VGBA 11 - Dark World

- Dark World -
Can't think of cocky statement here...

Band - Random Battles.
Sites - Bandcamp. Facebook. Album.
Type of Album - Metal/Rock Video Game Covers.
Genres - Progressive. Metal. Rock.
Favorite Song/Songs - Mega Man X - Chill Capsule Σ
(Yes, I had to look up how to type the Σ. It's Alt+228)
Review - First and foremost... I know! It's crazy that there is a band called Random Encounter and then ANOTHER band called Random Battles! (I say crazy, but I mean... strange yet cool.) Now if you're expecting something like Random Encounter, than release that thought from your head now. The similarities are in name only.

Now, with that said, Random Battles comes in to blast you with some great rock/progressive/metal covers of fantastic video game music. The intro into the Super Metroid song alone... just amazing! The album simply grows and evolves from there though.

There's a great selection of both common and highly uncommon selections. You've got your Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Mega Man. Then it comes around with some awesomely unexpected titles like Ducktales (Transylvania), Shining Force, and a mash-up of Mother 3/Luigi's Mansion. (It might sound weird, but it's actually very awesome.)

As far as overall sound and quality goes, this album is good stuff. Random Battles plays a good set of covers. It feels really alive and full of energy. It's slow for a few of the openings, but the openings of said songs are slow for the game so... YEAH!

If I had anything to say about the album (apart from being great) is that it does stick to covers more than remixes. Not really a negative here, but if you prefer remixes more, than you should probably look elsewhere. And that's really it. If you are looking for "the big hits" of video game music, you won't find them here, but that's what makes this album a bit more special! They didn't just choose the top songs to make it.

And that's all I got! It's a great rock/metal album of video game music. You should look into it and buy it up! I look forward to more Random Battles in the future.~

SO! To reiterate...

Pros - A rocking album with a wide selection of great covers. There's a few mash-ups in the album, and they're pretty awesome as well. Not just a pile of "Video Game Hits", they took time to pick some random yet alluring different songs. Fun!
Cons - If you are looking for remixes, you are probably better off looking elsewhere. Great stuff here, but it's more cover-y than remix material.

Side Note - Beginning with this review, I'm going to stop rating them. There's really no reason to rate them anymore when the only albums I will put up are ones I truly enjoy That... and I don't feel right trying to say someone's work is good, great, bad, terrible, or etc. Overall? I just want to share some video game-based albums and my love for them. There will still be Video Game Band Awareness posts, but they won't have ratings. The sole purpose of these posts was to share awesome albums, and that will still keep going! I'll still have Pros and Cons for those who care though. That's all I got.

~May the Crystals Guide Me~