Metroid music

glennmagusharvey

This is some good stuff.

My favorites (reposted from TV Tropes):

Metroid
* Kraid's lair: Probably the most classical and straightforward in its style, yet also very distinctive and melodic, making it very memorable.  Also the first place in the game where you can really get lost.

Metroid II: Return of Samus
* "Ancient Chozo Ruins" (OCjy5R5E7a4): Not necessarily the coolest theme in the game, but definitely the most distinctive theme.  In a game that has pretty much just one traditionally melodic/harmonic theme (the starting surface area theme) and lots of strange ambient tracks, this one stands out.  Just two melodic lines wandering in weird and alien, yet strangely nonchalant, ways.  If I were to make a Castlevania game that contained an arcade area with retro game cabinets containing minigames, this, in its original form, would be its music.

Metroid 3: Super Metroid
Thanks to the far superior sound system of the SNES, this soundtrack really lets the ambient nature of Metroid themes shine.
* "Brinstar Red Soil Swampy Area": One of the best atmospheric tunes in Metroid history.  Calming yet mysterious.
* "Maridia Rocky Underwater Area": And this one is even better than the above.  Calming, beautiful, and mysterious.
* "Norfair Hot Lava Area": The muffled choir set above a very deep bass really emphasizes the danger and vastness of this area.  It is a noted contrast to...
* "Norfair Ancient Ruins Area" (Ridley's Lair): A perennial favorite.  The ticking seemed strange at first, but serves as a very nice driver of the pace.  The tonality just keeps on rising through an octatonic/diminished-seventh sequence, as does the texture.  A fitting theme for an area that's surprisingly much, much more dangerous and buzzing with hostile activity than the earlier Norfair area.  And it contains Ridley.
* "Wrecked Ship": The creepy emptiness of this theme is ''impressive''.  It's not really apparent at first, but then I sat down in my room, listening to this track in the dark with the lights off...and the effect was overwhelming.  If I were to make a Castlevania game that contained a catacombs area, this would be its music.
* "Item Room": The creepiness of this theme is also impressive.  It's a different type of atmospheric creepiness--one of subdued mystery rather than dead silence.

Metroid 4: Metroid Fusion
Lots and lots of creepy ambience in this game.  Even more so than Super.
* "Main Theme" / "Facing a Huge Reaction": a pretty nice theme that unfolds gradually, and gives the feeling of discovery and unraveling a mystery along with a bit of danger as well as some ambition.
* "Crisis" / "Sector 3 Restore the [blah blah blah] Timer Mission": a remix of the above, which really captures the urgency at hand.  This theme replaces the above as you progress in the game, and is used throughout the ruins of the station by the endgame.  You can feel the station crumbling around you as this theme plays.
* Sector 3 (PYR) theme: The grand choir and slow accompaniment go well with the scorching-hot desert-like area.
* "Cold Storage" / "Environmental Sound (Silence 2)": a simple but effective for something mysterious yet intriguing.
* "Growth Core" / "VS. Fake Statue First Form": a simple but effective theme for something mysterious and creepy.
* "Tension" / "Environmental Sound (Disquieting)": a simple but effective theme for that very foreboding feeling when you feel something really bad's about to happen but you don't know what it is or how it'll happen.  It's raising goosebumps on me just listening to it.
* "Underwater" / "Sector 4 (AQA) Underwater Area": a very beautiful and calming contrast to the rest of the soundtrack.
* Serris and Yakuza battle theme / "VS. Ishtar Gedo": a very showy boss theme.  I can imagine this being used for a dance battle boss or an elegantly skilled swordsman in a totally different setting and game.
* security robot battle them / "VS. Box": a very splashy boss theme.  I can imagine this being used for an intense battle against a mad mage hurling barrages of firebolts and thunderbolts at you in a totally different setting and game.
* "Final Mission" / "Last Instructions": an emotional and confident remix of the main theme.
* "Escape": this very compact-sounding version of Ridley's theme is extremely effective, especially with its up-and-down dynamics.

Metroid Prime
* Parasite Queen battle: very bombastic yet strictly metered track.  Brings a very tight and high-tension feel.  Not the best track ever, but still memorable.
* Tallon Overworld 1: This vague remix of the Brinstar theme from Metroid 1 is, surprisingly, one of the best tracks from this game.  It's slow to build up, but becomes a very glorious and broad celebration of discovery and exploration.
* Phendrana Drifts: You can feel the crystalline coldness in this track, yet with an inviting beauty to it (as opposed to, say, Sector 5 (ARC) from Fusion).
* Crashed Ship / "Underwater Frigate Reactor Core": HANDS DOWN one of the most beautiful and atmospheric tracks EVER.  I never expected to hear something so calming and beautiful from a Metroid game, much less something using so few distinct chords, for that matter.  Also my current ringtone.
* Phazon Mines: The deep, deep bass and reverb really give a hollow but deep feel, with a foreboding sense to it.  And did you notice that the Metroid title screen melody is played (with some changes) in the bass?
* Meta-Ridley battle: The best Ridley battle theme yet, IMHO.  Starts off with a bang.  Percussive chaos reigns supreme and shards of texture flying every which way abound in this intense and rhythmically unstable (3+3+2+2) track.

Metroid Zero Mission
* Kraid's Lair: an impressive and glorious orchestrated remix of the original Kraid's lair theme.  If only this were scored for full orchestra and choir and performed...such would be the greatest glory of Kraid.  As much of a big lazy fatass you can say he is, you can't deny he's got great theme music at his pad.  The Em Am D Em progression helps too.
* Ridley's Lair: a much more mysterious and subdued take on the original.  This track perfectly complements all the trap blocks and fake blocks in making the "illusion" feel of this area come to life.
* new suit fanfare: Never before has the item acquisition fanfare sounded so glorious and gratifying.
* Mecha-Ridley: Not really that great, but the better of the two Ridley themes in this game, in my opinion.

Metroid Metal
* Intro (Samus appearance fanfare): The perfect intro to every Metroid speedrun video.
* Lower Norfair: If you make a Ridley AMV, use this.  This is PERFECT for him.

 

What are yours?

Eelektross

DOE DA DAH DAH 

DAH DAH DAH DAH

Bee