RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > Xenosaga OST
Reviewed by: Mithrandir
A masterpiece! One of the greatest OSTs if not the greatest...
Xenosaga, the highly anticipated sequel or should I say Prequel to Xenogears is finally here. With Mitsuda composing the score for the game, the OST was assured to be good if not great. After a rather deceiving Tsugunai OST, he strikes back with a different kind of OST. Mitsuda is well known for Celtic style in his compositions. In Xenosaga, you won't find much of this. The album has two kinds of tracks: the orchestrated tracks and the synth tracks. The orchestral tracks are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra that seems very popular among VGM compositors lately. (I'm thinking of Koichi Sugiyama). I must say their performance is flawless. How I would like to assist to a Xenosaga concert.
THE ORCHESTRATED TRACKS:
I'm a big fan of orchestras and Xenosaga orchestrated tracks are among the best I've ever listened to.
The Prologue puts you in the mood for the next two hours of great music (and 40 hours and + of gaming). It combines all the styles found on the soundtrack: action music, mysterious music, Gregorian chants, chants and all the ones I forgot.
Gnosis: Egypt. I'm sure this track is related to pyramids. No seriously, the track has some sort of Egyptian style which is just great. Reminds me a lot of the old Charlton Heston movies!
UTIC Council: I always think of Batman when I listen to this. I guess this has something similar to Danny Elfman music. But this is a great track, it's too bad the choir only sings twice. And what about the little surprise at the end of the track, I don't know why but I always see Seifer's face (from FF8) during the parade on this track!
The Resurrection, found on the second CD, is simply great. Only sung by a choir, this makes me think of the renaissance period. It has a Gregorian style and, as always, in Latin to make it sound more spectacular. Amazing is the work of Mitsuda, amazing I tell you!
The Miracle was released as a preview and when I heard this I knew that I had to buy the OST as soon as I could, Reminding me of Orff's Carmina Burana, this track is simply amazing. Though the end is not as solid as Carmina Burana, it still stays a great track. The choir sings the same thing that in The Resurrection, but this time accompanied by an orchestra. Truly amazing.
Zarathustra: Do not be mistaken by the title, this is no Also sprach Zarathustra of Wagner. While not being better than Wagner's, Mitsuda's Zarathustra is still good. It all starts by a pipe organ solo. After that, the orchestra enters, to accompany a mysterious chant of a soprano. Simply beautiful. But then comes my favorite part. The track takes a more dramatic turn and the choir chants a "hurrying" melody.
And what to think of Omega?!Oh my god. Starting like a mysterious music, the choir enters and chants two magnificent words in Latin that announce what's to come. The dramatic part of the track then comes and then switches to a more Egyptian/Arabian/Spanish style of music. Even the electric guitar has its place in the track. Mitsuda is a genius.
Escape: Since it's after the final battle music, I suppose this is the end of the game. Just like in a movie score, this track plays during the climax and wow! What an ending for a game.
Well there are more orchestrated tracks, but these are the most notable. Not that the others are bad, they simply don't compare to these.
THE SYNTH TRACKS:
Only the more notable synth tracks are in this section and by that I mean, the best and very best (and it was hard choosing, believe me).
Battle Theme and Battle's Conclusion: Better than the ones in Xenogears, these tracks are what we, gamers, expect during a battle and at the end of it.
And speaking of action tracks, there is Life and Death which takes the Gnosis Theme and changes it a bit. Great action music. If that's what you're looking for, then you have to listen this. You also have to listen to Ship Pursuit.
Durandal: Although the track is short it's one of my favorites.
Nephilim: Though I don't know if this is synth or real instruments, I'll consider as a synth track. This is a beautiful piano solo, of the really touching type. And then the violin enters and accompanies the piano.
Fuan: This is another track that I'm not sure if it's a synth or it's played by real instruments. It all starts mysteriously with some kind of bass clarinet motive. Then the piano follows. The second part of the track is announced by 4 "dongs" (like in a clock) played by piano. It's a great piano track, if you like piano.
And if you miss Nobuo Uematsu, I think Mitsuda did something similar to him with Proto Merkabah. It reminds me of Lunatic Pandora!
Last Battle: One of the greatest battle themes (comparable to Seymour's Battle of Final Fantasy X) I had the chance to listen to in my entire life. Mixing, a piano, a violin, a man's chant and drums, this is a complete battle theme track. What more do you want?
THE SONGS:
Well as it is now required to have a vocal track on every OST, Mitsuda shows us again that he can write music. Found on the second CD, these are two of the major themes of the game.
Pain: It could be Celine Dion singing but it isn't. Still, Joanne Hogg does a great job, better than the Rikki performance on FFX OST (god listen to the orchestra version of Suteki Da Ne and you'll know what I'm talking about.). A beautiful song comparable to Melodies of Life, where even the lyrics are good.
Kokoro: I don't know why but I always think of Lara Fabian and his performance on FF: The Spirits Within. The track is similar to Goldenthal's work (The Dream Within). There is only one thing: we all know Mitsuda loves celtic. But why put a bagpipe at the end of the track. Personally, I think it shouldn't be there.
OVERALL:
I hope I convinced you to BUY, this CD. It's definitely a must BUY. Mitsuda needs money to continue and I think the gamers want Mitsuda. To this day, this is my favorite CD in my collection. Amazing, wonderful, say all you want but this is a masterpiece. I hope to see more of this kind of album. It deserves a 100. Yes, this is the first time I give a perfect note to an album and I think it deserves it.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Xenosaga OST Published by: DigiCube Release Date: March 06th 2002 Composed by: Yasunori Mitsuda Arranged by: Yasunori Mitsuda 2 Discs, 45 Tracks Catalog: SSCX-10062~3 |
100 |
Reviewed by: Mithrandir
A masterpiece! One of the greatest OSTs if not the greatest...
Xenosaga, the highly anticipated sequel or should I say Prequel to Xenogears is finally here. With Mitsuda composing the score for the game, the OST was assured to be good if not great. After a rather deceiving Tsugunai OST, he strikes back with a different kind of OST. Mitsuda is well known for Celtic style in his compositions. In Xenosaga, you won't find much of this. The album has two kinds of tracks: the orchestrated tracks and the synth tracks. The orchestral tracks are performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra that seems very popular among VGM compositors lately. (I'm thinking of Koichi Sugiyama). I must say their performance is flawless. How I would like to assist to a Xenosaga concert.
THE ORCHESTRATED TRACKS:
I'm a big fan of orchestras and Xenosaga orchestrated tracks are among the best I've ever listened to.
The Prologue puts you in the mood for the next two hours of great music (and 40 hours and + of gaming). It combines all the styles found on the soundtrack: action music, mysterious music, Gregorian chants, chants and all the ones I forgot.
Gnosis: Egypt. I'm sure this track is related to pyramids. No seriously, the track has some sort of Egyptian style which is just great. Reminds me a lot of the old Charlton Heston movies!
UTIC Council: I always think of Batman when I listen to this. I guess this has something similar to Danny Elfman music. But this is a great track, it's too bad the choir only sings twice. And what about the little surprise at the end of the track, I don't know why but I always see Seifer's face (from FF8) during the parade on this track!
The Resurrection, found on the second CD, is simply great. Only sung by a choir, this makes me think of the renaissance period. It has a Gregorian style and, as always, in Latin to make it sound more spectacular. Amazing is the work of Mitsuda, amazing I tell you!
The Miracle was released as a preview and when I heard this I knew that I had to buy the OST as soon as I could, Reminding me of Orff's Carmina Burana, this track is simply amazing. Though the end is not as solid as Carmina Burana, it still stays a great track. The choir sings the same thing that in The Resurrection, but this time accompanied by an orchestra. Truly amazing.
Zarathustra: Do not be mistaken by the title, this is no Also sprach Zarathustra of Wagner. While not being better than Wagner's, Mitsuda's Zarathustra is still good. It all starts by a pipe organ solo. After that, the orchestra enters, to accompany a mysterious chant of a soprano. Simply beautiful. But then comes my favorite part. The track takes a more dramatic turn and the choir chants a "hurrying" melody.
And what to think of Omega?!Oh my god. Starting like a mysterious music, the choir enters and chants two magnificent words in Latin that announce what's to come. The dramatic part of the track then comes and then switches to a more Egyptian/Arabian/Spanish style of music. Even the electric guitar has its place in the track. Mitsuda is a genius.
Escape: Since it's after the final battle music, I suppose this is the end of the game. Just like in a movie score, this track plays during the climax and wow! What an ending for a game.
Well there are more orchestrated tracks, but these are the most notable. Not that the others are bad, they simply don't compare to these.
THE SYNTH TRACKS:
Only the more notable synth tracks are in this section and by that I mean, the best and very best (and it was hard choosing, believe me).
Battle Theme and Battle's Conclusion: Better than the ones in Xenogears, these tracks are what we, gamers, expect during a battle and at the end of it.
And speaking of action tracks, there is Life and Death which takes the Gnosis Theme and changes it a bit. Great action music. If that's what you're looking for, then you have to listen this. You also have to listen to Ship Pursuit.
Durandal: Although the track is short it's one of my favorites.
Nephilim: Though I don't know if this is synth or real instruments, I'll consider as a synth track. This is a beautiful piano solo, of the really touching type. And then the violin enters and accompanies the piano.
Fuan: This is another track that I'm not sure if it's a synth or it's played by real instruments. It all starts mysteriously with some kind of bass clarinet motive. Then the piano follows. The second part of the track is announced by 4 "dongs" (like in a clock) played by piano. It's a great piano track, if you like piano.
And if you miss Nobuo Uematsu, I think Mitsuda did something similar to him with Proto Merkabah. It reminds me of Lunatic Pandora!
Last Battle: One of the greatest battle themes (comparable to Seymour's Battle of Final Fantasy X) I had the chance to listen to in my entire life. Mixing, a piano, a violin, a man's chant and drums, this is a complete battle theme track. What more do you want?
THE SONGS:
Well as it is now required to have a vocal track on every OST, Mitsuda shows us again that he can write music. Found on the second CD, these are two of the major themes of the game.
Pain: It could be Celine Dion singing but it isn't. Still, Joanne Hogg does a great job, better than the Rikki performance on FFX OST (god listen to the orchestra version of Suteki Da Ne and you'll know what I'm talking about.). A beautiful song comparable to Melodies of Life, where even the lyrics are good.
Kokoro: I don't know why but I always think of Lara Fabian and his performance on FF: The Spirits Within. The track is similar to Goldenthal's work (The Dream Within). There is only one thing: we all know Mitsuda loves celtic. But why put a bagpipe at the end of the track. Personally, I think it shouldn't be there.
OVERALL:
I hope I convinced you to BUY, this CD. It's definitely a must BUY. Mitsuda needs money to continue and I think the gamers want Mitsuda. To this day, this is my favorite CD in my collection. Amazing, wonderful, say all you want but this is a masterpiece. I hope to see more of this kind of album. It deserves a 100. Yes, this is the first time I give a perfect note to an album and I think it deserves it.
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