ARTIST: Various Artists
ALBUM TITLE: 25YEARLEGEND: A Legend of Zelda Indie Game Composer Tribute
RECORD LABEL: Independent (OverClocked ReMix)
RELEASED: November 22, 2011

By Justin Polak
Co-founder, Ambassador to the Mushroom Kingdom

Having just finished Skyward Sword, my desire for anything Zelda related is understandably high these days. When I was offered to review yet another album from OverClocked ReMix, I happily accepted. I always found the music in Zelda to be very simplistic, but still managed to sound as beautiful an elaborately complex piece. I find that tends to open up a variety of ways you can approach an arrangement. With many creative indie composers backing this project, I was looking forward to what was going to come out of my speakers.

That’s right, the angle of this album is that all songs were composed by someone who worked on an independent game. I’ll let the site explain it for me: “25YEARLEGEND was started by Rekcahdam as a small indie session, but quickly grew into a massive project with the help of all the indie artists involved. Each featured composer has worked on a notable project in the indie game community while being influenced by the music of Zelda some time in their lives. Hopefully this project will make the 25th anniversary of Zelda that much more enjoyable!”

While the arrangements focus mainly on Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, there is plenty of variety to be found, as per usual on an album coming from OverClocked ReMix. You get the typical live band treatment, charming chiptunes, and even some…dubstep.

I hate to be Mr. Negative, and perhaps I am reaching that point where I am getting too old for newer music, but I just can’t get into dubstep. I kind of liked it when I first heard it, but after hearing the way it has evolved in recent times, the constant wub-wubbing and similar beat patterns have worn out its welcome. Only two of the eighteen tracks feature this genre, and one of those tracks only touches on it. Also, to be fair, the dubstep doesn’t go overboard as some other songs I have heard in the past.

I didn’t let those moments ruin the album for me, as I found myself committing a few track titles to memory in order to add to a future playlist. By far, my favorite is “Thunderstruck” because let’s face it, the “Song of Storms” is an ear worm that will bury itself deep into your brain for all eternity. I love the live band backing string instruments, and how they throw the main theme in there to keep it from being repetitive (as much as I love the original track, I realize that it is simply a short loop). The chiptune ending with the sound of a raging storm in the distance was perfect.

Another song I really got into was “Gimme My Sword!” I simply love how misleading the garage band-like opening is. Almost immediately, the track calms down with a beautiful piano rendition of “Sword Search,” an underrated classic from Link’s Awakening. Again, there is a short, but sweet chiptune section, but what interests me the most is the samples from one of the original Zelda commercials and….Navi saying her infamous,”Hey! Listen!”

As a matter of fact, this album sure loves to sample that small fairy catchphrase a lot. Personally, I never found Navi or her voice all that annoying while trekking through OOT. I honestly hope the use of that sample in a few tracks was an attempt to troll listeners, because the idea of some of the composers coming up with that idea genuinely made me laugh.

Anyway, as far as something that you can groove to, “Labryinth of Dance Floors” is a fun rendition of one of the dungeon themes from ALTTP. Like any good dance track, it captures your attention immediately, has a nice break in the middle, then comes back in full force with a vengeance. The ominous ending was a nice touch, as I remember the original tune screwing with me as a kid.

While I do like more tracks, I can’t help but notice that the first half of the album seems a lot stronger to me. Upon repeated listenings, I tend to tune out without even trying on some of the tracks. There are plenty of good things about the second half of the album, like how I feel “Village from Your Past” and “Lon Lon Ranch” capture the spirit of the original track, but manage to keep their arrangements fresh. However, despite moments like that, I can’t help but enjoy myself more earlier in the album.

Overall, like any good indie project, 25YEARLEGEND is highly experimental, and gives the listener a worthy and unique experience. To put it another way, the variety of tunes do make for a great first listen, and I can easily envision someone taking something completely different from this album with them. Give this a spin if you are a fan of Zelda’s iconic music.

RATING: 7.5/10