Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
good for the game, but not much on its own, January 15, 2006
Castlevania has had some really powerful and awesome music, it was always and some of the most easily recognizable music even when on the old 8 bit systems. Now that we are in the age of dvd quality music, one would have hoped that the music aspect would have kept up, esp after hearing what was done in Symphony of the Night. In Curse of Darkness, the music has a very ethereal quality to it, and while it does an absolutely perfect job of giving the game a haunting and gothic feel, nothing really stands out. Most of the tracks are very atmospheric and there are really no recognizable reinterpretations of older themes, so as merely a soundtrack the music is rather dull.
However, there are some cool moments here and there, some cool additions to the songs, vocables and bach-like organ runs that spice things up, but most of the songs have the same feel; there's not much of a dramatic shift in the music to really keep you listening intently.
The cd is a very rare find, and so I picked it up, but it will never be in my heavy rotation for my cds (yes I do own a whole lot of game music cds)
Buy this ONLY if you REALLY liked the game.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!, September 4, 2009
Castlevania games have been an ongoing theme in my house. We started with the old Nintindo games and progressed to the PlayStation. If you like Castlevania: Curse of Darkness's music when you're playing the game, then you love the soundtrack by itself! Personally, I like the first disk more than the second, but I also like the first bit of the game more than the rest/end of it. I recommend this soundtrack!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Castlevania soundtrack since Symphony of the Night!, April 4, 2006
I think we all remember Symphony of the Night's soundtrack by Michiru Yamane. In case you missed it, Symphony's music was a revelation to not only the Castlevania series, but to all video gaming. And it's a pinnacle of composition that few event attempt to achieve. From Classical to Baroque, Jazz to Metal... it seemed to have it all. And it refreshed those old NES melodies but took them to new heights and a new clarity that I don't think anyone expected. Just as Symphony reinvented 2D gaming, so did that soundtrack reinvent game music.
We fans longed for more and finally with Lament of Innocence our wait was over... or was it? Wonderful harmonies and themes were in place, but the Lament soundtrack still felt somewhat lacking against the lackluster game backdrop. And the new focus stripped away the guitars and catchy jazz influence and focused more on classical, baroque and... *gulp* techno. Techno music had not gone over well on Castlevania Chronicles, and mixing it with orchestration proved limiting to the subject matter in this arena. And since Lament was more of a dark story oriented affair, many of Lament's tracks were meerly atmospheric (like Super Castlevania 4 and Castlevania 64) to provide a background for advancing dialogue. That and the pathetic number of levels that can almost be counted on one hand reigned in the composer's genius. Bonus tracks on the CD just added to the disappointment that they weren't actually from the game itself.
IGA's team supposedly asked Ms. Yamane to compose catchier themes for the next game Curse of Darkness, and in fact she took Lament's extremes to the opposite end. Now there are much more guitars (and I might even say thrash guitar) and melodies than ever, and I do think they are very enjoyable (yes even on their own). Once again we are given an opening theme well suited to the beginning of an action/adventure! A true hero's theme, that is as graceful as it is powerful. Once again the music is hummable and catchy! And once again you will be scouring the internet to find this soundtrack (which unfortunately seems sold out here at Amazon) just as you did with Symphony. There are some classical themes with harpsicords in the cathedral and such, but overall the music is a high quality listen.
Some have labeled this soundtrack as the merger of Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse with Symphony of the Night. I'm not going to lie to you, it is just that. For instance when you're listening to the town music, you'll swear that the melodies have rung in your ears before. However, every track is brand new music! There is only one small hint back to the Lament soundtrack, but this is what Castlevania music is... it drives you, keeps you listening, keeps you playing to find out where our beloved Michiru yamane will take us next. And since she took a back seat for the Dawn of Sorow soundtrack, this more than makes up for it, as well as the confusion of Lament of Innocence.
You will not regret buying this CD, but since it's sold out here (forever?)... I'd check gamemusic.com for a copy.
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