Another M

As we all know Metroid Other M is coming out before to long, and of course we're all interested to find out what exactly that other M could be.

Masturbation? Mammoth Mammeries?

But today I'd like to talk about a couple of different Ms. I'd like to talk about the music of Metroid. More specifcally I'd like to talk about metal metroid music.

Metroid Metal? I hear you cry? How does that work?

Fucking briliantly is the answer. Whilst stumbling for Metoid stuff a week or two back I came across the page for Metroid Metal. This is the project of a guy who plays metal covers of tunes from the various Metroid soundtracks. If the prospect of old NES chiptunes working as metal compositions seems rather unlikely then you've obviously never seen THIS.

However the Metroid Metal project does not confine itself soley to the old school, as it samples tracks from across the full spectrum of games. From the original all the way up to the Prime trilogy. And it REALLY works. The translation into this new style really adds a new dimension to the compositions. There is clearly some awesome talent on display here.

But you don't even have to take my word for it. Here's their myspace. Listen to a few tracks. Now head on over to their website. See how they've got TWENTY SIX tracks available for download? I mean, seriously, that is a whole heap of awesome put for free. However it gets better. Whilst the project is apparently the work of one guy there is a full band for playing live.

That's right. Metal versions of the Metroid soundtrack PLAYED LIVE. I cannot stress the level of rage I feel at the prospect that I will never see this happen. However the point remains valid. It is done.

And with the full live band there is a CD recorded and available for purchase. Indeed, the only reason I waited so long to write about this was because I was waiting for the CD to come through. The album does, naturally, feature tracks which are available for download. However these are recorded with the benifit of a full band. Whilst I haven't done an in depth track by track comparision and analysis I will say that these arrangements do seem a bit beefier and well worth having. And do you know what the best part is?

They called the album Varia Suite.

How cool is that?