Overview

With every Star Ocean release, a myriad of albums seem to be released. For the release of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, two original soundtracks, an arrange album, a director's cut soundtrack, and a voice mix album were released, not counting the live concert DVD and the subsequent CD release. So what exactly does a voice mix album entail? If you are unfamiliar with the concept, it's essentially taking pieces from the original soundtrack, possibly arranging them a little, and implementing the game's vocal effects into the game. Does this make for an entertaining album or is it essentially a distraction to the listener?

Body

First of all, I will say "Congratulations" to Motoi Sakuraba for at least choosing pieces for the voice mix that are some of my favorites, as well as including some of those iconic pieces from the original soundtrack like "Do Evil" or "Cutting Edge of Notion."

However, that's really where the positive comments end for this album. Many of the pieces, while slightly arranged, aren't as fun to listen to with voices thrown in the mix. "The Dawn of Wisdom," in all its 40 seconds, is absolutely ruined by the narrative spoken by many of the voice actors for the game. The beautiful "Requiem for a Saint" is tarnished by the feathery vocal effects heard within it. I could say the rest about much of this album, whether they are orchestral or progressive rock focused, but I think I'd be beating a dead horse in doing so.

I've also learned, you can't really end on a negative note, so here's the one positive thing, at least for me, that the voice mixed album does right aside from the superb track selection. "Do Evil." Yes, "Do Evil" is an extremely experimental progressive rock piece on its own, meandering about in its entirety. There's something about that chaotic laughter that really makes it seem evil. Mix that with the awesome progressive work from Sakuraba and you actually have a winner in my book.

Summary

Honestly, I don't really understand the concept of a voice mix album. Sure, in a way, it gives you an idea of how well the music goes together with the sound effects heard in the game, but at the same time, those sound effects can ruin a wholly pleasant listening experience. While the track selection for the Star Ocean Till the End of Time Voice Mix Album is superb, many of the pieces are ruined by the inclusion of the voices. There are a few exceptions, like "Do Evil," where the chaotic laughter seems to add to the piece, rather than detract. However, for the most part, this album would be a waste of money for anyone who'd rather hear the unadulterated Star Ocean experience.