Shigeki Hayashi, a long-time member of Sting's music team and composer for such games as Riviera and Yggdra Union, stepped in to compose the PlayStation 2 / Wii remake of Sting's classic RPG "Baroque." It must be noted that this soundtrack shares virtually nothing with its original counterpart, whose score was handled by Masaharu Iwata. With this remake, Sting was going for all-new everything: gameplay, graphics, and even music.

Despite the change in composer lineup, the style of the two soundtracks are remarkably similar. The industrial/techno grinds are here, as are the creepy, ambient tracks. They even did another track involving samples of childrens' voices to scare the daylights out of us (track 14, "Innocence"). If anything, Hayashi was definitely faithful in his rendition of the game's score even as he composed entirely new music.

The challenge with reviewing an OST of this nature (that is, the ambient/techno style) is that it's difficult to judge. Traditional concepts of melody and harmony are thrown out the window, and as a reviewer, I am then left with very little to say about its pros or cons. Did I enjoy listening to the album? Yes. Is it memorable? No, not really; there are a few tracks that stand out though, including the opening track and track 16 "The Divine Perpetuator." It's very clear that the music was written for the express purpose of accompanying the highly stylized and macabre RPG. As a stand-alone experience, I don't know what to say about it. It gave me chills when I closed my eyes and listened to it in bed. Surprisingly, the repetition and the grinding percussive sounds never gave me a headache. So I suppose that's a sign of good composition on Hayashi's part.

When you consider the type of music Shigeki Hayashi has composed in the past, this is quite the departure. But for what it is, I suppose that it is top-tier music. Unfortunately, the album was printed and released directly by Sting, and is not found on most English-friendly online shops. To those interested in the acquisition of such an album, it looks like Yahoo! Japan Auctions will have to suffice (again).

Reviewed by: Patrick Gann