Capcom Sound Team - Resident Evil (Original Soundtrack) Album Review

Capcom Sound Team - Resident Evil (Original Soundtrack)

(1996/1997)


My copy: 2023 limited box set on silver and red swirl vinyl by Laced Records. 


Resident Evil (1996) was a revolution in video games, coining and pioneering the new genre of “survival horror.” The original Resident Evil would later receive one of the finest remakes in video game history, with capcom totally rebuilding the game’s setting and atmosphere. The 2002 remake also meant updating the music, and while the remake’s soundtrack is amazing in its own right, the original score is still a crowning achievement for games, with a tone that perfectly amplifies the horror, tension and camp of the original game. 

Disc 1 of this box set collects the unedited original tracks in all their ominous, warped glory. There is something special about the way early video game soundtracks managed to use digital instruments and compression in their favor: the genius game composers of the era took advantage of these limitations and converted them into priceless tools for elevating mood. The uncanny nature of the swirling digital pads on the early tracks in this collection cater to the theme of being trapped in a nightmare scenario. To break up the dark, brooding moments, the Capcom Sound Team includes several cathartic and soothing tracks such as “The One Who Survives,” “Sigh Of Relief,” and best of all “Peace Of Mind” which is used as the save room theme.

“Peace Of Mind” is an amazing track that perfectly captures the feeling of a brief respite, with floating melodies that linger like an unyielding will to survive. The boss themes befit each respective monstrosity with slithering strings and crashing cymbals for the giant snake boss or distorted warbled bass that stalks the player for the giant tarantula boss on “Black Tiger.” “Tyrant” is a unique final boss theme in that it rejects a grand compositional structure to instead represent the battle correctly as a desperate impersonal struggle with a mindless biological threat.

The soundtrack is not without its eerie and suspenseful takes, with every track featuring Wesker being made to instill paranoia and confusion. “Underground” and “The Depth (Far From The Sun)” are fantastic pieces of dark ambient atmosphere, with the former being particularly good at implanting a sense of dread. There are also comical moments that compliment the original title’s unintentionally campy acting, with “Barry Gets Revenge” being a heavy rock song and “Still Dawn” hosting a goofy guitar solo to cap off the player’s escape from the Spencer Mansion. 

This box set also includes two additional discs that compile remixes of certain tracks from the main soundtrack; these are mostly for fans who want to hear extended versions of the core favorite songs. Highlights of the remix discs include the usage of in-game sound effects and samples to further immersion as well as extensions of the save theme and Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” which plays an integral role in one of the game’s puzzles. 

The first Resident Evil is a game that reshaped how people looked at video games back when it was released, and a large part of the game’s image is owed to its impressively dense soundtrack. Composers Masami Ueda, Makoto Tamozawa and Akira Kaida managed to blend surrealism with harsh, often frightening percussive elements to build a soundtrack that works even separately from its game, which is the sign of a genius composition. 

This box set is still available (as of writing) for market price on the Laced website, but there are also copies available on discogs.

 


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