Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 36! Travelers/EmptyTome, Deadman/X-Naut, DSHN/MilleniumSpark

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

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Match 1

Senko no Ronde: Dis-United Order - Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Composer: Yasuhisa Watanabe
Loop Point: 3:24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1zrMFKVa8

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - An Empty Tome
Composer: Michiru Yam

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - An Empty Tome
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - X-Naut Fortress
30XX - Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Millennium Spark (Firestorm BT Mix) > An Empty Tome > Deadman's Gun > "Don't speak her name!" > X-Naut Fortress >> Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)

Ranatus just feels off. Maybe that's intentional, but it doesn't work for me. Especially not as a battle theme what. An Empty Tome is quite good, as to be expected from Castlevania. I should listen to more Castlevania music tbh, I like basically everything I've heard. Deadman's Gun is way better than I expected it to be. X-Naut Fortress is honestly kinda disappointing. "Don't speak her name!" was quite nice. Millennium Spark was just really cool. Solid day.

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - An Empty Tome
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - X-Naut Fortress
Fire Emblem Awakening - "Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark

More easy votes today.

1. Super Mario 64 - Staff Roll
2. Xenogears - One Who Bares Fangs at God
3. League of Legends - K'Sante - The Pride of Nazumah
4. Control - My Dark Disquiet
5. League of Legends - Nilah, The Joy Unbound
6. Velocity 2X - Jintinda Lab
7. Magical Chase - Waltz of Meditation Part2
8. Mortal Kombat (Sega CD) - Techno Syndrome
9. Alto's Odyssey - A Moment of Tranquility
10. Spark the Electric Jester 3 - Utopia Shelter ~ In the Depths
11. ???
12. REFLEC BEAT groovin'!! - DADADADADADADADADADA (Long Version)
13. Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
14. 30XX - Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT Mix)
15. Sonic R - Back In Time
16. Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- Arcade version B - nATALIE
17. Legaia 2: Duel Saga - Lost Forest
18. 7th Dragon 2020-II - Shutoko - Spiral Maze
19. Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind
20. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course - Baking the Wondertart
21. Dragon Poker - Kanashimi no Mephisto feat.Mahoushoujo Ran & Mahoushoujo Akane
22. Ikenfell - Memories in the Mist
23. Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis - Song of Mourning: The Eternal Wind
24. Cladun: This is an RPG - Knight of a Foreign Country
25. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet - Battle! (Zero Lab)
26. ???
27. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - The Apex of the World (Rain)
28. osu! - escape (through the looking - glass, and what alice found there)
29. Galactic Pinball - MOONMAN'S Fandango
30. Verytex - Act 1: The Void of Space

Shadow
Fortress
Spark

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
abstain

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

All of my votes have very tough opponents, including X-Naut and it's dissapointing runtime. Let's hope for the best.

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

Empty
Gun
Spark

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

Good stuff today once again. D may be my fav bracket.

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
abstain
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Senko no Ronde: Dis-United Order - Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - X-Naut Fortress
Fire Emblem Awakening - "Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

Shadow
Dead
(1000 + X) * 3

Deadmans Gun

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

oops my writeups disappeared

close second and third matches

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

mysterious and creepy soundscape wow! such an interesting song to play for this sort of game, and during a fight too. it is the kind of stuff to make me shiver, to feel a sense of awe in a higher presence. admittedly there isn't much all too "complex" here, but i love a good sense of immersion quite a bit. atmospheric stuff isn't always something that i'm ready to vote for, but it IS usually something i slap into a playlist to revisit when i need some chill shit to draw to.

an empty tome is one of those castlevania songs that stick with me. it is a rare feat and idk if there's even a science behind it. i don't often walk away from a cv song without interest, and yet, very few tracks i sometimes think of at the strangest times. not much to say, it's classic, got a great hook, and i love it when it goes ham before the loop.

yeehaw. i love that intro before the vocals kick in. that country western instrumentation is always something that keeps me giving those music genres a chance i swear. anyway, subject matter aside, the lyrics don't feel super country western to me. not my preferred vocal style (take a fucking shot every time i say this about a vocal song oh my lord) but i think it works for this. very somber in feel, that's for sure. gives me chills.

oh man, x-naut fortress is a fun one. definitely not my first pick from this game, but another notch in an incredibly competent soundtrack. really fun stuff. i love the technological soundscape that really shines before the loop. but man, i'm in a slower mood today.

i love gravity.

this kind of music seems to be a hit or a miss, but millennium spark has always passed that threshold of adequacy to me. the change at about the 1:20-30 mark or so is a welcome one, and the little blip?? at 2:21 or so? i feel like this track was engineered on not making me feel as if everything is just blended together with no direction.

really fine either way with match 1 and to a lesser extent (x-naut y u feel so short) match 2

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

< P0's Top 16 >
9.3 (0 left): Memories in the Mist
9.1 (0 left): Apex of the World (Rain)
8.9 (0 left): Crocus
8.8 (0 left): The Best Is Yet To Come
8.7 (0 left): Purna
8.4 (0 left): Journey To Candle Hill / For All of You
8.3 (1 left): Duel in the Mist / Another Winter / Narcolepsist
8.2 (0 left): Nilah, the Joy Unbound / SHAKE YA BODY / Shutoko - Spiral Maze / "Don't speak her name!"
8.1 (0 left): Waltz of Meditation Part2

Is this the year...

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

Travelers into the shadow: This one's pretty neat. Love the ambient effects to make the track feel a lot more spacious. It has a lot of dissonant chords, which are pretty intriguing. Really good sound design on this one.

An Empty Tome: This track kinda just exists for me. I'm not finding anything to latch onto. Melody is ok, instruments feel dated but not bad, and the loop is pretty short. Not a bad song, it's just not something I'll ever willingly go back to.

Deadman's Gun: This was one of my favorite discoveries from noms. The harmonization and effects on the vocals are so great. The simple, yet effective instrumental serves as a perfect accompaniment to the vocals. This is one of those songs that you close your eyes to and just live in the experience. Thanks az for the nom.

X-Naut Fortress: Probably one of my favorites from this soundtrack. Very cool synths and groove to this one. The loop is way too short though. Wish the song had more to it. It's still a good song regardless.

"Don't speak her name!": Two days ago we had my second favorite FE song, and today we have my favorite FE song. The arpeggios from the piano in the intro are fantastic, and everything that comes after is just so well-done. I was very surprised when I learned this song is nearly entirely sampled (except for some strings). This is how you properly use sample libraries for this type of song. Fantastic song, long time favorite for me.

Millennium Spark: This is a pretty fun song. Nice chiptune with a solid melody, and the e-guitar is pretty cool too. Unfortunately, it's against a really strong song for me.

Another really good day.

Votes:
Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
Deadman's Gun
"Don't speak her name!"

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

The first minute and a half of Travelers into the shadow has creepy atmosphere with the drumming and distorted chanting, then in the last minute the addition of the heavenly melody gives light in the darkness. If it werent for the unfocused middle part Id like its chances of retiring.

The tonal shift in Dont speak her name! at 3:28 has a strong emotional impact, like the music is crying out to you. I think some of the similar shifts in the middle arent as impactful and the song couldve benefited from holding back more until the climax.

Wait a minute, these arent from D1, theyre from C4 KABOOM
Voted Tour Sydney Sprint, it continues the Mario musical pedigree of being simple, appealing, and endlessly listenable. Whoever made it, theyre good at what they do. For bracket C its an easy Breaking Free > Ordinary Days > Colder Than the Rest > Tour Sydney Sprint. While I am more likely to listen to Sydney Sprint start to finish than Colder, the uniqueness of the latter elevates it.

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millennium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
"Don't speak her name!"

An actual solid day, wow. I don't dislike anything today. It's truly a shame DSHN may never make it past r1 nowadays no matter how many times it's in. Very good piece. At least I can rest a little easy knowing it made round 3 once.

Anyways, one of my favorite Castlevania songs is up today so that's nice. Here's hoping Rainbow Cemetery can get in soon!

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

slow songs are ILLEGAL (just kidding (unless?))

An Empty Tome
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

match 1 is so mean :(

From TunnelScene:

Travelers into the shadow (Senko no Ronde DUO)
X-Naut Fortress (Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door)
"Don't speak her name!" (Fire Emblem Awakening)

yack!!!!! the category of music that took up the bulk of my listening for this year of 2023 was shmup music that is far more calm than most people would expect from the genre. cherry picking the least intense songs from like every game. I think it's because I was seeking stuff that could just broadly provide a futuristic/spacey imagery to me, but one that's like"schizm: mysterious journey" environment. with the focus on the environment, and a focus on how distant it is from humanity---and not like the archetype of space or futuristic structures as purely a vessel for unrelated intense action or human activity. this also of course is incredibly beautiful composition and sound design to my tastes because as I said earlier this contest, yack may be the biggest influence on my taste I can think of. thanks for showing me puchi carat in 2008 kopazzynyh. 1:35-2:30 is a highlight to me---the off-kilter parallel movement in chords and glassy synth stabs transposing around. and THEN it randomly turns into "border down - lost temple" for 10 seconds which I obviously welcome

funny castle! I rememebr when I assumed that Michigan Yamane composed songs in elebits that he didn't do because castlevania songs had 7th chords in them sometimes and I didn't realize who naoyuki sato was

folky stuff like this is almost what one would expect to be the opposite of what I like based on what I say I like but I think I basically like it because it reminds me of some tough guy with no friends with a fucked up korn shirt standing on top of a gas station in the middle of pilotredsun world

oh but its against a top 20 ost for me FUCK !)-*$<< tho I mostly like ttyd for the tracks that are far more surreal than this one, this still has the very distinct instrumentation I love about the soundtrack and very nice chords. and I just realized is very obviously by the same composer as the ice song in the first paper mario (Over Shiver Mountain)in hindsight(I have had a tendency to assume most tracks in this are yoshito hirano because i dont really think of paper mario 1 as musically comparable at all. but recently discovering Yuka Tsujiyoko stuff that sounds exactly the same as ttyd(pokemon picross) and thinking about comparisons like this. tsujiyoko probabaly did way more than i think, including this one)

don't speak her name has grown on me

I wonder how long it will take them to get up to 3000 Mega Man games

Travelers into the shadow (Ranatus Phase 2)
X-Naut Fortress
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)

An Empty Tome
Deadman's Gun
Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT MIX)