Regaro Ranks Every Umineko Song

A topic done by Regaro_Ukiera in 2011.

He rated Umineko songs in GAME ORDER instead of actually doing a typical ranking from worst song to best song.

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THE RANKINGS

Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (OP 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajcPobpVj8 (This is the full song, I'm only reviewing what's on the game itself)

Alright, first up we have the OP to the story. I kinda like this song. Worst of the OPs, but I find it enjoyable to listen to. Its biggest failure is that it really just isn't catchy. But the general feelings I get from the song are pretty inidcative of the story to come. On a related note, this song gives me a definite "out at sea"/PIRATES feel to it. Am I the only one there?

Ranking: 6/10. Alright, but not really too much more.

Sukashiyuri http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEUw0YgN-h4

This is the first of several songs that I kinda lump together that get a ton of playtime early on in episodes (Especially Ep 1), and not much other than that. Sukashiyuri is the very first song to play in the VN, and continues throughout the entire prologue with Kinzo/Genji/Nanjo. As a slow, melancholy piece, it's pretty good for what it is, but I find it pretty boring because that's really all it is. It never really goes anywhere.

Ranking: 3/10. "Alright" for what it is, but it doesn't go anywhere, and relative to the rest of the soundtrack, that doesn't really cut it.

Doorway of Summer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sxfABkV3oU

This is the one song that everybody who's touched the VN, regardless of how far in they got (Unless they stopped at the prologue, those bastards), knows. This is another one of those songs that I lump with Sukashiyuri because you do hear it a hell of a lot in the first part of Ep 1. This is a much more upbeat track, and though it's not really notable among the more well-known/better-liked tracks, it's a nice little piece hidden away in the "boring" part of Ep 1.

Ranking: 6.5/10. Underrated (Or just unnoticed?), but pretty good. Not super-awesome or anything though.

HANE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRaNer0BgwY What a ridiculously upbeat track. Well I can't really hate it for that. If everything was Sukashiyuri-levels of melancholy then we'd have an awfully depressing soundtrack on our hands. HANE is a relatively simple track, but scores points for being upbeat and fast, and just overall being energetic. I like that in music (Though that's not to say I don't appreciate a good slower piece too!). It kinda feels like Hope in a way, but not really as good.

Ride On http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul2C_5MAg1E

Now this is an interesting piece we have here. It's definitely that tune we're all familiar with, but it's also accompanied by a heavier, almost ominous sound in the background. In pretty much every way imaginable, this song is the prelude to Hope, and pulls off the mix of the Hope melody (You know the one) and the background ominous-ness pretty well, and its first use (Which might be its only use? I don't recall) is pretty well-positioned for that, too.

Rating: 7.5/10. It's basically just a more situational/inferior version of Hope <_<

Sea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S8jw_-hOHY

This is an interesting little tune. It's short and very calming, but its most memorable element is the seagull calls.

The ****ing Seagull calls. I think that says everything that needs to be said about this piece.

Rating: 3/10. Nice and calming, but utterly forgettable with a side of lame.

Hour of Darkness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ_St-C3HdM This is a pretty good track. It's definitely more mood/background music, but it's hauntingly strange to the point of "Did something happen and I missed it?" As I recall, it plays when Maria points out the Shrine is missing, which fits that pretty well <_<. It's not the most memorable, or best track, but Hour of Darkness sticks out for being a great piece of mood music.

Rating: 6/10

Novelette Of the songs I lump with Sukashiyuri, this is probably the best one. Nothing really stands out about it or makes you go "oh my god best song ever", but the whole thing just kinda sticks with you. It's a slower piece, and definitely better suited to mood music (Though it doesn't project THAT strong of an emotion imo, it still does its job of setting a tone), but overall it's a piece I enjoy listening to when it comes up.

Rating: 6.75/10

Hope http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTAcJ0ZcUkI

It's Hope. *****es love Hope, to the point where it won VGMC4. I love Hope too. Such a great melody. I won't bore you with why it's awesome since you already know why.

Because it's ****ing Hope

For what it's worth, there are only four Umineko songs I hold in higher regard than Hope.

Rating: 9.75/10

White Shadow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQK2QbMW-Qk

Now we have another pretty damn good piece. White Shadow is another one of those calming pieces that at the same time manages to be really happy, and I love it. Great track here.

Rating: 8/10

Steady Pace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXHatTQBT6A

Sukashiyuri pt 2, basically. yawn. Ok not really but it's about equally as exciting. I really don't have much to say about this one because it's so boring.

Rating: 3/10

Towering Cloud in Summer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZd41NMBM4s

Here, though, we've got something pretty interesting. It's basically an inferior hope, but it stands pretty well on its own merits and has enough uniqueness to keep it from being boring. The interlude in the middle really lets the song come into its own as a distinct piece.

Rating: 8/10

Moonlit Night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmDxRYf1mMs

And this is basically Steady Pace part 2 <_< I mean really, this whole Sukashiyuri grouping (Except MAYBE Novelette) is really boring, and I'll be glad as hell when I'm out of it. This song doesn't really have any redeeming factors to it imo. The middle section is at least different, but that only serves to keep me from unintentionally falling asleep.

Rating: 2/10

Rose http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPIxN7byEEw

Why the bloody hell is this song nearly nine minutes long? The worst part is that it doesn't go ANYWHERE for those whole nine minutes. This is quite possibly the most boring piece of music in the series. And in spite of that, I can't even call it the worst because of that piece of **** Goddess-Gardena

Rating: 0/10. I can't justify giving it any higher <_<

At Death's Door http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AMIA-5Op4c

Here's another one that doesn't really go anywhere, but it's at least got the creepy/melancholy factor to it. And it's nearly a third of the length of Rose. That alone scores it a couple points coming off that one <_<

Rating: 2.5/10

Corridor of the Sands of Purgatory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4dv8CAFStw

This is pretty much At Death's Door with a few of the bells changed around <_<. It's also a tad shorter. It's still relatively dull, and there's nothing really distinguishing it from At Death's Door.

Rating: 2.75/10 because it's shorter

Fortitude http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT167XU_7_s

You know, I really like Fortitude. It's relaxing, melancholy, and actually pretty interesting all at once. It kinda gets lumped together with Red Dread, Bring the Fate, and Rhythm Changer for me, and I'm not quite sure why, but they're all pretty cool songs, so <_<

Rating: 8/10

Witch In Gold (Cembalo) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wJwfgttZ60

This is another interesting song here. It builds up, then suddenly cuts off, then starts building back up again. I've never particularly had a soft spot for it or anything, but it is one of those that I enjoy listening to when it comes up.

Ranking: 5.5/10

Lure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deyR5Zdapzs

Here's a pretty mediocre song, and definitely the stinker of this set. It's pretty much the same few notes the whole way through, but it's a relatively uninteresting set of notes. It sets a mood well, but doesn't really do anything else.

Rating: 2.5/10

Fishy Aroma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENL0nPskSao

Oh god Fishy Aroma. I love this song. A lot. We all know it's great. And really, it just pulls off everything it does really well. Starts off good, builds up well, and hits its stride really well around the halfway point.

Rating: 8/10

Stupefaction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X76lu7TCvOg

Y'know, I think I listened to this song for about 5 minutes so that I could get a better feel for it to do this writeup. I didn't even notice that it looped over except for how much time had passed. That's how unmemorable this song is. I also once fell asleep while listening to it but it was about midnight when that happened <.<

Rating: 1/10

Praise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulfs2ogsC9o

This is a pretty nice song. It's not really top-tier or anything, but it's a good, solid piece of music that I enjoy. It's a piece that borders on beautiful, as far as music goes, but as a result, it almost doesn't really fit in with the rest of the soundtrack well, because most of the rest of the soundtrack doesn't pull that off.

Rating: 6.5/10

Sakura http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t6l_2mM2Q

Hm. I'm kinda ambivalent on this one. It's solid, builds up well, and carries on well, but I just don't really LIKE it. It feels to me that it drags on near the end, and is just kinda repetitious overall.

Rating: 4/10

Ageha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBdrlg2zVH4

Ageha's decent, I guess. It spends time building up, then it hits a climax, then it pretty much just ends. The buildup is kinda enjoyable, but the climax lasts like two seconds <_<

Rating: 4/10

Goldenslaughterer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raxEmANPTVc

Holy hell it's Goldenslaughterer. We're already this far eh. Goldenslaughterer is really cool. It's the first of the "big" ZTS tracks, and while it's nowhere near the best of them (I put it in the bottom two), it's still pretty damn good in its own right. This is also the track that sets the tone for the rest of the big ZTS tracks (Including Death (From Stupefaction)). Even if you can't hear parts of Goldenslaughterer itself, you can definitely feel the style in there. Goldenslaughterer really IS zts.

Cool story: A few weeks ago, my RA walked into my room to ask my roommate a question while I was playing this on a stereo. He said it was "pretty cool" (It was about the 3:00-3:30 mark)

Rating: 8.5/10

Worldend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N62StawMcC8

This song is pretty much the definition of sad <_< Pretty much everything about it reeks sadness, and it's a pretty sad song. HOWEVER, it's also a good listen (If not fun), and is a very solid piece of music that works exceptionally well pretty much every time its used

(Also how the hell did they get WorldEndDominator from this they're like totally unrelated tracks)

Rating: 6/10

Witch of the Painting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRf7NlyiGfk

Another pretty boring track that's just the same thing over and over for a few minutes with minor variation. Thankfully, looking ahead in the musicbox, we are MOSTLY DONE WITH THAT YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. Anyways, this sounds like something that could easily be replaced with ominous latin/greek/muslim/whatever chanting and nothing of value would be lost (In fact, there would be gain!)

Ranking: 3/10

Suspicion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-5pAmoR5AA

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN. In spite of being the song that almost single-handedly ruined the anime (what anime) soundtrack, Suspicion is not an inherently BAD song. It catches a lot of flak from myself and others for DEEN, but it's a listenable piece that manages to not be boring all of the time. It does suffer from the fact that it never really goes anywhere though, and is pretty stagnant.

Rating: 4.5/10

Scar Sound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcE1_uKySnQ

Scar Sound is a very Percussion-heavy track. Like, that's pretty much all it is. But it's an interesting, if rather simple, rhythm that serves a purpose and generates good feelings of suspense and suspicion.

Ranking: 5/10

Core http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYHy3VnZRp0

Ahh, Core. Core's the other track that I see catch a lot of flak for its uses in the anime (IIRC, it replaced Dread of the Grave multiple times!), but it's a pretty good song. Its most notable part is the constant beat in the background that, in addition to being kinda catchy, really makes it as a song. It makes the rest of the song almost seem background in comparison, actually, but that's not really a bad thing here. It's a good thinking track.

Ranking: 7/10

Minute Darkness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m4LbXNcjmU

This is another one of those quiet tracks that serve to fuel an atmosphere of suspense and fear, though I feel like this one projects just a touch of sadness as well. However, this is definitely more of an "in-context" track, and I really can't sit down and enjoy it on a dime. It at least scores higher than Stupefaction for being able to tell where it loops though <_<

Ranking: 3/10

Nighteyes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDma4A6A3Bc

And here we have another tune that I think might be one of the more underrated ones in the VN. Nighteyes is probably the second most energetic tune I've listened to so far (The first being HANE), but it projects a distinct atmosphere about it that is kinda hard to define. I think the best way to put it would almost be a sense of... Mocking, if that makes any kind of sense. Overall though, a very high-energy track that resonates well with me, and I really enjoy it, but I don't see it get love from others, which kinda saddens me

Ranking: 7.5/10

Closed My Heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm6BKgnuW_s

This song creeps me out. Which I assume means that it serves its purpose really well <_< It's not the most interesting or exciting song in the world, but it gives me the chills for some reason.

Rating: 4.5/10

Requiem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_o6Tpk8M1E

mehhhh. I get that it's supposed to be a melancholy kind of piece, but it's really just mediocre. like the very definition of "Mediocre Umineko song". I can't bring myself to like it. It does pick up and become more interesting a little ways in, but it doesn't really redeem it from being mediocre

Rating: 5/10

Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi_8gujWJMc

Oh man. Mind's another one of those tracks I absolutely love. I can't put it in the top tier, but it's very enjoyable to listen to, and is pretty much perfect for what it is.

Rating: 8/10

WorldEnd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBfV7ydrj-k (Whoops I linked to the wrong verison of WorldEnd earlier. This is the bp one and the other one is this one. I did review the right one thanks to the power of the MUSICBOX though)

This is basically WorldEnd with an added melody overlaying it <_< There really isn't anything I can reasonably say about it that I didn't say about WorldEnd, but the added melody is pretty nice. It's also roughly twice as long though, and does tend to drag because it's not really any different from the other WorldEnd

Rating: 5.5/10

Play http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4VR-SGWIsI

This song is pretty unique IMO. It's not really good per se, but it's refreshing to listen to because it's just different. At points, it seems like a lot of noise just thrown together, but that's part of its charm here. Of course, it's still not really notable or anything, and I can't honestly rate it highly.

Rating: 4.5/10

System0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4wKRHmiR8

Man, Sys0 AND Dead Angle this set? We're finally beginning to cut the boring stuff and get on to legit great songs. System0 starts out with two sentences spoken in perfectly understandable English, which is a rarity for Japanese music (And I think it's the only English words in Umineko music), which is notable, but the rest of the song is just great. I love listening to this song, and really it doesn't have anything working against it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Voiceless http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkun-83JvF8

This song is kinda remniscient of WorldEnd not in its sound or melody, but in its mood and style. It's another one of those slow, melancholy songs. And its memorable, too. It's stuck with me since I first heard it in the VN, and for really no apparent reason other than it having a really damn good use. It's not the best song or anything, but I'll have an irrational soft spot for it for a while, I think.

Rating: 5.75/10

Dead Angle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVP09lhSPm4

I'll be blunt. Dead Angle is somewhere within my top 10 Umineko songs. Too lazy to figure out specifically where, but it's there. Dead Angle is pretty much perfection in BGM form. Like, it's not the absolute best song ever or anything, but as far as a piece of BGM goes, it is absolute perfection. As its own song, it's less perfect, but still amazing and very enjoyable to listen to. The shift between heavier and lighter, the main melody, just everything about it is so great and so well executed. It all just appeals to me in a way that most other songs don't, and if my life had BGM to it, Dead Angle would be the song I'd want for it most of the time, even when it only worked tenuously at best.

Rating: 9.25/10

Bring The Fate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWDpCAt2LGI

Hey remember when I was doing my Fortitude writeup and I was like "Bring The Fate's a pretty cool song"? Yeah that's definitely true. I think I prefer Fortitude just a tad, but Bring The Fate is a good, solid piece that does pretty much everything well, but nothing exceptionally well.

Rating: 7.5/10

Organ Short #600 Million in C Minor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ofk8ff5mbU

Geeze, this song. Of all the songs in 1-4, there was only one other song that stuck with me better than this one, and for one very clear reason. Regardless of everything else, this song has earned the unshakable title of "Beatrice's Theme" in my head, and was played several times. The song itself is alright, I guess. The first few seconds are a bit hard to listen to IMO, but once you get past that, it's pretty good.

Rating: 6.5/10

Prison STRIP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGLSZ2Lm588

Prison Strip is another one of those songs that I like, but I can't really put it into words. It's got that beep that I can see turning several people off of the song, but I think that it contributes to the song rather nicely, and really holds the song together. I just like this one.

Rating: 7/10

String Quartet #1 in G Major - I. Allegro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZYGGfhxeRY

This is a song that I seriously have no memory of hearing on my playthrough of the VN. It's a weird track, too. Sounds more like something I'd hear at a dance or something. And it's really just one of those tracks that doesn't resonate well with me. I don't like it, but I can see why people would.

Rating: 3/10

Rating: 9.25/10

Cage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHpgQFdnBtM

This is another one of those relaxing kinda sad songs that I want to group with Sukashiyuri etc but just can't for some reason. Probably because it's more interesting and above that. Either way, this is kinda like Requiem, but better. Not by much, though, mostly because it tends to drag as it gets closer to the end.

Rating: 5.5/10

Tsurupettan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tYWHU5BZH8

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Forget what I said about HANE. This has to be the most ridiculously upbeat, bouncy song ever. And honestly that isn't too bad. It's also ridiculously catchy, but for me at least, it fades out of mind pretty quickly until I listen to it again. I do have trouble listening to this more than once every couple days or so though <_<. Overall, it's pretty good, but it gets on my nerves if I listen to it too often.

Rating: 7.5/10

Melody (Inst.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpwgLtnWJgc

Meh. This song manages to be more interesting than Rose, at least. But I honestly think that this song would be twice as good if it were half as long. I mean, it's decent, projects an mysterious mood, and the melody is interesting, but it really just drags on way too long for me to care about it :/

Rating: 2.5/10

Answer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szNUd-oj2dE

• • • • yeah Answer. I love this song, a lot. The piano is top-tier, and both the melody and progression are absolutely excellent. The only thing working against it is that it's kinda short and just fades out when I feel like they could've done more with it. Still though, an excellent track that everybody should listen to, Umineko/VGMusic fan or not.

Rating: 9/10

Golden Sneer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0yYXgnSwmE

This is a pretty decent song, at least. It's worth listening to, and great as background music, but really it's nothing worth writing home about at all. It is what it is, which is decent and not really much more. At least the melody is nice.

Rating: 6/10

Scorpion Entrails http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX3L-gs4MPs

As far as straight-up interesting goes, this is probably the best song of the set, which really says a lot about it. Scorpion Entrails has a good melody to it, and mixes it up enough to be interesting while not really deviating from the melody that makes it good in the first place. Enjoyable song

Rating: 6.75/10

Life's End http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6R4nN4CVw

This song starts out with some ominous chanting, then goes into an ominous melody and really just works from there. It's great at being ominous(~) but beyond that, there's nothing that I enjoy about it. It's not overly boring, at leasat.

Rating: 3/10

Where http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxMQn6wJ5qQ

I'm not quite sure what to think of this one. It just feels overly repititious to me in spite of the breaks, and the song itself just doesn't sit well with me. I don't even find the melody that interesting, either, but repition aside, I don't have anything BAD to say about it, either.

Rating: 3/10

Moon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL5BYyHdFKc

I think this is supposed to be a very sad track, but the way it happens is almost more peaceful than sad IMO. Everything about it is just relaxing (Though not happy-relaxing at all. More like... Quiet-relaxing) and peaceful with a hint of sadness thrown in for good measure. And while it's not bad, it's not really an upper-tier song either.

Rating: 6.5/10

Dread of the Grave (Warning: You will probably disagree with this writeup/rating) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L_T0CCdx0s

Ahh, good old Dread of the Grave. In the year and change since I finished the first four Episodes, I have not once grown tired of listening to this song. Pretty much everything about it oozes perfection to me, and listening to this song is hearing 100% concentrated awesome in musical form. Hope is the theme song of humans in Umineko. But this. This is the theme song of what actually matters - The meta world (lolno but it still is basically the Meta World theme alongside the Organ Short which is like half the series <_<). I have nothing bad to say about this song whatsoever, because it is just that awesome. The opening melody, the interludes, the pickups, pretty much everything about it is perfectly written and perfectly executed.

Rating: 10/10

Red Dread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32FzpPjwh6g

This is a very good track for what it is. Its whole purpose is to set a very tense, fearful mood. And good god does it do that. However, even as a standalone piece, it manages to be a standout. To be honest I'm not quite sure what they use to get the effect you hear at the start (and persists through the entire song), but more than anything else, that helps the song live up to its name. The foreground melody of the song serves to be very ominous and haunting as well, complementing the background rhythm very well. The shift at the end is refreshing to hear too.

Rating: 7.5/10

WorldEndDominator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVr0IUQ6BwE

Next up is the second of the "Big" ZTS songs. Unlike Goldenslaughterer, WED is much more straightfowards with its approach, and doesn't ever truely deviate from its base melody. However, its base melody is one of the single greatest things I've ever heard. WorldEndDominator is, to put it bluntly, one of the best songs I've ever heard, and is a completely flawless piece of music. The sheer simplicity of its style, combined with the sheer awesomeness of the melody combines to make a song that is undeniably perfect.

Rating: 10/10

Black Lilliana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3ZvuaqK66g

Man, this is one hell of a cool song. It's not like Hope-level or anything, but it's still a very fun song that does what it needs to do, and while it might overstay its welcome a tad, it's fully welcome to do so because there isn't a sense of redundancy or excess about it. Black Lilliana is a very good song that carries itself well, and while some may find it slightly repetitive, I don't really think it is at all.

Rating: 7.75/10

Rest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QibQrCHT2sc

Rest carries with it a lot of the problems that I slammed songs like Melody etc for. But ith as a single redeeming factor to it: It's only 1:30 long. It's basically everything good about songs that I complained dragged on for too long, but without that downside. In spite of this it's utterly forgettable and mediocre, which says a lot about the quality of those songs to begin with.

Rating: 4.5/10

Daydream's End http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxEZna3ROgQ

This is literally ominous chanting without the ominous. There is absolutely nothing to it other than the chanting though, and I'm half-tempted to skip it, but it is its own unique thing, regardless of everything else. And I am just not a fan of it at all. Rating: 2/10

Melody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLxXeeOSB8w

This is literally just Melody with Vocals. Luckily for it, I like the vocals, and find them very entrancing to listen to, which means that the song keeps my attention. They've just got this effect on them that keeps the song fresh and really corrects most of the problems I had with the Instrumental version. But there's a limit to what they can do. They don't make it a particularly noteworthy song, just a more listenable one.

Rating: 4.5/10

Over the Sky http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QEYmbm3RZU

So apparently this song was in Higurashi too. Anyways, this is a nice, relaxing piece, but it suffers most of the same problems I've complained about similar songs for. It gets kinda boring, and it drags on a bit too long without going anywhere. There's nothing overly interesting or exciting about it even as a relaxing, quieter piece.

Rating: 4.5/10

Sunshine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aonwECESgkE

This is another one of those somewhat-happy piano pieces that sound like they're meant to be inferior Hope Knockoffs that don't really sound like Hope <_< Oh well. Sunshine isn't really interesting or even good in any way, but it at least holds my attention while it lasts. Still not anything I'd listen to over other stuff

Rating: 5/10

The Candles Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aonwECESgkE

This song is very grounded in its melody and variations of it. It's not that great of a melody, but it's still an enjoyable one. The song also feels a lot shorter than it actually is. Apparently it's 2:22, but it feels more like 1:30 or so. That's a pretty good testament to how well it pulls you in and holds your attention while you listen to it IMO. Enjoyable song, overall. Nothing special, but nothing bad either.

Rating: 7/10

Haruka http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh1VTKXCGVQ

Haruka is unique in that the melody at the start of the song actually persists throughout the entire song. It fades to the background for most of the song, but it's still there. In light of that, it's a pretty damn good melody that complements the meat of the song very well, and turns Haruka from a decent song into a good one. A very enjoyable, easy to listen to piece.

Rating: 6.5/10

Psy-Chorus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc2mvEE5hQA

Y'know, there are songs I could fall asleep listening to because they're boring, and there are songs I could fall asleep listening to because they're so goddamn relaxing. This falls squarely in the second category, and is actually on my playlist of songs that I play every night as I lie in bed falling asleep. I have an immense soft spot for this song because of that, but looking at it objectively, I'm definitely overrating it. The biggest reason is because it really doesn't deviate from its relaxing melody in any interesting manner despite going on for nearly eight minutes. It serves a definite purpose (And a modified purpose for me), but really there isn't THAT much too it past that. I still love it in spite of that, though <_<

Rating: 7/10

Far http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd5Vt_qct0s

Now Far, as opposed to Psy-Chorus, deserves every bit of love it gets. This is an absolutely amazing song in the same vein as Hope, but at the same time totally distinct. Some songs, you get the sense that it's trying to be Hope in some form (And/or is a Hope remix), but I don't ever get that feeling with Far. But my favorite thing about this song is the progression. It's an absolutely brilliant progression that takes a good melody and makes it GREAT. Absolutely great piece that fuses a few different sounds to make a brilliant melody.

Rating: 8.5/10

Fake Red Shoes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ9D05ll2Rw

Hmm. I'm kinda on the fence about Fake Red Shoes. On one hand, it's a nice piece that makes for a fine battle track and is enjoyable to listen to, especially when you need something to get the blood pumping. But on the other hand, at several points, I feel like I'm just being hit by a wall of pure noise while listening to it. An enjoyable track, but still pretty flawed.

Rating: 5/10

Mother http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qunBNGMNt3k

This track is "alright" I guess. It's got a good melody to it, and it holds your attention well. But really, that's all there is to it. Sure, it's got those qualities, but beyond that, there's really nothing special about it and it really gets lost in the shuffle when the better tracks get involved. Still a very listenable track though, and one that deserves more discussion.

Rating: 6/10

Haze http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGI1XWx1szM

This is another one of those tracks I'm iffy on, but I think overall I like Haze. There's nothing really special about it, and it doesn't stand out in any notable way to me, but it just resonates well with me. Not something I'd actively choose to listen to over many songs on the soundtrack, but when it comes up, I'm like "Hey this is a cool song"

Rating: 6/10

Dancing Pipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-DsfmZWxrk

Here's a pretty cool song. It's a high-energy tune that fuels that meta-world suspense of "how the hell is Battler going to argue his way out of this", though it doesn't really play DURING the argument per se. Either way, great song that's just very fun to listen to.

Rating: 7.5/10

Dread of the Grave -More Fear- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqrTHd49aJ0

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I'll be blunt. I don't like this track as much as I do the original DotG. In spite of that, it's still an A+ track. Fundamentally, it's more or less the same as Dread of the Grave, but there are two differences that stick out to me aside from the standard remix changes. First off, it's louder. Like I noted on Fake Red Shoes, at some points it does feel more like noise than Dread of the Grave (Especially the first couple seconds), and second, there's this high-pitched noise that's kinda in the background that gets kinda annoying if I focus on it for whatever reason. In spite of this, it's still an absolutely amazing track, if inferior to its counterpart, and I love it. I would also like to take this time to point out the drums. It's not Neil Peart, but I'll be damned if that isn't a great drum rhythm.

Rating: 9.5/10

Organ Short #200 Million in C Minor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K03LLn6LpBY

This is basically the other Organ Short with a different sound (But the same melody). It's easier to listen to than the other one, but honestly it just doesn't have the same charm that the other one has IMO. Still plenty enjoyable, but...

Rating: 5.5/10

Rhythm-Changer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVSOu2Tjshg

Man I love this song. So much. Listening to this track is just a ride, really. It holds your attention really, really well, and it's a track that pulls everything off really really well, and is one of the most enjoyable tracks to listen to. It's not a god-tier piece, not by any means, but it's still in the upper tiers of the music.

Rating: 8/10

Happiness of Marionette -omake-

Listening to this and the original HoM back to back, I can't really tell what the purpose of this is aside from being ~20 seconds shorter (It starts 20 seconds into the full song) Either way, HoM is a very well-written and highly enjoyable song that I know certain people love more than me, but I still have immense amounts of respect for it.

Rating: 8/10

Happiness of Marionette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6aN04YAH4U

I really can't hear a difference between this and the omake version of it aside from the 20 extra seconds at the beginning. Pretty much everything I said about the Omake applies here, and the extra 20 seconds don't really do much for me either way since it's just an intro consisting of the main melody of the song.

Rating: 8/10

Dance of the Moon Rabbits http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ksK1dudxDw

And here we have the HoM remix that serves as the theme music for the worthless rabbits. Dance of the Moon Rabbits is a cool remix of HoM, but ultimately it only really gets by on that. I don't like it as much as HoM, and I really don't feel like it flows as well as its original, but it's still a pretty good track all in all.

Rating: 7/10

Melting Away http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV0OnZtHHz4

I am not sure at all what's going on in the background of this track. Is it little kids talking? SantaRPG would be proud. But anyways, this is another one of those tracks that doesn't really stand out and do anything at all for me. The melody also gets on my nerves as the song progresses. It's just not fun to listen to.

Rating: 4/10

Soul of Soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCfsa8YhEIE

This on the other hand is a pretty 'quality' track. It doesn't stand out, and it doesn't do anything for me, but it's one of the more solidly-written tracks in the VN. It's basically everything a song should be, but it also manages to be totally mediocre and unnotable at the same time. It builds up well, climaxes decently, and isn't painful to listen to, but there's still nothing good about it as a piece of music.

Rating: 5.5/10

Prison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--vdeq-zTgA

Prison is a high-energy track that is very enjoyable to listen to. It has a very nice melody that just brings a smile to my face when I hear it, and it's a very well-made sound. Unfortunately, there isn't that much to the song beyond that, though what song needs much more than a fine melody?

Rating: 7/10

Thanks for Being Born http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHA7Aw2GiE

TfBB is one of the more... Emotional tracks in the game for sure. It's an incredibly touching track, and while it's not Discolor (or even Dead Angle) levels of despair, it's still a very down track. On the other hand though, it almost feels... Dead for the most part. It has its moments, but beyond that, it seems like it just tries to get by on its mood and emotion. Nonetheless, Thanks for Being Born is an absolutely amazing track that deserves every bit of praise it gets.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tsubasa (Wings) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwscHXEeGys

Tsubasa is ****ing awesome. It's one of those tracks that just gets me going every time I hear it. It's no DotG or WED, but it's a very easy to listen to and great track. The melody is just one that is very well-suited to the rest of the song, and really the whole song just flows really well

Rating: 8/10

Paradise Lost http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfKRZPs7kQ

Well we're finally hitting the part where pretty much everything is good. We've cut the crap, and we're left with the best. Paradise Lost is a great track that has an incredibly slow first few seconds that reappears occasionally with interludes, but aside from those is a great track with a good melody, but what really excels about this track is the rhythm and background. The percussion/bass parts really make this song, and without them, it would just get lost in the lower part of the upper tiers of music.

Rating: 7.5/10

Wingless http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6YgNtJNr6A

Well actually we get one more of the quieter, lower-energy tracks before we really move into the interesting/high-energy endgame stuff. Wingless is in the same vein as tracks like Novelette, Moon, etc, and while it's still alright, it's really not anything more than that, and it manages to be pretty uninteresting, which is just not going to cut it, especially considering the other tracks that are around it on the box <_<

Rating: 4.5/10

Dread of the Grave (Rhythm) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej7Uty_0Vww

Here's the red-headed Stepchild of the DotG family. It's unique, though, in the sense that while I'd never choose to listen to Dotg -More Fear- over the original DotG given the choice, I would at least consider rhythm over the regular DotG depending on my mood. It's the same basic melody, but rhythm is a good deal shorter, and quite different. The emphasis is shifted from the melody to the rhythm, and while the song probably suffers a bit in terms of quality, it makes up for it in being a unique blend of sounds that even the original DotG can't quite capture. The bass parts are great too, which is something that actually isn't really present/noticable in the original.

Rating: 7/10

MirageCoordinator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf4AKMhw2MU

Woo ZTS. This is one of my favorite of the ZTS tracks (Though it's not WorldEndDominator by any stretch). It's incredibly heavy on the percussion and bass parts, which really shine through and are the key reason this track is so goddamn awesome. But the other reason that this track is so great is the melody. The melody is so damn good and just gives off "I'm going to kick your ass and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it" vibes. Which I absolutely love in a piece of music. Overall, amazing song, but just shy of the best-of-the-best, really.

Rating: 9/10

Activepain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsKmKq58I1Q

Hm. This is the first truely Vocal-driven track that I've heard, isn't it? Well unless you count Melody/Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. Either way, Activepain is pretty much the defining piece of this part of the musicbox - High-energy, fun tracks that gets to the point and makes you enjoy listening to it. I'm not terribly big on vocals for the most part, especially when they overshadow what sounds like a good instrumentation (Which is what I feel happens here), but they don't really detract from the song in any big way either. So overall a decent, but not great song that's just fun to listen to.

Rating: 6/10

Parallel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv7f2vPCSwI

Well ok I GUESS I lied when I said we were totally into the more exciting tracks. Parallel falls under "less exciting", but that doesn't mean "bad". Parallel is really a decent track, but it's also repetitive and boring in my opinion. There's nothing really outstanding about it to make up for that, either. I dunno, really. I mean my brain WANTS to like it but also it recognizes that it's a pretty damn boring track.

Rating: 4/10

F Style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap8uODRkXEs

What an underrated track. I've noticed that I often talk about a song's melody and how it's great/terrible, but F Style is entirely melody driven. There isn't really anything of a background to it. But when you have one of the BEST MELODIES IN THE FREAKING SOUNDTRACK, you don't really need much more than that to be a good song. F Style isn't really in the top tier or anything, but it's one of those tracks that really is great in spite of the fact that it's so simplistic and straightforwards, and I can't help but love it.

Rating: 7.5/10

Happy Maria (Inst) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GxfJ40eDas

This is one of the very few times I prefer a vocal version of a track to an instrumental version. Happy Maria is a song thats defining trait is that it's crazy. And that's compounded by the crazy lyrics. I mean, the melody is still there, and it's still nice to listen to, but without the vocals, the song really just feels more incomplete than anything. I can't really fathom why this was made, either, especially since we do have the vocal version.

Rating: 5/10

599 Million Ruins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgwRpcVMUKE

Hey it's the organ short again. But on some weird percussion (Xylophone?) instead of an organ. It's also totally inferior because this instrument does NOT suit the song at all. Like, the organ gave it a great sound that made it stand out and it just fit. But this one? Not in the slightest. In spite of that, it IS still the Organ Short, and is still a good melody

Rating: 3.5/10

Mystic Forest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ekl2p3Is7E

This is another 'meh' track that is literally right in the exact same vein as wingless for me. Like I could definitely confuse this and Wingless pretty easily if I only listened to the first few seconds of each <_< Really, this is a decent track, but it's still pretty boring and I just don't find it terribly enjoyable. Maybe there's something in it that I'm missing, but ehhhhh

Rating: 4/10

Monochrome Clock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Bda1WfDfk

So remember my Organ Short #600 Million in C Minor writeup where I said there was one song that stuck with me more than that? Yeah, this is it. This song only plays twice in the entire VN (IIRC when Battler is fooling around with Beelzebub and when Amakusa turns on the boat's radio, both in Ep 4), but this song just stuck with me even more than the first few seconds of the Organ Short. And it's a worthy track, too. Catchy as hell, upbeat, fun to listen to, and vocals that actually make the song better for legitamate reasons. Overall, this may not be the BEST song, but it's definitely one of the most fun ones to listen to, and for all the weird illogical soft spots I have, the largest one might be for this.

Rating: 8/10

Apathy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4

This is another one of those tracks that is slower and honestly this one is kinda sorta dull. It's a well-written track, but it doesn't appeal to me at all. It's like, I can see why people WOULD like it, because it's one of those well-made slower tracks that some people find incredibly appealing and interesting, but I'm not one of those people.

Rating: 5/10

Like the Gale http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKJGcmpkaI

Here's another one of those jazzy high-energy songs in the same vein as Monochrome Clock, but I don't like it as much. The entire focus seems to be on the speed and energy of the track, which just makes it not as fun to listen to. It's also somewhat reptitive, but ehhhh. Overall it's a decent track, but in the face of Monochrome Clock, nothing about it stands out, and just in general, it really only has energy going for it.

Rating: 6/10

Over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4MokPYfeLk

Oh hey cool it's a drum beat put on repeat for 2:22. Well not literally on repeat, but it is the same basic drum beat with some minor variation. On the bright side, it's an interesting and fun beat that is enjoyable to listen to, but well. It's literally just a drum beat

Rating: 5/10

Eternity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFuzVeJnSR0

Mehhhh. At least this track is unique compared to its counterparts in the previous few sets. It's really not that great, but it is listenable and I do kinda happen to be in the mood for a track like this right now. It's nothing outstanding, but it's a listenable track that is 'alright'

Rating: 5/10

Sakutaro's Adventure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZMbsNxYw3c

I like this song a good deal. It's like everything that's good about the high energy tracks, but just kinda... mellow, y'know? It's also catchy as hell. Not the greatest track ever, but I hear a few different melodies in this one from other songs (HoM stands out to me in particular) and I just like it a lot.

Rating: 7.5/10

Surrounding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlZddhshK0U

This was a pretty in-and-out track both according to me and Audiosurf. It had its moments where it was in, but then it would fade out to just a rhythm before coming back in. Overall, an alright track though. Nothing special, but also nothing overly boring like some of the previous things I've ranted about and slammed. An enjoyable track, but it just doesn't stand up to the big ones.

Rating: 6/10

Death (From Stupefaction) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UJRCwLKspA

This is like Big ZTS without actually being recognized as such. Sure, it's inferior to all of them, but as a heavy, bass-intensive electronic piece, it's pretty goddamn good. You can definitely hear Stupefaction in this, which now isn't a bad thing because unlike Stupefaction being godawful boring and reptitive, this song really isn't. Well as far as heavy bass-intensive electronic pieces go. Pretty good song, either way.

Rating: 7.5/10

Hibuta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5vk9lMWOBE

Ahh, this song reminds me of Tsubasa a lot actually. And I do enjoy this piece quite a bit. It's BASICALLY the same piece looped a couple times, but it's long enough (And good enough!) to where it doesn't FEEL repetitive really. It's got its lead-in to the main part which is pretty nice, but the main part of the main melody is what really clinches this one as good for me.

Rating: 7.5/10

Mortal Stampede http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEMLNCTkzdM

You know, one thing I never noticed about this song before was the bass part in the background. And being a huge Rush fan, that's highly disappointing for me <_< Either way, I love Mortal Stampede. Such a great song, and just so nice to listen to. The entire melody is excellent, and even the slowed down version of it that plays later on is good to listen to. The bass melody and drums are awesome too, which really complements this whole thing nicely.

Fun Fact: When I ported Umineko tracks over to make a Tsukihime/Kagetsu Tohya soundtrack, I ended up putting Mortal Stampede in place of whatever the most common SoL-esque track in Kagetsu Tohya is. I don't recall which one it was, but I heard a lot of Mortal Stampede on my replay.

Rating: 8/10

Victima Propicitoria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HJKJxQRmgc This song is pretty damn similar to Mortal Stampede in the sense that it's driven by repitition of its melody. But again, it's a damn good melody that is absolutely capable of driving a song on its own. But what separates this from Mortal Stampede is the rhythm. Unlike Mortal Stampede, the rhythm here is borderline impossible to miss because of the spanish(?) chanting that accompanies it. And overall, it does good things for the song. Notably, this is like the only noteworthy thing SB YUNE has done aside from the Dread of the Grave set.

Rating: 7.5/10

Revolt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPJXp3xPglY

This is like... Mortal Stampede for cool hipsters (lmao implying they exist) or something. I don't like it AS much as Mortal Stampede, but it's still a damn good straight-up remix of it that still manages to pull off all the right parts. It could be better yeah, but then you can say that about pretty much any song. It's just an enjoyable piece that manages to retain most all of what makes Mortal Stampede great.

Rating: 7.5/10

The Dark and Crazed Requiem of Purgatory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jADErEGJLQ

This might be my favorite song in the set. Some of you might remember that I pushed /really/ hard for it to get into the Umineko Music Contest. At any rate, this is like Mortal Stampede in terms of style, but that's where the similarities end really. It's a fast-paced song that lets it all out on the table and really benefits from it. It's a great song, and while the Mortal Stampede similarity is there, I feel like it's also distinct enough to definitely be it's own (And superior) piece.

Rating: 8.5/10

Happy Maria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utPpd8q-xpM

What a strange song. It's just Happy Maria (Inst) with people (Presumably Maria, Beatrice, and... Ronove maybe?) singing. But the vocals really complete and complement the song in a very unique way that just makes it one of the most fun songs to listen to on the entire soundtrack. Great song. But the Band Arrange in OMK is superior <.< Also it has the goddamn MAGICAL GOHDA CHEF

Rating: 7/10

Dive to Emergency http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhhPseV2XlA

This song actually reminds me of Over a good deal. It's definitely percussion-driven, but unlike Over, it also has a melody to it. It's a very powerful, yet kinda curt melody that really serves a purpose of accentuating the percussion and giving the song a sense of urgency. Overall, good song.

Rating: 6/10

Dir http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSKWf_20Lkg

Man, according to Audiosurf, this is one hell of a ride, especially towards the end. While I disagree with that, Dir IS one of the most powerful songs in the game. It's filled with complete raw emotion that has brought tears to my (And several other peoples') eyes before. Dir is one of the most beautiful songs in the VN, with an absolutely amazing melody, and is definitely worthy of its place in the top tier. Also ironically enough, "Twice as good if it were twice as long" <_<

Rating: 9/10

DreamEndDischarger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDPJuAxZaOo

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Board 8 knows of my relative dislike for DreamEndDischarger. Though I was hyping a good deal of that up because I didn't feel it was worth of winning VGMC4/ToC (And then continued hyping it up elsewhere <.<), it did spawn from legit reasons. There are several sections in the song where it feels like it's trying too hard to be WorldEndDominator v2 and just failing. HOWEVER, in spite of that, DED is a good song. The parts where it's being unique instead of WED 2.0, it's a very interesting and fun to listen to piece. I don't take it over any of the other big ZTS songs except maybe Goldenslaughterer, but that doesn't mean I dislike it at all. Its only flaw, aside from WED 2.0 (Which isn't even a majority of the song, really. Just parts of it) is that it's a lot longer than it really needs to be. It could probably get away with being about two minutes shorter.

Rating: 8/10

Endless Nine

Oh god I love this song a lot. The rhythm here. It's just an absolutely amazing rhythm and definitely the best in the first four episodes, and definitely contends for best in the entire soundtrack. Everything about this song is pretty damn close to perfect. To top it all off, we get MICROSOFT SAM singing. Now I haven't the foggiest idea what he's actually saying for the most part, but the computer voice fits the song really goddamn well and just complements it.

Rating: 9.25/10

Discode

Discode is an interesting song. It starts off slowly then goes to all hell between the instruments and the vocals. It's pretty good, but the vocals do absolutely nothing for me here. I'm sure that some of you will disagree with me on this, but for the most part (Happy Maria being one of the very few exceptions) the vocals don't do anything for me on this soundtrack. I feel like a Discode (Instrumental) would hold up at least as well as this does. But it's still a good, listenable song that I do enjoy.

Rating: 6/10

About Face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeW13C_4NXw

Ehhh, this song. I'm really not sure what to think about it. I mean it's a decent, listenable melody that doesn't bore me, but I don't like it. It doesn't resonate with me in the slightest. And I really don't have much to say about it aside from that. It's kinda disappointing to finish out 1-4 on such a low note tbqh.

Rating: 5/10

Occultics no Majo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XpHrk4yqus

Man what a ****ing catchy track. It's not the most solidly written track, but good god is it ****ing catchy. I really enjoy it, too. And really unlike what I said when I was reviewing Discode, the vocals here really just serve to accentuate how catchy it is. But then, catchy and high-energy is all it has going for it. Not the best song, beyond that.

Rating: 6.5/10

Kiri no Pithos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaWpDcBzDFA

This song may not be as catchy as either of the other two openings, but it's definitely a better song. Everything about this song is well-written and flows really, really well. The vocals aren't that great, but they serve as a nice accent to the piece, I feel. Overall, just an incredibly likable song that prides itself on its flow, which is something that a good deal of these songs can't do.

Rating: 8/10

Future http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3NrtGdtUs

Hm. This song is more of a quieter, laid back piece that is reminiscent of hope in so many ways. It's a very good track, too, and one that I don'tsee mentioned by very many people as a great track. My only real problem with it is that it's too laid-back, and it suffers a bit as a result. Still a very good track overall, though.

Rating: 8.5/10

Deep Blue Jeer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcTxd5qQChw

Here's another one that gets by on being catchy as hell. The melody for this one, unlike OnM though, is surprisingly solid and great to listen to. There's also a good bass part to it that actually gives me Donkey Kong Country 2 vibes, which scores nostalgia points with me <.< At any rate, a very solid song that's accentuated by its bass part and is overall very catch and enjoyable.

Rating: 7/10

The Great Detective Knows http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE7Qvi2V-8o

This is another reasonably catchy and likable song. Seems like most Ep 5 songs fall in that for me. Not many of them are awesome, but they're all for the most part decent and catchy. Anyways, the reason this one really sticks out to me is because of its bass part that plays during what I guess is the chorus of the piece. It really accentuates the song well.

Rating: 7/10

One http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZi1g9m2in4

Well I did say 'most'. One is a quieter song that doesn't really stick out that much (Surprisingly, this holds truer in the higher-energy parts. The slower melody is recognizable and memorable enough), but it's more of a piece of mood music, and it does set a mood. It's decent, but overall, One just doesn't realy stick out enough and definitely gets lost in the shuffle of Ep 5 tracks, most of which DO stand out in some form.

Rating: 5/10

Spiral http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZWeg_C-Bzw

Spiral is a slow piece with an emphasis on the piano and the lady singing in the background. It's not the catchiest piece, but the main melody definitely sticks with you. It's a very haunting melody, and while it's not the most enjoyable thing, it might be one of the better mood pieces in the series in that capacity. A very memorable and solid piece.

Rating: 7/10

String Trio #600 Million in F-Sharp Minor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daeEZHSYGHM

And now we've got a very blatant remake of the Organ Short. This is a really good piece. Very, very well-made, and retains most of the charm of the Organ short while transforming it into something far more melancholy than tense, and definitely not Beatrice. But that's fine, because the song makes no promises about trying to be Beatrice's theme (Consider when it plays <_<) like #200 Million does (And fails at imho), and instead just pulls off its role in a very beautiful manner. Excellent song.

Rating: 8/10

Totem Blume http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cwaWybHkuE

This is a fun little track that has a very definite ZTS feel to it IMO (Even though it's by -45). Pretty much throughout, it's got that electronic sound combined with the bass drum that is VERY prevelant in most of ZTS's work, and really it serves as a very very nice backing to the main melody here. But the melody itself is good too. It's catchy, exciting, and sticks out. Overall, it's a strong piece that really benefits well from how everything fits together.

Rating: 7.5/10

JUSTICE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxliVmx39OI

JUSTICE is another absolutely amazing piece. I could argue that the emphasis is actually on the bass drum beat for a majority of the song (And that the melody accentuates that, rather than the other way around), but the whole thing really just WORKS. And it works in absolutely amazing ways. The song starts off slowly, but once it picks up, it never, ever looks back and it just keeps carrying on using that beautiful rhythm and melody.

Rating: 8.5/10

ACI-L http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWgEwE1gArE

I've really always thought of this one as Dread of the Grave lite. This is a fast electronic-type piece that is definitely remniscient of DotG in terms of style and mood, but honestly that's where the similarities end. ACI-L is simply an inferior piece to DotG (But then that's not hard at all <_<), and I'd say a large reason for that is that it's quick and dramatic pretty much all the time. Even DotG has a calmer section to it.

Rating: 8/10

Proud-Dust http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idJLgN2Pu0I

Another absolutely amazing track. This is one of my favorite pieces, and it has a top five melody in the game IMO (Alongside Dead Angle, WorldEndDominator, and a couple I haven't ranked yet). Actually, this track is remniscent of Dead Angle in a lot of ways IMO. And like Dead Angle, it's an absolutely amazing background piece, and one of my favorite pieces to put on when I'm working/thinking on things (I would not have finished my summer homework without this <_<). But yeah, great track that gets full milage and then some out of what's an absolutely amazing melody.

Rating: 9/10

Hello Your Dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFegbnVwCpo

The slow parts of this song kinda remind me of the buildup of Promise. The rest of the song is alright too though. Most of the song (IE: not the slow parts) is a very fast-paced track with a decent bass part that really relies on its speed to keep you hooked. While it succeeds at that, and is a decent song, I just really don't feel like it's well-written as a result. It seems too... gimmicky might be the right word here, seeing as it relies on its speed and energy to keep you interested.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Girl's Witch Hunt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uy6rfyZwnU

This is another exciting song that's up the same alley as Totem Blume. The bass/rhythm isn't AS good in my opinion, but it does stand out in a neat way and it supports the song nicely. The melody here is nothing really amazingly complex or anything, but it definitely gets the job of being a tense, fearful tune done. But yeah, another nice track that's pretty similar to Totem Blume, which isn't really a bad thing either.

Rating: 7/10

Smile-less Soiree http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZB7aTrX2bE

As the title may or may not indicate, this is a pretty melancholy piece, and there really isn't THAT much to it beyond that in my opinion. I find its melody uninteresting, and for a song like this that tries to carry itself on said melody, that's not a good thing at all. Its redeeming factor though, is its bass part. The bass part is reasonably complex and interesting to listen to, which is a good thing for an otherwise kinda boring song, but since in this song, it's more of a background part, there's only so much it can do.

Rating: 5/10

Kuina http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggn8riHTDqw

I think this is the only Ep 5 track that I find grating and hard to listen to on any level. For pretty much the entire time, it feels like this piece is trying (But thankfully failing) to rape my ears. It is very, very tough for me to listen to this track without at least wanting to skip it part of the way through. I just think that this is a very poorly written track that did not take into consideration the effect of high-pitched constant screech-like sounds on human ears. What a poorly-written mess of a song.

Rating: 3/10

Patchwork Chimera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dORf0tLaSn8

Hmmm. I like this track. It feels like a lot of the Ep 5 tracks are kinda formed from this one, but this one has some kind of charm to it. It's a very memorable track, and solidly written, though I just feel like overall it leaves a bit to be desired. I think that stems from the rhythm, which is noticable, but overall pretty lacking I'd say. Still a good song, but it could certainly be better.

Rating: 7.5/10

ResurrectedReplayer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNl4PNFubvQ

Oh hey it's zts. This track is basically Goldenslaughterer 2.0, but it's just a hell of a lot better despite being founded in the same basic song. The Bass part is incredibly awesome in this, and is capable of carrying the song on its own, but wait, there's more! The melody here keeps the bass from carrying the song because it is, for the most part, excellent as well. The amazing part about this though, is that there are a couple different melodies you could call the "main" one if you wanted, I feel. Sure it can be argued otherwise, but I think part of this song's charm is its variance in spite of its basic foundings in Goldenslaugheter.

Rating: 8.5/10

Final Answer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSb6-3W9370

Absoluely excellent song. Apprently this is supposed to be some kind of remix of Answer, but who cares it's awesome regardless how you consider it in that regard. I won't call it perfect, because I don't feel it is (Though that's just a feeling I have on it <_<), but it's still absolutely amazing in every regard. Notably, the part that runs 0:09-0:18 (Check the video IMO) is absolutely godlike. It's like sex. But for your ears. Best part is that it comes up later in the song too.

Rating: 9.25/10

Hikari http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7GLvyHjuZY

Now we're at a lower-energy, slower organ piece. I feel like this track is kinda... Overbearing, really, with the way that it forces itself on you and uses its forceful melody, but that's not entirely bad. My problem with this song is that while it's got a memorable melody, it's just not really enjoyable. I can't really bring myself to like this track.

Rating: 5/10

Discolor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_2Sso-JoO4

Discolor is... An absolutely brilliantly amazing track. One of my favorites for sure. Furthermore, forget what I said about any other song being emotional. None of them have anything on Discolor. Furthermore, I consider myself a pretty big music guy, but screw this soundtrack, I've never heard any song ANYWHERE before that can make me break down and cry as easy as this one can. Like I didn't even use Audiosurf with this song because I honestly feel like it would be blasphemous against the music to do so. And that's the only song on the soundtrack I feel that way about. Also, this song has only been used once in the entire VN . And while I wouldn't MIND seeing it used again because it's awesome, I also feel like its impact as a piece of music would be hurt if it was :/

Rating: 9.5/10

Solitary Deep Sea Fish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMVh99cpPuk

This song is another one of those very fast-paced tracks that I tend to get mixed up with each other. I also find it to be a pretty mediocre song, especially in comparison to a lot of these other tracks I've been hearing lately. It doesn't really stand out in any way compared to, say, Final Answer, Resurrectedreplayer, Discolor, or even Patchwork Chimera. And really, it's not that it does anything wrong, but it doesn't really do anything RIGHT either.

Rating: 5/10

Bread of Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aDk-Kxen9E

Bread of Life on the other hand, is good. It doesn't suffer any of the notable problems, really, but then I also really feel like it doesn't have that special element to it that makes a good song great. It's a solid melody, and it's an enjoyable piece, but I feel like it kinda lacks substance, y'know?

Rating: 6/10

Promise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6yxzjpZ5wU

This is another one of those songs that I don't care for in the slightest but I can understand why somebody would. The instrumentation is nice, and has a hint of beauty to it, but the main reason I don't' care for this is the singer. Like, I can see why somebody would like her voice, but it just totally rubs me the wrong way. And since that's the whole focus of the song, well, yeah...

Rating: 4.5/10

Tomorrow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSLL6pzOLXQ

This is another of those fast-paced tracks that relies on its melody to get it everywhere. The rhythm section here is so forgettable and just really nothing that great. Luckily, the melody is pretty good. This song is a lot like Justice in that regard, really, but it's not nearly as good. A listenable track and really not much more

Rating: 6/10

Tsubasa (Ver Hope) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbJTxrMH5Yc

Due to technical difficulties this song has been replaced with Tsubasa(PinoMix). Ok it actually hasn't but Pinomix is so much better and since I'm not reviewing the musicboxes Blue and Red <_> (Except maybe as a side project after). Anyways, this is some kind of cool remix of the original Tsubasa, and it doesn't disappoint in the slightest. It starts out with very nice instrumentation that keeps up throughout the whole song, and shortly after, the vocals kick in. Now I don't particularly mind the vocals here, but there is the section where they cut out and it's replaced by the singer... trying to whisper maybe? I dunno. But that part is bothersome to listen to.

Rating: 7.5/10

Empty Grey Smile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPkKuKc4-2I

I can not stand this song. The first 3/4 of it or so is only slightly less painful than Goddess-Gardena to listen to. The last 1/4 of it is listenable at least, but it can not redeem the absolute bull**** of the rest of the song. The organ is absolutely grating and painful to listen to in this piece, and I hate it. hate hate hate hate hate. At least the last 1/4 keeps it from being worse than Rose too <_<

Rating: 1/10

Eternal Chains http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkEtpx8bcJ8

This is another one of those 99% percussion tracks. And while it's not bad, it's too straightforwards and reptititve to be truely likable, I feel. It IS, however, a very creepy rhythm IMO, and definitely a worthy piece, though boring on its own.

Rating: 5/10

Love Examination http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ1CeuQMv7s

I can sum this song up in three words: Really, Really, Repetitive. I mean, it's a solid melody, but it's so repetitive that it's just so damn boring by the time you get halfway through as a result. But on the other hand it's not like Grey Empty Smile bad or anything.

Rating: 4/10

A Single Moment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3KPybMNKSk

And this one is another somewhat repetitive track. It doesn't really feel as long or as boring as Love Examination does though. It's a lot more quieter and definitley more of a background piece, which lends well to the reptitive nature of it, but then, it also doesn't stand out in the slightest. At least it's nice while it lasts.

Rating: 5.5/10

Look Back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEw0PPcNdHY

Yeah we're up to three more reptitive tracks in a row now. This is pretty much the same as A Single Moment conecptually, and in practice it's not really that different but the melody is different. There's not much to say here that I haven't said about one of the previous songs in this set, either <_<

Rating: 5/10

Blue Butterfly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbhPq4pGn8M

Oh hey cool a legit awesome track. Blue Butterfly is a straight-up no gimmicks piano piece that really delivers. The balance between slow and fast, the melody... Brilliant track that gets overshadowed by Life and Battle Field among others as far as Ep 6 music goes, and really gets overshadowed by most of the highest-tier pieces in general which is kinda sad, because I think it's about worthy of being up there.

Rating: 8.5/10

Infant Queen Bee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG3MJpnt1gA

Man the distortion on the synths here at the start is something else. I'm not particularly fond of it, but it's interesting to listen to. Anyways, this song is mostly driven by its cool, if a tad simplistic, drum beat alongside another melody. Best way to describe this song would probably be "loud", but it's the kind of loud that isn't something like Fake Red Shoes "OH MY GOD WALL OF NOISE" loud, it's just loud. But overall, it kinda falls in the middle of "ehhh this track is alright" to me. It's got some interesting parts to it, but it's not anything truely special

Rating: 6/10

Rog Limitation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A44lG8CJfA

Man this song has such a cool intro melody. But that's really all it has going for it. The rest ranges from "Goddamn this is kinda annoying to listen to" to "Ehhhh it's alright". And really the first few seconds (Even when they show up again later) can't save the rest of it and make it something legit good. Pretty middle of the road track overall, though, because while it can be pretty annoying at points, and the main melody isn't THAT great, it does have some pretty cool parts to it.

Rating: 5/10

Waltz Op. 34 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOFgnKn_T2g

And here's Black Lilliana again. Wait you mean this isn't actually Black Lilliana? what the ****. Anyways yeah this is pretty much a direct ripoff of Black Lilliana, but it's not quite half as long and the melody was ever so slightly distorted to make it sound different. So yeah, it's a direct ripoff of a good song, but I just find it less enjoyable. Maybe it's the length? This feels like it should be longer to me with the way it just cuts off

Rating: 7.5/10

ALIVE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ylNrVEvzY

This song takes an interesting melody and just runs with it, occasionally mixing in a really neat drum rhythm. It's a pretty good song for what it is, but I feel like it could get away with being half to 3/4 the length and still do just fine. It feels kinda boring by the end to me, even though it is still a good song.

Rating: 7/10

Birth of a New Witch (Inst) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAkvF7HkFEY

Aww yeah BoanW. Excellent track here. This is basically a catchy-as-hell track that could probably, if the vocal version were dubbed/the lyrics were rewritten, pass for a chart-topping single on modern radio <_<. At any rate, this song really rides its melody hard (Though not nearly as hard as ALIVE), but it's a really damn good one. The guitar work that shows up is excellent, too. The rhythm section leaves a little to be desired, but it is certainly not the focus of the song, and not much is lost.

Rating: 8.5/10

Ruriair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O18lICr-5Q

Holy crap the background part in the intro is hard to notice over everything else going on in this song but it is absolutely amazing. Once you get past the intro though, it's a great song overall. The rhythm is pretty good, the melody is great, but it suffers from the same problem as ALIVE did. It really rides the same melody far too hard for far too long with not enough variance to be truely interesting and great. Still scores an extra fraction of points because its melody is definitely more suited to abuse like that, but it doesn't really redeem it much if at all.

Rating: 7.25/10

Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfIsbeR6nWw

Holy ****ing **** what an amazing track. Dai is a ****ing god with the piano, and this track and Hope really go above and beyond to prove that. The melody here is absolutly phenomonal, and the track is pretty much exactly the perfect length for what it is. Combine that with the single drum making up the rhythm section (Which works really well in this piece), and you have a goddamn winner here. Absolutely amazing song.

Rating: 9.5/10

Lorely http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJdaEeW5xVY

Oh, it's another melancholy track. Considering when this one plays, it works well enough I guess. This is an alright track, with an alright melody, that doesn't have anything exceptional about it. It's like the Jr High Kyon of Umineko songs. Absolutely nothing about this track stands out, for good or for bad. And what's worse is that it's a relatively forgettable track, and it manages to even get lost in the shuffle IN THE EPISODE ITSELF when that entire cluster**** of "Oh **** we have a lot of stuff we haven't used let's get on that" at the end of the Episode.

Rating: 5/10

The Sin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSAcfUz17EQ

Woooo Mortal Stampede remixes. And bonus points for "**** YEAH BEATRICE!". Yeah, this is basically Mortal Stampede v2 done in a bit more of an electronic style. It's still an excellent song, and the rhythm section stands out as great, but honestly I don't think the style is very well-suited towards the song itself. There's also plenty of variance in this one, so despite being as long as it is, it doesn't really drag at all IMO.

Rating: 7.5/10

The First and the Last http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkjgy9FbPY

This song reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on what... Oh well. This is another one of those songs that rides its melody way too ha-Ha! Just kidding, this one doesn't do that AS badly. It changes pace a good deal of the way through for just long enough to get a refreshing break before going back into its melody to finish out the song. It doesn't really redeem the rest of the song for being the same thing over and over, but it is at least a nice break. I would also like to point out that good god the drum section here is great. Like really goddamn good great.

Rating: 6.75/10

Anti-Demon Sequentia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICj8tVx0lQ

And this is the prototypical battle track <_<. It's not really THAT great of a melody, but it's passable at the very least, and the song doesn't really ride it that hard. Unlike ALIVE, TFatL etc, this song is a nice, refreshing mix of music that absolutely doesn't feel like it drags until the very end, at which point it's over <_< It's not really the most exceptional track out there, but it is what it is, and it's pretty good for what it is.

Rating: 7/10

Battlefield http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7ByDX00sGI

This is an amazing track. In pretty much every way possible. The main problem with it though is that no single part of it really stands out. On the other hand though, the entire thing stands out as a piece. And really, this track just flows well. It doesn't drag, and it doesn't feel forced at places. It just goes whatever direction it feels like it should go, and it really benefits as a track from it. Excellent piece.

Rating: 8.75/10

Kina no Kaori http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSQO0I5FHoc

Kina no Kaori is a very melodic piece, with absolutely no emphasis on rhythm. There IS a drum section, but the amount of effort required to hear it means it may as well not exist, which is sad because it's decent. Either way, the melody here is a fine one, and the song itself is alright and listenable, but it's nothing overly special

Rating: 5.5/10

My Dear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FAsbUm0hIQ

Now we've got this longer piece (Nearly 6 minutes...!) that's remniscent of hope and requiem in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, being as long as it is, it starts to drag. Hard. And while this is a nice melody it's got here, I simply can't enjoy it past the first couple minutes.

Rating: 4/10

Rebirth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGgnNl9zbuc

Geeze what a nice bass part this song has. And really, this is a good solid song in general. Good melody, good rhythm section (Bass and Drums both! The drum section is good too!), and a decent amount of variance over its 3 minutes make it a winner in my book.

Rating: 7/10

Pathway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptx1SP77Dcc

This is a cool, if somewhat inferior, Final Answer remix. It retains the charm and greatness of the original, but it lacks the 9-second section that I praised as the best part several times over <_< Either way, this is still a great track even without that part, and I feel like the style this is done in really suits the song, unlike The Sin and Mortal Stampede

Rating: 8.5/10

LiberatedLiberater http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM-Stt5Yq6o

This track is pretty much the prototype of zts songs. Electronic sound, that great drum rhythm, cool melody, interludes with somewhat different melodies, this song has it all. Unfortunately, relative to the rest of ZTS's major works, this one doesn't really stand out as great. I mean, it's got all the parts to be a MirageCoordinator or WorldEndDominator, but the execution really just seems lacking here.

Rating: 8/10

Engage of Marionette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCkOCmciLcU

It's like HoM. But slower. And ****ier. And without the lead-ins that made the original great. Yeah, pretty bad song overall, really, and I'm just thankful that it's not overly long.

Rating: 3.5/10

Birth of a New Witch (Short) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JBKyLZd6GA

Hey it's BoaNW again. The vocal version is pretty good, but I don't feel like the short version stacks up to the Instrumental version. Just feels like there's something missing here. Ironically, even though the Vocals do add to the song here, they also make it feel incomplete, especially relative to the full version. It just kinda feels like it ends suddenly :/ Even worse, the full version isn't on the musicbox (Though it doesn't appear in the game either, IIRC) <_< But I do prefer the Full to the Instrumental, just to give you an idea of it.

Rating: 7.5/10

Thanks for All People http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg5Fw0B3tCU

Here's another one of those songs that attempts to make its living on beauty, but this one doesn't really do it AS well. It's a nice piece, and it's a good variance in its melody to make it enjoyable, but it doesn't get passing marks for beauty, which seems to be the goal to me.

Rating: 6/10

Fishy Aroma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1dmB2z39_8

Oh man do the vocals ever complete this piece. The regular Fishy Aroma is great, but this version really cranks it up another notch. Excellent piece here, and the added sound effects (Most notably the ahaha.wav at the very end) really help make this song too.

Rating: 9/10

le4-octobre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLSAv8vhgsQ

yesssssssssssss episode 7. wait **** this track is like 8 minutes long and kinda boring. Well, it's not Rose tier at least for long and boring, because the melody is nice to listen to for a little while at least, but the main question I have is "why is this song 8 minutes long?" even if it does improve a little towards the end.

Rating: 2/10

l&d-circulation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKUSi2apj1k

Man, what another great piece of BGM. I don't particularly enjoy this as a piece of free-listening, but this is well-written track that is great for the background. The solid melody here is really the standout of the track. It's very relaxing to listen to.

Rating: 6/10

reflection-call http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6xbvsPVv1E

Is that... An acoustic guitar in the background? Absolutely love it. The melody on this is only decent at best, but the rest of the song is really good and definitely makes up for it. Standout track overall, really, and one worth listening to.

Rating: 7.25/10

rain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYl1hLAPoRc

Dude this track really reminds me of legit rain with how easy to listen to and relaxing it is. This isn't really the best track there is, but this has to be the single easiest-to-listen to track in the series. There isn't that much in the way of a rhythm section here, but I feel like that helps it as an easy listening piece. The melody though... It realy carries this piece all the way through. Great melody, and it makes for a great song overall.

Rating: 6.5/10

7 Weights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSJVvftCR64

Here's another solid track. The lead-in is interesting, which sets up the main melody of the song. It's a solid melody. I'd like to call special attention to the drums though. Goddamn do I like the drums here. I am a sucker for good drum work. And this song has good drum work IMO. Not that particularly great of a song (If somewhat interesting) outside of that, but it's still perfectly listenable.

Rating: 5.5/10

Fall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt4GGsj39H8

This track is like Rain in concept, but it's just so inferior. Decentish melody that's calm and relaxing, but it really isn't that easy to just listen to IMO. There are too many spots, however short they are, where there's litearlly just nothing going on, and that really hurts the song. It's really mediocre at best I'd say.

Rating: 4/10

Bore-ral http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX32Qeq9z1s

Oh hey it's that voice. THAT ****ING VOICE THAT GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS MAKING GODDESS-GARDENA PAINFUL TO LISTEN TO. *ahem*. Unlike the aforementioned piece of ****, this song is not, in fact, painful to listen to. The vocals aren't by any means good, but they're at least tolerable, and while aside from them, there's no melody to speak of (Ok there IS one, but it's nothing worth speaking about since the voice overshadows it), this song is basically a cool drum section with hard-to-listen-to vocals. I can rave about the drum section, but there's really no particular part about it that stands out. It just all blends together well, but it can't redeem the song on its own. Also good god this is seven minutes long lolwhat

Rating: 4/10

Ballade-continuer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAy_wBQ13ZE

This is a melody-driven piece not unlike l&d really, though it falls more towards the middle of the Free Listening vs BGM scale. UNFORTUNATELY for this song, I'm not terribly fond of the melody for the louder parts (though the quieter parts are good) and honestly this falls into the "mediocre at best with not much beyond that" category for me. There's just not much substance to this one, I feel, beyond it's "alright" melody.

Rating: 5/10

Nameless Song (Ver.2007) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZrLFLgabGU

Oh hey, this song. I really love this song. It's like... I've mentioned some pieces as borderline beautiful before. But as far as that goes, this one just absolutely takes the cake. I mean, this isn't really THAT great of a song as it is, that aside, but good god it is an absolute thing of beauty. I think my biggest problem with it is that louder piano or whatever tends to be kinda grating to listen to when it's not being absolutely beyond beautiful. But still, a decently solid piece all around, and immense beauty on top of that.

Rating: 6.5/10

lie-alaia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba7CwkGPQCM

Hmmm. I don't really like this song much. It feels like it tries to jump from climax to climax without falling down and building back up a lot of the time, and when it DOES start to rebuild I feel like the melody is borderline bad <_<. There really isn't anything redeeming in this song.

Rating: 3.5/10

Far (Flat) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9T17pdMhrY

hey it's far. Except it's entirely piano. I don't like it as much as the standard Far, mostly because the extra non-piano parts really benefitted, I think. But it still captures most of the charm and greatness of the original piece and pulls it off really well.

Rating: 7/10

Toybox http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2W-G-LmBA0

Oh it's another melody-driven track. It's a short piece, too, and the melody is good enough to totally carry the song through here, which is good because the song lacks any sort of drums or rhythm, which kinda makes me sad, but eh a piece like this doesn't really need them anyways. Overall good track here.

Rating: 6.5/10

Terminal Entrance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJCObVmVr7g

I'm really not sure what to say about this track. It's weird and trippy as hell though. There's a really unique kind of flow to it that's hard to put into words, too, and the drum section is pretty good. But the melody here is just outright bad IMO and not fun to listen to at all, and whatever that other prevailing sound effect is that goes a long way towards making it so trippy is just tough to listen to. I don't really like this track, but I guess I can see why somebody would.

Rating: 4/10

Puppet Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbZbMSp7x18

So this is basically Toybox's melody with a few minor changes. Namely a drum and a bit of some other percussion (Xylophone?) is added in but ehhh I don't really think it's that great. And honestly if you ignore the drum part, and put this and Toybox back to back I would not be able to distinguish them probably <_<. So there really isn't anything to say that I didn't say about Toybox.

Rating: 6.5/10

S/he-end http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoCg4BiVAMI

Oh hey it's THAT GODDAMN STUPID ****ING VOICE AGAIN. This is really not that good in the slightest, and the noise that this song tries to pass as a melody isn't in the slightest bit attention-grabbing or interesting to listen to. It actually almost gave me a headache to listen to this one. not good, but it's also not outright BAD aside from that ****ing awful voice. Just boring ignoring that.

Rating: 2.5/10

Nameless Song (inst) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sas87qoYcfE

Man, like the other version of this song, this is a real thing of beauty. Even better it's extended for a few more minutes of pure amazing beauty. Like this song is so great it cured my headache that I got between Goddess-Gardena and s/he-end. But yeah, one of the most beautiful pieces I know, and honestly just a great track to sit down and listen to no matter what you're doing or what the context is. It's not the most upbeat piece there is, but who needs that when you're beautiful enough to bring tears to a man's eyes

Rating: 7.5/10

Goddess-Gardena http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmGtaw8gMpA

Ok I am literally doing this one first (In spite of it being at the bottom of this list) to get its bull**** out of the way before going on to more decent stuff. This song combines literally the worst vocals I've ever heard with the most grating high-pitched organ I've ever heard and goes on like that for MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES. This is bull****. Like, the composer here (Xaki right?) really really dropped the ball with it. This has to be the most painful piece of music I've ever heard anywhere. The stretch from 2:25 to 2:35 is particularly painful. Literally for a soundtrack overall this awesome to have something this ****ing awful in it. what is this I don't even how the **** is this even possible I mean seirously now I didn't know it was possible to write a song this bad let alone put it on a soundtrack filled with some of the greatest pieces of music I've ever heard. I mean seriously this is total bull****. To put it in the words of a good friend of mine: "There was this one time where I got into a fight with a girl when I was 6 and she screamed realy loud when I pulled her hair and I would rather listen to her scream for 5 minutes rather than listen to this song"

Rating: 0/10 but you bet your ass if I were in a nonserious mood I would give this a negative score. Literally the worst song I've ever heard. It hurts my ears.

The End of the World http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO9AKnb1vww

Here we've got another track that I would place in the "beautiful" category. EotW is a great piano piece, when it's in its melody. When it's outside its melody it pretty much moves at a crawl and the quality really suffers. Even so, the melody here that this song is so proud of is a great one. Furthermore, the particular section that shows up a couple times at the song, but most notably 3:00-3:10 is absolutely mindblowing. Not QUITE as good as that 9-second stretch of Final Answer, but it's up there, and really clinches this one for me.

Rating: 8/10

Golden Nocturne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa_u_DI0fvg

This song takes 13 seconds to wake up. Once it does wake up though, it busts out what's easily the best melody in the episode and really plays it well. This is an excellent song, and probably my favorite in the episode. The rhyhtm here really stands out as a thrilling beat that really accentuates the melody in brilliant ways, and actually the song kinda follows the verse -> chorus -> verse -> Chorus -> Solo etc structure of western rock'n'roll music (Which is another thing I am fairly big into) and that really causes it to resonate well with me. Did I mention the guitar? 2:37-2:55 is a brilliant piece of guitar work based around the main melody that really seals the deal with this one and clinches it as an excellent piece.

Rating: 9/10

Ridicule http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi3eAjB_LcA

Yeah, on the surface, this song sounds like a bunch of noise and static thrown together, and honestly it really is. HOWEVER, it's a well-made collection of noise that has the added bonus of being creepy as **** in the VN. I mean really now. Gunshot -> The first few notes of this and then what happens after what more do you want. Yeah, this song can start to wear on one's nerves after a while if you're just free-listening to it, but as it stands, this is a surprisingly well-made track for what it is that is CREEPY and AMBIENT AS ****, and that works out really well in my book.

Rating: 7.5/10

Corruption (The Bloodbath of October 4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AHOh9tTNfo

Ah, this is a great track. It's a high-energy, consistent piece that starts off strong and keeps its strong melody the entire way through. The rhythm section that I'm so fond of takes a background position here, but it keeps the theme of high energy and consistency and goes through the song without missing a beat. Great track overall, though not quite worthy of the highest tiers of praise.

Rating: 8.5/10

Executioner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg9XPcPKYAQ

As Mr. Bellis said in his topic a while back, Executioner is ZTS for people who don't really like ZTS's style. It really lacks the hallmark electronic sound (You know the one) that the others have, but Executioner stands just fine on its own merits. There are a few different melodies going on here that are swapped between with a degree of regularity, but they all have the tense, tight mood in common. That and they're all good. The drums here, while good, are relatively weak compared to the other mainline ZTS songs IMO, but that doesn't make them bad. That's a hard rhythm to follow, and honestly I would go so far as to say that this weaker one suits the song better <_<. Yeah, great and unique song that definitely stands out, even amoung its own kind. Also, am I the only one that hears MirageCoordinator in the first minute or so...?

Rating: 8.5/10

Nameless Song (Ver. Sakura) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOO7t-UaTic

Man and here's the best version of Nameless Song to finish it all off. This is about half the length of the Instrumental version, but the vocals that are added in, combined with the changes to make the melody softer, really benefit this in every way imaginable. I have hailed the entire Nameless Song set for its beauty, and each one has been more beautiful than the last, and no exception here. Excellent track that we've got here, and it really does stand up among the best of the best. Its shortness can be seen as a point against it, but I feel like it actually serves it really well here in not prolonging it any more than it needs to be.

Rating: 9/10

Flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHomiMPH4mc

Hm. High-energy and fast-paced, decent drums, good melody, good flow... This song is a nice package of stuff. But it really seems to me that it IS just a collection of "stuff" that just happens to work together well until it suddenly ends. Not the best, but still good and listenable.

Rating: 6.5/10

Revelations (Inst) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dgLGcxY1-s

Ah, uh, this is one of those tracks that I think I'll "get" better once I've heard it in context. Without that, it's an enigma to me in terms of what it's supposed to be, but it's a good solid listen. I do prefer the vocals version though, because I feel like this track was definitely written with the vocals in mind.

Rating: 7/10

Stuffed Animals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8uddlTg7AE

This track is like... Hope, Ride On, and Sakutarou's Adventure all mashed together in a mediocre way. I really feel like the bells and xylophone or whatever don't mesh well, and in spite of the melody being great, this track is really just something of a mess IMO. I really feel like the arrangement is just lacking at best.

Rating: 5.5/10

Mysterious Divertimento http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srAkT72YhCc

Here's another one of those quintessential battle tracks. It's a fun piece that really makes its mark with its speed. It's a very fasat-paced track, and actually kinda something I'd expect to hear in a Zelda game or something <_<. I guess it's enjoyable enough, but it really does kinda drag in the middle which hurts it a bit.

Rating: 7/10

White Cocoon of Dreams-Ricordando_il_passato- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p33Yikb5UmI

Vocals, background melody, meh. I don't really like this song much, if at all. I dislike the vocal style, and while the melody may be 'alright', it's really hard to hear in the background. Just overall a reasonably bad song and something of a mess.

Rating: 3/10

En-Counse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otBqRCQxIwo

Man does this song ever drag on. It is boring but at least it manages to achieve its desired sad mood. But yeah, overly long and relatively boring, but an 'alright' piece for a mood.

Rating: 4/10

Revelations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_gqY7QVXd4

Another one of those "the vocals really complement the track well" songs, but like with the inst version, I'm not sure I fully "get" this one. I mean, I can enjoy it and it's definitely a solid track, but it seems kinda empty to me. Context will probably help with that, but even without it, it is highly enjoyable and very well-written if a tad lacking. That ending is kinda trippy though.

Rating: 8/10

lixAxil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei6cC93h84I

Man **** context I know this song is great without it. This is some kind of awesome techno rhythm beat kinda thing with some guitar going on at points. Actually this is kinda remniscent of that one Touhou Track (UN Owen Was Her?) but better. Excellent rhythm, and while there isn't much of a melody it's pretty good too.

Rating: 9.25/10

More Fear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQgIIRxCphE

When I first heard the first two seconds of this song, my reaction was literally "****. YES." I have literally yet to meet a person who has heard this and NOT preferred it to the original Dread of the Grave and DotG-More Fear- and Rhyhtm version. And hey guess what I prefer this to DotG too. Absolutely amazing track that is basically everything that makes Dread of the Grave so perfect and distilled into pure awesome and given a more noticable bass part. This bass part is absolutely amazing and really makes the song flow really well. But really, this song manages to improve on the original DotG in almost every way. I'd also like to give special mention to the drums, because while they're mostly unchanged, they, alongside the bass, stand out more due to the change in style, and they are still just as awesome as they were the first time I heard 'em.

Rating: 10/10 Absolutely amazing track here, and one that I would be proud to call the best track in the game if not for...

lastendconductor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkMDmaghbkA

If Ryukishi's talking down to the reader and all the shkanon bull**** was Ryukishi's way of saying "**** you", this is zts's way of saying "Thanks for sticking with this, have what might be the best song ever written as a reward". zts really goes all-out in making absolute perfection here, drawing on their previous work a hell of a lot, most notably WorldEndDominator and Executioner. Now the parts from those two aren't always being played together (In fact, they're usually not), but the parts where they meld are absolute brilliant pieces of music that might turn me gay for zts at some point. As per usual with zts, the rhythm here contains the usual electronic beat when it's not being Executioner rhythm, but it also has its own custom melody/rhythm kinda thing that serves both purposes, and is really well-made, especially at the transition into the Executioner rhtyhm at 3:35ish. The drums though. The drums are absolutely phenomonal, even for a ZTS piece. And the bass, too. You can really tell that zts went all out and made absolute perfection as a result. Now some of the complainers may complain that this song is just a set of five-note sets looped. But, even if it is that (Which it really ISN'T in several sections), they are still some of the best five-note sets I've ever heard. The melody that was written for just this piece, the Executioner rhythm section, the whole thing is just absolutely mindblowing to hear, even when you've listend to it 10 times already. Yeah, as I've been saying, this is an absolutely mindblowingly phenomonal piece of music. 10:45 of pure, absolute bliss in every form.

Rating: 10/10. Possibly the best song ever written IMHO. It is just that great

THE LIST

1. LastEndConductor (10)

2. More Fear (10)

3. Dread of the Grave (10)

4. WorldEndDominator (10)

5. Hope (9.75)

6. Discolor (9.5)

7. Life (9.5)

8. Dread of the Grave More Fear (9.5)

9. Dead Angle (9.25)

10. lixAxil (9.25)

11. Final Answer (9.25)

12. Endless Nine (9.25)

13. Proud Dust (9)

14. Golden Nocturne (9)

15. Answer (9)

16. Dir (9)

17. MirageCoordinator (9)

18. Nameless Song (Ver Sakura) (9)

19. Fishy Aroma (Vocals) (9)

20. Battlefield (8.75)

21. Executioner (8.5)

22. System0 (8.5)

23. Corruption (The Bloodbath of October 4) (8.5)

24. ResurrectedReplayer (8.5)

25. Goldenslaughterer (8.5)

26. JUSTICE (8.5)

27. Pathway (8.5)

28. Birth of a New Witch (Inst.) (8.5)

29. Far (8.5)

30. Thanks for Being Born (8.5)

31. Future (8.5)

32. Blue Butterfly (8.5)

33. The Dark and Crazed Requiem of Purgatory (8.5)

34. LiberatedLiberater (8)

35. Rhythm Changer (8)

36. The End of the World (8)

37. Monochrome Clock (8)

38. Tsubasa (Wings) (8)

39. DreamEndDischarger (8)

40. Fortitude (8)

41. ACI L (8)

42. Mortal Stampede (8)

43. Mind (8)

44. String Trio #600 Million in F# Minor (8)

45. Kiri no Pithos (8)

46. Happiness of Marionette/Omake (8)

47. Fishy Aroma (8)

48. White Shadow (8)

49. Revelations (8)

50. Towering Cloud in Summer (8)

51. Black Lilliana (7.75)

52. Nameless Song (Inst) (7.5)

53. Birth of a New Witch (Short) (7.5)

54. Ridcule (7.5)

55. F Style (7.5)

56. Nighteyes (7.5)

57. Death (From Stupefaction) (7.5)

58. Patchwork Chimera (7.5)

59. Victima Propicitoria (7.5)

60. Red Dread (7.5)

61. Waltz Op. 43 (7.5)

62. Revolt (7.5)

63. Bring The Fate (7.5)

64. Sakutarou's Adventure (7.5)

65. Tsurupettan (7.5)

66. Dancing Pipe (7.5)

67. Tsubasa (Ver Hope) (7.5)

68. Paradise Lost (7.5)

69. Totem Blume (7.5)

70. Ride On (7.5)

71. The Sin (7.5)

72. Hibuta (7.5)

73. Reflection Call (7.25)

74. Ruriair (7.25)

75. Far (Flat) (7)

76. Deep Blue Jeer (7)

77. Rebirth (7)

78. ALIVE (7)

79. Revelations (Inst) (7)

80. Happy Maria (7)

81. Prison STRIP (7)

82. The Great Detective Knows (7)

83. Prison (7)

84. Dance of the Moon Rabbits (7)

85. The Girl's Witch Hunt (7)

86. Anti Demon Sequentia (7)

87. Dread of the Grave (Rhythm Ver.) (7)

88. Core (7)

89. The Candles Dance (7)

90. HANE (7)

91. Psy Chorus (7)

92. Mysterious Divertimento (7)

93. Spiral (7)

94. Scorpion Entrails (6.75)

95. The First and the Last

96. Novelette (6.75)

97. Rain (6.5)

98. Nameless Song (Ver 2007) (6.5)

99. Occultics no Majo (6.5)

100. Organ Short #600 Million in C Minor (6.5)

101. Haruka (6.5)

102. Flight (6.5)

103. Praise (6.5)

104. Puppet Show (6.5)

105. Toybox (6.5)

106. Doorway of Summer (6.5)

107. Moon (6.5)

108. Bread of Life (6)

109. Golden Sneer (6)

110. Thanks for all people (6)

111. WorldEnd (BP) (6)

112. Tomorrow (6)

113. Mother (6)

114. Haze (6)

115. Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (6)

116. Infant Queen Bee (6)

117. Activepain (6)

118. Discode (6)

119. l&d circulation

120. Like the Gale (6)

121. Dive to Emergency (6)

122. Surrounding (6)

123. Hour of Darkness (6)

124. Voiceless (5.75)

125. Hello Your Dream (5.5)

126. Kina no Kaori (5.5)

127. Organ Short #200 Million in C minor (5.5)

128. WorldEnd (5.5)

129. Stuffed Animals (5.5)

130. 7 weights (5.5)

131. Soul of Soul (5.5)

132. A Single Moment (5.5)

133. Cage (5.5)

134. Witch In Gold (Cembalo) (5.5)

135. Solitary Deep Sea Fish (5)

136. Scar Sound (5)

137. Hikari (5)

138. Smile less Soiree (5)

139. About Face (5)

140. One (5)

141. Rog Limitation (5)

142. Fake Red Shoes (5)

143. Over (5)

144. Look Back (5)

145. Requiem (5)

146. Apathy (5)

147. Happy Maria (Inst.) (5)

148. Sunshine (5)

149. Ballade Continuer (5)

150. Eternal Chains (5)

151. Lorely (5)

152. Eternity (5)

153. Wingless (4.5)

154. Melody (4.5)

155. Promise (4.5)

156. Closed My Heart (4.5)

157. Suspicion (4.5)

158. Over the Sky (4.5)

159. Rest (4.5)

160. Play (4.5)

161. Mystic Forest (4)

162. Fall (4)

163. Terminal Entrance (4)

164. Ageha (4)

165. Love Examination (4)

166. Melting Away (4)

167. Parallel (4)

168. Bore Ral (4)

169. Sakura (4)

170. My Dear (4)

171. En Counse (4)

172. 599 Million Ruins (3.5)

173. Lie Alaia (3.5)

174. Engage of Marionette (3.5)

175. String Quartet #1 in G Major (3)

176. Minute Darkness (3)

177. Where (3)

178. Kuina (3)

179. Witch of the Painting (3)

180. Sukashiyuri (3)

181. Steady Pace (3)

182. White Cocoon of Dreams Ricordando_il_passato (3)

183. Sea (3)

184. Life's End (3)

185. Corridor of the Sands of Purgatory (2.75)

186. Lure (2.5)

187. Melody (Inst) (2.5)

188. At Death's Door (2.5)

189. S/he end (2.5)

190. Moonlit Night (2)

191. Le4 Octobre (2)

192. Daydream's End (2)

193. Stupefaction (1)

194. Empty Grey Smile (1)

195. Rose (0)

196. Goddess Gardena (0)