Frank Klepacki "Initiative" (2023)

 Frank Klepacki is back! Not the first post-Remaster release, but one that caught my eye! Picking up his battle axe and throwing down stompy thrash grooves alongside dystopian synths, Frank revives classic Command & Conquer vibes and aesthetics for another metallic romp of his janky Electronic Industrual funk! This outing comes steady, lean and refined, a consistent burn with anything in the way of experimental or out of the ordinary arriving through his guests Glenn Kachulis & Connor Engstrom.

 Gunslinger mashes his cyberpunk Disco thump with slick Mexican guitar licks. An unusual union that somehow persuades despite its dramatic shift in tone. The following Dark Assault showcases Connor's flashy lead guitar talents, a dazzle of steely blazing melodies to act as a voice. Unfortunately it spells missed opportunity, as Frank ditches his unique Industrial sound design for a high speed metallic fodder. The result is a rather generic splash of pacey fire and fury. Slick but again shifting tone.

The rest of the music finds familiar face, an unravel of detached melodies, woven through a web of hard hitting instruments. Arrangements whirl with sequenced mechanical activity as pulses, zaps and industrial clank rub and rattle against its organic tones. The contrast can be enjoyed with little effort. Flushes of Prog Rock leads and Metal guitar accompany its varying temperaments. A solid listen to stir up a colorful dystopian vision of futuristic proportions but lacks anything truly special.

Rating: 6/10

Frank Klepacki "Rocktronic" (2004)

 

Following on from Morphscape, It seems Frank was left in the lurch, a period of sweet stagnation for this fan. With C&C Generals, the shift to 3D left me behind, as did Frank's involvement in the games music. Released two years on, Ive found this dusty Rocktronic album firmly resting on the Red Alert 2 mindset. Its production a shade more robust, the janky assembly of Electronic-Industrial and Metal guitars comes mostly consistent with punchy, unabashed charges of gittery melodies and snappy grooves. These songs play with restless energy as its instruments know no subtlety.

Two tracks, Take Me and Bring The Fight, take a distinct turn, ditching the drum machines and electronics, they take on a rock band aesthetic clearly reveling in Rage Against The Machine inspiration with Tom Morello guitar riffs front to back. The change in tonality is jarring, the lack of originality leaves it a stale footnote among an otherwise decent collection of C&C style hits. In The Tunnel resurrects soft atmospheric touches reminiscent of the first Red Alert, yet forces in some clashing obnoxious elements too. Rocktronic is a fair listen, unsurprising but fun for this fan.

Rating: 5/10

Frank Klepacki "Morphscape" (2002)

 

 

Frank Klepacki, creator of the timeless Command & Conquer soundtracks that have obsessed me since playing the classic Westwood Studios games in my youth. His debut solo release Morphscape is no unknown entity. Yet despite discovering it many moons ago, it seems this musical gem never really registered. Released after Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge, this is clearly a collection of leftovers from those sessions.

 

The unabashed aesthetics and niche stylistic framework remains intact. A jiving fusion of Industrial grit, futuristic Electronic, Funk bass grooves and on occasion, a slab of Metal through distortion guitars. These elements meet on bold ground, punching stiff melodies and rhythms into the fold. Controlled chaos emerges as layers of crowded sound compete for dominance, a familiar yet strange charm resonates again.

On its surface much of Frank's compositions seem tacky and unhinged. Despite its crude union of snappy instruments, immersion emerges through the various pivots that signal intention and direction. Best are the plastic sweeping synths, often arriving unexpected, manipulating a lively adventure with a soft passing emotional depth.

Quality is reasonably varied, as are the particular styles explored. Although I enjoyed all but one of these cuts, only a couple felt they could have offered the original soundtracks something extra. The other songs bore much resemblance to originals, with similar ideas, arrangements and aesthetics being spun with less magnetism.

That leaves us with one song, Gonna Rock Yo Body. Clearly his passion project, Frank pays tribute to legend Afrika Bambaataa and the Planet Rock musical blueprint. It illuminates some vague Hip Hop related influences lurking elsewhere on the record. On first listen, a comical, quirky take. With repeated listens its stark unapologetic nature becomes tiresome. An odd blemish among a fine collection of C&C songs.

 

Rating: 6/10

My Top 10 Albums Of 2022

 
Reviewing the shortlist, It didn't take me long to pick out ten. Quite a few bands, Slipknot, Puppy & Ghost to name a few, have come through with solid efforts but what were the moments that resonated the most? Novelty tends to be a strong fancy yet sometimes a dose of what you know and love has sticking power. This year didn't produce as many deep impressions, with exception for the top two, clear favorites that are still mesmerizing. I look forward to giving this all a listen again in coming weeks!

 

(10) Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons "Lay To Waste" (2022) link

The re-ignition of Frank's C&C era music has been an absolute delight. Although parts of this brief four track EP may have been clunky and obtuse. Its spirit melds that Industrial Metal magic with Power Metal gleams and fantastical RPG VGM themes to a degree that's grown on me. In general its exciting to hear these musicians working on this sound. Even not if exactly what I wanted, together, they have so much potential to appeal to my nostalgia!

(9) Chaosbay "Boxes" (2022) link

A front runner in a post-Periphery era, these Germans made such a remarkable impression with their high octane meld of gleaming melody and hard hitting Djent. Its a juxtaposition that can play to delights on occasion and this EP captured a consistent magic stunningly. Like anthems, its soaring choruses got stuck in the mind and its five songs continue to bestow crunchy, shinny magic.

(8) Malcolm Horne "Mending" (2022) link

Malcolm returns to the top list again with another warm, endearing record of Jazzy Hip Hop beats, now fine tuned for a calmer atmosphere. Mending, crafted for streamers, finds balance and consistency as its flow of gentler crafts keeps one safe while accompanying adventures. This intention is felt so well as the record strides smoothly for its hour duration. An easy pleasure for sure!

(7) Nas "King's Disease III" (2022) link 

Seeming like a routine entry now, the "Goat" returns with an undeniable assembly of rhymes to grip this listener with a dose of the Hip Hop I adore, done to a level of excellence. Its main fault is its strength. That persistent theme. Lacking a little surprise, Nas continues strong with an installment to stand head and shoulders above anything I heard in the scene this year.

 

(6) Sabaton "The War To End All Wars" (2022) link

As a newly indoctrinated fan, I got another dose of exactly what I wanted. Their WW1 themed music got a second stint, recycling the same musical ideas and pumping out more of what works. It can't go on forever but as a result of such, they pulled of another cracking record that gets me fired up again and again. 

(5) Warpaint "Radiate Like This" (2022) link

 

 With so many crooning grooves, gleaming warmth and vulnerable emotive singing, this one read a resounding impression I've gone back to plenty of times. In need of warmth from a sincere, beautiful, endearing place, Radiate Like This has a sweet tone to indulge with. An exploration of prior records has taught me this band like to experiment and explore. I doubt they will repeat this formula, usually leaning to a darker grit. The Ethereal aesthetic here will likely be my favorite of theirs.

 

 

(4) The Weeknd "Dawn FM" (2022) link

You can't escape the Blinding Lights, however the craft of a whole record triumphs here as Weeknd takes on a nostalgic re-imagination of 80s Synth and Michael Jackson's singing style. With that music so rooted from my childhood it was beyond a pleasure to enjoy such a masterful handling of creative vision. In retrospect, the radio interludes are a little on the nose and break up its flow. Its also a record of two halves, the first I find much more appealing.

(3) Ocean Grove "Up In The Air Forever" (2022) link

In another case of "all I want is a repeat". Ocean Grove deliver the goods with another fantastic chapter. Re-imagining the Brit Pop, Grunge, Alternative Rock and Metal of the 90s with a splash of 00s pop too, its appeal ran deep. Little advanced beyond its original concept plotted last record. Perhaps this time a little less aggression and metallic tone but in that absence the catchyness and energy goes a distance. Another cracking record of back to back great tunes.

(2) Arcanist "Hyperborea" (2022) link

I'd consider these Dungeon Synth adjacent spaces a spot for both genius and low-effort clones to emerge. Discovering the better is always a delight for a genre I feel still as much to offer if done like this pair of records has been. My top two this year both take the biscuit in going the distance. With touches of Berlin School and vivid imaginations for fantastical journeys, each offers a vastly different experience yet steeped in powerful musical exploration, they both bare freeing structures and a musical ethos for exploring unchained dynamics between instruments.

(1) Old Sorcery "Dragon Citadel Elegies" (2022) link

As part of my streaming music arsenal, Old Sorcery edges out through its familiarity and repeated listens. If felt obvious early on yet as the months roll by its fantastical character and sense of adventure persisted. Old Sorcery has always felt like an artist with a unique voice but in this conclusion of the Castle trilogy, it's matured greatly. Perhaps The Hand Of Merlin soundtrack helped with that development as Dragon Citadel Elegies instrumental composition feels expanded. Either way, this is one artist to keep an eye on!

Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons "Lay To Waste" (2022)

 

Author of the Command & Conquer music, a keen nostalgic staple from my childhood to present day, Frank Klepacki brought renewed excitement to his classic soundtracks during the games 25th anniversary remastering. Best of all, he united with tribute band The Tiberian Sons, breathing new life into old songs. Hearing them go it alone on The Only Winning Moon was an unexpected pleasure! Have linked up again, these four original songs feel several steps removed from the origins of their collaboration.

Lay To Waste is a mismatch of fun, energetic ideas. Swaying from the meaty Industrial grit of C&Cs assailant glory to gleaming surges of joyous metallic melody, its glossy symphonies and chunky guitars fit aesthetically like a glove. A bold complimenting force, split in direction. The misnomer lies in mood. Mischievous aggressive riffs underwrite uplifting emotive theatrics most prone to fantasy driven VGM.

 Personally, I loved both aspects, yet together a sense of ambivalence prevailed. One can hear Frank's militant ideas blazing along but frequently they meander in tone from war and destruction to might and magic fantasies as strings and tunes take reins from the rhythmic brutality presented beforehand. Its a strange dichotomy that has eased with familiarity and repetitions yet still dominates the directorial feeling. The opening Gun Metal makes a half baked attempt at incorporating explosive sounds to the mix, then its main theme gets handed off through a string of these instrumental pivots.

Its been one of the stranger encounters on this musical journey. I'm left unable to pick a favorite track as every song sways between contrasts. Its the swaying that makes me seasick. Taking the analytic hat off for a moment, its a fun set of songs pounding with energy and vibrant noise. Plenty of twists and turns along the way! A tight curation of ideas not outstaying its welcome. It will be a matter of time to see how often I return to these tracks as I do love to with their previous material.

Rating: 5/10

Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons "Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons" (2020)

Alongside the remastered music of Command & Conquer, soundtrack composer Frank Klepacki has teamed up with VGM tribute band The Tiberian Sons to deliver twenty two performances of his iconic music as a Metal band. Its undoubtedly a treat in this exciting and nostalgic time for the game and its fans. Haven listened to it back to back over the last few days, I find myself reaching a more "objective" take on the music, going beyond my adoration and feverish enjoyment hearing these favorite songs of mine through a new lens.

Most, if not all, of the original music is stripped out. The synths hold onto the original tones in many a place but much of the nuance and detail is lost to the band performance. With crisp, high fidelity modernized production, the music has a spacious vacuum where the crystal clear punch of each drum strike, plucked bass line and rattle of distortion guitar tend not to cross paths where some much needed "mud" would give it density. Its a case of being a little to clean for its own good.

I say all this with a grain of salt, its an enjoyable project but I can't help but hear all the missing elements where layers of synths colliding now feel sparse as minimal synth carry things forward with some compensating guitar riffs laid underneath. It all ebbs and flows, some songs carry this burden more than others and leave a listener desiring the richness of the originals. Prepare For Battle being a great example where the song goes through utterly bare sections of just bass and drums alone.

When the band deviate from the purity of original songs, it rarely gives more. The Primus inspired slap bass licks, guitar shredding solos and drum fill barrages to send off songs don't sound particularly fresh or exciting, just that typical theatrical Rock thing to do. On the flip side these distortion guitars shine bright. The crisp and bold tone resonates well and brings a lot to compliment the original compositions.

The non metallic cover of Dusk Hour is a reminder of just how many games Frank wrote great music for. Some tracks from Red Alert 2 make it in with a pair of medley songs adding elements from further along in the franchise I was unfamiliar with. Overall its a huge treat to enjoy but for the most part I'll be continuing with the remastered songs as only a handful of songs here elevate the original music.

Rating: 6/10

Frank Klepacki "Command & Conquer Remastered Soundtrack" (2020)

The remastering of Westwood Studio's classic Command & Conquer games is such a great excuse to write about the fantastic soundtrack that accompanied it. Reflecting on the twenty five years since I played this MSDOS game as a kid shines a light how inadvertently it may have shaped my musical taste. The game's sole musician Frank Klepacki took the emerging Industrial Metal sound of the 90s and forged it into a beautifully atmospheric and mood altering layer of the experience that transcended the immersive world of role play strategy and control over militarized units. Some years after initially playing these games I yearned to hear the music again and tinkering with tools obtained from the internet I was able to to extract the audio from all the games and their expansion packs and burning them onto audio CDs. From then and till this day I routinely enjoy them, they are simply timeless!

This remastered collection reproduces everything with a far greater audio fidelity given there were media limitations in the 90s that led to compressed 22hrz audio. These remastered songs have more clarity and depth in sound, without much in the way of compromise. Textures and quieter instruments become more visible and perk the ears with more details to notice but nothing was ever holding these songs from getting their point across. Its a delight to have the songs updated for further listening pleasure but It also comes with extras, outtakes and few missing remixes from the Playstation's Red Alert Retaliation port which I never got my hands on... until now!

Frank's music is relatively diverse, although their are surges of distortion guitar driven tracks with rocking drum grooves, the songs between calve focused atmospheres fit for the high stakes of the game. Edge and suspense is often present, never wandering into darkness or paranoia. Its electronic instruments forge both the calmer songs and upheavals of energy with plenty of 90s electronica music influence on its percussion and a fair helping of that janky stitching of sounds ever present in 80s Industrial. With Red Alert the soundtrack definitely pivots more into the electronic realm with more aggressive synths leading the way in its punchier tracks however the Metal guitar makes its legendary mark with the anthemic Hell March. The marching of feet, the creeping baseline, exploding into a fiery storm of metallic guitar, wonderful!

I'll be giving this one a ten simply to signify how much this music as a whole means to me, that also includes Red Alert 2 and Tiberian Sun too! As for the remastering, I've listened with intent ears and It doesn't seem like anything much has been tinkered or altered for restoration. Some of the reverbs become very obvious with more cavernous depth but skipping back to the originals you can hear they were there all along! That early childhood "nostalgia" is strong, the bonds formed here have been endlessly fascinating to me and always manages to take me to a good place. I am forever thankful for Frank's wonderful music and its been such a delight to see the remaster project acknowledge the music too! Will hopefully find time to play the game a little too before long.

Rating: 9/10