Overview

The integration of J-Pop artists with video game soundtracks has become increasingly apparent in the past couple of years, and in most cases, it's easy to see the benefits. First of all, the vocalists themselves get promoted, secondly the in-game music becomes more accessible to people unaware of the community behind VGM, and last, we are often presented with some pretty decent songs too. In this instance we hear the music of Kazuhito Kikuchi and voice of alan, who performs the opening theme song for the PSP game God Eater and ending theme to the TV animation InuYasha Kanketsuhen.

Body

It's very rare that I enjoy a vocal theme in a game, but the God Eater's opening theme "Over the Clouds" is certainly an exception. It features an extremely catchy beat, a fantastic melody, and I'll admit alan has a pretty decent voice too. The track is mostly sustained by its accompaniment though, with the synth beat growing on you around halfway through, and its development being just as good as any track in game music.

I was taken by surprise listening to "Diamond," too, which is actually a pretty strong theme. Opening with piano and vocals it has an airy atmosphere, and after moving into the chorus the track becomes much livelier, turning into a enthralling development which features a roaring electric guitar solo line. It's not as good as "Over the Clouds" by any means, but it certainly comes close.

Of course, there are also instrumental versions of these tracks on the album; the fact that the melody in each has been completely eliminated means that they expect at least some fans to have a go at singing over the top of it. For you English speakers out there, you might want to get your Japanese phrasebook out to give that a try.

Summary

Quite honestly, I doubt I would have listened to Over the Clouds / Diamond if it weren't for hearing "Over the Clouds" on the God Eater Original Soundtrack. "Diamond" is certainly worth listening to if you were particularly fond of "Over the Clouds," as are alan's other albums which feature a similar style of music. Still, "Over the Clouds" is the stronger theme on the single, so mostly it's pointless purchasing this unless you're a fan of alan, or a very dedicated soundtrack collector. You'd actually be spending your money more wisely purchasing the God Eater Original Soundtrack (if you haven't already) which features a selection of other great vocal themes, as well as numerous masterful compositions from Go Shiina.