Castlevania -Curse of Darkness- Original Soundtrack

	Album Title: Castlevania -Curse of Darkness- Original Soundtrack
	Record Label: Konami Digital Entertainment
	Catalog No.: GFCA-34/5
	Release Date: November 30, 2005
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

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.

Body

“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.

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