Well, now we're onto the Noise Factory games, and while the quality of the games themselves becomes a lot more debatable, they have some killer soundtracks by Toshikazu Tanaka.
Metal Slug 4: Metal Slug 4 feels like a bit of a warm-up soundtrack for Tanaka, he hasn't fully let loose yet, but you can hear his distinct symphonic style start to form here. MS4 as a game has a very heavy spy theming, so one of the most notable aspects about its soundtrack is that it really sounds like a James Bond score at points. It's new territory for a Metal Slug game, but it sounds great.
Choose A Person
While not as iconic as Barracks, Choose A Person is yet another high-energy if short character select bolstered by some powerful brass.
3/5 Stars
Let's Run Through
Right up there with Judgement as my favorite first stage theme in the franchise. Let's Run Through is an absolute banger of a jazz tune that just screams espionage, complete with smooth guitar riffs, a fun bassline, and a great violin chorus.
5/5 Stars
Show Spirit
Show Spirit is another banger of a track, starting with a simple militaristic drum loop before bursting into a full symphony that sounds straight out of a Shimomura soundtrack, albeit with just enough energetic percussion to keep it feeling like Metal Slug. And that dramatic chorus is just sublime, Tanaka was always great at bringing his tracks to a strong climax.
5/5 Stars
Snowy Road
Snowy Road is a heavier rock track, but it maintains that spy movie vibe with heavy usage of the spy chord. The intro is probably my favorite part, starting off powerful and energetic with guitars and brass only to suddenly shift into a more mysterious-sounding synth tone.
4/5 Stars
Cadaverous
Cadaverous is a fairly low-key and spooky track, taking a simple piano riff and exploring it throughout the entire piece, throwing in eerie choirs, hard-hitting percussion, and tense violins near the second half. It's not one of the best tracks in the game, but it is suitably atmospheric.
3/5 Stars
Go Ahead
I love how shamelessly dramatic this track is. Go Ahead is full-on orchestra, starting off triumphant before slowly getting more somber, grandiose, and loud as it goes on. The violins coming in halfway already elevate Go Ahead so far, but the track just keeps getting better until reaching an chill-inducing apex in the chorus.
5/5 Stars
The Scene Of A Hard Battle
Not quite as good as Steel Beast, but The Scene Of A Hard Battle is still a totally solid boss theme. It's chaotic, frenetic, tense, and very intimidating. Unfortunately it just so happens to be overshadowed by MS4's other main boss theme...
3/5 Stars
Furiously
Now, this is a fantastic boss theme. It has a bit of a build-up with a tense horn melody and a lot of orchestral hits, but like with Go Ahead, the dramatic orchestral chorus really makes it all worth it.
5/5 Stars
Secret Place
As much as I despise Metal Slug 4's final level, man does it have a fantastic theme. The melancholic main piano melody is ridiculously catchy and just screams James Bond, and the rock/synth chorus helps the track feel climactic and exhilirating.
5/5 Stars
Uncanny Laugh
This is just ambience before the final boss. It is quite menacing and I like the beeping synths, but there's only so much praise I can give it. At least it's better than Metamorphosis.
2/5 Stars
Final Madness
Another ridiculously dramatic track, almost like a souped-up version of Furiously. It starts off exciting with intense brass before shifting into a more dramatic violin-heavy chorus. It's no Final Attack, but it's still a very strong final boss theme.
4/5 Stars
Escape
Lots of orchestral hits make for likably intense chase music, even if it's still a very short loop.
3/5 Stars
Good Ending
The good ending theme is your standard orchestral victory music, but I can't shake the feeling like I've just won a game of Mario Party. Despite the militaristic drums and horns, this does not sound very Metal Slug.
2/5 Stars
Bad Ending
Funnily enough, I like the bad ending theme more than the good ending theme. It's still not amazing, but I like the weird synths that help it sound like it's out of a Paper Mario game.
3/5 Stars
End To The War
Thankfully, the credits theme is pretty great. It's as intense and orchestral as the rest of the soundtrack, with a very heroic central melody and a strong second with a lovely flute bridge and bombastic final chorus.
4/5 Stars
Metal Slug 5: I've said it before and I've said it again. Metal Slug 5 has the best soundtrack in the series, and it's not even close. Tanaka goes full heavy metal with this score, and it leads to a relentless streak of absolute battles, with barely a single weak track (barring the menus of course).
The Military System
This is a guitar-heavy rock remix of The Military System and while I should theoretically like it more, I feel the melody kinda gets drowned out in all the guitars here. Nice try, but no cigar.
1/5 Stars
Sortie
Another solid character select, with lots of guitars as you'd expect. Once again, it sounds a little too busy, but it's energetic enough to get you hyped for the game ahead.
3/5 Stars
Heavy African
Okay, now the soundtrack gets really good. Heavy African immediately gives a strong impression with its heavy guitar riffs, tense synth leads, and even some cool vocal samples to help give the track a tribal feel. The chorus is particularly catchy, but the whole track is a highlight.
5/5 Stars
Ruins Excavation
Ruins Excavation is also a fantastic track. It starts off similarly to The Cenotaph, but immediately asserts itself by adding an incredible guitar riff not too dissimilar from Midnight Wandering. And just to sweeten the deal, the dramatic string chorus is absolutely chill-inducing.
5/5 Stars
Windy Day
Windy Day is a highlight in an already phenomenal soundtrack, an energetic and uplifting western-inspired track that feels like a welcome breather amidst all the heavy rock. This won't be the last time Tanaka dips his toes into western but he's almost always stellar at it.
5/5 Stars
Zoom Doom
The second half of Stage 2 doesn't let up on the stellar music. Zoom Doom is back to the rock/synth that most of the soundtrack consists, the wailing guitars, catchy melody, and phenomenal synth prechorus that sounds right out of Mega Man X4 makes for a ridiculously fun track.
5/5 Stars
Intrigue
Intrigue is one of the weaker stage themes, but that isn't saying much. It's still a head-banging rock piece with a fun chorus, but it just doesn't quite stack up to the better head-banging rock pieces with fun choruses in the same exact soundtrack.
4/5 Stars
Run Through
Run Through is a bit jazzier than the rest of the soundtrack, with blaring horns and a heck of a lot of orchestral hits. It's an incredibly fun track, especially when the ever-escalating guitar solo comes in later on.
4/5 Stars
Bottom Of The Sea
Another great heavy rock piece with some powerful riffs and a dark synth riff. It's a bit shorter than your average MS5, but what is there is still an absolute bop.
4/5 Stars
Fierce Battle
Easily the best standard boss theme in the series and it's not even close. The dramatic and chaotic melody, the fast-paced guitar riffs, the heroic brass chorus, it's everything that I love about Tanaka's style condensed into a blisteringly fast boss theme.
5/5 Stars
Speeder
Here it is, my favorite track in all of Metal Slug. The moment the final mission started and I heard that opening riff, I immediately knew this track was gonna be something special. Like with Zoom Down, it almost sounds out of a Metal Slug, but with the dramatic climaxes, orchestral hits, and catchy guitar riffs you'd expect from a Tanaka song. But if the first half wasn't already fantastic enough, the anime-as-hell chorus somehow manages to heighten the excitement even more. It's a perfect theme for one of the most fast-paced finales in the series.
5/5 Stars
Last Ditch Resistance
While not as good as Speeder, this is yet another fantastic final level theme. It starts strong with lots of brass and orchestral hits, but the more tense and menacing second half with the heavy guitar riffs and melancholy synth melody elevates it even more.
5/5 Stars
Final Attack
Final Attack is back! And this time, it's a heavy metal rendition. While I still think the MS3 version is my favorite, the MS5 rendition is a very close second. It just sounds so powerful and triumphant, even more than even the original version did.
5/5 Stars
Road To Success
Road To Success is a solid but unremarkable credits theme, sadly. It's fun and upbeat, with a nice groove to it, but it doesn't feel like a culmination of the rest of the game like the credits themes in 2-4 did.
3/5 Stars
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