ReMix:Mega Man 7 "Seventh Climb" 4:13

By Cyril the Wolf

Arranging the music of 2 songs...

"Wily Stage 3", "Wily Stage 4"

Primary Game: Mega Man 7 (Capcom , 1995, SNES), music by Makoto Tomozawa, Toshihiko Horiyama, Yuko Takehara

Posted 2015-04-13, evaluated by the judges panel


Ever since his Peter Gabriel-esque debut ReMix of Sonic (2006) more than five years ago, Cyril the Wolf's participated in a handful of great & memorable mixes, many of them vocal arrangements. Now he takes on Mega Man 7 with a new, hard-hitting rock vocal interpretation of Wily:

"For those who don't know, I am a huge fan of the Blue Bomber. If you need proof, just look at my contributions to the Mega Man X project, Maverick Rising. This was a DoD entry I conceived of for MAGFest 9. The lyrics were inspired by a fanfiction series that I had read that novelized the original Mega Man series up to Mega Man 7. For those who don't want to read a 92,000 word fanfiction, I can sum it up by basically saying that Mega Man is getting tired and fed up with Wily continually returning to the point where he almost breaks Asimov's First Law of Robotics. I wanted to capture the feelings I got from the characterization in the lyrics, so I hope you feel it.

As for the arrangement itself, neither source by itself was long enough for a good ReMix/cover to me. As a stroke of luck though, they were in the same key, so I just used pieces of each to create a coherent song with the typical rock song structure. This song is really a vocal piece, so hopefully I've gotten good enough in the past three years to make your ears happy... even if you haven't liked my voice in the past. Enjoy and thanks. :D"

It occurs to me that Asimov's laws of robotics are really more like laws of artificial intelligence, or even just software in general... just because something isn't a "robot" per se doesn't mean it can't encounter the ethical dilemmas/contexts the laws are intended to address. But I digress... crisp, crunchy production on the drums & guitars here that reminds me of "The Ken Song," and I think Connor took EXACTLY the right approach in combining two themes to make up a unified whole. Vocally, I dig the panning L/R alternation tricks, the stylized chorus, and the passion - the vocal runs aren't always pristine, but Connor sings like he means it & sells the drama and emotion of the lyric at all times. Panning, doubling, and transition into falsetto durring the high octane conclusion all help make this Connor's best vocal to date, and one that really works in context with the instrumentation. Beatdrop writes:

"So yeah, as has been said, obviously the guitars sound great. Actually, the overall mix is really good, although I agree the vocals sink into the background at various times. Could have done with some level automation to bring them out in spots. Arrangement is (somewhat) conservative, like Jivemaster mentioned, but adapted well. I really like the lyrics you've put together, as well."

Deia adds:

"Nice take on the source, love the emotion you put into your vocals as always. I can definitely feel the frustration that the Blue Bomber is feeling of having to save the world from Wily....again...and again..."

Lyrics definitely go a good job of contextualizing Mega Man's plight & making his hardships seem a bit more tangible & relatable, which is quite cool. I'd encourage Connor to keep exploring how effects can elevate his vocals; love the panning, could have actually used more doubling/harmonization, and it might be cool to throw in a radio/distortion/lofi effect on certain lines, sparingly. That said, some of the exposed passages here did end up having a certain raw charm to them relative to the emotions being expressed in the lyric, so it's really about what's right for the song. Meaty rock with satisfying drum work, thick guitars, a vocal & lyric that you can sink your teeth into, and energetic development towards a dramatic finale. Sounds good to me!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 6 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Chernabogue
on 2015-12-21 02:53:23

The guitar tone is excellent here. Cyril's vocals really fit well -- sounds like an anime opening. Great rhythm and nice variations in the arrangemen -- the breakdown(s) added a lot to the track's pace. Excellent work! :)

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A-RoN
on 2015-04-29 16:34:35

I've been digging a lot of Cyril's tracks but hardly hear him sing. Definitely got a J-pop sound going on. Great lyrics with soulful vocals indeed. Will be listening to this until you submit another.

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BONKERS
on 2015-04-15 22:08:24

I've always liked your tracks Cyril! This one is fantastic.

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StreetFlare
on 2015-04-15 07:55:37

I've loved all of Cyril's vocal tracks so far, and this one has exactly the same qualities I've enjoyed about the others. I sing along to Never Stop in my car. Absolution Comes in Dreams was the song that brought me to OCR in the first place, and while his voice might not be the most refined in the world, it's got passion, and his lyrics are always well thought out.

I'll echo the critiques, though. There are points where the vocal line are simply too muddy to make out clearly, which is a shame. The songs I mentioned before both had very powerful and clear vocal lines, so the mixing flaws in this are more evident. But, along the same lines as everybody else, it's no bother.

Keep up the brilliant work.

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Crulex
on 2015-04-14 13:15:07

While I do have to agree with the judges that the vocals seem to get backgrounded behind the music quite a bit, that's about the only thing that bothers me, so it's no big deal. Lots of emotion behind the voice work and of course the guitar and percussion is well done. The panning was cool and overall I enjoyed this ReMix. Keep it up, Cyril.

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djpretzel
on 2015-04-13 16:00:48

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Mega Man 7 (Capcom , 1995, SNES)
Music by Makoto Tomozawa,Toshihiko Horiyama,Yuko Takehara
Songs:
"Wily Stage 3"
"Wily Stage 4"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Energetic
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Organ,Singing,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Origin > Competition > Dwelling of Duels

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_7_Seventh_Climb_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,161,551 bytes
MD5:
eb0861ee0d3f42e331ec5d636e2b0de9
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:13

I make my climb, for the seventh time
I hope that this is the last...
A war consumes me, I wish I could break free
From the role I've been cast

My body's shaking, sweat down my spine.
Each time, every time, I know that I will win...

But he won't give up, so I'll keep on climbing... until one of us dies
Repeating the same, nothing will change as I'm rusted by time...

Chased by his guard
I'm struck by metal shards
Do they know that I feel pain?
I know it seems
I'm just a war machine
But I've got more soul than you can claim

Each guard is destroyed, same as the last
Each time, every time, I know that I will win

But he won't give up, so I'll keep on climbing... until one of us dies
Repeating the same, nothing will change as I'm rusted by time...
This can't go on, it's kept up for too long. How is he still alive?
These seven years, fueling fears... I can't do this forever...

Kill the 8 again, but this time it's easy
Their own guns pulled on them, and they crumble before me, and I...
Regret the loss of life, but I know that its useless.
I can no longer pretend I am human, but I...

Always kept hope alive, and I try to force the smile
But I am tired of this fight...

Creator, tell me that I chose this path...
But I didn't know then that I would be saying that

He won't give up, so I'll keep on climbing... until one of us dies
Repeating the same, nothing will change as I'm rusted by time...
This can't go on, it's kept up for too long. How is he still alive?
These seven years, fueling fears... I can't do this forever...
Why did I choose this? Will I finally lose it, if it continues on?
Give me the answer! Give me the answer, or let it be over!

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