Overview

Darius Burst Another Chronicle Live in O-East -revolt- is a recording from a live show in June 2011. It features music from throughout the series arranged by Shohei Tsuchiya and Hirokazu Koshio. There is a heavier focus, rightfully so, on the recent Darius Burst games, adapted and more suited for a live show. The renditions are performed by guitarists Hideaki Kuroda and Jiro Yoshida, keyboardists Norihiro Furukawa, Katsuhisa Ishikawa, and Hirokazu Koshio, bassist Shohei Tsuchiya, drummer Tomohisa Furushima, and vocalist Remi. The regular edition features the audio recording, while the limited edition also features a bonus DVD featuring a video recording. How does the release turn out?

Body

The majority of the album is arranged by Shohei Tsuchiya. The album opens with an arrangement of "Good-bye my Earth," from the original Darius Burst, featuring Remi, the vocalist on the Darius Burst Another Chronicle Original Soundtrack. The track, for the most part, manages to highlight the main melody quite nicely and Remi's vocal work is quite enjoyable. Although the track starts off fairly straightforward, featuring drums, guitar riffs, and keyboard work, I really like the mid-section breakdown. It offers a bit of a jazzy flair and I really like the calming effect of the keyboard work before moving into a sexy guitar solo that really brings a lot of energy and emotion into the mix. Following that, another Darius Burst track is featured. "The World of Spirit" manages to capture the essence of the original, although I do prefer this version. I think that Remi's vocals are enthralling and really bring the main melody to the forefront. As for the musical accompaniment, I really like the groovy jazz influence present throughout the remix. The piano work is probably the most captivating portion of the remix and I really like how it manages to mellow out the track a bit.

Tsuchiya's other main focus on the album was arranging his Darius Burst: Another Chronicle tunes for a live show. Rather than attempt to elaborate on some of the shorter themes in the suite, he trims the major portions of the suite, the first, third, and fifth theme specifically, into more manageable tunes for a live show. The first, "Suite Photoconductivity ~First Tune: Iron Fossil~," takes the original, which was a surreal, evocative tune and turns it into an upbeat theme featuring some jazzy piano chords and an overall groovy soundscape. Remi's vocal work really works well with this rendition of the tune and it really brings the emotion in the piece, ranging from more sultry and intoxicating moments to more powerful, yet not overbearing, operatic sections.

The second, "Suite Photoconductivity ~Third Tune: Bolt and Sword," has a much more rock oriented approach compared to the original. I really like the combination of Remi's vocal work and the funky guitar work are fantastic together and really heighten the energy of the piece. In addition, the strings accompaniment featured in the later portions of the theme really manage to accentuate the beautiful melody with its very romantic sound. The last section, "Suite Photoconductivity ~Fifth Tune: Tyrant~," is the longest of the live versions of the various suites. Compared to the original, this one definitely saw the biggest transformation. While the original was much more sinister in approach, the arrangement, on the contrary, is very soothing and relaxing. I love the overall balladic jazz-tinged soundscape, as I think it adds a unique sort of depth to the melody, not to say the original wasn't melodically deep. The piano work really complements the vocal work nicely and the guitar work really gives off a nice rustic soundscape.

Hirokazu Koshio focuses on two medleys for his contributions to the album. The first, "DBAC Mix," focuses on themes from Darius Burst, Darius Burst Remix -Wonder World-, and Darius Burst: Another Chronicle. The mix opens with "A Soothing Sensation," Baiyon's contribution to the remix album for the first game, providing a short, but fitting opening and its rhythm, at times, can be heard throughout the entire mix. The second theme, "Baptize Silver Hawk," from the first game follows and provides a very entertaining heroic section, before moving into the darker, "Abyssal Holic," also from the same game. I really like the pulsing bass line with the ethereal, distorted synthesizer work. I really like the transition from this theme to "Crushing the Enemy Somberly," Ryutaro Nakahara's contribution to the Darius Burst remix album, as it helps accentuate the darker passages of the former with the industrial tones of the latter. The mix ends with "Abyssal Dependence," and it really manages to end the mix on a sinister note. I really like the addition of the funky guitar in the background and the staple "Warning" sound effect.

The other mix, "Darius Classics," by Koshio focuses on the classic Darius themes, mainly composed by Hisayoshi Ogura, although a theme from Darius Twin composed by Shizuo Aizawa is incorporated. The medley focuses mainly on the main themes of the series and I think it's the more successful of the medleys. I love how Koshio takes the "Coin" jingle from Darius II and "Chaos, and the main theme from Darius, while turning them into this groovy, ethereal, enticing mix featuring spacey synthesizers and electric guitars over a heavy bass. It moves into "Say Papa," the final stage theme from Darius II, in a synth focused rock piece giving off a nice feeling of adventure. One of my favorite sections is the fusion of "Self" and "Visionnerz" from Darius Gaiden. I love how the sultry vocal work of the latter works so well with the melody of the former and the rock and piano accompaniment really gives it a nice edge not present in the original. Another fusion section of the medley is "G-Zero" and "Adam" from G-Darius. I love this section the most due to the exhilarating electronic beat, the sinister soundscapes of "Adam" and the synthesizer melody of "G-Zero." It's truly an impressive take on my favorite soundtrack in the series and focuses on two of the most popular themes. The piano and synth focused "Fake," from Darius Gaiden, follows and keeps up the energy of the mix and I love how it seamlessly flows into "A Flashing Dual Hawk" from Darius Twin and adds a nice heroic touch to the mix with the piano and guitar work serving as a particular highlights. As one might expect, the medley ends "Boss 7" from the original Darius, with cheers from the audience being heard as it starts. I really love the jazzy piano focus of the accompaniment that works with the synth and industrial focus of the melody.

Each artist also arranged an encore piece. Of the two, my favorite is by far Hirokazu Koshio's, partly because of the strength of the original piece as well as the small things he does to elevate it for a live show. His take on Ogura's "Hello 31337" from Darius Burst is probably my favorite thing on the entire album. I love the intense beat, the overall industrial tone of the original, and the small flourishes that Koshio adds to the mix, such as the intricate synthesizer accompaniment, piano, and rock sections that really some nice personal touches to the mechanical nature of the beast. The closing piece on the album, arranged by Shohei Tsuchiya, is the last part of the Darius Burst: Another Chronicle suite. His take on "Suite Photoconductivity ~Sixth Tune: Guidance~" closes the concert (and album) with a very romantic piano rendition of the theme with Remi's vocals. It really contrasts with the energy of the rest of the album, but also manages to bring the listeners back down to Earth before departing the venue.

Summary

In the end, I think that the Darius Burst Another Chronicle Live in O-East -revolt- album manages to provide a great listening experience. The older Darius themes are given their due respect and the Darius Burst themes really manage to bring a lot to the table. I also like how the Suite pieces are more adapted for shorter listening, even if the overall atmosphere is a departure from the original sound. If you're a fan of the Darius series, definitely consider checking this one out. The limited edition is especially worthwhile for those looking for a video recording too.