Overview

The most recent instalment to one of Capcom's most successful RPG series, Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, saw Hitoshi Sakimoto challenge himself once more by creating one of his most diverse scores to date. While many associate him with the dark symphonic textures of Vagrant Story or the epic militaristic flair of Final Fantasy Tactics, he has incredible versatility in terms of both the emotions he expresses and in the styles he adopts. This score, more than any other of his works, features the most variety of his styles to be featured on one score, including lighter tunes akin to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, exotica reminiscent of Legaia Duel Saga, and electro-acousticism associated with Soukyuugurentai. The score was programmed by a team of three from Procyon Studio under the direction of Yasunori Mitsuda, while Sakimoto largely worked independently.

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Sakimoto creates a few dark ambient creations throughout the album. He typically utilises mysterious synth vocals, and though this is a slightly hackneyed technique, it is very effective. "Waste Shaft," for example, develops over a five minute period, encompassing a variety of contrasting sections that fit effortlessly thanks to seamless transitions; filled with character thanks to high-pitched vocal chants and industrial sound effects, synthesized impeccably by Yasunori Mitsuda's team, this track has the power to send a shiver down any listener's spine. Equally profound choral use is reflected in "Origin" and the organ-led "A Distant Call"," where elegant contrapuntal harmonies interweave with the vocals beautifully. Not all the dark tracks adopt such styles: "A Small Journey" utilises beautifully realised acoustic and electric piano samples to create an ethereal feeling; "Sorrowful Memories" resounds with richness and sadness thanks to the string suspensions and interweaving melodic lines; and "Power Supply Building" features light techno layering and a variety of sound effects yet evokes great beauty with its profound melodies, filled with hope and sadness. All are remarkably crafted examples of Sakimoto's ability to interpret a complex array of feelings through delicate and original means.

Having made his name in action RPGs such as Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics, it's no surprise that Sakimoto's action tracks on the soundtrack are mostly excellent. "Attack," for example, evokes a feeling of coercion by carefully synchronising imposing brass fanfares and a rhythmically static but unnervingly persistent 'cello bass line. "Going Out to See the Sky" also relies of a driving pulse through using punchy and crisp phrasing as the basis for all sorts of clever 'call and response' interplay and ascending chromatic sequences. Other tracks, notably "Kokon-Horay", "Imminent Crisis", and the roaring "Sealed," layer various forces upon rhythmically strong foundations, likely inspired by the late Jerry Goldsmith's The Planet of the Apes. Through combining repeating strings, dissonant piano chords, unusual percussive effects, and, at least in the lattermost, various electronic noises, the timbre changes every few moments, gripping the listener because of unpredictability and a sense of motion. In addition, there are typical but effective militaristic themes akin to Final Fantasy Tactics such as "Harbinger" and those more associable with infiltration, for example "Ranger HQ".

Some of Sakimoto's lighter contributions to the soundtrack are delightfully whimsical. "Low Sector Borough" feels like it should belong in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Led by a brilliant brass melody, the charm of the theme comes from the way pizzicato strings and other instruments buoyantly harmonise and echo the theme. "Let's Go With a Smile" features a fantastical array of lyrically phrased melodic fragments that are elegantly passed between various instruments and interwoven with each other from the basis of some bouncy rhythms. It's also notable that Sakimoto adds colour to some action themes through use of novelty sounds. For example, "Industrial Sector" uses highly amusing percussion use throughout while "Lifeline" relies on microtonality in places with one part being treated with various glissandi and reverbs. Both are superbly inventive and very convincing scene-setters for an industrial environment, however, among the most interesting and effective additions to the soundtrack. Strangest of all, however, is "Biocorp". Featuring sounds akin to a frog croaking, whatever inspired Sakimoto to create this? Sakimoto's quirky musical humour and playfulness is a treasure to come across, particularly in the middle of an otherwise serious and action-packed soundtrack.

The conclusion to the album is one of the most heartfelt of any Sakimoto's albums. "Ending" attains an incredible level of fluidity and allows the listener to glide in an elevated state while the main theme subtly recapitulates. Though a programmatic piece intended to accompany a complex and ever-developing scene, no part of the composition feels forced musically — even the build up to the dramatic and majestic conclusion approaches tension effortlessly before resolving it blissfully. The subsequent "Castle - Imitation (Breath of Fire V Dragon Quarter)," composed and sung by Chihiro Onitsuka, jarringly differs to the rest of the soundtrack. It replaces the 'Sakimoto sound' for a somewhat aseptic sounding vocal ballad that utilises a standard combo of piano, electric bass, and electric guitar to create a plain and predictable harmonic line. Onitsuka's vocal performance is the sole highlight and her regular repetition of a word in certain parts of the piece emphasises the meaning of the Japanese lyrics while assisting the process of making an otherwise lumpy composition glide. After a strange assortment of miscellaneous bonus pieces (including the misplaced "Prologue"), the album ends with "Escaping the Present", an emotional rollercoaster. It reflects on the gamer's experiences and the soundtrack's varying moods in a musically fluid yet emotionally wrought way and is ever more disturbing and beautiful on close analysis.

Summary

The most diverse Hitoshi Sakimoto soundtrack to date, the Breath of Fire V Dragon Quarter Original Soundtrack is highly recommended for most fans of his other well-known works and a strong introduction to the composer to newcomers. While retaining an overall emphasis on action-packed orchestral themes, the soundtrack features ambient scene-setters, haunting chorales, delightful ditties, symphonic epics, and novel anomalies, with light electronica tinges and a vocal theme to boot. The vocal theme and a few filler tracks excluded, the soundtrack is consistently intricate, charming, and appropriate, delighting from start to finish. Hardcore Breath of Fire fans should take note that it is now also available as part of a limited edition 12 CD boxset, which includes the music for the previous four instalments to the Breath of Fire series as well.

Overview

Following in the abyssal wake of the extraordinarily masterful Final Fantasy Tactics, the richly dark and deep Vagrant Story, the light-hearted Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the grandly majestic Ogre Battle series, and not to mention a slew of earlier titles of pre-orchestral and more progressive-style soundtracks, Hitoshi Sakimoto's Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter had a remarkably profound history of music to live up to at the time of its release. Needless to say, the composer did not fail to transcend his epic resumé, and, along with imbuing the soundtrack with his familiar and innately powerful styling, he further expanded his own musical dimensions to render Breath of Fire V as its own unique entity apart from all the others.

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The general atmosphere evoked by the soundtrack borrows heavily from two planes specifically of Sakimoto's past musical endeavors: his immensely spirited orchestral music, and his earlier progressive/electronica work. Throughout the soundtrack these two styles are seen both combined and separate, but never is the mood drawn too far in one direction or the other. This balance is what really gives Breath of Fire V its shining individuality. While the overall soundtrack provides more of a dark and dramatic setting, there are still elements of light-heartedness glancing through.

The first track opens with a mellow choir that introduces the main theme and seamlessly transforms into a flowing sequence of electronic and orchestral passages. The dramatic nature is induced early on and remains as an underlying component thereafter. Pieces like "Ranger HQ" and "Biocorp" diverge from this atmosphere every now and then and pay homage to earlier Super Famicom titles by Sakimoto, namely Hourai Gakuen. Scattered throughout are tracks that have segments heavily reminiscent of Vagrant Story such as "Lift", "Omen", and "Old Trade Sector" to name a few, and "Center Ministry Sector" in particular has a brief passage that sounds to have been borrowed directly from "Joshua". Still, others like "Upper Layer Area" and "Going With A Smile" remind the listener of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance which reverses the direction of the soundtrack briefly, but doesn't take it to an extreme. Luckily we are still graced with a handful of quasi-epic pieces like "Going Out to See the Sky", "The Strong Enemy" (which once again references Vagrant Story), and "Ending".

Sakimoto's composition still remains well above average on the general video game music scope, and in my eyes (and many others) it remains legendary. While this album may not stand out as a truly epic one in comparison, it still pulses with the richly vibrant musical spirit Sakimoto has instilled into to all his work since the beginning. "Low Sector Borough" is bright and light-hearted at first, and then grows in instrumental complexity until reaching a beautiful brass choir section. "Going Out to See the Sky" is a superb orchestral piece that bursts with energy from the first marcato hit and mercilessly continues on with an energetic and vigorous contour that burns with power. "Origin" returns to the choral setting initially established in the opening track and moves with beautifully flowing vocal textures and harmonies. "A Small Journey" is one of Sakimoto's most beautiful and innocent pieces to date, featuring a piano and a very mellow background synth pad. Songs like "Harbinger" and "A Moment's Joy" create an almost militaristic feel with concise brass, strings and percussion, further deepening the overall drama of the soundtrack. Another excellent track is "Power Supply Building" which gradually progresses through a mellow melodic segment backed by background percussive effects, and transforms into a spacious, stirring chord progression that conjures a feeling of nervous elation.

Toward the end of the soundtrack the listener will experience an interesting departure from what had been established musically up to that point. The ending music is especially gorgeous with an elegant reiteration of the main theme. During this piece, while the listener is essentially gliding weightless through a musical heaven, suddenly afterwards that blissful flight is abruptly arrested by a direct collision with a brick wall. "Castle - imitation (Breath of Fire V Dragon Quarter)" is one of those tracks found on an album that no one can quite discern the placement of — a track which derives virtually no justification in which to be included, given the atmosphere that had been set up by the music prior to it. The vocal track of Breath of Fire V is the same kind of sappy ballad one could find in many soundtracks, and it really doesn't yield the kind of lasting effect similar (more sentimental) vocal tracks might evoke during their corresponding scenes in-game. While Chihiro Onitska is a fairly agreeable vocalist, her music doesn't particularly strike me as very original. Furthermore, the song sounds like it belongs somewhere else altogether — anywhere as long as it's far, far away from Breath of Fire V. In no way is it fitting to the musical environment created by Sakimoto, and is a blemish that should be sensibly avoided if you don't want to be painfully torn from the mentality elicited from his intelligent, thoughtful, deep pieces.

The soundtrack wraps up with some miscellaneous material such as the music heard in the ant colony and the prologue music (what's it doing at the end?). The very last track, "Escaping the Present", does work well as the closier, but personally I was expecting some sort of grandiose orchestral piece and was consequently let down. However, in the absence of any such expectations one might better appreciate that last stretch of the album.

Mandated by Procyon Studio and directed by Yasunori Mitsuda himself, the sound programming in Breath of Fire V really stands out in comparison to Sakimoto's past albums. While certain orchestral samples (for example, the harp, which sounds surprisingly synthetic in contrast to Sakimoto's other orchestral work) do not quite match the timbre and quality one could expect from Square's programming, other electronic and especially many percussive samples are flawless in their engineering and capabilities. Other particulars include the powerful yet controlled brass samples, the pure resonance of the piano, and the graceful wind chimes. One might wonder about the aforementioned harp and other instruments such as the flute, which possesses a rather peculiar and not-so-refined tone, but overall the programming here is outstanding.

Summary

Breath of Fire V Dragon Quarter Original Soundtrack is truly a magnificent album that deserves all the attention attributed to past Sakimoto works. It provides a very innovative and new design for those listeners looking for something fresh and different, while still effectively maintaining Sakimoto's astoundingly spirited musical phrasing. With the fantastic music of this album (as well as a long history of great music) backing me up, I couldn't recommend this soundtrack more. Do yourself a favor, and indulge in another masterpiece from Hitoshi Sakimoto.