Overview

The GUN FRONTIER/METAL BLACK/DINO REX Sound Tracks for Digital Generation ~GameMusic Discovery Series~ is one of the latest entries in Supersweep’s Discovery series that releases classic game music for those who may not be familiar with it. This entry moves away from music composed that focus on a specific series or composer and rather encompasses some earlier music composed by early Taito composers. The soundtracks in question are Metal Black, composed by Yasuhisa Watanabe, Gun Frontier, composed by Hidetori Fukumori, and Dinorex, which is simply credited to Taito, and some bonus remixes by Yasuhisa Watanabe and current Taito sound team members, Hirokazu Koshio and Shohei Tsuchiya. Is this compilation worth picking up?

Body

The first game to be featured is Metal Black, composed by Yasuhisa Watanabe and features a mix of stage and boss themes. “Bone to be free,” the first stage theme,” is a nice blend of ethereal soundscapes and militaristic percussion that works quite nicely with the heroic and uplifting melody. “Dual Moon,” the second stage theme, is a quirky tune that definitely manages to impress with its use of funky slap bass; however, the melody can be hit or miss. The A section is definitely the weaker of the sections while the B section is definitely more engaging due to that fact that it has more structure. Both “Area 26-10” and “Waste Days” are a bit more ethereal. The former definitely has a dreamier quality about it, particularly the way the melody and accompaniment are utilized; however, I feel that this is one of the weaker stage themes on the album. The latter, on the other hand, manages to impress with its beauty. The melody is airy and pensive and the drum pad, while simple, complements the melody quite nicely. Although it starts out quite ominous, “Doubt” manages to quickly turn around by incorporating an intense drum line that really manages to accentuate the equally intense melody. Lastly, “Time,” the final stage theme, is definitely one that gives off a more melancholy atmosphere. The melody starts off quite slow, helping to establish a somber mood; however, as it picks up, the tone of the tune shifts to more heroic, signaling the end of the journey.

The boss themes, on the other hand, are a mixed bag. “Visitor,” the first boss theme, is definitely contemplative and ominous through its slower tempo rather than by utilizing intense beats; however, there are moments when there is definitely a more tense sound when the melody is more prominently featured. Similarly, “Yueez,” the second boss theme, is also ominous and moody, but doesn’t really feature any intense moments. “Dio Panic” is more chaotic and sinister sounding and a boss theme that has a nice tension with some frenetic melodic sections. “The gate of guardian” is also sinister and tense, although lacking a bit in the melody department. The B section definitely carries that tense nature of a battle though. Lastly, “Phantasm” is a tense, but very short, boss theme that lacks any real development. There are also two ending themes. “Game is Over,” the bad ending theme” features  a heroic sound, but also one that is a bit sorrowful, as if you didn’t complete the final mission. The ending/staff roll theme, “A mirage of mind” is a great tune. The ending portion of this is very mysterious and uplifting with a gorgeous melody. The staffroll section is definitely more upbeat, spacey, and heroic.

The second game soundtrack to be featured is Gun Frontier, composed by Hidetori Fukumori, and features mostly stage themes. The first stage theme, “Mountain Storm in the Desert” is an amazing catchy tune with a solid melody, a great pace, and some lovely percussion work. This is definitely the highlight of the Gun Frontier soundtrack. The boss theme for the game, “Welcome to Heaven,” is a slow tempo boss theme that focuses more on creating an ominous and creepy atmosphere. While the accompaniment is definitely more prominent than the melody, the melody really helps craft the mood.

The rest of the soundtrack consists primarily of stage themes. “In the sky,” the stage two theme, has a fantastically upbeat soundscape that gives off that feeling of flying through the sky. The melody is quite nice as well, reminiscent of Megaman at times, and really manages to stand with the first stage theme. “KARAMETE,” the third stage theme, is a nice blend of interesting percussion, some more somber sections, as well as some heroic moments. While not as a strong as other stage themes, it does manage to create a satisfying atmosphere overall. “Into the Wild” features a lovely spaghetti western sound in the accompaniment that pairs well with the more ominous synth tones. However, my favorite moments of the piece are when the melody has a more rustic sound before moving into a full blown epic. “Yunfao” is another excellent stage theme with an extremely engaging melody that really gives off that shmup vibe with a great adventurous atmosphere and some great piano tones at times. “Maspy,” the last stage/final boss theme, is another tune with a spaghetti Western vibe. While it is not as engaging as “Into the Wild,” the theme does manage to create a nice atmosphere nonetheless. It does sound a bit too upbeat and carefree for a final boss theme. The happy ending theme, “Above the Clouds, Above the Clouds” gives off a great sense of accomplishment while incorporating some of “In the sky” as well.

The second disc on the album features a different sound source for the two soundtracks mentioned above. The third disc features three bonuses arrangements and the soundtrack to Dinorex. The first arrangement, “Peacemaker” from Metal Black, by Yasuhisa Watanabe has a very beautiful atmosphere with some beautiful synth tones and nice militaristic touches. Not completely certain on what it is arranging, but it sounds like “Time” in terms of the same sort of atmosphere being portrayed. Hirokazu Koshio’s “Mountain Storm of the Desert – 2012 Distorted Desert MIX,” from Gun Frontier is a fantastic electronic translation of the source material. He manages to keep the same energy as the original while modernizing it. Lastly, from the same game, Shohei Tsuchiya’s arrangement of “Into the Wild” is really experimental, compared to the original. It has a very Dariusburst sound mixed with some funky jazz tones and children’s choir samples. It is a much different take on the original, but also one that I find to be much stronger.

The music of Dinorex isn’t credited to a composer, perhaps because it is not known or the person does not wish to be credited. “Title Demo, Name Entry” is an interesting tune and one of the stronger pieces on this soundtrack. While the melody is fun, I wouldn’t say it’s anything special, but the percussion work is where the track really shines. It gives it a nice quirky, yet exotic, vibe. Most of the tracks are considered those with “Day” in the title. Sadly, none of these are particularly special, focusing more on experimental percussion rather than any sort of melodic development. Fitting perhaps for the era the game is meant to portray, but on a standalone listen, nothing special. “End Title” has a calm atmosphere that focuses on a bit of melody, but doesn’t stand out. “Staff Roll,” on the other hand, is definitely the track to listen to. It has a nice groove to it and features a decent melody while also focusing on the percussion elements that dominate the majority of the soundtrack.

Summary

In the end, I think that this album manages to showcase some of Taito’s earlier works that only hardcore shmup fans may have heard of. This album is definitely for fans of the original music, however, fans of retro music who may be new to this music should find something to enjoy as well. Each soundtrack features a distinct sound. While themore atmospheric approach of Metal Black is nice, I prefer the more melodically focused Gun Frontier. The Dinorex music is largely forgettable, but the bonus arrangements that are featured on the third disc really help bring some new life into the classic tunes.