ReMix: Metal Gear Solid 'Legend of the Snake 2: Snake versus Dragon'

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I love Reuben's work, and this is probably my favorite piece of his yet; it deserves a lot of attention and should receive it, given that it covers the main themes to three of the best games ever made (there's no such thing as "Kojima fanboyism" - just appreciation for games as a modern art form), and it's dramatically arranged with plenty of money orchestral moments and assertive percussion. There's subtlety here, too, with widely variating instrumentation including fantastic choral work, some ethnic infusions here and there, and electronic percussion bumping shoulders with its symphonic snare, cymbal and timpani brethren. RK writes:

"The original "Legend of the Snake" was done as an experiment to try combine elements of orchestra, digital beats, western new age and oriental new age altogether. One year and many projects later, I got the funny idea to see how much I've improved... plus I managed to include the theme song from mgs3. My inspiration for this one is once again, fighting. A heroic build up, the pre battle-meditation, remembering why he fights, and then the fight, a setback, gathering the strength to stand up again, and then finally the victory. I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time and experimented to so much to learn and discover new aspects to arranging before. Hope you guys enjoy XD"

Kee's first LoS mix was certainly nothing to sneeze at, but he definitely has improved since then, and this mix should be widely accessible due not only to improved production but slicker arrangement, particularly in transition, and a faster overall pace and heightened sense of energy and momentum. Jesse puns:

"This is solid (not liquid) stuff. The dynamics are fantastic, the interpretation is liberal (aka creative), but the piece is obviously MGS at its core."

These are classic themes; the main theme from MGS2 in particular, I believe, is one of those pieces of game music that's going to stick with this generation of gamers just as SMB, Zelda, and Chrono Trigger have stuck with us, and deservedly so - there's not too many classic, memorable, non-derivative melodies being penned even for big budget Hollywood action movies these days, and this composition can quite comfortably stand on its own in the company of the very best from better times. RK does it complete justice, as well, coloring outside the lines but respecting the raw power of the source material and letting it breathe. Great mix, very enjoyable, representative of both quantifiable technical and subjective emotional improvements in the ReMixer's work.

― djpretzel