I feel somewhat unqualified writing a review for a soundtrack for this series: while I am quite knowledgeable of the composer’s other works, I have absolutely no experience playing any games from the Ogre Battle series. This limits my understanding of and appreciation for the music. However, I wonder if I could like this album any more for its symphonic power more than I already do.
80% of this album is intense, fast-paced, percussive battle-style music. Starting with the first track (which features some beautiful choral work, as does the other “GRAND REPEAT” track), the intense ride that makes you WANT to fight in some medieval battle doesn’t stop until track 8. “Fortune Teller II” and “Passing Moment” are the two softer pieces on the album. I’ve read some criticism of these tracks, but I must say that they are some of my favorites of the album. They are soothing, and help you calm down after the tense, tympani-filled tracks prior to these.
Quality is always first and foremost, and the quality of this album is excellent. It is clear that the performers and the arranger knew what they were doing, and they produced something excellent. My only complaint here is quantity: why only 38 minutes? I suppose it’s because it would be difficult to do that much work in whatever time they were allotted, and perhaps these were the only good “arrange-able” tracks from the original soundtrack. All I know is that I would love to have a 70+ minute CD with this high-quality music on it!
Grand Repeat features music from both Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre (which songs are which I’m not sure, but I do know that “Passing Moment” is from T.O., so it’s not all from the first game). And, like most other soundtracks in the “Ogre” series, this soundtrack is a hard find (both the original and reprint are listed as “Out of Print” at CD Japan). Indeed, it seems that if you want this album, online auctions are your only hope. I recommend it to you.
