April 3rd 2010

[Wire]

Game Over are extremely happy to announce the release of our much longed-for song - Light's Out. This is, as you hopefully going to hear, a reinterpretation of the Cut Man theme from Mega Man.

We started working on this song a loooong time ago. The arrangement was made in the car during a US roadtrip (I think somewhere between Nebraska and Illinois).  Guitars were then recorded at Wire's summerhouse. The amp was inside the cabin but the loud volume forced her to run outside during the takes where she sat down on a rotted bench that even fell apart during one take. All members except Wire got replaced before the song was finished. Bassist Dasaten and vocalist Juggler hereby make their debut. Make sure you give them some props!

This song is the beginning of a new era for Game Over. We hope you will enjoy this simpler and rawer sound of ours. NESperado was quite epic and a lot of times with that album we bit off more than we could chew. With Light's Out we wanted to go for a more minimalistic approach but still pay close attention to the details. Doing Cut Man was a greater challenge than we could've ever imagined. Crazy syncopation (feel the groove? ) made for many guitar takes, mind-boggling drum beats and grueling lyric writing; vocal melodies involved some high notes that weren't the easiest to pull off.

The lyrics tell the story from Mega Man's perspective. Abandoned by Dr. Light he realizes he has been used merely as a tool. As he's dying he expresses his bitterness and disappointment towards his creator who he once trusted. These
lyrics were inspired by Metallica's songs about the Vietnam war, such as Disposable Heroes.

Enjoy this eleventh Game Over song! We can assure you that we put all our video game love in it.

[Akomander]

The new song is so different from what you guys have been doing... I LOVE IT! 

I hope there´s  a new demo on the horizon, it´s been 4 LONG years... 

[MikeOShay]

Hm... it's tough to decide what to make of this song. Instruments definitely do their job well, but the vocals are the hard part to decide.

I'm not sure whether I like or dislike them. He's certainly got a fairly good range, but I would've preferred him to go up high on some of the "that's what it's all about"s, like in the original song (the "a" in "about" went low where the original had a high note I really liked right there). I think there was also some other part where the original song had a good high note and he sang lower. It was a bit tougher for me to understand what was actually going on in this song and whose point of view it was from until I read the rest of the description, but that's the lyrics and not the vocals.

It kinda felt like there were some strange pauses and timing in some of the singing, which resulted in it being a bit tougher to understand, even while reading the lyrics. It seemed much more clear the second listen, though, so I'm not so sure.

I really liked the singing and harmony in the last verse, though. Overall, from an honest reviewer's standpoint, I'd give the song a 7/10, on a scale where 5/10 is average. It was a good song and I'm still a huge fan of Game Over and I eagerly await any future releases, to see how the new band develops.  I'm hoping you'll make songs from several different types of metal like your previous albums.

[Wire]

I would've preferred him to go up high on some of the "that's what it's all about"s, like in the original song (the "a" in "about" went low where the original had a high note I really liked right there).

Hehe, that high note is where your fatter kind of chest voice ends I think. We should've made it in a different key in that case, but I'm thinking it might've sounded cheesy so go up.
Btw, this is the first time that we've used the entire original melody as a vocal melody, it's never happened before.

The lyrics are pretty deep, yeah. But you know us and our "game over" theme - all you usually have to get is that the main character dies.

 

It kinda felt like there were some strange pauses and timing in some of the singing,

That's probably syncopation.

[MikeOShay]

Yeah, I was expecting the Game Over theme you have (it's cool that you have a common theme throughout your songs, by the way), but for some reason I thought it was being sung by Cutman or something like that. Good release either way, I plan to listen to it a few more times and add it into my library.

[Shortmann]

Being following the forums (lurking in the shadows) for awhile, and thought I'd actually make a post regarding the new song.  I really enjoyed Nintendo Metal and NESperado, and really looking forward to the new album.

Really like the new song.  While I really enjoy the harsher/more melodic themes of some of the other songs (Little Mac's Confession, Translyvanian Temptation, Hyrule's Angel), I'm really enjoying this one.  Love the subtle little changes with the main guitar riff and the little "plunk" noises at the beginning measures of each verse.  After paying more attention to the source tune, I think you did a pretty good job at transcribing the melody.

While you may get some gripes about the new vocals, I think they're great.  Keep up the good work.  Do you plan on submitting it to OCR?

[Wire]

Hey everybody, thanks for posting comments so far, negative or positive - it doesn't matter, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
@Shortmann: Yeah this is quite different from what we've done before, but I think it's inevitable to go through big changes when you've been away from the scene for so long. I'm probably sending it over to OCR later today. Hopefully we'll see it there in about 8 months. 

[Shortmann]

8 months seems about right for them, hehe.  But serious, while the old stuff is great, it's good to see you branching out and trying something different.  Tying vocals to the main melody is going to be a challenge for some songs, but is a great idea.  Can't grow as a band if you don't experiment and try new things.

Keep up the good work. Been a fan since a friend introduced me to OCR back in '03, and the first songs he showed me were Terra in Black and Little Mac's Confession.  So I have you guys to thank for the 1k OCR songs on my computer and the discovery of game music adaptations.

[Andor]

Hey there!

It's my first time posting here but I've been listening to your music for over a year now, awesome work! It's so great to hear new things from you guys and this new song is indeed very different but still rocks!
I think that what made this song sound different for me was that the vocals follow the original melody, not the guitars, and that the new singer has a more "melodic" voice. Even though I prefer the guitars on the original melody it's really nice to see that the band is trying new things.
Hope you guys will come up with a new album in the near future!

Regards from Brazil! /,,/

Oh by the way, the lyrics are superb!

[Wire]

Thanks guys!
One thing I can say is that you will never see us do the same thing twice. We will always try to improve ourselves and our music.

[Tim (Reaper)]

It feels good to know that some of you guys are missing me.

I still think that the new and improved Game over is by far better of without my style of singing, the new guy has a diffrent kind of storytelling dynamic to his voice, that fits the band perfectly.

If Wire allows, I would love to sing guest vocals on some future song. Or maybe a song together with Juggler.

Tim Reaper

[MikeOShay]

You know, the more I listen to this song the more I'm liking it.  I still think he could've gone high on that note instead of low on the last time he did the chorus, but the vocals are quite well-done, and the shouting right at the end was spot-on. Guitar was badass in general and the other instruments did their parts well. Now that I've reacquainted myself with your other works, it's not as different from other Game Over songs as I thought. Good song indeed. I eagerly await the next.

[Shyguy]

So I´ve listened to the new song for a month now, about time I try expressing my feelings for it.
After the hints of a simple and rawer sound I expected a trashy, aggressive song. What I got was a track that sounds way more melodic than anything on the Nesperado demo (which for better or worse was a bit rough around the edges). Even a bit laid back -and most of all: confident. And I´m so glad for it.

The more I´ve listened to ”Light´s Out”, the more it strikes me how brilliant the intro is. First we get a pissed off  guitar setting the pace. Then drums, and a thundering bass. I just melt.

The most important change from previous recording is of course the new singer. And I´ll tell you this, I was terrified he would be a step down from Tim. To me, Game Over is a serious band with lots of self distance. You´ve always maintained the balance of keeping a straight face while presenting a nerdy subject.

Luckily the new lineup keeps that tradition. Juggler  is indeed a fantastic singer, and his melancholic interpretation of the verses fits Game Over like a glove (Smell it!  ) 3 minutes in, the ”Cheap Superheroes-scream” returns and unfortunately I´m no fan of it. Not like it´s bad, but I do think Juggler is better at singing than screaming. Listening to the final ”farewell – to the woooorld” is proof of what his awesome lungs are capable of. And as a swede I may not be the right person to judge this, but his english sounds very natural and unforced to me. Juggler is a worthy successor of the Nintendo Metal -throne. I say keep this guy.

The song itself is very solid, you´ve fleshed out a very satisfying arrangement from the relatively simple (despite the weird rhythm) components of the NES track. You´ve even converted it from an overly happy theme and given it a dark side. Having the "about" part of the chorus sung low was the right choice, it adds a lot to the general mood of the song. And is that an improvisation around the Mega Man 3 stage select in the instrumental part?  Very subtle, very good. And just like Shortmann said, the ”plunk” noises are pure gold. The song wouldn´t be the same without little details like that!

I must say Egg´s drums sound much tighter than on Transylvanian Temptation, but I´m sure that derives from the chaotic Nesperado-circumstances. The point is, he now batters with authority and for the first time, Game Over´s drums sound great! And looking at the picture... wow. Egg is a hero! Dasaten is worthy of praise as well, I knew he was good and he did not disappoint. The bass line is groovy indeed!

The carefully written ”war” theme, finally, makes this your strongest Mega Man lyrics to date. The double meaning of Light is taken to good use in the chorus

When the veils of darkness surround you
Light's Out!

Light´s Out has become one of my favorite Game Over songs, and it´s a triumphant start for the new lineup. Great job, boys and girls!

[Egg]

Thanks ever so much for the positive feedback. This last song is the first one i worked from the start with the drums and i feel more content with the final result. So we can only get better... 
egg 

[Wire]

Yo Shyguy! Thanks a lot for taking your time to write a long review like that. We appreciate it, fans like you make it worth all the hard work.

As you can see, we're satirizing ourselves in the new promo picture as well. We're holding these plastic video game instruments looking like we're going to commit suicide any day. Game Over in a nutshell. 

And is that an improvisation around the Mega Man 3 stage select in the instrumental part?

Haha, awesome. No, it's not. It wasn't intentional anyway. I wrote it. You made me think really hard now and yeah, I have to admit it's kind of similar.