ReMix: Chrono Trigger 'Sacratus Bellator'

Download MP3
5,627,904 bytes, 3:54, 192kbps

• Trade-in your Games or Anime DVDs!
• OC ReMix Shirts & Merch
• Games:
  • DS | GBA | GC | PS2 | WII | XBOX | 360
  • Imports & Pre-owned
• Anime:
  • DVDs & Merchandise

Nothing like the massive traffic, brief sales, and last-minute gift shopping preceding Xmas to bring a meaningful holiday cheer to one's spirit. I'm personally just looking forward to the break itself, though food and stuffs will be nice. 2004 marks the first year I didn't send out a Xmas list of any kind. Whether this is because I've matured into a sensible adult who realizes the true gifts come from the heart, or because now that I have a decent job I simply buy everything I want in a blaze of conspicuous consumption would be an interesting debate. But I digress; Mr. Lightning gives us a very unusual take on the theme to everyone's favorite amphibian, the intuitively-named Frog, in his latest opus. He writes:

"The title is in Latin. It means Holy Warrior. It's done in Orchestral with new age and ethnic elements also. There's a lot of arrangement/structural and form changes with new additions and orchestration going on in this mix. There's even a section with the xylophone that is somewhat inspired by Aaron Copland's well known Hoedown piece from his Rodeo suite."

Some might better know Hoedown as "the beef song" :) This is a very elaborate arrangement of the original that really plays with rhythm/progression; the intro alone didn't give it away for me, I clued in at 1'12" where the main melody, albeit altered, first pops up. Strings, bells (this is GL, what'd you expect?), xylophone, lovely orchestral percussion that's spiced up with some latin accoutrements, piano, chimes, choir, flute (with flares that - while cool - may be overused a bit here), and I believe some brass brought in towards the end to help with the ever-heightening volume and oomph that the crescendo/climax called for. The structure of the piece is interesting, because I think of the (very conspicuous) source melody as being something that's more fanfarish, but Gray's successfully turned it instead into a motif that runs throughout a more atmospheric, building composition. It does still have a majestic element to it, but it's also, as the title suggests, more reverential and mystical. Great mix title, great way to handle a well-known theme in a way that no one would have expected, and great execution. At the risk of, after having just used the word 'great' three times in the last sentence and probably over 1,500 times in all write-ups, sounding repetitive, this is a great piece from Gray - just as good as ever with sound quality/production, and an arrangement that really tries some smart, new tricks and gets 'em right.

― djpretzel