VGMdb
Discuss (1) | Edit

Mega Man X: Maverick Rising

Catalog Number OCRA-0033
Release Date Mar 14, 2012
Publish Format Doujin/Indie
Release Price Free
Media Format 5 Digital
Classification Arrangement
PublisherOverClocked ReMix / /

Credits

Composer / Setsuo Yamamoto / , Makoto Tomozawa / , Yuki Iwai / , Yuko Takehara / , Toshihiko Horiyama / , Kinuyo Yamashita / , Naoto Tanaka / , Naoya Kamisaka / , Takuya Miyawaki / , Yuko Komiyama / , Shinya Okada / , Seiko Kobuchi / , Makoto Asai / , Teruo Konishi / , Shuichi Mizohata / , Kento Hasegawa / , Takashi Tateishi / , Luna Umegaki /
Arranger / Metal Man, WillRock, Fishy, Vurez, halc, k-wix, Joshua Morse, Protricity, Monobrow, Jewbei, Level 99, PrototypeRaptor, zykO, The Dual Dragons, bLiNd, Cyril the Wolf, BONKERS, Dominic Ninmark, Brandon Strader, Krow, M-H, Diggi Dis, Omni-Psyence, Cerrax, Gario, Dr. Manhattan, Hemophiliac, ansgaros, Ergosonic, Washudoll, Devastus, Skummel Maske, prophetik, Chuck Dietz, Avaris, DJ SymBiotiX, Torzelan, Sixto Sounds, melody
Performer / Metal Man, WillRock, Fishy, Joshua Morse, Level 99, The OverClocked Plaid Muffins (Level 99, PrototypeRaptor, Xenon Odyssey, Cyril the Wolf, Swann, AMT), zykO, The Dual Dragons, Cyril the Wolf, Harmony, audio fidelity, Martin Villanueva, BONKERS, Brandon Strader, M-H, Dr. Manhattan, ansgaros, Ergosonic, Washudoll, Brandon Snell, Devastus, Skummel Maske, Chuck Dietz, Torzelan, Sixto Sounds, Omahdon, Danny Lopez
Lyricist / Level 99, PrototypeRaptor, zykO, Cyril the Wolf, Omahdon, Danny Lopez

Tracklist

Disc 1 [OCRA-0033]

01 1993 (MMX - Title) 0:38
02 Super Fighting Robot X (MMX3 - Opening Stage) 3:48
03 21XX War Was Beginning (MMX5 - Opening Stage X) 3:10
04 Stealth Lizard (MMX - Sting Chameleon Stage) 3:00
05 Insecta Robotica (MMX6 - Commander Yammark Stage) 5:19
06 Spin Gator (MMX2 - Wheel Gator Stage) 3:12
07 STING (MMX3 - Opening Stage, Blast Hornet Stage, Neon Tiger Stage, Pass Word) 5:18
08 Congregation of the Fallen (MMX2 - Morph Moth Stage) 6:23
09 Cybernetic Coelacanth Submarine (MMX2 - Bubble Crab Stage) 4:29
10 Anoplophora (MMX3 - Gravity Beetle Stage) 5:37
11 Tuck 'n Roll (MMX - Armored Armadillo Stage) 3:45
12 Just Like You (MMX3 - Tunnel Rhino Stage) 5:31
13 Sigma Opus (MMX - Sigma Stage 1) 4:00
14 Vile Needs to Galvanize (MMX - Vile 1, Vile 2) 4:49
15 End of the Beginning (MMX - Ending) 3:17
Disc length 62:16
Disc 2 [OCRA-0033]

01 Zero and the Plight of Iris (MMX4 - Opening Stage Zero) 4:16
02 On the Highway (MMX - Opening Stage) 5:24
03 String Chamellotron (MMX - Sting Chameleon Stage) 4:41
04 Thorn in My Slide (MMX5 - Spike Rosered Stage) 4:38
05 Glorious Crystal Gleam (MMX2 - Crystal Snail Stage) 3:54
06 Deep Sea Harmony (MMX5 - Duff McWhalen Stage) 4:42
07 Primulaceae Rosa (MMX8 - Primrose) 3:49
08 Put Ya Guns On (MMX5 - Zero Stage 2) 4:02
09 Dusty Dune Devil (MMX2 - Overdrive Ostrich Stage) 3:10
10 Stay Frosty (MMX4 - Frost Walrus Stage 1, Frost Walrus Stage 2) 5:22
11 Let There Be Light (MMX - Dr. Light, Get a Weapon, MMX2 - Dr. Light) 3:28
12 Repliforce's Honor (MMX4 - Final Weapon Stage 1) 6:28
13 Shadowclimber (MMX - Sigma Stage 4) 3:36
14 Duality (MMX5 - X vs. Zero) 5:31
15 The Paradise of Everlasting Peace (MMX - Cast Roll) 4:59
Disc length 68:00
Disc 3 [OCRA-0033]

01 Doppler's Madness (MMX3 - Opening) 1:46
02 The 4th Coming (MMX4 - Opening Stage X) 4:30
03 The Leidenfrost Effect (MMX3 - Blizzard Buffalo Stage) 3:23
04 Noble Creature of Snow (MMX3 - Blizzard Buffalo Stage) 4:36
05 Bullet Fists of Lightning Fury (MMX - Spark Mandrill Stage, Stage Start) 3:59
06 Armadillo Armageddon (MMX - Armored Armadillo Stage, MMX5 - The Skiver Stage) 4:39
07 Towering Revolution (MMX - Boomer Kuwanger Stage) 4:40
08 Bibamus, Moriendum Est (MMX3 - Boss 1, Boss 2, Doppler Stage Boss) 3:06
09 Crawfish Crackdown (MMX3 - Crush Crawfish Stage) 3:14
10 Crushing Gravity (MMX3 - Gravity Beetle Stage) 4:13
11 Intruder Alert (MMX2 - Magna Centipede Stage) 3:47
12 Countdown to Infinity (MMX5 - The Skiver Stage, MMX6 - Infinity Mijinion Stage) 4:08
13 Hunter (Maverick Hunter X - Opening Stage Vile) 6:04
Disc length 52:05
Disc 4 [OCRA-0033]

01 I Am the One Who Designed and Built Mega Man X (MMX4 - Dr. Light, MMX5 - Dr. Light) 5:03
02 Sweeping the Storming Skies (MMX - Storm Eagle Stage) 3:22
03 Inferno: Unleash the Flame Stag (MMX2 - Flame Stag Stage, MMX - Storm Eagle Stage, MM2 - Dr. Wily Stage 1) 4:16
04 10 Minutes of Hypothermia (MMX - Stage Select, Stage Start, Chill Penguin Stage, Dr. Light, Boss 1, Boss 2, Get a Weapon, Pass Word) 10:17
05 Spiral Shark Rodeo (MMX6 - Metal Shark Player Stage, MMX5 - The Skiver Stage) 3:35
06 Slashing Through Cyberspace (MMX4 - Cyber Peacock Stage, Slash Beast Stage) 5:07
07 A Flea and His Giant (MMX6 - Infinity Mijinion Stage, MMX4 - Opening Stage X) 4:21
08 Catch the Eagle (MMX3 - Blizzard Buffalo Stage, MMX5 - The Skiver Stage) 3:40
09 SparkPlugs (MMX - Zero) 3:45
10 Zero's Plight (MMX5 - Zero Stage 1, Opening Stage Zero) 5:30
11 X-Hunted (MMX2 - X-Hunter Stage 1) 5:12
12 First Form Slayer (MMX7 - Our Blood Boils) 3:43
13 Iron Will March (MMX8 - VS Lumine ~ The First Form) 3:07
14 Winged Reploid (Revelation) [MMX8 - VS Lumine ~ The Second Form] 5:03
15 affirmation (MMX5 - Ending) 4:21
Disc length 70:22
Disc 5

01 On the Highway (Race Mix) [MMX - Opening Stage] 4:33
02 Into the Rebellion!! (MMX4 - Opening Stage X, Stage Select) 4:02
03 Braving the Storm (MMX - Chill Penguin Stage, Dr. Light) 6:26
04 resolut(-ion) [MMZ4 - Esperanto] 5:06
Disc length 20:07

  Total tracks 62   Total length 4:32:50

Notes

Mega Man X: Maverick Rising
Comments from album director Wesley Cho (Bahamut) and ReMixers
Album freely available at http://maverick.ocremix.org

Welcome everyone to the 33rd album on OverClocked ReMix! This mega effort contains 62 tracks of varying styles that run the gamut of games from Mega Man X to Mega Man X8, and even Maverick Hunter X, and spanning over 4 ½ hours. In addition, there are many unique & traditional contributors to this OCR album release that should pique your interest for their high quality music, which will enthrall many of you as you're taken through a journey of music you haven't heard the likes of yet!

- Wesley Cho (Bahamut)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1-01. Metal Man - "1993"
Source: MMX - "Title"

Bahamut: A simple cover of the title screen music for Mega Man X. It captures the style I generally was aiming for with the framing of the album and makes its statement right from the start.

Metal Man: I've always liked that guitar riff when putting the cartridge in. I've added a little rundown to make it stand out more. Press Start and go get your dash in the Chill Penguin medley!

1-02. WillRock - "Super Fighting Robot X"
Source: MMX3 - "Opening Stage"

Bahamut: Will provides us with a snazzy take on the opening stage from Mega Man X3. It's oddly appropriate, as, when contrasted with the introduction track, it provides some tension that the journey is only beginning for the listeners' trek through the musical odyssey of Mega Man X. This is vintage WillRock, and it is pretty much what you expect from his older synth style.

WillRock: Gecko deserves a shout out here because this remix was inspired by his Genesis take on the same theme. Style-wise, it's a rock/electronic hybrid, but I tried out some cool new arrangement ideas which I won't spoil, you'll just have to listen to it. What I will say, however, is that it has my personal favourite synth solo I've written. Hope you guys dig this one, it was a blast to make. :D

1-03. Fishy - "21XX War Was Beginning"
Source: MMX5 - "Opening Stage X"

Bahamut: The first thing you think when you hear this song is the 80s, or for me, Alvin and the Chipmunks. It's a pretty relaxing glide through your standard fare of obstacles and mavericks that you so expect in the opening stage for X in Mega Man X5, accentuated by the guitars at the front and sweet use of synths.

Fishy: The original track had a jump-esque intro that was just calling out for some 80's-fication. I prepared my finest gated snare, and my most discerning FM bass and travelled back in time. This is the result.

1-04. Vurez - "Stealth Lizard"
Source: MMX - "Sting Chameleon Stage"

Bahamut: Vurez provides a solid conservative take on Sting Chameleon with a touch of his ethnic instrumentation that makes his rearrangements unique. This is the first song I have heard from him utilizing the electric guitar & he makes use of it to good effect without going too fancy with it, which is perfect for this track. The song preserves the feel of rolling along from the original & adds a delicate yet appropriate dimension to it.

Vurez: This begins and ends with 80s synth rock. However, be prepared for an unexpected jump into the wilderness before it's all over.

1-05. halc - "Insecta Robotica"
Source: MMX6 - "Commander Yammark Stage"

Bahamut: Relatively speaking, downtempo is the name of the game when it comes to Commander Yammark's stage, and you get that in spades with Drew's crunchy 9-bit approach. What he does here is gorgeous, remaining faithful to the original while giving it more of a groove. It's hard not to fall in love with this track quickly with the exotic feel combined with the impression of discovery as the track progresses.

halc: It looked like MMX6 needed some love, what with not having any posted mixes or claims on the project. Popular consensus seems to be that the game itself is absolutely horrid, but I was pretty impressed with the quality of the soundtrack -- as soon as I heard Yammark's theme for the first time, I knew that it was the one I wanted to tackle. I'm quite pleased with how the whole thing turned out, and I hope you all enjoy it!

1-06. k-wix - "Spin Gator"
Source: MMX2 - "Wheel Gator Stage"

Bahamut: Admittedly, this song is a harder song to get a feel for given the general style of the album, but Dustin does bring a unique down-and-gritty electronic take on Wheel Gator. The song is almost all synthwork, filling out a spacey feeling nicely that will take you around in circles in quite a short time. It prevents itself from getting too repetitive, making it excellently executed from an arrangement perspective.

k-wix: This track exists because of Bahamut. Back when I started Mega Man 9, he was kinda unofficially at my side, offering support, advice, and even feedback when I needed it -- I really felt like he helped a great deal, and so I felt compelled to help him out in some way. I went right for Maverick Rising because I knew it was a source that I loved, and figured an extra track on this massive project would be a welcome addition.

"Spin Gator" was completed in less then a week -- for someone like me who procastinates and generally works at a slower pace, this is very fast. One of my favorites from X2, I absolutely loved the opening riff and decided to use that as the focal point from the mix and build off of that, extending and playing with the main lead throughout the song. Hope you guys dig it.

1-07. Joshua Morse - "STING"
Sources: MMX3 - "Opening Stage," "Blast Hornet Stage," "Neon Tiger Stage," "Pass Word"

Bahamut: Josh jumps in here with his hopping medley of the Blast Hornet, Opening Stage, Neon Tiger, and Pass Word songs from Mega Man X3. This song features crunchy guitars in a prominent, grittier role, which is a departure from many of Josh's previous works, but all the while keeping that funky Morse feel due to the trademark synth usage. He was concerned with trying to concoct a track that fit in well with the album, and I think he did a great job here - honestly, it's hard to go wrong with Josh's work, and this track is just an expansion of his repertoire.

1-08. Protricity - "Congregation of the Fallen"
Source: MMX2 - "Morph Moth Stage"

Bahamut: Ari actually finished this track years ago even before volunteering it for the Maverick Rising album. It is an excellent take on Morph Moth and, even with its dated production, it's still an enjoyable listen that explores the original to great depths due to its strong arrangement. It gives off a helter-skelter feel to it due to its funky nature, and meshes well with listeners' imagery of the stage from Mega Man X2 with its post-apocalyptic-like setting.

Protricity: So, yeah, when I was making this song, I spent about a year just looking for a guitarist to do some rhythm and leads for me. Went through a few, but nothing panned out. I resorted to using my own synths and Virtualguitar to finish it up. I love the end result, even though I would have preferred a live lead. I finished this song in 2005, so it is a bit dated now, but it's still a favorite.

I tried going for the whole Jeff Wayne's WotW style, and think I succeeded to some degree.

1-09. Monobrow - "Cybernetic Coelacanth Submarine"
Source: MMX2 - "Bubble Crab Stage"

Monobrow - Arrangement, Mixing
Level 99 - Guitars
Protricity - Additional Mixing

Bahamut: Katie went for a surfer rock feel with this take on Bubble Crab from Mega Man X2 and enlisted the help of Stevo and Jay to help fill in for guitars & bass, respectively. It's a style that doesn't see much action around the video game music rearrangement community, so it is refreshing to see something unique like this applied to such an iconic track while fitting greatly. The style accentuates the delicate part early on, matching the feel from the beginning of the stage, and pushes on just like the movement of the submarine - it fits the imagery of the game nicely, and is a large part of why this song is a great listen to those who have a nostalgic attachment to the original.

Monobrow: This is a ReMix of the "Bubble Crab Stage" from Mega Man X2 on the Super Nintendo. It is one of my favorite songs from the Mega Man X series. I have fond memories of playing this game non-stop with my little brother Phil back in the day.
My intent was to make a progressive rock song, with a bit of an aquatic lead, and a slight surfer ambience. So, basically, a lighter kit, and some Rhodes. This ReMix is named after the awesome big fish submarine you encounter for a bulk of the stag, though I'm not really trying to emulate that in the style of my song... I just think using the word COELACANTH in any song title is bad-ass, period. Anyway, this is my first attempt ever at anything rock, so be nice.

1-10. Jewbei - "Anoplophora"
Source: MMX3 - "Gravity Beetle Stage"

Bahamut: James rolls right in with his trademark trance for Gravity Beetle, nailing it down as well as any of his songs as of late. This song isn't as upfront and personal like what many would expect with the source, but it does a great job laying in the background and giving a sense of progress with the beats & synths flying on - it's a great complement to Connor's take on Gravity Beetle later on in the album.

Jewbei: Out of all of the remixes I've done, this is my favorite, I've wanted to remix this tune for such a long time, but at the time my skills weren't up to par. I modeled this track after Iio's "Rapture (Armin van Buuren Remix)" and bLiNd's "Jade Catacombs."

1-11. The OverClocked Plaid Muffins - "Tuck 'n Roll"
Source: MMX - "Armored Armadillo Stage"

Level 99 - Arrangement, Guitars, Vocals, Lyrics, Drums
PrototypeRaptor - Arrangement, Brass Arrangement, Trombone, Vocals, Lyrics, Mastering
Xenon Odyssey - Tenor Saxophone
Cyril the Wolf - Alto Saxophone
Swann - Trumpet
AMT - Bass Guitar

Bahamut: The Plaid Muffins are probably the only video game music ska band in the world, so it's exciting to hear their take on Armored Armadillo. After some songs that are mellower in nature, this song gets in your face with its assault of brass, guitars, and drums and, excepting for one reprieve, doesn't let up. The vocals add to the fun yet aggressive soundscape - they provide a story to Armored Armadillo, giving him some human characteristics, especially the craziness. This will almost certainly be an instant favorite for many!

Level 99: This song was actually suggested by PrototypeRaptor while we were still working on finishing "Ska Buffet." When we started this, I knew it was going to be a harder track, but I didn't realize that it would channel Agro Rock a lot more than Ska. Vocals this time are split between PrototypeRaptor and myself. The lyrics describe, for lack of a better term, the humanity behind the robot. Disparity and longing turn to bitterness and hate, giving Armored Armadillo a tragic backstory. It is quite different from previous material, but that will probably be par for the course for the Plaid Muffins. Awesome work by PR, Swann, Xenon, Cyril, and AMT, as usual!

1-12. zyko - "Just Like You"
Source: MMX3 - "Tunnel Rhino Stage"

Bahamut: "Just Like You" is a tale of Tunnel Rhino -- appropriate that it should follow Armored Armadillo in X's quest through the tunnels here. Waleed keeps the track moving on at a comfortable pace with a darker overtone to it through the dominance of guitars & drums. The great part about his works is that they are arranged in a deep fashion that's easily accessible to those who like seriousness in their music, and this track is one of many that shows this propensity of Waleed's.

zyko: although tunnel rhino isn't the most inventive name/hook, for some odd reason, it really felt fitting and i succumbed to the urge to do it anyway.

1-13. The Dual Dragons - "Sigma Opus"
Source: MMX - "Sigma Stage 1"

Bahamut: This track captures the stealthy invasion feel that the original track contained when players sneak into Sigma's fortress to take down the leader of the Mavericks. For The Dual Dragons, the track shows their penchant for breathing a new life into the music with the subtle shift between the synth and guitar leads while keeping it down and dirty.

The Dual Dragons: We had some fun with this one. The intro is pretty experimental and, like with our other tunes for this project, it's very synth-based with a lot of added lead work. Hope you enjoy it!

1-14. bLiNd - "Vile Needs to Galvanize"
Sources: MMX - "Vile 1," "Vile 2"

Bahamut: Jordan goes all out with this dark slower dance of a battle with Vile. It is full of tension that a bigger and badder plot is in the shadows waiting to get unleashed. The amount of work put into this is pretty clear, setting the stage for the future as well as giving us a fun song to bounce around to -- Jordan is truly a master at his craft.

bLiNd: This track was interesting. I did the remix originally because I was aiming for some prize money when Bahamut did the contest, haha. Jade and I were struggling financially, so I tried out. I got second place, so I was pretty happy about it! Only thing, I wasn't happy with how it turned out production/mix-wise, so I made some final improvements for the project. I took a pretty dark, gritty track and made something pretty housey out of it and it's got some fun basslines. Vile is too serious... he needs to galvanize.

1-15. Cyril the Wolf, Harmony, audio fidelity, Martin Villanueva - "End of the Beginning"
Source: MMX - "Ending"

Cyril the Wolf - Arrangement
Harmony - Vocals
audio fidelity - Strings
Martin Villanueva - Strings

Bahamut: Connor does an amazing job putting together this cover-ish take on the classic Mega Man X ending that enhances it in a tasteful fashion. The acoustic guitar & violins do a great job at creating a sad environment, and Brandon's vocals adds an emotive element to X. The arrangement has a classy feel to it due to how the violins were used, giving a contemporary feel to the piece.

Cyril the Wolf: Yea, I know, a vocal arrangement, but, hey, at least Brandon (Harmony) was awesome enough to add them. Oh, yea, Jay (audio fidelity) and Martin added COMPLETELY LIVE strings. Sorry, but you cannot beat the awesomeness of live bowed strings. At the end, all I did was produce it and play acoustic guitar. To me this is what projects are all about, great musicians coming together to make amazing tributes. Lyrics may be cheesy, but you know what, so is Mega Man. Think about it.

2-01. BONKERS - "Zero and the Plight of Iris"
Source: MMX4 - "Opening Stage Zero"

Bahamut: This song marks the madness of Zero in a highly amusing fashion, from the vocal splicing to the fun, driven approach afterwards. Nick does a solid job in kicking off the start of another journey, this time of the other protagonist of the series.

BONKERS: This song was development hell. This started off as 2 separate ideas from the same song [see http://youtu.be/KOEEPShmdoA (my YouTube account), and http://box.net/shared/tt7u22h2m2 (*PLEASE, PLEASE IGNORE THE VOCALS, LOL, I made this in literally 5 minutes*)]: 1) an experiment of writing music based on a motif from Zero's theme, and 2) make an awesomely cheesy 80's style rock/synth song with a vocal melody.
The first went off without a hitch, but I could never get the arrangement down satisfactory to make the vocals work. So, I went back and forth and back and forth from sheet music to completely re-recording all tracks 3 or 4 times.
The end result is what happened. Lotta people may not like MAH VERB. But I think it turned out OK for all the problems it gave me (like cutting up the original voice work from a YouTube video and making it work).
I hope you all can enjoy it.

2-02. Dominic Ninmark - "On the Highway"
Source: MMX - "Opening Stage"

Bahamut: This track takes things down a notch into a more mundane manner with this song rolling through the highway. This version is actually an edit of the version found in the bonus tracks, a reenvisioning of this source as a race song. The track will probably come off as nondescript to a lot of people, but it has some charm in setting an atmosphere of the norm for a technologically advanced world.

Dominic Ninmark: A fast-paced electronica/DnB hybrid remix of the "Opening Stage" from X1 with a little jazzy saxophone as an extra touch. The final product sounded to my ears as something coming from F-Zero GX's soundtrack.

2-03. Brandon Strader - "String Chamellotron"
Source: MMX - "Sting Chameleon Stage"

Bahamut: I had to fight Brandon some on this track, including with the song name, but the final product is a well-executed take on Sting Chameleon. It starts off like a calm investigation with the Mellotron and acoustic, and eventually picks up when the acoustic turns electric. Other than the great atmosphere, the track also does a good job at giving a sense of progress. Brandon has been showing great improvement in his work, and his refinement on this album has been quite heartening to see.

Brandon Strader: The inspiration for this song was mainly the Mellotrons. I acquired and used GForce M-Tron quite heavily on this song. Mellotron vibes, flute, strings... even Mellotron fuzz guitar and ebow sounds. Mellotrons are the best sounds ever -- there's a type of nostalgia and legitimacy you get by using these sounds. It brings a tear to my eye. I love good Mellotron sounds so much. I claimed this song because, at the time, it was one that hadn't been claimed yet on the MMX project. I like making band-oriented songs that sound real, performed by humans... I will always love this song, and I've already listened to it dozens if not 100 times, because the Mellotrons turned it into something amazing that really appeals to me musically.

2-04. Krow, Cyril the Wolf, WillRock - "Thorn in My Slide"
Source: MMX5 - "Spiked Rosered Stage"

Krow - Arrangement
Cyril the Wolf - Guitar
WillRock - Guitar

Bahamut: This is the exact type of track I had envisioned for this disc of the album - an exotic feel, captured by the aggressive synth-based style of the original, except this one features guitars. Jordan does a great job here with his arrangement, giving an enhanced feel to the original & remaining enjoyable with the duel of the synths and guitars.

Krow: Not sure why I felt like the track name had to be a pun, but I couldn't think of anything else really. This is an upbeat synth-rock rendition of the original with some other electronic elements. This one was tough work, but it was easier with continued support from fellow remixers. A big thank you to Cyril the Wolf and WillRock for helping out with the guitars.

2-05. Vurez - "Glorious Crystal Gleam"
Source: MMX2 - "Crystal Snail Stage"

Bahamut: This track was unexpected, as it was done while I was away from the world at Parris Island at what is fondly known as Marine Corps boot camp. It is easily a highlight of the album, as it is a sweet take on Crystal Snail from Mega Man X2. The electric guitar shines brightly here, enhanced by the delicate & exotic sounds of the other instrumentation. The song exhibits movement towards something greater deep into a cavern and gives the vibe of exploration.

Vurez: Magnificent crystal cavern, what lies therein?

2-06. Krow - "Deep Sea Harmony"
Source: MMX5 - "Duff McWhalen Stage"

Bahamut: Jordan creates a lush, eerie, yet mystical, atmospheric track here with a touch of progression to the Tidal Makkoeen stage source from Mega Man X5, or also known as Bubble Crab from Mega Man X2. It mirrors the original in some ways, namely the sense of progression, although it emphasizes the mystique more than the buildup found in the original. I find this combination alluring due to its uniqueness as a synth rock type of track without guitars and its delicate approach.

Krow: I had a lot of fun working on this upbeat, ambient, and electronic track throughout all its stages. I hope people can enjoy it like they would enjoy the original; I think it takes a a few listens to get the feel of the song. Special thanks to remixers who helped me through its development (especially Bahamut and WillRock).

2-07. M-H - "Primulaceae Rosa"
Source: MMX8 - "Primrose"

Bahamut: I like Master Hatchet's work in general, and this is a solid take on a less common piece of video game music of "Primrose" from Mega Man X8 -- it is a fairly conservative metal approach, which works nicely here in bringing a good sense of moving along and progressing towards more hazards that are more or less normal for X to encounter. This track should help bring some exposure to an oft-overlooked game soundtrack due to the game itself being overlooked compared to the previous entries of the series.

2-08. Diggi Dis - "Put Ya Guns On"
Source: MMX5 - "Zero Stage 2"

Bahamut: Frank has been putting out some crazy stuff lately, which you've seen with the likes of his Heroes vs. Villains track, his Wild ARMs track, and here with his jazzy take on "Zero Stage 2" from Mega Man X5 -- he has even more sexiness coming up as well! For those unfamiliar with the original track, go listen to it -- it is a standard electronic dance-like track, but Frank has morphed it here to make it a lot more chill and fitting for a different type of dancing. Knowing the original really helps give you an appreciation for his work and this track is a shining example.

Diggi Dis: Another attempt at some funky ass arranging. Had a lot of fun remixing this song, also because of somewhat strange section switches. This will probably also be my last arrangement for a while. Hope you guys will enjoy it!

2-09. Vurez - "Dusty Dune Devil"
Source: MMX2 - "Overdrive Ostrich Stage"

Bahamut: Vurez taps into his melding of folk music with electronic guitars, this time with a more Middle Eastern and Celtic flair. It has a pretty nice flow, although it might leave you wanting more, because of how short it seems to be. I think this speaks to how well his style works in general, and how memorable his work can be, which all his tracks on this album are.

Vurez: What style is this? Middle-Eastern Riverdance metal? Ponder this while riding the dunes.

2-10. Omni-Psyence - "Stay Frosty"
Sources: MMX4 - "Frost Walrus Stage 1," "Frost Walrus Stage 2"

Bahamut: This was a pretty unexpected track that Omni-Psyence brought to me. It has a wintry vibe, but infuses a strong post-apocalyptic industrial world atmosphere into it that captures a part of what one might imagine to be the lair of a snow/ice boss in a Mega Man game, which Frost Walrus from Mega Man X4, the subject of this source, is. This take is on the liberal side, but really does the original justice and is a quite enjoyable change of pace.

Omni-Psyence: I joined the Maverick Rising project kind of late, but my heart is in it 100%. This track was chosen in particular because I really love Mega Man X4 (it was one of the first PSX games I owned) and also because Frost Walrus has one of the most awesome tracks on there. It's chilled to the bone and very mysterious.

2-11. Cerrax - "Let There Be Light"
Sources: MMX - "Dr. Light," "Get a Weapon," MMX2 - "Dr. Light"

Bahamut: Electric guitar in your face from Sixto Sounds? Wait, no, that's all using the Shreddage electric guitar library from Impact Soundworks, all recorded from Juan's guitar playing. Charles makes great use of the guitar library to craft a fun medley based on the Mega Man X & X2 Dr. Light songs, shifting the album into a faster, more energetic pace.

Cerrax: I remember the first time I heard Dr. Light's theme in Mega Man X2, I thought, "Man, I want to use that riff." So this is pretty much me living out a remix I've hand in my head for 10+ years. I wanted to make sort of an upbeat version of the Dr. Light themes from X1 and X2, because I was always really excited after getting an upgrade for the capsules. Enjoy. :P

2-12. Gario - "Repliforce's Honor"
Source: MMX4 - "Final Weapon Stage 1"

Bahamut: The album turns into a darker and urgent frenzy with this offering from Greg. He loves his electronic music melded with chiptunes, and this song is a perfect example of that, making use of chiptunes as an extra instrument with this darker trance song. It also makes some fun use of voice clips from Mega Man X4 that Greg took the time to extract from the game - it's another fun song that leaves its mark as a solid conservative take on the Final Weapon stage from Mega Man X4.

Gario: I've always been confused about Mega Man X4's plotline - there's a peaceful breakaway within the reploid ranks since humans have obviously shown an immediate distrust over them for no reason whatsoever. It was not going to hurt anyone (the General explicitly stated they were not going to harm their human creators). The hunters get upset and proceed to destroy their entire ranks, and a war erupts. They were not evil, their intentions were understandable.

This song represents the honor that the Repliforce had, and what they were willing to sacrifice for the sake of freedom. This track shows the ambiguity of Zero's choice to end the rebellion. Either that or it's a trance track that frequently rips popularly poor dialogue from the game, from Zero's iconic "What am I fighting foooorrrraaaargh?!" to the General's "I have nnnnnnno choice!"

This is my first step into the realm of real trance, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It can get a little overly chiptune-ish, from time to time, but I suspect it's a decent effort. Trance or not, the track was a blast to make, and I have no regrets over this track. Whether you hear it as a symbol of honor or a quirky trance track, I hope everyone enjoys it.

2-13. bLiNd - "Shadowclimber"
Source: MMX - "Sigma Stage 4"

Bahamut: Jordan wanted to create something twisted from this short source from Sigma Stage 4 from Mega Man X, and succeeded. This song is an ominous electro house take on what was originally a slower dark song. Jordan quickly accomplishes instilling an urge to dance and do all sorts of crazy breakdance moves while having this song as a backdrop to what is happening. Enjoy this buildup from one of the most talented stalwarts from OCR and see him work his magic in yet another new way with this song!

bLiNd: I didn't hold back on this track. It is probably the most evil-sounding remix I have ever done and it has a lot of sick effects and synth sounds in it. It is short since the source is extremely short, but I think it works. I honestly loved the source originally, because it's like a descending riff that seems like it's going up as well and it was fun to play with in the electro house genre.

2-14. Dr. Manhattan - "Duality"
Source: MMX5 - "X vs. Zero"

Bahamut: A big wall of guitar assault? Yes, please, Hugo! This is just about everything a Mega Man X fan could want from this classic from Mega Man X5 & X6. It is a metal battle track worthy of the hectic fight of X vs. Zero with the song moving all over the place in order to give the track the imagery of different aspects of an intense battle.

Dr. Manhattan: I wanted this track to be as heavy as it could. The original is already awesome, so I tried to keep the fast metal feel, adding a lot of drum fills, guitar licks and noises and stuff. I also wanted to create some different pace to the track, so I could bring an insane solo and some cool effects as well. As for the ending part, I just put the main intro riff into a different harmony to, once again, bring a change of pace and set the ending into some kind of epic feel. Notice that the delay tail kinda sounds like that dying noise from the game. :) This is a heavy, head-banging track, for sure! It is full of heavy guitar riffs, heavy drums and insane fills, killer solos and an epic ending theme. Pay attention to the long delay feedback at the very ending. It kinda sounds like that dying noise from the games! :D

2-15. Dominic Ninmark - "The Paradise of Everlasting Peace"
Source: MMX - "Cast Roll"

Bahamut: Peace and Mega Man X? It can happen... for now. Dominic brings us this track with a Caribbean flair that captures the ease that you get from the end of a Mega Man X game, including the same feeling you get from the end of Mega Man X3 with the "Ending" source. It's a false peace though, as Mega Man X never gets to rest, but it still makes for great listening for the rest of us.

Dominic Ninmark: A soft little remix of both X1's and X3's "Cast Roll" themes with a sweet mix of Caribbean, Mediterranean and Hawaiian instruments.

3-01. Cyril the Wolf - "Doppler's Madness"
Source: MMX3 - "Opening"

Bahamut: The start of the final journey through Maverick Rising begins here with Connor's heavy guitar entrance to the album and pounding drums. The song sets up what is to follow pretty well, as it is a slow brooding buildup, making a statement that the worst is yet to come.

Cyril the Wolf: Dyne said this needed to be done. I agreed. Quad-tracked guitars, epic orchestra, timpanis up your ass. Bass drops. The heaviest version of this theme ever. Yea, it's a straight cover, but, whatever, it makes for some sexy listening.

3-02. The Dual Dragons - "The 4th Coming"
Source: MMX4 - "Opening Stage X"

Bahamut: This song matches what Connor begins with his introduction to the third disc, keeping up the heavier guitars and using the other instrumentation to help continue this heavy vision while speeding it up some. It still beckons the listener to find out what more is to come, and so the Johansen brothers, Dan and Frank, do a great job in crafting the beginning to a huge war.

The Dual Dragons: The original is a great tune which we really had a blast remaking. The Mega Man X soundtracks fit us like a glove because the already rock-ish nature of the originals was easy to change into something even heavier! YEAH!

3-03. Level 99, Hemophiliac - "The Leidenfrost Effect"
Source: MMX3 - "Blizzard Buffalo Stage"

Bahamut: A contrast to The Dual Dragons' heavy, suspense-laden track, Stevo and Chris bring together a delicate collaboration that also gives off a post-apocalyptic vibe with a touch of sadness towards the imagery brought up by the song. I like what is done here quite a bit, as it instills a feeling of hopelessness/futility, but the atmosphere is shattered by the song's ending, suggesting something else will happen.

Level 99: This was originally going to be my only contribution to the MR project, and I found myself banging my head against a wall for how to make it different enough from the source besides just changing it to acoustic guitar. The song, with Chris's help on arrangement and strings, ended up becoming this mellow acoustic-driven track. This track was a huge challenge for me after finding the style, because I am naturally musically opposed to the kinds of notes the strings initially played. They grew on me as I began to understand more how the chords and notes interplayed. A great learning experience and massive thanks to Chris for helping contribute to the track.

3-04. ansgaros - "Noble Creature of Snow"
Source: MMX3 - "Blizzard Buffalo Stage"

Bahamut: An aggressive metal take on Blizzard Buffalo from Mega Man X3, "Noble Creature of Snow" displays a lot of influence from the darker subgenres of metal with the riffing and drumming. Here, one would be hard pressed to find a person who would hate such execution as a result, as this track really accomplishes giving the feeling of a rough wintry storm with changes to the flow of said storm throughout. Anssi's talents shine through here -- my only regret was having to wait so long for everyone to get to hear this amazing take on this popular source.

ansgaros: As I'm writing this (May 2nd, 2011), it's been exactly a year since I finished this song. So it's been a while. One of my goals in making this arrangement was recreating the cold environment of Blizzard Buffalo in metal form. Another goal was getting that crunchy but tight rhythm guitar sound. I think I succeeded at both. I hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as I enjoyed creating it!

3-05. Ergosonic - "Bullet Fists of Lightning Fury"
Sources: MMX - "Spark Mandrill Stage," "Stage Start"

Bahamut: Wow. Gilbert absolutely nails this song, and it should be instantly one of the favorites for anyone listening to it due to its high-powered Iron Maiden influenced arrangement. It clearly will blow you away with the guitars, drumming, and synth work. The song just kills like you expect Spark Mandrill from Mega Man X to.

Ergosonic: Spark Mandrill was the very first stage I ever played on MMX. Adrenaline kicked in from the very beginning, and the music -- the pulsing, galloping, hard rock-oriented music -- is just intense. I wanted to recreate the energy and excitement felt whilst exploring lands and obliterating enemies. :D

3-06. WillRock - "Armadillo Armageddon"
Sources: MMX - "Armored Armadillo Stage," MMX5 - "The Skiver Stage"

Bahamut: Will keeps us rocking and rolling with this meld of Armored Armadillo from Mega Man X and The Skiver from Mega Man X5, which was a part of the Grand Maverick Remix Battle (GMRB) competition that DarkeSword held earlier. What is great here is that Will combines his more known synth work with his more recent appearance of his guitar, utilizing them in a dual of synth & guitars where the guitars represent the good guys looking to overpower that armadillo. I'd be fine with letting this battle play out forever though!

WillRock: The last remix of mine, yet inferior (apparently) of the two remixes in the final round of the GMRB. The idea was to go all out and attack the listener with a hard rock assault. For the most part, it worked... :P

3-07. Washudoll - "Towering Revolution"
Sources: MMX - "Boomer Kuwanger Stage"

Bahamut: The synth is strong in this track, and Washudoll showcases his snazzy synth that takes charge of Boomer Kuwanger from Mega Man X in a more built up version of the original here. Symphonic synth rock isn't all that common, and so his style sticks out as a fresh, sweet journey forward.

Washudoll: I've always wanted to remix this track. The original had the energy I wanted to recreate in this remix. I had a hard time figuring which genre I wanted to use for this remix. It turned out rock/electronic always suits the Mega Man series.

3-08. Cyril the Wolf, Brandon Snell - "Bibamus, Moriendum Est"
Sources: MMX3 - "Boss 1," "Boss 2," "Doppler Stage Boss"

Cyril the Wolf - Arrangement
Brandon Snell - Assistance with Drum Programming, Vocal Harmonies, Leads

Bahamut: A brutal assault awaits listeners here where heavy guitars abound. Connor gives us a grind that makes you think of Mega Man X clashing with another maverick in a highly physical showdown.

Cyril the Wolf: Latin titles are supposed to be cool, right? Eh, even if not, this was made for a contest that Bahamut held to get some of the boss fight themes covered on the album, and I got my friend Brandon to help me with drum programming, awesome vocal harmonies, and leads. I suck at all of those. I probably could spend forever tweaking this, because there's so many possibilities with the arrangments, but all the MMX3 boss themes kick you in the face, and that's what counts.

3-09. Devastus - "Crawfish Crackdown"
Sources: MMX3 - "Crush Crawfish Stage"

Bahamut: The guitar assault continues with Devastus's take on Crush Crawfish from Mega Man X3, bringing the wall of guitars crushing our ears with glorious metal. There is a sound of raw power here with the drums & guitars that keeps the song moving with a high level of energy and a frantic pace.

Devastus: Crush Crawfish gets groovy and pimped up with roadrunner guitar licks. Cruising music at its worst.

3-10. Cyril the Wolf, Brandon Snell - "Crushing Gravity"
Sources: MMX3 - "Gravity Beetle Stage"

Cyril the Wolf - Arrangement, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Vocals
Brandon Snell - Power Vocals

Bahamut: An in-your-face metalcore ReMix of Gravity Beetle, Connor had the goal of creating a fight between X and Gravity Beetle with the interplay of lyrics between the two and succeeded pretty well here. The arrangement with the other instruments reflects this as well with the brutal pacing for the aggressive and out of control Gravity Beetle and the smoother & calmer approach for the hero X. Just remember, it's not Connor's fault that the beetle went out of control!

Cyril the Wolf: Around the time I arranged this, I was hugely influenced by the band Killswitch Engage, particularly the songs "My Last Serenade" and "Rose of Sharyn." You don't have to look too deeply to hear the influence. The verse riffing is completely original, mostly to give form to the song. This gave me a chance to exercise all areas of my voice: deep metal growls, falsetto, clean singing (it's gotten better), and, of course, screaming. Since I couldn't (still can't... mostly) sing as high as I wanted for the arrangment, my good friend Brandon Snell once again provided the assist for the epically high power vocals at the end.

3-11. Washudoll - "Intruder Alert"
Sources: MMX2 - "Magna Centipede Stage"

Bahamut: Washudoll goes all out on this take on Magna Centipede, managing to capture a sense of urgency throughout the song without using a fast tempo. It's hard for me to explain just how strong this song is, because it is one of those songs that manages to be full of diversity in ways you don't see too often yet completely dominated by the source. I think this track may become an instant favorite for some out there!

Washudoll: In this remix, I wanted to recreate a scene where X inflitrates the central computer while being spotted and ambushed by the enemy. This all for saving his friend Zero from the clutches of the X-Hunters.

3-12. WillRock - "Countdown to Infinity"
Sources: MMX5 - "The Skiver Stage," MMX6 - "Infinity Mijinion Stage"

Bahamut: A play on "The Final Countdown" by Europe, "Countdown to Infinity" invokes Infinity Mijinion from Mega Man X6 to let you ascend forever, although you can argue that "The Final Countdown" never ended with its fadeout letting it keep going. Similarly, Will kept the song going, but it's not meant to really end as the sweetness just keeps rising. This is one of my favorite songs from WillRock, and I think you'll all enjoy it greatly as well.

WillRock: Technically, it should be "count up," but then the reference to would be too obscure. Joey Tempest called me the other day, he wants his keyboard riff back, apparently.

3-13. zyko - "Hunter"
Source: Maverick Hunter X - "Opening Stage Vile"

Bahamut: I am a huge fan of Waleed's work in general. Waleed shows continual leaps in improvement and an exceptional capability to arrange. His take on "Opening Stage Vile" from Maverick Hunter X, the Mega Man X remake on the PSP, showcases his unique and serious approach towards music. This song has a weighty Middle Eastern feel to it while still remaining primarily rock-driven, resulting in a song that has a personal feel to it.

zyko: no artist should ever have to witness his body of work expire. like watching a gallery of your finest work burn before your eyes, i felt forced to watch the ordeal in its entirety. hunter was one of the few survivors and, even then, is here only because of life support. stay reckless, my friends.

4-01. BONKERS - "I Am the One Who Designed and Built Mega Man X"
Sources: MMX4 - "Dr. Light," MMX5 - "Dr. Light"

Bahamut: Nick goes prog crazy here with the Dr. Light themes from Mega Man X4 & X5, creating a journey through the cyber Wild Wild West. I feel it is one of his strongest songs, and hopefully you all will agree!

BONKERS: Ah, Dr. Light's theme, an incredibly memorable set of tunes for anyone who has played the games. The mysterious and sometimes very ominous. When arranging these 2 versions of the tunes, I had these distinct ideas I could hear in my head, but I couldn't quite make everything out. So, I'd go for long walks without even really paying much attention to where I was going (a.k.a. autopilot) to toss ideas around. I eventually heard everything clearly and did a couple concept versions and decided that I wanted to take a distinctive progressive rock-ish/metal/ambient/synth approach. So, I wrote sheet music for most of it and came up with ideas to make it work as a song considering the simple nature of the original melodies, i.e. keeping the melody or playing it in a different rhythmic style (note that 90% of the song is all from the original 2 melodies) while changing the chord progression. It was a labor of love and is quite different than most stuff of this nature, so I hope that at least person can listen to this and hear "Whoah, this is the Dr. Light theme!" immediately and enjoy it!

4-02. The Dual Dragons - "Sweeping the Storming Skies"
Source: MMX - "Storm Eagle Stage"

Bahamut: The Johansen brothers did a metal take on this classic source that is unique in comparison to most found out there. This track shows creativity in how it develops the chord structure instead of just riding on the strength of the original progression for most of the song. In addition, we have here some great guitar work & drumming thrown into the ring on top of creative arrangement, and some fun synths used appropriately to help fill the sound out.

The Dual Dragons: We've always dug the Storm Eagle track because of the intensity it brings. We absolutely didn't want to mess up how the themes play out, which we don't do to most of our ReMixes because, after all, the themes are why we love the retro game soundtracks so much, and the only way to do it justice, in our opinion, is to add to the flavor, not drastically change it.

4-03. Skummel Maske - "Inferno: Unleash the Flame Stag"
Sources: MMX2 - "Flame Stag Stage," MMX - "Storm Eagle Stage," MM2 - "Dr. Wily Stage 1"

Bahamut: Thomas shoots for a pretty standard metal-styled take on the Flame Stag stage from Mega Man X2 that glides through to an upcoming fight. He doesn't go crazy with the guitars, but, with the atmosphere he creates, he doesn't need to since there's a looming sense that something huge will happen and the song keeps building up towards it. It is one of his best songs, an example of the continual improvements artists go through when working with making music.

Skummel Maske: My take on this brilliant source was initially planned as a relatively short, fast-paced, punk rock-type track, but evolved somewhat during the course of recording. People kept pushing me to do a breakdown section and a solo, and, after caving in, I'm actually really content with the end result. I hope you will be as well.

4-04. Metal Man - "10 Minutes of Hypothermia"
Sources: MMX - "Stage Select," "Stage Start," "Chill Penguin Stage," "Dr. Light," "Boss 1," "Boss 2," "Get a Weapon," "Pass Word"

Bahamut: This is an arrangement you expect more out of Dwelling of Duels than on an OCR album with how it weaves through the songs with discrete transitions from how you'd expect things to progress with a playthrough of Chill Penguin's stage from Mega Man X, but Fred tackled this behemoth of a medley for the album. The song built with a good amount of attention for the atmosphere, especially with the synth in the background lending to a more distant feeling. The guitar stands out with its sweet tone and has a bit of an effect of tugging at you while moving through the Chill Penguin segment when combined with the more distant background instrumentation & arrangement. The song quickly shifts towards a more ominous portion after exhausting the stage music, replete with sound effects from the game. Overall, the package takes you through a Mega Man X stage and it is a pretty solid arrangement that I think most should find pretty enjoyable, especially given all of the work put into it.

Metal Man: This is my first time in a project and I wanted to make something decent. I ended up with a 10 minute medley. I had fun doing it, the other artists and people working around the album were very cool, and I withdrew something from it. I've spent countless hours writing, recording and mixing to get something even. I also made a lot of mistakes production-wise and it's cool, because I've learned a lot. Since this is not a subjective project, I preferred to have someone involved in OC ReMix level the final mastering to aim for a certain OC ReMix standard. Sixto did it and made this song a new "Warrior of the Loudness War."

I'll let you skim through the song, but here's a few of my inspirations you may feel in this song: "The Glass Prison" by Dream Theater and "Fallen" by Symphony X (Hint: Both concern the drums during the Chill Penguin intro). For the main guitar solos, they were just an approach of my own. During the last keyboard solo, you can hear a Jordan Rudess ripoff during a bar from "Scene to a Memory." That guy is a musical genius and I've put a wink in there that only a true fan will notice. Other than that, Mega Man X1 is THE game I've played the most from 1993 to 2011 and I always like to play it from time to time, for it is now legendary and still fun every time.

4-05. Devastus - "Spiral Shark Rodeo"
Sources: MMX6 - "Metal Shark Player Stage," MMX5 - "The Skiver Stage"

Bahamut: Another result of DarkeSword's Grand Maverick Remix Battle competition, this song combined with WillRock's competing entry comprised one of the toughest voting matchups in the whole competition with the high quality present. I absolutely loved this when I heard it due to its aggressive industrial soundscape and the solid arrangement of both themes weaved together. This particular version is a revised version of the one from the competition with a more appropriate ending that adds some frantic sped up action.

Devastus: Shark and Spiral Guy get intimate, heavy metal ensues. Orchestra and funk overtones included for your listening pleasure.

4-06. prophetik - "Slashing Through Cyberspace"
Sources: MMX4 - "Cyber Peacock Stage," "Slash Beast Stage"

Bahamut: This is yet another entry from the Grand Maverick ReMix Battle competition that DarkeSword ran, melding together Cyber Peacock and Slash Beast from Mega Man X4 into a solid synth rock track that keeps a layer of mystery that you get from Cyber Peacock. Admittedly, the Cyber Peacock portion is the more intriguing of the two in this song to me, with its unique usage of the guitars from Shreddage to achieve this mysterious atmosphere, and I think Brad does an excellent job here in crafting a unique and interesting song.

prophetik: i wanted to do something in mixed meter for the GMRB. this is a six-hour track, and, to an extent, i feel that shows in the limited arrangement. that said, i feel that the track stands pretty well on its own. the melody of cyber peacock particularly stands out well in the 5/4, and benefits a lot with having the extra beat to emphasize the longer parts of the phrase.

4-07. Chuck Dietz - "A Flea and His Giant"
Sources: MMX6 - "Infinity Mijinion Stage," MMX4 - "Opening Stage X"

Bahamut: Here's an amusing factoid: not only did Chuck cover Infinity Mijinion from Mega Man X6 like Will did earlier on the album, but he also wanted to name his song "Countdown to Infinity" originally!

Chuck does a great job here with a more conservative take of Infinity Mijinion than Will did - his killer guitar chops are on display here and on YouTube. He also manages to throw in a touch of "Opening Stage X" from Mega Man X4 into the mix to assist with varying the song up a bit. This is a great job overall that I think most people can appreciate - check out his YouTube channel for more such great covers, including a fun metal take on Blaze Heatnix from Mega Man X6!

Chuck Dietz: I chose this song, because it's a great rock song, and I saw a lot of potential adding authentic guitars. Drums, bass, and synth were programmed after transposing the piece by ear. I wasn't sure about what many of the original synth instruments were, so I used various synth effects to mimic the horn/string lead and add ambience to the acoustic and rhythmically open parts.

I kept the very opening of the piece close to the original, then broke out into an acoustic section to add dynamics to the song as well as throw off listeners who are used to the original tune. Chords were arpeggiated and altered to give the guitars an "open string" sound. I also added many slurs to the lead line to make it jazzy.

The main theme and the next part follow the original. The bass line is slightly altered to make it more interesting. Soon after the first guitar lead line, the lead is harmonized with another guitar that accentuates a lower harmony that the horn from the original track plays. When the main theme is played again, the lead is played by guitar, and the rhythm guitars/drums are altered for slightly more intensity/interest.

The second "open rhythm" part of the song was transformed into a breakdown and a place for me to do a fully original solo. The beginning of the solo was based off of X's intro stage in Mega Man X4, and my note choice gave it a completely different feel. Both the solo and rhythm sections continue to build in intensity until the climax is reached with fast guitars, heavy drums, and sweep-picked guitar leads.

I broke the climax with a brief return to the main theme acoustically, then returned to the full instrument theme. Another (my own) harmonized guitar part was added near the end of this part. The track closes with a slow version of the opening theme. The melody is played harmonizing octave in order to make this part sound huge and emphasize the big close of the song.

4-08. WillRock - "Catch the Eagle"
Sources: MMX3 - "Blizzard Buffalo Stage," MMX5 - "The Skiver Stage"

Bahamut: This track is a change of pace and adds a degree of strangeness to help throw the disc for a loop. It is another product of the GMRB competition, and Will's attempt to come up with something different from the competition's norm and his norm. It is a solid piece overall, coming off as largely a perversion of Blizzard Buffalo from Mega Man X3 with a bit of The Skiver from Mega Man X5 thrown in as a transition.

WillRock: A lot of people will probably wonder what the story behind the remix name is. Originally, it was called "Buffalo Stew," but Bahamut told me to name it something, I remembered it wrong. Even though he told me later I'd remembered it wrong, I kept it anywayz... can't remember what his suggestion was now. Also, weird remix is weird, leads might make you feel sick.

4-09. Avaris, Level 99 - "SparkPlugs"
Source: MMX - "Zero"

Avaris - Arrangement
Level 99 - Guitar

Bahamut: Shaun takes an interesting approach with "Zero" from Mega Man X, crafting a track that sounds like the beginning of a showdown. His enlistment of Stevo for guitars works pretty well here, helping primarily in setting that imagery in the song. This is pretty unorthodox, but I think it ultimately works very well here.

Avaris: I was listening to The Prodigy a lot during the creation of this song. The song takes the collage approach to composing several different layers and sounds and then exporting them to WAV files. I had to approach the source material in some creative way in order to keep the repetition fresh throughout the song. My personal favorite parts are the SGX-style bassline, Stevo's guitars, and the string breakdown which is similar to the main theme with some notes moved around different octaves. I destructively edited and mangled lots of audio material and Stevo's guitar wankery to come up with this remix. It was a fun approach to making a song rather than traditionally sequencing or recording everything. The synths are a combination of Reason and Korg Legacy. Thanks for listening!

4-10. DJ SymBiotiX - "Zero's Plight"
Source: MMX5 - "Zero Stage 1," "Opening Stage Zero"

Bahamut: Fernando is a great hidden talent within the community, and I finally was able to coax him to get involved with Maverick Rising to good effect. This track brings a much needed trance presence in the album. Not only that, this particular song leaves a lot of unknowns to be explored with the song's progress, similar to the mystery present in the original track of "Zero Stage 1" from Mega Man X5. It is tastefully executed and is a great beginning to the end.

DJ SymBiotiX: The X series is probably one of my most favourite series of games out there. When I heard about the MMX project, I knew I just had to get on it. As the idea behind this project was to keep the feel of the original tracks somewhat, I ended up remixing "Zero Stage 1" from MMX5 since it played well with what I'm good at. Definitely one of my favourite tracks, I decided to bump up the energy in the track and throw in a little of my own flair. I had a lot of fun remixing this track, and think it turned out great. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it!

4-11. Dominic Ninmark - "X-Hunted"
Source: MMX2 - "X-Hunter Stage 1"

Bahamut: Disregarding that "Counter Hunter Stage 1" from Mega Man X2 is one of my favorite Mega Man X series game sources, this is still one of my favorite songs from the album because it is energetic and does a great job at building up and unleashing that energy upon you. It also manages to accomplish all of this without getting too repetitive, which is a feat considering how the song uses the same refrain a lot. Dominic instantly convinced me here.

Dominic Ninmark: A powerful, energetic metal remix of the first X-Hunters stage theme from X2!

4-12. prophetik - "First Form Slayer"
Source: MMX7 - "Our Blood Boils"

Bahamut: The winner of a contest I issued on boss tracks, Brad did a great job in creating a track using Impact Soundworks' Shreddage to help craft an epic track from "Our Blood Burns" from the oft-reviled Mega Man X7. It focuses more on atmosphere than doing something crazy, but it impresses considering the original source material and that Brad leaves his footprint on this song in a successful manner.

prophetik: i decided to write this for the MMX project simply because i knew so little about the music of the MMX series, and i wanted more exposure to it. i had also (literally) just gotten Shreddage, and decided to see what i could do with it. i wanted to do something in mixed meter, and 7/8 seemed to fit the solo parts really well. there is almost nothing original in this song - the entirety was taking almost directly from the MIDI and adapted to the time signature.

4-13. Torzelan - "Iron Will March"
Source: MMX8 - "VS Lumine ~ The First Form"

Bahamut: Just as "VS Lumine ~ The First Form" from Mega Man X8 is the beginning of the final battle in that game, "Iron Will March" is the start to the final battle in Maverick Rising. Joachim put together a great track for building up anticipation for the big fight with the blast beats and dramatic synths. The guitars add a great touch to it as well.

Torzelan: Things are about to get serious and this ominous track is the build-up. The original was already "epic," but I wanted it to hit you with some heavy too. The dual-meaning title (interpretable both as "March of the Strong/Iron Will" and the more literal "Iron Shall March") reflects the feeling and imagery meant to be conveyed with the music; the Mavericks' obsession with a "new world" and violent advances to make it so.

4-14. Sixto Sounds - "Winged Reploid (Revelation)"
Source: MMX8 - "VS Lumine ~ The Second Form"

Bahamut: Could we really expect any less for the final boss track of the album? Juan blows this track out of the water, really bringing out "VS Lumine ~ The Second Form" from Mega Man X8 with his march of the guitars. There's not much else to say if you're familiar with his work -- he always works at a high level, and this song is no exception.

Sixto Sounds: Lots of metalmetalmetalmetalmetalmetalmetal and some strings with a touch of pipe organ. Rock out if you dig it!

4-15. melody - "affirmation"
Source: MMX5 - "Ending"

Bahamut: This track is a quite nice rendition of the ending song of Mega Man X5. It maintains a nice, calm & laid-back vibe to it similar to the original, while the bass gives it more of a Korean R&B feel in addition. Peter did a good job maintaining the role of the original while adding his own flavor to the song, and paying a tribute to the late Japanese hip hop artist Nujabes.

melody: the x5 ost has always stuck out to me among the vast mega man catalog, and i love the melancholic overtones in this particular track. a big creative influence was the recently departed nujabes (rip), whose jazz-infused hip-hop style inspired me on many levels and whose passing encouraged me to re-evaluate the lack of jazzy goodness and phat beats in my own songwriting style. the crackle in the beginning represents x as he slowly regains consciousness after the fight with sigma, and the title comes from x's self-doubt and perpetual search for truth amidst the carnage caused by the enigma crash and the loss of his partner zero.

BONUS 1. Dominic Ninmark, Omahdon, Danny Lopez - "On the Highway (Race Mix)"
Source: MMX - "Opening Stage"

Dominic Ninmark - Arrangement
Omahdon - Voices
Danny Lopez - Voices, Ending Guitars

Dominic Ninmark: What if Mega Man X was a racing game?

BONUS 2. BONKERS - "Into the Rebellion!!"
Sources: MMX4 - "Opening Stage X," "Stage Select"

BONKERS: This song, oh, how it's made me grow. It may not seem like it, but I actually completely re-did this song from scratch about 5 times in 3 phases (Alpha: DoD version, Beta: YouTube version, Final: This version).

During the whole process, my brother would come in and say "YOU'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT??? You've been working on that forever!" It's about as perfect as I wanted it to be (and could get it with my current skillset and equipment). A lot of people loved the earlier versions of this song, so I hope they and everyone else enjoy it as the simple medley it is!

BONUS 3. Metal Man - "Braving the Storm"
Sources: MMX - "Chill Penguin Stage," "Dr. Light"

BONUS 4. melody - "resolut(-ion)"
Source: MMZ4 - "Esperanto"

melody: with this arrangement, i sought to singularize the multi-faceted gem that is "esperanto." the original seems to take on the narrative voice of zero; his response to the oppression and genocide that run rampant in rockman zero's dystopian reality. he awakens from stasis to mere traces of the world he fought to protect in the past, and the song speaks of his noble decision to ultimately press onward in the face of insurmountable odds. an old war hero against the backdrop of a crumbling world, one gets the sense that he truly understands the futility of war and there are overtones of finality as he resolves to make the ultimate sacrifice to propagate his ideals.

Album Stats


Available at


Websites


Covers


Related Albums

No related albums found.

Added
Mar 13, 2012 10:23 PM
Edited
Apr 16, 2012 05:28 AM
Page traffic
12962 visitors
2/3/1/1/1 freedb
Page built in
0.04 seconds