So, I had a good time with the Touhou Music Reviews, so I wanted to do in-depth soundtrack reviews of another series... preferably a far shorter one. And seeing as I still have Metal Slug on the brain, I thought why not do that series? There's only seven games here and each of them have pretty short soundtracks, which overall makes for a great series to quickly run through. I'm starting with the original trilogy by Nazca, all of which are great jazz fusion soundtracks composed by Takushi Hiyamuta.
Metal Slug: Metal Slug's first soundtrack is short, but it established most of the series' best and most iconic tracks, so I definitely think it's fair to call it one of the strongest overall.
The Military System
This is a pretty iconic ranking theme that does fit the game's militaristic setting, but it's also a basic drum loop so why would anyone listen to this on its own?
1/5 Stars
Theme Of Metal Slug
This is a phenomenal first stage theme, it's super triumphant and never fails to get you pumped for the game ahead. The first half is this heroic and dramatic tune, but then the percussion comes in the second half and leads to a flawless saxophone solo. Hiyamuta is at his best when he goes full jazz, so that sax takes an already great track and elevates it to top-tier for me.
5/5 Stars
Steel Beast
Steel Beast is probably the Metal Slug track I remember most from playing the first game as a kid. Its chaotic energy and addicting riff makes it hard to forget, even if I slightly prefer a few of the later remixes.
4/5 Stars
Inner Station
My favorite track in the first game, hands down. Despite not being as iconic as Theme Of Metal Slug or Final Attack, Inner Station is a jazzy masterpiece with an incredibly catchy main riff, killer bass and guitar, a fun piano solo, and a head-banging chorus. As usual, Hiyamuta shifts the melody completely in the second half and pulls it off so well.
5/5 Stars
Assault Theme
This was another pretty memorable theme from when I played it as a kid. The orchestral hits at the start and that tense choir melody does a great job at giving this track a feeling of intensity, like things are really getting serious. The reprisal of the main theme later on only further heightens the mood, it's another really great piece.
5/5 Stars
Ridge 256
While not quite as strong (or lengthy) as the last few tracks, Ridge 256 is yet another really catchy piece with a strong central riff and a great saxophone chorus to end it on a high note.
4/5 Stars
Gehardt City
Despite a rousing intro, Gehardt City is probably the weakest stage theme, lacking the same drive and memorability factor as most of the others. It's still a fine track, it just doesn't do too much for me personally.
2/5 Stars
Final Attack
Final Attack is probably the most beloved piece of music in the entire series and yeah, it's a fantastic final level theme. It once again borrows from the main theme, but rearranges it to sound super climactic and like it has a strong sense of finality. There's too many brilliant bits to even mention like the drums being The Military System or the high note at the very end. However, the one thing that keeps Inner Section as my favorite track in the game is the fact that I don't even think this is the best version of Final Attack.
5/5 Stars
Final Performance 1P
The single-player ending theme is a mix of some of the stage themes, though sadly not all of them. We just get the main theme and the assault theme. RIP Inner Station and Ridge 256, I guess.
3/5 Stars
Final Performance 2P
The multiplayer ending theme is way better in my opinion. It's an entirely original track, and quite a solid jazz piece with some solid piano and guitar, and a smooth FM bass line. It probably sounds the most like a Neo Turf Masters track, funnily enough.
4/5 Stars
Metal Slug X: As far as the first three soundtracks go, Metal Slug X's is definitely the weakest, despite it being my favorite game in the series. It has a few incredible tracks, but it lacks the consistency of its predecessor or the intensity of MS3's score, and it has a lot of remixes of the first game's tracks, which kinda just leaves it feels the awkward middle child.
The Military System
This version of The Military System is slightly more echoey which does make it a lot more impactful, though it is still a very short drum loop.
2/5 Stars
Barracks
With the introduction of multiple characters comes our first character select theme, and it's really solid. Once again, it's a short loop, but what's there is quite energetic and heart-pumping.
3/5 Stars
Judgement
This is definitely one of the best first level themes in the series, if not the best, it's so fun and chaotic. The blend of the shredding guitar and more cultural-sounding instruments makes for a really propulsive and head-banding desert theme.
5/5 Stars
Steel Beast 6Beats
I already liked Steel Beast, but the 6Beats version is just slightly better due to the faster percussion and punchier instruments.
4/5 Stars
Prehistoric Site
Prehistoric Site is a pretty slow and militaristic track with a very slow start, but the mysterious second half that carries over the motif from Judgement is actually quite good.
3/5 Stars
The Cenotaph
The Cenotaph is another pretty slow and mysterious track, but the repeating main riff is surprisingly catchy and carries this track quite a bit.
3/5 Stars
First Contact
Not quite as strong of a boss theme as Steel Beast. It's tense especially with the piano and the main theme showing up is nice, but it's just not as catchy or memorable.
3/5 Stars
Livin On The Deck
Okay, now the soundtrack's getting good again! Livin On The Deck is easily one of the my favorite tracks in the series and quite possibly Hiyamuta's high point. It's a phenomenal bit of jazz fusion, a flurry of interchanging melodies, groovy basslines, and some of the best saxophone and guitar solos the medium has to offer. The fast-paced opening is so fun and perfectly captures the energy of this level's train setting, and even the slower bits manage to keep the momentum going.
5/5 Stars
Assault Theme
I don't even think this is a remix, it's just the first game's Assault Theme again.
5/5 Stars
Back To The China
This is a very fun track, starting off with the stereotypical oriental riff before bursting into this bouncy piano riff and ridiculously catchy melody. The way Hiyamuta takes cultural music tropes and blends them with the rock/jazz of Metal Slug helps make tracks like Judgement and Back To The China sound fresh and surprisingly chaotic.
4/5 Stars
New Godokin Street
New Godokin Street is mostly a remix of the main theme, but the fantastic new bassline and tense repeating riff makes it sound unique and new in a way that, say, First Contact didn't.
4/5 Stars
Kiss In The Dark
Kiss In The Dark is just pure rock, with a heavy guitar riff and some great spontaneous guitar solos that yet again make for a pretty chaotic-sounding track. It's perfect for arguably the most hilariously sadistic stage in the entire series.
5/5 Stars
Metamorphosis
This is just ambience. Next.
1/5 Stars
Final Attack
I don't think this version of the track actually really changes anything either.
5/5 Stars
MSX Ending
It's yet another remix of the main theme. It's not quite as high energy as the original, but we at least get that fantastic saxophone solo this time, so I can't complain.
5/5 Stars
Metal Slug 3: Out of Hiyamata's three soundtracks, Metal Slug 3 absolutely has my favorite of the bunch. It's a lot more intense and heavy befitting the climactic nature of the game, which leads to a ton of great rock tracks and fittingly climactic-sounding themes.
The Military System
This is just the Metal Slug X version.
2/5 Stars
Barracks
I already liked Barracks, but the added guitar and punchier instruments makes this version even better, even if it's still quite short.
3/5 Stars
Blue Water Fangs
Blue Water Fangs immediately establishes Metal Slug 3's more urgent tone. It's yet another remix of the main theme, but it's way more frantic and chaotic this time, almost like it's tripping over itself. It's a pretty good way to start the game.
4/5 Stars
Marine Diver
The underwater tracks in this game are so freaking good. Marine Diver boasts some phenomenal riffs, a strong lead guitar performance, and a minor tone that almost makes it sound like it's out of a spy film.
5/5 Stars
The Unknown World
This track once again takes from the main theme, but it bases itself off of the far more underused (and underrated) second half. It works quite well here, The Unknown World is a super menacing and tense track that fits both stages it shows up in.
4/5 Stars
Steel Beast 7Beats
Yet another remix of Steel Beast that ups the time signature to makes it even more chaotic and all over-the-place. I still think X's version is the best of the bunch, but this is still a really good version of a really good track.
4/5 Stars
Midnight Wandering
As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of Metal Slug's more heavy, metal-influenced tracks, and Midnight Wandering is one of their best. The guitar riffs are godlike, the percussion is super punchy, and that wailing guitar in the chorus is chill-inducing. I adore this track, and it fits the spooky zombie aesthetic of its stage really well.
5/5 Stars
Devil's Snow Cave
Another pretty good rock track, with some phenomenal percussion from the booming bass drum, to that rocking groove once the main melody kicks in, to that perfectly-utilized triangle. It also uses the same choir/orchestra hit combo that Kiss In The Dark used to great effect.
4/5 Stars
Metamorphosis
Still ambient, still not worth mentioning.
1/5 Stars
The Shallow Sea
The unique swing feel in The Shallow Sea is pretty fun and helps this track stand out, but the slower pace still makes it one of the weaker stage themes in the game.
3/5 Stars
Hard Water
In case Marine Diver wasn't good enough, Hard Water is yet another fantastic rock/jazz fusion in the same as tracks like Inner Station and Livin On The Deck. The wailing guitar melody at the start is already great, but the absolutely wild guitar solo in the second half manages to elevate this track even more.
5/5 Stars
Assault Theme
No changes here.
5/5 Stars
Secret Factory
With the stealth stage comes a theme that sounds like it's ripped straight out of Metal Gear. It's definitely a bit unusual for Metal Slug, but it's fittingly tense and has a nice beat and some solid piano bits.
3/5 Stars
Desert
So, how do you top Judgement? Well, you don't, but you can certainly try as long you have some heavy guitar riffs and blaring trumpets. Almost everything I said about that track holds true here, Desert is yet another very fun and chaotic desert theme.
5/5 Stars
Pyramid
In almost a complete contrast to the atmospheric pyramid themes in X, Pyramid is a super groovy and upbeat track with a catchy melody and some more solid guitar riffs. Not too much else I can say here, it's just a really fun track.
4/5 Stars
The Cenotaph
Not the best track they could've brought back, but eh, it's still alright.
3/5 Stars
The Japanese Army
I admire how hilariously trollish this track is, befitting the massive difficulty spike that is the Japonese Army route. It has this blend between sounding really goofy and silly and surprisingly intense, almost as if it's screaming at you that you're screwed.
3/5 Stars
Into The Sky
Another solid remix of the main theme that starts off as heroic as you'd expect, but the second half has a surprisingly effective shift in tone that really makes the planet sequence that kicks off the final mission feel cinematic.
3/5 Stars
The Kidnapping
Despite being essentially cutscene music, the tense piano riff and frantic percussion make for a surprisingly strong and frenetic track on its own merits.
4/5 Stars
Into The Cosmos
Another high energy rock track with a phenomenal opening riff that sounds right out of a Crush 40 song. The rest of the track isn't quite as strong, but it's still super propulsive and dramatic, befitting the climactic shmup sequence.
4/5 Stars
Kiss In The Dark
Still a fantastic track, even if it's not quite as fitting here.
5/5 Stars
First Contact
Still a fine but unremarkable boss theme.
3/5 Stars
Bioinformatics
It took me a bit to realize that Bioinformatics is actual a remix of The Kidnapping, but somewhat distorted to hammer home the horror of what the aliens are doing to your captured ally. It's just as tense as the original track, but the added length and increased amount of guitar makes it slightly better.
4/5 Stars
Escape
Escape is yet another The Kidnapping remix. It doesn't do too much different from the other two versions of the track, but the heavier instruments really bring out a horror vibe that fits such a tense sequence.
4/5 Stars
Final Attack
This is my favorite version of Final Attack. It doesn't change too much, but everything flows a bit nicer and the instruments sound even louder and more triumphant than they did in the original game, making for a track that screams finality more than any other iteration of Final Attack. It's the perfect way to end off the trilogy.
5/5 Stars
End Title
Yet another credits theme comes with yet another remix of the main theme, but like with this game's version of Final Attack, this credits theme sounds a lot more triumphant and louder. It's really good... up until it cuts out the second half and its saxophone solo for a slower bridge, what a shame.
4/5 Stars
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