Overview

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection was a remarkable compilation of three titles from the series. Those that purchased the premium edition of the game through Japanese retailers or Konami Style were eligible to receive a bonus album, Metal Gear Solid -The Original Trilogy- Vocal Tracks. This compiled five vocal themes from the original trilogy, all of which have been fondly remembered by fans.

Body

Metal Gear Solid's tragic ending theme "The Best is Yet to Come" features a warm understated performance by Gaelic singer Blathnaid Ni Chufaigh and increasingly elaborate Celtic instrumentals. The dramatic intent of the composition is undermined by its underlying derivative features and the fact it completely differs from the style of the rest of the soundtrack. Furthermore, awful lyrics like "Tell me... We are not alone in this world... Fighting against the wind" add to the superficial gloss.

The Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ending theme "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is a lounge jazz theme sung by Carla White. It is derivative, dated, and contrived, though fits far better with the overall musical style of the game (given the style Hibino reflects in 'The Other Side') than "The Best is Yet to Come". The lyrics are tolerable, though the subject matter is very clichéd ("Why can't each of us in the world ever see 'the best things in life are free'", meh!), while White's vocals vary between sounding fitting and being too dreary. The piano work is moderately good and sets the style of the theme nicely, but the supporting suspended strings are painfully functional and the pseudo-improvised saxophone and trumpet solos that drag the theme out for 7:36 are terribly written.

More impressively, Norihiko Hibino offers a James Bond parody in "Snake Eater" to establish the 1960s setting of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Vocalist Cynthia Harrell's velvety soul-influenced interpretation combines with chromatic chord progressions, sleazy horn punctuations, and even some backing singing. The theme knows that it stinks of cheese and uses that to its advantage. The result is a fitting, memorable, and full of character and it is undoubtedly one of the greatest video game theme songs ever written. This track, along with "The Best Is Yet To Come" and "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday", are also featured in karaoke versions, i.e. the instrumentals without the vocals.

With Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater's "Don't Be Afraid", Rika Muranaka crafts a lounge jazz song that outshines "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Elisa Fiorillo carries the song with a passionate and captivating vocal performance while the instrumentals are mostly functional, the piano part being most prominent. Though the trumpet solo section isn't particularly well crafted, it adds a new dimension to the theme leading to a more ab lib performance from Fiorillo in the last 90 seconds. The result is a derivative but pleasant theme that fits the romantic scene it is used in and, of course, the 60s setting of the game. Most surprisingly, the final addition is the contemplative acoustic song "Way to Fall" used for the end credits of the game; though actually licensed from the British indie band Starsailor's 2001 album Love Is Here, one could easily be fooled that it was an original production given how well it fits with the events that preceded it.

Summary

The vocal themes of the original Metal Gear Solid trilogy are a mixed bag. "Snake Eater" and "Way to Fall" vastly exceed Rika Muranaka's tracks from the first two games. Given the contents of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, it is also peculiar that Metal Gear Solid's "The Best is Yet To Come" was selected above the vastly superior "Heaven's Divide" from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Despite their variable quality, the vocal themes here are immensely memorable — in part due to their placement at critical moments of the trilogy — and they are an impressive part of Metal Gear Solid's legacy. Thus, this is a welcome bonus for those that purchased the collection. Western consumers may wish to consider importing the Metal Gear Music Collection instead.