For anyone who’s familiar with Falcom’s music, Sorcerian is as basic as Ys: hardcore melodies, awesome arrangements, and LOTS of character. As with the Ys Renewal albums, Sorcerian Forever takes the original melodies and arranges them with a slightly more futuristic sound, which tend to be VERY “synthy,” not that it’s necessarily a bad thing.
Sorcerian Forever II is the second of two albums that arrange the wonderful melodies of Sorcerian. Unlike Sorcerian Forever I, however, the overall tone of this album is a little darker and subdued. Yes, it has it’s fair share of faster paced tracks (namely “Moss Giant,” “Blue Dragon” & “Combat Scene,” all battle themes), but for the most part, the tone of the album is one of a foreboding evil.
Fortunately, I found this volume to be a lot more enjoyable than the first. Although the synth still retains much of the same sound throughout, the lack of variety in composition is not a problem here. As I’m sure this follows the events and progress of the game, the further you get into it, the more intense the music tends to be. All of the tracks from the “Gods of Heaven” section of the game have a mystical quality to them that reminds me a lot of Ys, while the “Ice Cavern’s” themes are just too cool (no pun intended). You have to hear this music.
Sorcerian Forever II is a wonderful album, much better than Sorcerian Forever I. With excellent melodies, great variety, and intense music only capable of the best Falcom’s Sound Team JDK has to offer, you simply cannot go wrong. Unless you absolutely abhor synth, I highly recommend picking up this album should you get the chance.
