RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > Final Fantasy: The Black Mages
Reviewed by: Kie
Ever think to yourself..."wouldn't it be great if the original Final Fantasy composer did remixes of his own battle songs?" Well, think no more. Nobuo Uematsu teams up with remixing duo Tsuyoshi Sekito and Kenichiro Fukui to make a very good Final Fantasy battle themes album. Whether you buy it or download it, it's well worth it.
The album starts off not surprisingly impressive, with an arrangement of the Final Fantasy 1 Battle Theme. The theme sounds like a ghost song with little actual guitar involvement, which isn't really a taste of things to come. However, it does have some nice keyboard playing solos in it.
The second track is definitely one of the better songs in the album. A very cool, fast paced arrangement of the Battle With Gilgamesh theme from Final Fantasy 5. It involves mostly guitar with some nice tune arrangement and drum playing packed in too. Keep an ear out for the awesome guitar/synth solo around the start of the second half of the song to the last quarter of it. Excellent work this one.
The third track is by far the best arranged song on the album. The arrangement of the Final Fantasy 8 Boss Theme (which has the same title of as the track: Force Your Way) is just exceptional. It starts off with no really deep instruments but then kicks in with a guitar and keyboard for the song's introduction. The best part would be near from about 2:32+ where it gets to the climax of the song and the best mixes of guitar and synth you can hear alive. Truly remarkable.
The album does have some faults. Battle, Scene II is rather a disappointing arrangement of the Final Fantasy 2 Battle Theme. I think it would have done better being a little faster and having better drum beats but it's really quite slow and easily my least favourite track. The Battle Theme is also a little disappointing. This being an arrangement of the Final Fantasy 6 Battle Theme. Nobuo Uematsu I think could have been more creative on this track rather than just making it a little slower with some guitar solos in it.
The Decisive Battle, track 05, is exactly what you think it to be: An arrangement of the Final Fantasy 6 Boss Theme. This is one of the better tracks on the album and a great addition. It starts of quietly, then kicks into a fast drum beat and guitar. It then progress pretty smoothly through the track which will keep your head banging. the best part being around the 3 minute mark with a solo ending in a high pitched squeal sound followed instantly by the continuation of the song.
The second longest track in the album is none other than J-E-N-O-V-A, the arrangement of the Jenova Birth, Life and Death battles in Final Fantasy 7. The start kind of sounds like the beginning of the actual song, that is, until the guitar comes in for the awesome intro. In the track, Nobuo Uematsu did a great job holding the guitar notes for long periods where the cords in the song are long. It then kind of does the Jenova theme a few times, with different guitar riffs at the end of each part of the song. Just after 2:30, it cuts to a soft synth solo before coming back into the tune and finishing off the guitar part. It ends quietly with soft keyboard notes.
Those Who Fight Further is exactly how the Final Fantasy 7 Boss Theme "Still More Fighting" should have sounded like. This arrangement specializes in guitar and heavy synth with a strong bass near the end of the theme itself before going onto a guitar part with average drums and then another heavy synth, finally ending with a high pitched synth/guitar which lasts for several seconds and sound quite awesome. It finally ends with strong drums and high guitar.
The final 2 I really only thought parts were good in. They are Fight With Seymour and Dancing Mad. Granted, Dancing Mad has the longest, best guitar solo in Final Fantasy history, but that would be the only highlight of the song, and it happens at about 8:40. Although the song is long, it is not exceptional. Fight With Seymour is a faster paced version of the Final Fantasy X Seymour Battle Theme. It has some good instruments used in it and a catchy bass but that's about it.
All in all, an instant classic and worthy addition to the Final Fantasy song series. With the exception of a few tracks, it is definitely worth your time.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Final Fantasy: The Black Mages Published by: DigiCube Release Date: February 19th 2003 Composed by: Nobuo Uematsu Arranged by: Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui 1 Disc, 10 Tracks Catalog: SSCX-10080 |
89 |
Reviewed by: Kie
Ever think to yourself..."wouldn't it be great if the original Final Fantasy composer did remixes of his own battle songs?" Well, think no more. Nobuo Uematsu teams up with remixing duo Tsuyoshi Sekito and Kenichiro Fukui to make a very good Final Fantasy battle themes album. Whether you buy it or download it, it's well worth it.
The album starts off not surprisingly impressive, with an arrangement of the Final Fantasy 1 Battle Theme. The theme sounds like a ghost song with little actual guitar involvement, which isn't really a taste of things to come. However, it does have some nice keyboard playing solos in it.
The second track is definitely one of the better songs in the album. A very cool, fast paced arrangement of the Battle With Gilgamesh theme from Final Fantasy 5. It involves mostly guitar with some nice tune arrangement and drum playing packed in too. Keep an ear out for the awesome guitar/synth solo around the start of the second half of the song to the last quarter of it. Excellent work this one.
The third track is by far the best arranged song on the album. The arrangement of the Final Fantasy 8 Boss Theme (which has the same title of as the track: Force Your Way) is just exceptional. It starts off with no really deep instruments but then kicks in with a guitar and keyboard for the song's introduction. The best part would be near from about 2:32+ where it gets to the climax of the song and the best mixes of guitar and synth you can hear alive. Truly remarkable.
The album does have some faults. Battle, Scene II is rather a disappointing arrangement of the Final Fantasy 2 Battle Theme. I think it would have done better being a little faster and having better drum beats but it's really quite slow and easily my least favourite track. The Battle Theme is also a little disappointing. This being an arrangement of the Final Fantasy 6 Battle Theme. Nobuo Uematsu I think could have been more creative on this track rather than just making it a little slower with some guitar solos in it.
The Decisive Battle, track 05, is exactly what you think it to be: An arrangement of the Final Fantasy 6 Boss Theme. This is one of the better tracks on the album and a great addition. It starts of quietly, then kicks into a fast drum beat and guitar. It then progress pretty smoothly through the track which will keep your head banging. the best part being around the 3 minute mark with a solo ending in a high pitched squeal sound followed instantly by the continuation of the song.
The second longest track in the album is none other than J-E-N-O-V-A, the arrangement of the Jenova Birth, Life and Death battles in Final Fantasy 7. The start kind of sounds like the beginning of the actual song, that is, until the guitar comes in for the awesome intro. In the track, Nobuo Uematsu did a great job holding the guitar notes for long periods where the cords in the song are long. It then kind of does the Jenova theme a few times, with different guitar riffs at the end of each part of the song. Just after 2:30, it cuts to a soft synth solo before coming back into the tune and finishing off the guitar part. It ends quietly with soft keyboard notes.
Those Who Fight Further is exactly how the Final Fantasy 7 Boss Theme "Still More Fighting" should have sounded like. This arrangement specializes in guitar and heavy synth with a strong bass near the end of the theme itself before going onto a guitar part with average drums and then another heavy synth, finally ending with a high pitched synth/guitar which lasts for several seconds and sound quite awesome. It finally ends with strong drums and high guitar.
The final 2 I really only thought parts were good in. They are Fight With Seymour and Dancing Mad. Granted, Dancing Mad has the longest, best guitar solo in Final Fantasy history, but that would be the only highlight of the song, and it happens at about 8:40. Although the song is long, it is not exceptional. Fight With Seymour is a faster paced version of the Final Fantasy X Seymour Battle Theme. It has some good instruments used in it and a catchy bass but that's about it.
All in all, an instant classic and worthy addition to the Final Fantasy song series. With the exception of a few tracks, it is definitely worth your time.
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