[E] First Round #13 (Gravekeeper's Anger vs. Main Theme)

Listen to both songs and select the one you prefer.

Download Links:

Death Smiles - Gravekeeper's Anger
Earnest Evans - Main Theme

Streaming:

Gravekeeper's Anger: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:
Main Theme: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:

Death Smiles - Gravekeeper's Anger
Decent if pretty standard rock. There's a touch of synthiness to be had, but not enough to really improve the flavor.

Earnest Evans - Main Theme
Never heard of this game before, but the Mobygames description looks kind of nifty. A nicely varied track that makes good use of its synth, and pretty good save for a random guitar solo that would've sounded a lot more at home in its opponent.

Earnest Evans.

Jesus Christ, the good stuff is starting to show up. Earnest Evans' Main Theme is probably the best 80's schmaltz I've come across in these contests, and probably even the best Sakuraba tune I've heard pop up as well.

Gravekeeper's Anger is another tune that does everything at once, I love it. The backing guitars should've stopped when the melody came in, but other than that, it's pretty much perfect. The solo guitars here are also remniscent of 80's cheese so I don't think this will become a popular pairing, but to me this is one of the toughest votes in the contest.

Actually, god damn, Main Theme.

EDIT: I felt a pain go through my chest when I voted

I don't know, Main Theme sounds a lot more standard to me than does its opponent. Though I like a few of the transitions in the former (e.g. at 0:49 and 3:29), the latter is far more interesting overall (the parts at 0:44, 0:57 [where the organ enters], and 1:16 [the part with the synth melody] are all excellent). I could definitely do without the wailing guitar, though.

"Gravekeeper's Anger" is a solid Death Smiles offering. The rock element is executed to perfection here, and is successfully infused with gothic and jazzy characteristics. Overall a very enjoyable listen, not much else to say really.

Given the first 10 seconds, I thought "Main Theme" would be a boring orchestral snore-fest. So yeah, "liekwhoa" was I when the upbeat 90's synth came in. This one's got some really great progressions like the introduction of the piano and the numerous funk twinges. Melody's pretty sucky IMO, but everything else is swell.

"Gravekeeper's Anger" - 8/10
"Main Theme" - 8.5/10 may as well give the new guy a nod~

: Death Smiles - Gravekeeper's Anger
: Earnest Evans - Main Theme

Main Theme is pretty fantastic, in that there is no end to the font of cheese. It just keeps pouring out the good stuff.

Gravekeeper's Anger, too, but there's even more of it. Plus bass.

Very sad about Main Theme losing in the first round. This is good stuff, and I wouldn't have guessed it was a Sakuraba piece. Cheesy? Maybe a bit, but it's a very enjoyable three-and-a-half minute song. Gravekeeper's Anger is ~1:15 of decent but not great material repeated three times. Main Theme has more to offer.