Devil Summoner is one of my favorite things…modern, stylish and dark, and full of awesome music.
This promotional CD was released along with the latest DS, Kuzunoha Raidou, and has some very nice arranged and remixed songs from all three titles…done by Meguro. While some may say his work on the Raidou soundtrack was not the greatest, Meguro is in back good rocking form here. He’s mixed the cool (but slightly cheesy) sound of trumpets and jazz from Raidou with his usual style of rock and electronica for a new and fresh take on some classic numbers.
Starting out with the theme of Raidou, this track is probably the least exciting song on the album. It sounds almost as if it were lifted straight off of the Raidou OST, but it has been slightly remixed.
Then comes the good stuff. Starting from the beginning with the original DS, the ‘Detective Office’ theme has been heard in many an Atlus title, including the Persona series. It’s sounding very fine here, with live guitar and thick acoustic bass. The Boss Battle is hard as ever, sounding more like Digital Devil Saga than the original arrangement.
Next up is the Soul Hackers stuff, my personal favorite. ‘Theme of Soul Hackers’ is unstoppable, cool and loud; a great fusion of electronica and jazz. ‘Naomi’ is possibly the best song on the disc. Ska and hard rock combine to make a frantic and very fun song, and the signature Soul Hacker’s riff at :50 seconds is still catchy as ever. Following that, ‘Hyperspace’ is a cool and somber take on the Algon Soft theme.
I lied, actually. NOW comes the best stuff on the disc. Just the first few seconds of ‘Raidou’ should have you thinking back to the heavy synth-rock of Nocturne. Very much in the same vein, this song is a perfect blend of the grungy sound of Nocturne and the crisp, melodic leads of DDS2. It’s just awesome, blistering, and Meguro in some of his finest music yet.
‘Town’ is a nice jazz piece, but not without its Digital Devil influence. Starting out upbeat, the melody is carried in by the electric piano and gives it a sorrowful layer. The final track ‘Murmurs’ isn’t quite as good as the rest of the album, but is still far from poor.
The album, as noted, was a bonus that came with Raidou. You can find it being sold separately – and still sealed – on auctions occasionally, and for a cheap price, but it will eventually become harder to find. Grab it on the cheap if you can while it’s still around.
I can’t recommend this little disc enough to fans of Meguro. For all the Meguro-haters, this probably won’t change their incomprehensible opinion (I kid), but it’s still a wonderful album and deserves a chance.
