Overview

While Castlevania: Lament of Innocence and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness shared a number of features, including mediocre reviews, their scores by Michiru Yamane are actually very different. Whereas the former took the series in a mature classically-oriented direction, the latter is dominated by cheesy rock compositions reminiscent of the series' classics. The resultant soundtrack will appeal to fans of the series' music, although not all of the tracks on its two disc soundtrack release are worthwhile.

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Right from the first stage theme, "Abandoned Castle", Michiru Yamane shows that the series has returned to its rocking roots. The track doesn't inspire rich imagery or evoke deep emotions, and instead just entertains listeners with its upbeat melodies and pleasant soundscapes, just as so many series' favourites did in the past. It nevertheless manages to exceed its ancestors with its cutting-edge implementation and extensive development, facilitating by the technological freedom offered by the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Yamane further develops this approach with her fusions of orchestra, beats, and ethnic instruments on "Baljhet Mountains", "Mortvia Fountain", and "The Forest of Jigramunt". They're not particularly deep fusions, but are sufficiently lyrical and individualised to warrant repeated listens.

The battle themes on Castlevania: Curse of Darkness are also a significant contrast from the approach of its direct predecessor with their upbeat rocking tones. Yamane offers three different versions of "Followers of Darkness" to represent different encounters, each blending hard rock instrumentation with gothic orchestration. The core theme is an excellent accompaniment to combat, featuring some of the best rhythm guitar writing of the series, though the variations are too scarcely differentiated to offer much appeal. There are a number of special battle themes on this release too. Whereas "Legendary Belmont" and the amusingly titled "Young Nobleman of Madness" are yet more rip-roaring rock themes, "The Visitor in the Silk Hat" has a more modernist orchestral influence.

That said, there are some more mature efforts on Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. For example, "Garibaldi Temple" is a fitting Baroque-influenced theme that interweaves colourful orchestration with harpsichord continuo. "The Cave of Jigramunt" is one of the more experimental tracks on the soundtrack, fusing various electronic and orchestral forces in a moody and alien way, while "Aiolon Ruins" takes the score towards its climax with its conflicted stylings and surprising thematic reprises. Used during the final battle, "A Toccata into a Blood-Soaked Darkness" is one of the main highlights of the entire soundtrack. While the passagework sounds a little too close to Yamane's past work, it compensates with its awesome gothic rock stylings. The final theme manages to be uplifting without being overbearing.

While the central themes of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness are excellent, the score is let down by its abundance of filler tracks. There are more cinematic sequences in the game than previous Castlevania titles, most of which don't exceed the 90 minute mark. Yamane underscores each of these themes in a functional way using dramatic orchestrations or moody ambience, yet rarely offers much of stand-alone appeal. The likes of "The One Who Manipulates Time" and "Catacombs of Grief and Sadness" are particularly unnecessary. To close the soundtrack, Yamane engages in a surprising but generic collaboration with the people's tenor Russell Watson, "True To Your Dreams". She also provides an extended version of the once unremarkable "Prologue" and an arrangement of the underrated "Eneomaos Machine Tower" to round off the album.

Summary

Overall, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness returns to the upbeat and rocking roots of the franchise while offering cutting-edge fusions and synthesis. While the various setting and action themes are enjoyable here, the soundtrack is nevertheless let down by an abundance of filler tracks. Many may prefer its condensed presentation on the game's promotional sampler or series' box set instead of its full version here. Either way, there is plenty of fun music to be found in this release.

Overview

Released two years after Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness was set in the year 1476, three years after the story of 1988's Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Michiru Yamane was again responsible for the musical score and delivered a huge number of creative and unique compositions. After she was sometimes criticised for not using electric guitars and rock elements in Lament of Innocence, Yamane went back to the roots with this score and returns the traditional rock and synth style among other interesting variations.

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"Prologue of Fate" opens the soundtrack in a short but splendid way. Actually used for the Demo Movie, this climactic piece introduces us to one of the major themes which can be heard also later on the soundtrack. The melody is fantastic; it describes the feeling of fate in a effective way and the percussion use also demonstrates confrontation. Sadly, the piece is rather short, so there is not much more to say. The story theme "Prologue ~Endless Sorrow~" thereafter is more melodic than its ancestors. Woodwinds, strings, and violin are used in the first section to deliver a depressed and melancholy atmosphere. In the middle of the track this feeling changes into something more mysterious and epic with the use of choir, percussion, and brass until the track ends again on a sorrowful note. It works excellently during the game. An extended version of this can be found later on the soundtrack as a bonus track by the way.

There are many more cutscene tracks in this score than in Lament of Innocence, because of the overall more extensive story. All of these themes are excellent, but are designated for the use in the game specifically, so are not quite intended for listening pleasure on the album. "Flattery With the Secret Arts", for example, ccompanies the first meeting of Hector, the hero, and his adversary Isaac at the beginning of the game with a suitably gloomy atmosphere. From the foreboding string section at the beginning to the action part at the end, "Those Who Desire the Resurrection" is also effective in the game. Less impressive is "Devil Forging", which uses merely a male synth voice in different harmonies to portray an atmosphere of mystery, or "A Mysterious Warning", a 15 second filler piece. These tracks are numerous in this release and a detriment to the stand-alone experience.

On "Abandoned Castle ~The Curse of Darkness~", Michiru Yamane is back again and more dynamic and energetic than ever with this stunning piece for the first stage. The atmosphere is typical Castlevania with gothic and rock-based instrumentation such as electric guitars, fast percussion, synth melodies, strings, and organ and fits the heinous scenery perfectly. After she had renounced this kind from the Lament of Innocence score, Yamane now lives up with her traditional style once again and shows that she has matured a lot during the years of composing since her first Castlevania project Bloodlines in 1994. Another playful and catchy theme, "Mortvia Aqueduct" has a brilliant piano melody which is underlined with strings, brass, and frenzied percussion along the way. The atmosphere goes from mysterious over to adventurous, yet with a slight epic touch around 1:14 or 1:57.

"Baljhet Mountains" is another one of the masterpieces Yamane has created for this score. After the remarkable introduction, which sounds like traditional Indian or Libyan music with deep violins and male chanting, the rhythmic percussion sets in together with a pulsing string line, harp arpeggios, and a catchy and playful melody. In the second part of the melody an woodwind joins and the strings take over to a more dramatic and lush ending. Thereafter the male chanting from the beginning returns in a little interlude together with tribal bongos until the theme loops. It sounds like Yamane had a lot of fun while composing this tune. It works also excellently during the context of the game for the adventurous journey through the wide mountain range. Some people find this kind of track too cheerful to fit into the dark story of Hector's travelling, but that's exactly what is fun about it. It's a memorable and very well-developed piece and I'm glad that Michiru Yamane came up with something so fresh.

"Garibaldi Courtyard" is also one of those little gems from this soundtrack. Starting off with on a eerie note with sound effects, soon a church bell together with ordinary bells and harp sets in to perform a mystic introduction. Afterwards, cool percussion in form of claps and hi-hats start up and woodwinds and strings perform the main melody, which varies between ominous and lighthearted. A charming and interesting way of illustrating the path to an enormous temple. Its counterpart "Garibaldi Temple" marks the return of a traditional baroque and classical theme to portray a stained glass location. While "Blue Serenade" is a little pretaste of this kind of theme, "Garibaldi Temple" develops into a masterpiece of classical music. It reminds me of "Wood Carving Partitia" from Symphony of the Night because of the similar style and instrumentation, but this theme is more glorious and epic. From the baroque harpsichord passages over the woodwinds to the use of strings and choir, Yamane manipulates the track so excellently and beautifully that is is hard not to like it.

Moving to the action themes, "Followers of Darkness -The First-" accompanies Hector's earliest fights. The style is very similar to "Abandoned Castle ~The Curse of Darkness~" with gothic and rock elements, only more fast-paced and dramatic. The strings are used excellently here as is the percussion. The electric guitars are mostly heard in the background as additional instrumentation and so are not as intrusive as in the first stage. This isn't a problem because the track is full of power and adrenaline even without them. Instead of composing one theme for each boss like in Lament of Innocence, Michiru Yamane chose to focus on just two themes this time. "Followers of Darkness -The Second-" is similar to its counterpart, but considerably slower and more repetitive, while the final version conveys tension and drama without the raw power of the first version. There is nothing new in these variations unfortunately.

"Legendary Belmando" underlays the fight against Trevor Belmont with a traditional epic theme in traditional Castlevania rock style. It begins in a similar way to the third "Followers of Darkness", but develops into a more foreboding piece with fast-paced percussion, strings, and electric guitar goodness by Atsushi Sato. The theme is packed with adrenaline and tension. Around 1:15, there is a really nice interlude with choir to demonstrate the cruelty, egotism, and strength of the Vampire Hunter. The second disc opens with a bang with "Young Nobleman of Madness". While the title is similar to one track from Symphony of the Night, namely "Young Nobleman of Sadness", the overall style is also nearly identical with heavy use of electric guitars, strings, percussion, and some recycled voice samples. The track gets straight to the point with gorgeous use of guitars and strings until the "Prologue of Fate" theme from the beginning of the soundtrack enters around the one minute mark to portray a fight between two fateful characters.

Talking of throwbacks, with "Cordova Town", Michiru Yamane returns to her progressive rock style and creates a stunning piece for for an abandoned town with no human beings. Acoustic guitar and hi-hats lead us into the track and the music slowly builds with different additions such as percussion, synth lines, and electric guitars. Around the 0:40 mark, the main melody enters on unusual synth and the traditional "Vampire Killer" theme even makes a short four note appearance at 0:55. There are even some notes from Bloodline's first stage theme "Reincarnated Soul" if you listen carefully from 1:42. All in all, an excellent and fun theme. Even if note quite as solid, "The Cave of Jigramunt" it is still acceptable way to portray a cavern. In some way it reminds me of "Rainbow Cemetery" from Symphony of the Night, but this track is a little better developed. After the gloomy introduction a bell motif together with pumping percussion sets in, which develops slowly towards the end of the track. Some weird sound effects and choir samples follow while strings and woodwinds show up later. Overall, I'm not a big fan of this track given it's quite repetitive, but it fits again to the scenery of the game.

"The Forest of Jigramunt" is another excellent area theme from Yamane. It opens with tribal bongo percussion and surrounding glockenspiel effects until the beat kicks in together with strings. This leads into the main melody which is performed by an string ensemble and harpsichord in the background. This theme features a slower tempo than other area themes and the atmosphere is more gloomy, lonely, and epic with the different sections and development of the strings. Overall, a wonderful nice way to portray a person inside a large and silent wood full of monsters.In "Eneamaos Machine Tower", he piano is used as the main instrument here while typical orchestration and fast percussion accompanies it. The track opens with deep piano chords, while a clock is ticking in the background. The strings and percussion enter slowly and builds up together with woodwinds until the main melody starts at 0:30. There is an excellent dramatic section around 1:23 and further development when the strings take over. The interlude at 2:25 until 2:48 before the track starts again is also very nicely done. Enormous, beautiful, and multifaceted, I have never heard a more beautiful clock tower theme before in any Castlevania game.

From "Catacombs of Grief and Sadness" onwards, the mood gets more serious and anxious to portray the impending showdown. The first of these themes is just a few scary sound effects of the experimental kind previously featured on the Lament of Innocence soundtrack. A little more impressive is "Aiolon Ruins", interestingly a medley rather than an original track, though it seems to indicate Yamane lacked original ideas. Its counterpart "Aiolon Cave Temple" builds up to create a rather mysterious aura without ever really impressing. A further disappointment is "Infinite Corridor", a dissonant theme supported by choral passages, and "Julia's Advice", a short if sorrowful cutscene track. Coming to the last stage, "Dracula's Castle" partly redeems the section with another rock-based area theme, which alternates between more mellow sections with harp arpeggios and strings and more action-packed guitar-drived parts towards the middle of the track. It's quite well-balanced, but the overall theme lacks the memorability and enthusiasm of previous tracks.

To portray the final boss encounters, Yamane offers a succession of climactic themes. "The Dark Holy Man" is the ultimate climactic battle theme from this soundtrack and she doesn't hold back to demonstrate the dramatic and fearful aura of the boss, from the powerful string and brass passages to the harsh piano chords and the excellent use of percussion. "A Toccata into Blood Soaked Darkness", for the traditional battle with Lord Dracula in his throne room, is an entirely new thems that has become one most popular pieces from this score. Starting off with some minor organ notes and crashs, the melody transforms into a slow building theme reminiscent of the classic "Bloody Tears" while sinister strings, a choir, and some electronic effects join in the background. Around 1:08 the fast-paced beat kicks in and the organ performs a dramatic passage until some brass notes appear around 1:45 to add power to the overall glorious atmosphere. All in all, it's a solid battle theme with beautiful melodies and instrumentation. Finally, "Metamorphosis tot he Black Abyss of Death" accompanies the final encounter with a frantic theme using typical orchestral crisis elements. It's highly effective, but not necessarily enjoyable.

Like in Symphony of the Night, Michiru Yamane chosed to use an vocal theme for the staff credits. "True To Your Dreams" is an soft and cheesy ballad arranged by Michiru Yamane herself and sung by tenor singer Russell Watson. Yamane's arrangement is perfectly fitting and harmonises excellently with the vocals of Watson, which are quite beautiful at the beginning. However, in the second half when he gets more powerful and stretches his tenor range, his voice reminds me a bit of Kermit the Frog. He shouldn't be compared to star tenor singers, but for this theme he's quite good. The soundtrack closes with an extended arrangement of "Prologue ~Ending Sorrow~" from the beginning of the score, as well as a bonus rendition of "Eneomaos Machine Tower" in "Narcissistic Reflection"; while the original version was a melodious action theme, this interpretation is slower and more majestic, ending the soundtrack on a pleasant note.

Summary

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness features a nice repertoire of new tracks composed by Michiru Yamane and shows that she has retained her ability to produce exciting and fitting themes. The traditional rock style of the series finally returns after its absence from Lament of Innocence, but in some tracks there is a clear lack of emotion with the use of the electric guitar, even though most tracks are enjoyable. The stage themes are splendid and well composed whereas the battle themes are sometimes lacking the right impact, especially the two boss themes. There is a huge amount of cutscene-related music within the score, which are all well done, but work almost only in the context of the game. If they weren't used in this score so much, I would have given it a higher rating. Yuka Watanabe's two contributions are somewhat totally out of place, but serve to colour the gameplay. There aren't any remixes of classic themes from the series as well, such as "Bloody Tears", "Vampire Killer", or "Dance of Illusions", which is quite a shame. All in all, it is a bit away from being the best score in the series, but is still a worthy enhancement to Castlevania's musical legacy.

Overview

I have to admit the first time I heard what Castlevania: Curse of Darkness had to offer musically I was in no way impressed. Jumping right into Curse of Darkness after completing Lament of Innocence during a Castlevania gaming binge, initially it seemed quite inferior for someone of Michiru Yamane's talent. However, an odd thing happened. After completing the game, several tracks from what I thought was a terribly "plain and uneventful" score took up residence in my head and held my mind hostage. It was at this point I knew there was something more here, something I needed to dig for outside the game itself.

Even after becoming hopelessly infatuated with this soundtrack, listening to it over and over again like a mindless drone, I was still at a loss. Writing any kind of review was the furthest thing from my mind; how could one write about anything without understanding the underlying reasons behind their displeasure or enjoyment? Thankfully, something said by a fellow enthusiast made it clear enough for me to sit down and write. What was that one thing?

"I feel like it's 'slightly below average' game music that isn't offensive or bad to listen to... it's just kind of there, you know?"

When you get down to it, this statement is a "bare-bones" summarization of what Curse of Darkness has to offer the listener. However, as with most things in life, it's hardly this simple. While sifting through the tracks presented on th game below, I will try to explain why at the right time, the right place, to the right ears and person how a seemingly inferior soundtrack can seem superior — a case where one's initial perception can be nothing but an illusionary curse (pun definitely intended).

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The electric guitar-infused tracks Yamane has become known for come out in large numbers on Curse of Darkness. Where past entries like Symphony of the Night's "Festival of Servants" and "The Tragic Prince" brought the power pound for pound, the guitar usage here is much more subdued and restrained. Ironically, the guitars only seem a small step above those in Symphony of the Night (which was good but rather synth heavy). While one could argue it's the result of laziness, it's most likely really artistic choice and direction. The remaining instruments don't come off as such unless one compares theoverall sound to a score such as LoI, a soundtrack with it own set of issues that is at least two years older.

Even when taking the above into account, the majority of the guitar driven battle themes are worth listening to. The "Followers of Darkness" series starts out with the exceptionally strong "-The First-," a straightforward (although slightly repetitive) rocker that successfully draws a mental image of dark, brooding enemies emerging to block your progress. The series' two remaining tracks, used for normal boss encounters, lack the slight edge to push them beyond their less rock-ified predecessor. It's the special boss themes that really come off as dead-on musical representations of the battles they play in. "Legendary Belmondo" really gives one an idea how savage and ruthless a Belmont can be in battle even without the guitar being as forceful as it could be. The composition contains a powerful yet controlled sense of cool compassion and hot blooded rage; a frightful sight that is clearly still in the name of righteousness. We see the opposite side of this spectrum in "Young Nobleman of Madness," where a somewhat unwieldy guitar line invokes the scene of a loose-cannon battle filled with hate, spite, and insanity. Some stage/area themes also hop on board the guitar express as well, the most notable (and my personal favorite) being the moody yet content "Cordova Town" that is truly befitting of a town lost to the creatures of the night.

Some listeners may also come to find the series' orchestrated style is literally left out to dry, being nowhere as full or bombastic as it was in previous incarnations. "The Dark Holy Man" and "Garibaldi Temple" remain true to the Castlevania formula in this sense but most stage/area themes ("The Forest of Jigramunt," "Eneomaos Machine Tower," "Aiolon Ruins" and "Aiolon Cave Temple") choose to flirt with the orchestration instead of fully embracing it. The resulting mellow vibe is the element that sets Curse of Darkness apart from its brethren. Battle themes such as "A Toccata into Blood Soaked Darkness" also fall into this category and show these laid backed tracks are hardly one trick ponies despite their numbers. "The Visitor in the Silk Hat" and the noteworthy "Legion and Nuculais" give into tradition reminding us that strong, orchestrated battle themes are far from a dead art form.

Curse of Darkness contains a few experimental tracks as well — experimental as far as Castlevania music and style is concerned. While attempts like "Mortavia Aqueduct" fizzle before they really get anywhere, the odd "Mortavia Fountain" surprisingly depicts the playful nature one would associate with water. "Baljhet Mountains" also falls on the playful side as it almost seems like Yamane forgot that Hector's trek though the surrounding mountains would hardly be as carefree as the piece itself implies. "The Cave of Jigramunt" and "Infinite Corridor" also fiddle around with new ideas but are reminiscent enough of past pieces to avoid such a label. A steady techno-like beat accompanies shallow hymns in "The Cave of Jigramunt" as the synth simultaneously weaves an aura of wonder, fear, and mystery — you can feel the air within the den of evil crackle with current (OK, so I stole that last part from Yamane). "Infinite Corridor" works on a similar level but uses sparse instrumentation to create a hollow sound that is interesting yet altogether forgetful.

Throughout the two discs one will find the pieces used for the various cut scenes. I usually don't pass judgment on such tracks as they usually work better in-game than anywhere else; however, the musical continuity of the tracks used for Julia's (a NPC) appearances ("Encounter with a Certain Witch," "The Siblings' Sad Destiny," "Julia's Advice" and "Epilogue ~A Time of Hope and Resolution~") have with her shop/character theme “Sarabande of Healing” is well executed.

Summary

So, after picking this soundtrack apart am I any closer to knowing why it attracted my attention? Not really. Even though I still believe I failed in conveying why I like what is presented here, does one really need an answer to enjoy an album of any kind? If nothing else, Curse of Darkness's music works best when one doesn't need to over-think/analyze what they're hearing. I'd honestly have a hard time recommending this album, not because I don't have faith in what is here but more or less out of fear of misrepresenting it. Despite writing all this, Curse of Darkness's music still remains an enigma to me — it's a guilty pleasure, a not-so-horrible curse full of hidden virtues.