RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > Chrono Trigger: The Brink of Time
Reviewed by: Ersatz Sobriquet
The music of Chrono Trigger. Probably one of the few games that has a huge fan base off just one incarnation, not including Chrono Cross or Radical Dreamers, which most Americans don't even know exist. The music for this game has been done over in three ways, to my knowledge anyway. Jazz Fusion, which is the form present on this album, the regular OST and Orchestrated. And out of all those versions, I like this one the best.
The opening track, Chrono Trigger is a great piece, which starts out with some light strings as we hear footsteps walking along some brick path, which, at the 1 minute mark, cuts into the main melody driven by a smooth drum beat and a great horn. Forgive me if the instrument isn't a horn but instead a sax, which I doubt. But it sounds like the instrument Miles Davis used to play, so I'll go with that.
A clean electric is played along with the melody that the horn is making. A great break comes in 2 minutes into the song with a nice little string ensemble that breaks back into the main horn melody pretty nicely.
Secret of the Forest is also a great song. A clean electric plays the original forest theme, while a soft bass line tags along. Very nice technique done here on the guitar, matching and adding the quality that the original song once possessed. A keyboardist brings his talents to the table as well, giving the song a heavenly, misty type of feeling
I know so many people probably have issues with this song, Warlock Battle, but it matches the original and brings in new elements to make it even more intense than before. The beginning of the song starts off with a nice intro with the strings, which is the point in the game where you’re talking, the drum beat then signals when the fight is about to start, and then it reclines for a bit and allows a smooth sax to play for a bit, still keeping the energy alive. Then, when the battle would have been full underway, the song kicks into overdrive, as the jazz craziness of it all breaks loose. A very fun song that you have to let it give you a chance.
Here's another song I don't think people will agree with me on, World Revolution. It's mainly a horn and guitar bit with a really whacked out "running" melody played behind it. The bass has distortion on it, and the drumbeat is pretty much doing its own thing, within a set of rules, but it's still doing its own thing. It's a wild, wild song, but still orderly and upbeat as anything you'll hear on this album. But, because of its wildness, I know that will turn many a people off.
The Brink of Time is a great OLD fashion jazz song, with a stand-up bass being played, an acoustic guitar, a sax and a very dumb down drum kit. Once again, you will need a certain taste to enjoy this song as well. If you let the melodies capture you, you'll find something to enjoy about this sweet, short track.
And finally, Outskirts of Time is a great, great modern jazz track. A guitar carries along the whole song, clean electric. Wouldn't be surprised if it was an open body Gibson. But, that's beside the point. The melody is smooth and continuous the whole way through and the girl's voice singing along does wonders for the song. The progression is great, the structure is as well. You know when the verse is being played and when the chorus is. A great song to end a great album.
Zeal Palace and Undersea Palace are the only ones I find myself skipping the most. The styles are too much for me, with the progression moving slower than a snail. I know some may be able to find things about these two, especially with Zeal Palace, since the pace DOES pick up... eventually, but I couldn't.
A great album with great tunes you need to simply sit back and be absorbed in. Nothing like this has come from America that I heard of, so the people of Japan satisfied my want. And what satisfaction I had afterward.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Chrono Trigger: The Brink of Time Published by: NTT Publishing Release Date: June 25th 1995 Composed by: Yasunori Mitsuda Arranged by: GUIDO, Gizaemon de Furuta 1 Disc, 10 Tracks Catalog: PSCN-5024 |
90 |
Reviewed by: Ersatz Sobriquet
The music of Chrono Trigger. Probably one of the few games that has a huge fan base off just one incarnation, not including Chrono Cross or Radical Dreamers, which most Americans don't even know exist. The music for this game has been done over in three ways, to my knowledge anyway. Jazz Fusion, which is the form present on this album, the regular OST and Orchestrated. And out of all those versions, I like this one the best.
The opening track, Chrono Trigger is a great piece, which starts out with some light strings as we hear footsteps walking along some brick path, which, at the 1 minute mark, cuts into the main melody driven by a smooth drum beat and a great horn. Forgive me if the instrument isn't a horn but instead a sax, which I doubt. But it sounds like the instrument Miles Davis used to play, so I'll go with that.
A clean electric is played along with the melody that the horn is making. A great break comes in 2 minutes into the song with a nice little string ensemble that breaks back into the main horn melody pretty nicely.
Secret of the Forest is also a great song. A clean electric plays the original forest theme, while a soft bass line tags along. Very nice technique done here on the guitar, matching and adding the quality that the original song once possessed. A keyboardist brings his talents to the table as well, giving the song a heavenly, misty type of feeling
I know so many people probably have issues with this song, Warlock Battle, but it matches the original and brings in new elements to make it even more intense than before. The beginning of the song starts off with a nice intro with the strings, which is the point in the game where you’re talking, the drum beat then signals when the fight is about to start, and then it reclines for a bit and allows a smooth sax to play for a bit, still keeping the energy alive. Then, when the battle would have been full underway, the song kicks into overdrive, as the jazz craziness of it all breaks loose. A very fun song that you have to let it give you a chance.
Here's another song I don't think people will agree with me on, World Revolution. It's mainly a horn and guitar bit with a really whacked out "running" melody played behind it. The bass has distortion on it, and the drumbeat is pretty much doing its own thing, within a set of rules, but it's still doing its own thing. It's a wild, wild song, but still orderly and upbeat as anything you'll hear on this album. But, because of its wildness, I know that will turn many a people off.
The Brink of Time is a great OLD fashion jazz song, with a stand-up bass being played, an acoustic guitar, a sax and a very dumb down drum kit. Once again, you will need a certain taste to enjoy this song as well. If you let the melodies capture you, you'll find something to enjoy about this sweet, short track.
And finally, Outskirts of Time is a great, great modern jazz track. A guitar carries along the whole song, clean electric. Wouldn't be surprised if it was an open body Gibson. But, that's beside the point. The melody is smooth and continuous the whole way through and the girl's voice singing along does wonders for the song. The progression is great, the structure is as well. You know when the verse is being played and when the chorus is. A great song to end a great album.
Zeal Palace and Undersea Palace are the only ones I find myself skipping the most. The styles are too much for me, with the progression moving slower than a snail. I know some may be able to find things about these two, especially with Zeal Palace, since the pace DOES pick up... eventually, but I couldn't.
A great album with great tunes you need to simply sit back and be absorbed in. Nothing like this has come from America that I heard of, so the people of Japan satisfied my want. And what satisfaction I had afterward.
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