Overview

The Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner Sera Premium Soundtrack was a pre-order bonus with 2004's Digital Devil Saga. It was a relatively unusual for Atlus to release promotional soundtracks at the time, though they clearly realized Shoji Meguro was a star after the glorious reception of his Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne soundtrack. They hoped that this bonus would make buyers take even more notice of the music and eventually be persuaded to buy the soundtrack releases for the game. So exactly what did they offer and did they succeed?

Body

The promotional album opens with an instrumental version of the main theme "Pray". I vastly prefer the instrumental version of this piece when compared to the vocal, and I think it is because you can actually appreciate the melody a lot more; you hear that irregular rhythm of the melody, and can separate it from a possibly misspoken or badly timed vocals. A lot of the funk that is built into the track really comes out in this version as well, in addition to having a bit more of a rock edge to it. The second half of the piece pairs a wailing guitar with piano, bringing out the main Pray melody. It loops fully in this release, so is even nicer to hear.

"Hunting" is the base battle theme, and it presents an all out rock approach, with heavy guitars providing the melody and accompaniment, while a steady rock drum beat pushes the track along. It's a little on the slow side for a battle theme, but the heavy beat does a great job at keeping the track grounded. "Steel Coffin - Second Movement" gets pulses racing with its heavy piano line and electronic overtones. Although there isn't that much to it, Meguro's sense of rhythm and stylish electronica ensures it has a spectacular effect. There aren't any classical rock elements per se, but the composer's rocking spirit is certainly present.

"Sahasrara" is more of an instrumental ballad written for semi-acoustic guitar. Although the timbre created is quite rugged, the effect of the repeating passages is quite relaxing and the late funk solos add to the sheen. To close the release, "Never Ending Rain" offers a strong piano track, supported by light string work with violins and cellos. When I listen to the composition of this track, I would say it most closely resembles a hymn of sorts, or at least it does for the first half of the piece. In the second half, we get a soaring rendition of "Pray," which allows the strings to grow in volume. Altogether, it's quite a nice track to listen to when you're facing the Game Over screen.

Summary

The Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner Sera Premium Soundtrack is a teaser and that is all it was ever intended to be. Contrary to popular belief, there are no exclusives here, even though some of the track times are longer. All the content can be found in the subsequent commercial releases for the games, the Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner 1 & 2 Original Soundtrack Integral and the Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner Soundtrack CD. What is on offer does a good job of reflecting Meguro's individualistic style for the game and probably won him a number of fans. However, stick to the full releases for the full Meguro experience.