ReMix: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 'Battle at the Red Mountain'

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This ReMix of the title theme from Morrowind comes from newcomer Emperor, who's taking some liberties by incorporating original material into what essentially has become a hybrid piece, not unlike several other mixes of this nature, that is predominantly based upon the original but involves more synthesis (meaning "original creation," not oscillators) than usual. Beginning with a tense string atmosphere and then building a grandiose entrance with running percussion, strong horns, and dramatic string stabs, things get more lyrical as strings take a solo ensemble break for awhile before more elaborate percussion comes in with variations on the main theme. If you listen closely, you can hear very short pieces of Frog's Theme from CT and Terra from FF6 - not really the themes per se, and probably not intentionally, but the intervals/progressions are similar for brief, fleeting moments. Judges panel mostly appreciated Emperor's fine arrangement - some felt it might have strayed a little too far, and several commented on somewhat average-sounding samples. Personally, I didn't have a problem with either aspect of the mix, and thought both the samples and mixing to be not noticeably detrimental or prohibitive to the arrangement's success. You do need to listen to the original to put together what's going on here, but both are worthwhile uses of your time. A new orchestral voice on the scene with a solid, interpretive arrangement that's got variety and direction - good stuff from Emperor.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Samples are whatever, but the arrangement is bold, fresh and sharp. Lots of variation, lots of nice classical nods and some really impressive control over how those samples (as vintage as they are) are utilised.
While more liberty is taken with the source material than an average mix, I really can't hear a problem in discerning the Morrowind theme from within this. It hardly makes mere cameos; it's interwoven in a way that informs every section of the arrangement. It's constantly there, even when you're not hearing it. And on top of that, the melody is played in full several times. It's a Morrowind mix through and through.
If you're able to rise above the bogus orchestra vibe, this is one of the better renditions of the Morrowind theme. If you're like me and listened to the theme hundreds of times over and over while playing the game while never growing tired of it, it will be extremely easy to appreciate the new variations put into this mix. Very solid.

- Marmiduke on December 18, 2010
Now I know why I don't really fear Russia... their music makes me overlook their imposing nature. :D
Good use of samples and such, the percussion definitely got me bouncing. I do have to agree the brass samples don't quite measure up to the rest, but they don't play a huge part, so I'm not complaining. :razz: Overall, good job.

- HitoriJaNai on December 1, 2009
Very stirring piece; I'm not familiar with the original, but this is good stuff for sure. Somehow you managed to take the best qualities of my favorite Russian composers and input them into the song; nice work. The harmonies were really nice, especially in the quieter middle section. Percussion was well written and very supportive of the mix overall. Some of the samples were a little weak, mainly the brass near the beginning, but it wasn't offensive.
Recommended. :-)

- OA on July 18, 2007
DJ Pili wrote: I definitely love this ReMix! It sounds so military. When I listen to it, I stand up and salute, and I even feel some pride for US Armed Forces!

US Armed Forces?? It's Soviet Power, man! :)
Anyway, thanks everyone for your kind reviews!

- Sleepy Emp on May 28, 2004
Leah is right. It does sound a bit...Soviet. :D
It's a great remix. You should be proud.

- Royal on May 26, 2004
I definitely love this ReMix! It sounds so military. When I listen to it, I stand up and salute, and I even feel some pride for US Armed Forces!

- DJ Pili on May 26, 2004
I thought we were playing Warcraft 2, but oh well, good job.
--->progressive19

- progressive on April 8, 2004
:? If you ask me this has more of a Neo-Classical tone to it with the addition of the string ensemble.

- stuck in a dessert on April 7, 2004
Vercingetorix wrote: It sounds like less of a mix of the main theme and more like a mix of "MW battle3".

No way! Maybe that's why it's called "[i]Battle[/i] at Red Mountain".

- Cerd_Fen on April 6, 2004
Those samples aren't believable, but they ain't that bad. It's the production that's somewhat understatingly sub-par.
The orchestration definitely sounds solid, though subjectively speaking, it's not much to my liking.

- nachokun on April 4, 2004
Emperor, I'm glad to see this mix got on OCR :). Well, you told me, but still, I just need to post. I may be gone from the forums, but I'll still post when a friend of mine puts up a good remix :).
While I know nothing about the original, the orchestration in this mix is excellent. As others have said, the sample quality could be better, but it's still very pretty :).
Well, since I'm not supposed to be on the forums, I'll wrap it up now (like I even started a rant :P)... Great job on making this remix, congratulations on making an OC ReMix :), and I hope that you PM, IM, or email me with anything new you're working on :).

- Garde on April 4, 2004
It sounds like less of a mix of the main theme and more like a mix of "MW battle3". It's still good either way. It reminds me like what it would sound like if Morrowind were a Japanese-style turn based RPG. I dunno why. But anyway, listen to it a couple of times and you'll hear more similarities between it and the theme it borrows from.

- Wallace Guyford on April 3, 2004
I have to agree. Israfel's work is usually a drastic change on the original, yet at the same time still very much identifiable. I've never had any issues determining the source material in Israfel's work. I had some issues with some of emperor's other mixes being way too original.

- GrayLightning on April 3, 2004
analoq wrote:
Leah wrote: Emperor has to be one of the most liberal and creative mixers I've heard since Michael Dover (Israfel)

ironic, perhaps?

hehe :P Although, in my defense, I would contend that my mixes are firmly grounded on the thematic material of the original piece- and often they owe more to the original (and are perhaps less liberal) than most people realize. I'm reminded of Gwilym's review of my Castlevania mix:
so what turned me off? at the time, it seemed to fit perfectly into the description of original music, with elements of VGmusic so that it may be posted here. [...] on the second listen i was able to realise that almost every note was taken from the original NES song. there's hardly a moment in this track where what you hear is an 100% original composition; it's all variations on a theme.

But yeah...I'll shut up now.

- Israfel on April 3, 2004
analoq wrote:
Leah wrote: Emperor has to be one of the most liberal and creative mixers I've heard since Michael Dover (Israfel)

ironic, perhaps?

:nicework:

- GrayLightning on April 3, 2004