Treat Your Ears To An Orchestral Re-Imagining of The Symphony of The Night Soundtrack This Halloween
If ever there was a reason for contrasting emotions it would be the news that the iconic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night soundtrack has received an orchestral arrangement album courtesy of Materia Collective. On the one hand, it is very exciting news as Michiru Yamane’s classic soundtrack is incredible to begin with and perfect for an orchestral re-imagining. On the other, the release is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which makes us feel old. However, listening to the album, titled Resurrection of the Night, quickly banished any lingering gloom of feeling old.
What is on offer is 13 tracks from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night like you’ve never heard them before. The orchestral re-imagining is courtesy of arrangers Wayne Strange and Tim Stoney. Neither of them are strangers to orchestral masterpieces as they both worked on Zelda Reorchestrated while Wayne was also involved with Video Games Live. We’ve had the album on repeat ever since getting our hands on it and can definitely say that fans are in for a treat. It might be orchestral, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be missing out on the epic guitar solos of the original tracks as one listen of “The Tragic Prince” or “Blood Relations” featuring Ro Panuganti will prove. It is also cool to hear a cover of “I am the Wind” included with Katelyn Isaacson and Wayne Strange on vocals. Fans will know that this is the song that played during the end credits of the game, but was sadly replaced by instrumental tracks in some of the previous re-releases, such as Dracula X Chronicles. The album ends off with “Enchanted Bwakquet,” which is a rather interesting take on “Enchanted Banquet” to say the least.
To be honest, it has been a while since we’ve heard the original Symphony of the Night soundtrack, but Resurrection of the Night brought a lot of good memories flooding back. Fans can pre-order the album right away to ensure that they have some great tunes to listen to this Halloween. If you like what you hear, be sure to keep an eye on Kickstarter too, as a follow up album is already planned. Titled “Resurrection of the Night: Alucard’s Elegy,” the Kickstarter funds will be used for an all-new live orchestra and choir recordings for release on CD and vinyl.
Resurrection of the Night releases on October 30, 2017, but fans can pre-order the album now for $13 USD or more. Three of the tracks, “The Illusionary Dance,” “Nocturne in the Moonlight,” and “Festival of Servants” can already be previewed while the rest will follow when the full album is released. Have a listen to the songs below and then head on over to Bandcamp to pre-order. Fans can also give Materia Collective, the Seattle-based videogame music publisher and label behind the album, a follow on Twitter for more info.
