at all: it is crammed with background xylophone notes and doesn't lead anywhere. The first part sounds like a silly kid song (I wonder how Soule has ever thought about it) which exasperates me every time I hear it.
White Castle: The sole thing that emerges from this track is an overall feeling of stress and nervousness, although I'm sure this wasn't the goal of the composer. The whole track is polluted by a little clicking (the tempo track, maybe?) which is very disturbing. Calm down, Jeremy!
Dog Maze: This track reflects perfectly the serenity of a castle by night (even if it's always daytime in the game). There's something spellbinding in the softness of the melody, something unreal and beautiful which will make you chill out.
Final Boss Music: innovates in relation to the other boss tunes of the game: harps go berserk and tribal drums are replaced by a vague military snare. This is Soule's last attempt at making boss music, which is half successful: unfortunately, it is too repetitive
We can hear it clearly: Secret of Evermore is full of good and original ideas, but gives the impression that the SNES sound quality has been an obstacle to Jeremy Soule's creativity (I think it's rather obvious once you've heard the bonus music).
Moreover, the CD features some background music that becomes meaningless outside of the game (Over the Waterfall, Ocean Theme, and Quick Sand Field). The whole album stands definitely out from the usual "Nintendo music style" for a simple reason: Jeremy Soule's music does not sound Japanese. Do not take this badly: I just want to remark that this soundtrack cannot be compared easily with other Nintendo RPG soundtracks because the genre is largely dominated by Japanese composers.
Anyway, even if its style is sometimes unusual, Soule's music is not bad at all. In my opinion, the album deserves a 70%.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Secret of Evermore OST Published by: Square Soft, Inc. Release Date: October 01st 1995 Composed by: Jeremy Soule Arranged by: Jeremy Soule, Julian Soule 1 Disc, 29 Tracks Catalog: SQ207 |
70 |
Reviewed by: Zeugma 440
Secret of Evermore OST is a CD which contains both instrumental music and a selection of the OSV (Original Sound Version - the very sound that you hear when playing) of the game. In this review, I will comment on the most noteworthy tunes of the soundtrack.
==BONUS MUSIC==
The first 6 tracks are previously unreleased high-quality tunes composed (and arranged) especially for the CD by Jeremy Soule and his brother Julian.
10 Print "Hello Word”: Whoa! This one could be named Stargate of Evermore: it is THE orchestral heroic theme which was absent from the game. Wonderful indeed!
Variations of Castle Theme: This is the jewel of the album: marvelous piano variations of a certain theme (even if I absolutely don't know which one it is =} ). The piano has an important reverb effect, as if it was played in a large hall. The overall atmosphere is mighty and surprising (I'm always amazed to hear what can be rendered with a single piano). If you like piano, I recommend you to get this one immediately because it is just too good!
The Secret of Evermore is a jazzy arrangement of Dog Maze. It reminds me of the kind of sound that can be heard in Sting's songs (especially It's Probably Me). Out of the SNES instrument limitations, one can hear that Jeremy Soule has more than one trick up his sleeve! The Secret of Evermore is maybe that its composer didn't have enough instruments to express what he wanted to in the OSV.
Ancient World is background music. It starts with faraway dinosaur noises lost in a windy atmosphere. Then, a flute starts playing a slow melody. The whole sounds primitive and fits very well its title. However, it is just background music...
Greek Temple: This is probably how SoE would have sounded like if it had been released on PSX! This arranged version sounds more modern than the original, but has lost its mystical atmosphere. This is not a reason to forget it nevertheless!
Pirate Theme: You remember Crustacia? A flute melody and a pirate ship lying high and dry? Yeah, that's it! But this time, the flute is back with some extra: guitar chords and congas in the background give it an even more "Pirate" sound
==ORIGINAL SOUND VERSION==
Tracks 7 to 29 are like a "Director's Cut": a selection of 22 original themes from the game (notice that I didn't write "best of"!)
Merchant Theme: Only one instrument, only one place where this tune is played. I nicknamed this one "The Spanish" because the guitar melody always makes me think about Spain (and maybe because the guy at the counter looks Spanish). Anyway, this little air has something special in its simplicity that I still like.
The Queens: There are very good ideas in this "emotional" track: the bass and the guitar are fine, but the synth pad doesn't have its place here: when one hears the end, this background instrument doesn't sound nice. With an orchestral arrangement, The Queens would be great!
Flying: The Airship Theme gives you the impression of floating in the air, thanks to an ascending/descending harp and bass pattern. The overall track is quite good.
Greek Temple is a unique work! While a harp and a warm pad weave the background music, an echoing harp plays the main melody. The whole has a very cool and mystique atmosphere that you surely remember if you ever played the game.
The Scientist: This track is probably one of the most noteworthy of the game. It features a VERY warm pad and bell sounds. At the beginning, one can feel uneasy, a bit disoriented, as if one woke up in an unknown place. The other part of this short track appeals very much to me: these sounds which were "disturbing each other" in the first part gradually harmonize to express the fascination of a new discovery.
Introduction: A very soft and soothing piece of music in which one can truly appreciate the talent of J. Soule: a breathy synth choir, an acoustic guitar and a flute give this track a kind of ethereal atmosphere which always relaxes me.
Mini Boss: In SoE, boss themes are based on tribal drums, which gives the fight a specific and unusual atmosphere (well, having played Final Fantasy, I was ready to hear the strings section and the fast-paced drums, so I was kind of shocked when I encountered my first boss in SoE). Here, strings and bass do not lead the tune: an acoustic guitar improvises a melody while some tribal drums and a synth choir play the background chords.
Cecil's Town/Dark Castle: These tracks are both kinds of lullabies: in the first one, a background harp and a synth choir render a calm and peaceful atmosphere; in the second one, a piano and an oboe do basically the same. Very nice.
Rat's Chamber: Suspense dominates this tune which is played when you reach the last rooms of the temple. High strings introduce a flute melody and a very low choir, which gives you the impression of entering an ancient and very important sanctuary.
The Tinkerer: As far as I'm concerned, I don't like this song at all: it is crammed with background xylophone notes and doesn't lead anywhere. The first part sounds like a silly kid song (I wonder how Soule has ever thought about it) which exasperates me every time I hear it.
White Castle: The sole thing that emerges from this track is an overall feeling of stress and nervousness, although I'm sure this wasn't the goal of the composer. The whole track is polluted by a little clicking (the tempo track, maybe?) which is very disturbing. Calm down, Jeremy!
Dog Maze: This track reflects perfectly the serenity of a castle by night (even if it's always daytime in the game). There's something spellbinding in the softness of the melody, something unreal and beautiful which will make you chill out.
Final Boss Music: innovates in relation to the other boss tunes of the game: harps go berserk and tribal drums are replaced by a vague military snare. This is Soule's last attempt at making boss music, which is half successful: unfortunately, it is too repetitive
We can hear it clearly: Secret of Evermore is full of good and original ideas, but gives the impression that the SNES sound quality has been an obstacle to Jeremy Soule's creativity (I think it's rather obvious once you've heard the bonus music).
Moreover, the CD features some background music that becomes meaningless outside of the game (Over the Waterfall, Ocean Theme, and Quick Sand Field). The whole album stands definitely out from the usual "Nintendo music style" for a simple reason: Jeremy Soule's music does not sound Japanese. Do not take this badly: I just want to remark that this soundtrack cannot be compared easily with other Nintendo RPG soundtracks because the genre is largely dominated by Japanese composers.
Anyway, even if its style is sometimes unusual, Soule's music is not bad at all. In my opinion, the album deserves a 70%.
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