Let your inner beast take over, and carve a path for you.
We're closing in on the end of the road for these mixes, folks. It's hard for me to believe, but in a very short while, I'll no longer have any more tracks to mix for this game (barring repeats). Instead, I'll be passing the torch to you guys in the form of tutorials and encouraging you to show me what you've got.
But for now, we're still at it, and I wanted to mix some of the normal battle themes before I got to the final boss theme. This one was pretty much universally requested in the comments, so I figured I'd start here and work my way back to Dark Skies (which is actually my favorite of the bunch). On top of that, I've decided to give this mixing project a little more focus so that I don't take another 6 months to finish it, so I'm hoping to release a new mix once a week until I've gotten them all. Keep an eye out for me, and feel free to let me know if I miss the window one week or another - the motivation will do me some good. xD
I don't really have much to say about the overall format of this mix, as it's basically the same format I've used for other mixes. I had two goals in mind with this one: I wanted to use "Operation Tecumseh" in some way because it's an incredibly underrated track, and I wanted it to gradually build up the music to echo the "louder and louder and louder" lyrics at the end of the song. I feel like I accomplished both of these, so I'm satisfied with how everything turned out.
The more important matter is addressing the title of the mix and the reason why I cut out the word "beauty" from the bridge in the vocal portion of the song. To be honest, I didn't even hear that part of the vocals in-game (it was only noticeable in editing), and it just sounds out of place with that badass guitar riff in the background, so I took it out, and it sounds better musically, at least to my ears.
What I didn't realize was that taking out that one simple word changed a good part of the message that the song was trying to deliver. Without that single word, the bridge becomes "It's humanity's greatest sin, hiding the beast that lies within", as if it's some kind of mistake that everyone tries to hide the beast they keep inside. In Raiden's experience, this beast - Jack the Ripper - has given him the strength to accept his past as a part of him, a driving force that keeps him moving forward in his mission.
So, in this context, the Ripper is determination incarnate; it's a sort of primal urge that comes from deep within a person's soul and pushes them forward even when everything they've ever stood for has failed them. I almost want to say that this version of the song would better suit Armstrong; he cared little for the beauty of the world (hence why the word's absent), but did want everyone to follow his line of thinking, and accept their instincts over the vanity and complacency of the game's hyper-capitalist world. Then again, as we find in the game's ending, Raiden and Armstrong aren't so different, are they?
...This description's way too philosophical, lol. That said, I'd love to hear your opinions on what I discussed...or on how completely batshit the thumbnail for this video is. xD
"Operation Tecumseh" and "A Soul Can't Be Cut" were composed by Jamie Christopherson, as a part of the OST for "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance". I claim no ownership of the original works, but I do claim responsibility for mixing these two together to create the final product that you're listening to.
Hope you enjoyed the mix! :)