Well, time to cap off the Mega Man X soundtracks. This took a bit longer than I was hoping since I've been pretty busy, so I'll probably be putting off the Zero/ZX music reviews for a bit. Mega Man X7 and X8 are pretty weird games in the context of the series, they pretty much feel like a complete reboot in terms of tone and overall vibe, and that applies to the music as well, which goes in a more industrial and buttrock direction. I can't say either of these soundtracks rank among my favorites in Mega Man, but they certainly have their strengths.
Mega Man X7: I've gone back and forth on X7's soundtrack. I used to call it one of my favorite X soundtracks, then I started to find it a bit generic. Now, it's somewhere in the middle. I quite like the industrial, cybernetic vibe it goes for, but the tracks can range from absolute bangers to pretty generic at times. However, I did enjoy my listen this time a lot more than usual.
Code Crush
While Makenai may be my favorite JP opening in the series, Code Crush is a very close second, it's just so unbelievably badass. The industrial background track, the catchy melody, the powerful vocals from Rina Aiuchi, there is a reason so many fans hold this theme up so highly.
5/5 Stars
Conflict
Going two for two, Conflict is absolutely one of my favorite opening themes in the series. It's this energetic industrial track with some killer guitar riffs, pretty much the apex of everything X7's soundtrack is trying to go for.
5/5 Stars
Awake Road Again
Awake Road Again isn't nearly as good as Conflict, but it's another really solid highway theme. The main riff is pretty great, and that lead synth melody in the first half is quite haunting and melancholic. Sadly the chorus and the second half just isn't as memorable to me.
4/5 Stars
Burning Water
Man, X7's soundtrack really does peak early, huh? Burning Water is my favorite Maverick theme in this game and it's not even close. It's just so tense, from the chaotic string notes in the verse, to the dark background synth, to that booming orchestral chorus. Despite how much of an ear wrecker the boss himself is, his stage theme is a fantastic fusion of techno and orchestra that works really well.
5/5 Stars
Underground
Underground is yet another really great Robot Master theme. It's one of the most upbeat tracks in the game, with a very groovy central guitar riff reminiscent of Jun Senoue, and some very energetic synths in the background and chorus.
5/5 Stars
Mod Electric Wave
Mod Electric Wave is a pretty groovy track with some solid riffs, and a chorus that sounds straight out of X6. It's easily Tanaka's best track out of the ones he worked on for this game.
4/5 Stars
Naval Battle
Mod Electric Wave is a more somber theme not too dissimilar from Awake
Road Again, but it lacks the memorable intro that track had. The percussion is solidly intense, but I just find the melody really unmemorable.
3/5 Stars
Ruins N Vains
I get what Ruins N Vains is going for, it's trying to be ethereal and jungle-like. The pan flutes in the chorus work quite well, but the trac held back severely by its ear-grating synth lead in the verses. Half the track is really good, and the other half isn't that great.
3/5 Stars
Higher The Air
Ah, that's better. Higher The Air is a more atmospheric piece, but I actually like it a lot. This is a track that successfully pulls off an ethereal vibe, with airy synths and a groovy central riff.
4/5 Stars
Cyber Geometry
Cyber Geometry goes full EDM for pretty fantastic rave banger. The main riff is addictingly catchy and the more calming chorus serves as a nice counterbalance to the rest of the track to prevent it from getting too repetitive.
5/5 Stars
Bomb Recovery
Bomb Recovery is one of the more forgettable tracks in the game. It's got a solid groove to it, but like with Naval Battle, I found the main melody to be pretty forgettable. The synth solo at the end is pretty solid though.
3/5 Stars
Just Before Red
Just Before Red is another really solid track. It's a fun bit of energetic techno with a catchy synth melody, frenetic percussion, and some fantastic bass riffs. It's a bit on the short side, but it's a very pleasant listen.
4/5 Stars
Infiltration
Infilitration is definitely one of the most industrial-sounding track in the game, it's quite moody though the melody isn't super strong. Rather, it's he background track really carries this one. I love how it starts with some loud percussion before going silent for the second repetition of the verse.
4/5 Stars
Soul Asylum
Does this even count as a track? It's just creepy reverse audio. Fine...
1/5 Stars
Combination
This is a pretty groovy first boss theme, especially with those squelchy-sounding synths in the verse. It doesn't leave the biggest impression, but it is a solid bop and quite lengthy for a track of its type.
4/5 Stars
Decisive Battle
Easily one of the best Mega Man boss themes, and one of the most iconic too. It may be a bit too upbeat for X7 specifically, but its fast melody and unrelenting energy makes for a very enjoyable listen, and it's elevated further by its calming and ethereal chorus. Too bad I mostly associate this theme with the screams of "BURN BURN BURN TO THE GROUND".
5/5 Stars
Relation
Red's boss theme is probably the most forgettable track in the entire series for me, but it's not bad. I actually quite like the tense synth breakdown in the chorus, but like plenty of X7's themes, it's just not one that really sticks in my brain.
3/5 Stars
Our Blood Boils
Our Blood Boils is yet another pretty Sigma theme. It's a fast and frenetic metal piece with energy to spare. The opening riff is already catchy enough, but the climactic synth solo, the fun background track in the second half, and that guitar solo elevate the track further.
5/5 Stars
Conclusion
Conclusion is an orchestral reprisal of Our Blood Boils and it's pretty solid too, it's definitely Sigma's best orchestral final boss theme. However, while I love how intense and dramatic the first half of the theme is, the second half is a bit less memorable.
4/5 Stars
Stage Select 1
X7's stage select theme is fine. It's got a decently groovy background track, but the main melody once again doesn't stick with me too much.
3/5 Stars
Result
The result theme is short, but it's fittingly triumphant and has a pretty great bass line.
3/5 Stars
Option
The option menu theme is a bit of a mess. It's trying to be really groovy, but the different instruments all sound a bit disconnected from each other.
2/5 Stars
Stage Select 2
The second stage select theme is once again a solid improvement over the first. It's a lot more intense with its choir and dramatic main melody, though it is still pretty short.
3/5 Stars
Cutscene Music
Like X4, this game has a lot of cutscene music, more than any other X game. I'm not gonna sift through all of them because most of these tracks aren't really meant to be listened to outside the game, it would put X7 at a disadvantage compared to every other mainline game, and most of all, it would be boring. So just know that it's all pretty serviceable stuff, with the exception of the vibey Revealing and Sigma's banger of a theme, Fate.
3/5 Stars
No Holding Back
Mega Man X7 has demo music, and it's alright. It does a solid job at establishing the industrial vibe of X7's music, but despite the energetic percussion, the melody once again just does not stick with me much.
3/5 Stars
Lazy Mind
Lazy Mind is another rock track from X's voice actor and it's pretty good. The main guitar riff is really catchy, and the slow chorus ties the whole thing together.
4/5 Stars
Mega Man X8: Mega Man X8's soundtrack veers further into pure buttrock, and I hated it at first. I thought it was the most generic schlock and a massive downgrade for Mega Man music. Yeah, I was stupid back then, X8 has a pretty great soundtrack. While it definitely suffers from a lack of variety at times, X8's high points include some fantastic rock bangers, especially the boss themes, along with some more ethereal tracks fitting the game's setting. Nowadays, I'd easily rank X8's score above X7's. That being said, this is gonna be a big one. With most stages having multiple tracks, it's easily one of the longest Mega Man soundtracks.
Wild Fang
As far as the rockier JP openings go, Wild Fang is probably the best of the bunch. Everything about it feels fast and energetic, from the vocals to the guitar. It's just a really fun track that fits within X8's buttrock-heavy soundtrack.
4/5 Stars
Theme Of Mega Man X8
X8's main theme starts unassuming with a pretty basic guitar riff, but the guitar solo halfway through and melancholic second half really elevates the track for me.
4/5 Stars
Noah's Park
Noah's Park is easily my least favorite of the opening stage themes not because it's bad, but because I just don't find it as memorable. It's got a solid melody, but it lacks the exhilirating energy or the dripping melancholy that makes for the best opening themes.
3/5 Stars
Intrusion Crabs-Y
Intrusion Crabs-Y is another really solid first boss theme, right up there with Combination. The main riff is super catchy and frenetic and the synth solo at the end is great, though the track can get a bit repetitive after too long.
4/5 Stars
VS Maverick
This is another really fun boss theme, it's similarly energetic though a lot lengthier and more varied than Intrusion Crabs-Y. I especially love that distorted shrieking guitar that carries the melody, it actually works really well here.
4/5 Stars
Troia Base - Passage
This track is more moody and ambient compared to Forwarding, but it's damn moody. The synths sound so pleasing here, and that central riff gives off a ton of mystique and atmosphere.
4/5 Stars
Troia Base - Forwarding
Forwarding is just Passage with an energetic guitar melody and beat playing over it. The guitar sounds fantastic, and the track contrasts Passage incredibly well.
4/5 Stars
Primrose
Primrose is probably my favorite Maverick theme period, it just sounds so mystical and unique. Dare I say, I even get some Klonoa vibes from it. I love the chimes that are used in the background track, and the melody is incredibly groovy and fun, especially the more energetic chorus. Naoto Tanaka did this track and he absolutely killed it, this is easily up there with X Vs Zero as one of his best pieces.
5/5 Stars
Pitch Black - Sneaking
I mean, I shouldn't be too surprised considering this is the stealth level, but this track is incredibly sparse and ambient. However, it lacks the audibly pleasing vibes that Troia Base - Passage had, so it ends up being pretty forgettable in the wider scope of the soundtrack.
2/5 Stars
Pitch Black - Discovery
This track has the opposite problem, it's too loud! It just comes bursting out of the gate with blaring instruments that could give any player a sudden shock. Like yeah, it does give off a solid feeling of panic, but I can't imagine anyone listening to this track willingly.
1/5 Stars
Dynasty
Dynasty is one of the jazzier tracks in the series, which is a nice change of pace for Mega Man. However, it also peaks in the intro, the rest of the melody doesn't quite live up to just how fun and jazzy that part is, though the chorus is pretty solid too.
4/5 Stars
Inferno - Descending
Inferno's Descending theme is one of the more memorable Maverick themes for me. I love its unique 5/4 time signature and the riffs it manages to built around it, along with how the percussion almost sounds like a metronome keeping time. The second half tossing in a 5/4 guitar solo is the icing on the polyrhythmic cake. Give me more Mega Man songs with weird time signatures, this is great.
5/5 Stars
Inferno - Going Up
Unfortunately, Going Up isn't anywhere near as interesting. It's pretty much just a sped up version of Descending without any of the cool complexities it had, it's short and repetitive, though not nearly as much of an earrape as Pitch Black - Discovery.
2/5 Stars
Central White
Central White is easily one of the best tracks in the game, just a damn great energetic rock piece. The wailing echoing guitars in the intro, the tight bass lines, the fast-paced percussion, all excellently done. But what really elevates this track for me is that absolutely nuts guitar solo in the second half, easily ranking as one of the best solos in the entire franchise.
5/5 Stars
Metal Valley - Evade
Metal Valley has a solid rock track with a pretty fantastic chorus, though coming off of Central White, I don't have quite as much to say about it.
4/5 Stars
Metal Valley - Overheat
Once again, Overheat is a more sped-up version of Evade, though it still sounds pretty good this time. I like how the main melody feels like it's building, it almost sounds like Gate's boss theme in X6. It's also actually quite lengthy with a solid chorus to cap the track off.
3/5 Stars
Booster Forest
Booster Forest has one of the most atmospheric tracks in all of Mega Man, and I absolutely adore it. The blend of wailing guitars and spacey synths make for a truly ethereal mix, but it still feels like it's missing something...
4/5 Stars
Booster Forest - Cyclops
Once you get the Ride Armor, Booster Forest's theme gets its main melody, and it's absolutely divine. It does lack a bit of the ethereal energy of the base theme, but those guitar wails and the sheer intensity of the whole track more than make up for it.
5/5 Stars
Vs Boss Demo
This is a pretty simple guitar loop made to hype you up for the boss. It's decently tense, but still a tad repetitive.
3/5 Stars
Vs Boss
Here we are, my favorite Mega Man X boss theme. If there's one thing X8's soundtrack absolutely nails, it's those damn boss themes. Vs Boss is an incredibly energetic metal, with a super fast and fun melody and plenty of killer guitar wails.
5/5 Stars
Angry Boss
Yet another more energetic remix of an existing track. Angry Boss is just lucky Vs Boss has such a fantastic central riff.
3/5 Stars
Jakob
Everyone loves the Jakob Elevator theme, it's easily one of the most unanimously beloved tracks in an X game, even by people who generally dislike X8's soundtrack. It's such a fun and groovy track with a catchy melody, an upbeat and heroic vibe, and an absolutely transcendent melody. Eight games later, we're still getting quintessential pieces of Mega Man X music.
5/5 Stars
Vs Vile
Vile's themes have never let me down, and X8's Vile theme is just as fantastic. It borrows the already fun riff of Intrusion Crabs-Y and expands on it in every direction, on top of also just sounding cleaner. It's got more of a melody, a fantastic guitar solo, and some well-placed organ to carry the groove along.
5/5 Stars
Gateway
Gateway bears a lot of similarities to Final Weapon, it's very spacey befitting the location of a space station. However, while Final Weapon is more haunting and tense, Gateway is a solemn and slow-paced acoustic ballad. I wasn't huge on the track at first, but I'm not gonna lie, it kinda hit me at time. This is some very affecting acoustic.
4/5 Stars
Gateway - Escape
Another short escape theme, though at least this one has an original melody. The synths used sound very pleasing, but the track itself is still fairly short.
3/5 Stars
Vs Copy Sigma
Copy Sigma gets yet another fantastic boss theme, it's a very frantic and chaotic track with some wild guitar flairs, and a truly incredible chorus. Sigma's main motif in this game is also so good, easily one of my favorites in the series. However, as great as this track is, it does get overshadowed by an even better boss theme not too shortly after...
5/5 Stars
Sigma Palace
The theme for Sigma Palace is a tense orchestral piece to hype you up for the game's final boss gauntlet, and it's solid. It's a bit uneven though, parts of it are pretty sparse, but that harp segment is absolutely fantastic.
3/5 Stars
Vs Sigma
Sigma's standard boss theme is Vs Copy Sigma but slower and more forceful, and I think it's even better. This track exudes so much power through its heavy guitar and booming percussion, and the unique chorus is super groovy and puts a nice spin on Sigma's aforementioned leitmotif.
5/5 Stars
Vs Lumine - The First
Lumine's first boss theme is another orchestral track, and it blows X5's Sigma 2 and Conclusion out of the water. The haunting organ and waltz melody sound so great, I get some real Drawcia Sorceress vibes from this track which is absolute a good thing.
5/5 Stars
Vs Lumine Demo
A slower harpsichord piece to set the stage for the second phase. There isn't too much to say here, but it does sound pretty good.
3/5 Stars
Vs Lumine - The Second
Well, we're back to rock music. Vs Lumine's second phase is an absolute head-banger with a frenetic main riff, a very catchy central melody, and a beautiful chorus that brings together the guitar and organ to great effect. But the easy highlight for me is that dramatic climax with the intense booming percussion, definitely one of the best final boss themes in the franchise. Man, does X8 has some stellar boss themes overall.
5/5 Stars
Intermission
Intermission is a pretty standard piece of rock music, I don't even really remember where it plays.
2/5 Stars
Dr Light's Capsule
Yet another piece of really ethereal music for Dr Light. I really like the synth lead used here, but otherwise, there isn't too much to this track.
3/5 Stars
Hunter Base - Going To The Front
Hunter Base has several tracks, but this first one is easily my favorite. Despite not loving X8 all that much as a game, it was one of the first PS2 games I ever got to play alongside Klonoa 2 so this theme really stuck with me. It's has a real sense of determination, befitting a Mega Man stage select.
4/5 Stars
Hunter Base - Doubt
This is a more strained, tense version of the standard Hunter Base theme. It's solid, definitely does its job, but it's nowhere near as pleasant to listen to as Going To The Front.
3/5 Stars
Hunter Base - Wickedness
This hub theme is a lot more ambient. It's got some nice guitar wails, but I really don't have much to say about it.
2/5 Stars
Result
The result theme is also solid but not super remarkable. I like the synth in the background, but the main guitar melody is pretty standard fare for X8.
3/5 Stars
Menu
Menu is a spacey synth theme. It's very short and repetitive, but it is quite atmospheric for what it is.
3/5 Stars
Save & Load
The track always baits me because the start sounds like For Endless Fight but then the track diverges into something far less effective. Otherwise, it's nothing special and it's very short.
2/5 Stars
Option
Another incredibly short piece of menu music. It primarily uses synth and does sound very atmospheric, but it's too brief to really capitalize on any of its ideas.
2/5 Stars
Ending
Huh... no JP ending? That's weird. Any way, this is a fine ending theme. It's a slow and melancholic acousitc guitar piece that sounds very pleasing, a solid end to a solid soundtrack.
3/5 Stars
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