[SotW] Song of the Week - WEEK 117 Voting/WEEK 118 Nominating

Art of Fighting 2 Image Album - Eikou e no jokyoku (Micky Rogers): This one's okay. Good energy and I like the gritty guitars a lot. The sound quality is somewhat muddy, but I can cope.

Bomberman Jetters (Game Rip) - Hot World: Bomberman music has always made me raise an eyebrow in skepticism. It's too quirky and gimmicky to have a lasting impact. "Hot World" proves to be no exception to this rule.

Leaf Amusement Soft Vol.4 Special Sound CD - Grand Finale Dance: If I had to guess, I'd say this track's source is some obscure shmup. It's not bad and the backup synths add some much-needed depth to the lead. I wouldn't say this track is epic but I could enjoy it several times over again.

Rockman X8 Original Soundtrack - Gateway: It didn't do anything. Therefore it didn't do anything for me.

Royal Blood - Opening - Elan's Theme: I nominated this because I figured we hadn't had a really good, traditionally epic track for a while. The soft, initial progression takes its time but pays off with a very strong, compelling melody, backed by some excellent drumwork. The melody finds enough variation to remain interesting, while building into a satisfying climax and soothing denouement. The whole track boasts quality and deserves a place on the SotW site for sure.

Shin Kidou Senki Gundam W: Endless Duel (Game Rip) - Airport ~ Heavyarms Stage: I'm ambivalent on this one. Good points and flaws abound. I'll give a thumbs up to the fast-paced ambience and a jeer to the repetitive nature. It's a strong candidate for a remix and I look forward to that happening someday.

Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters (Game Rip) - Spathi: What is this, "Diamond Meditation"'s bastard cousin? Whatever sound effects DM managed to spare were picked from the recycling bin and used here. Unfortunately, the result isn't nearly as impressive. It tries to be quirky but succeeds only in annoyance.

huelsbeck.com - Chris Huelsbeck's official Website - Timeless Passion: What's there to say about Huelsbeck? He's a god and is seated at the table in Asgard next to Kanno, Sakimoto, Yack and Follin. "Timeless Passion" only moves him closer to Thor.

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3 Points: Royal Blood - Opening - Elan's Theme
2 Points: huelsbeck.com - Chris Huelsbeck's official Website - Timeless Passion
1 Point: Leaf Amusement Soft Vol.4 Special Sound CD - Grand Finale Dance

I don't think this week was as strong as others made it out to be but Huelsbeck did manage to pick up a lot of the slack. I'm siding with my own nomination, but my other two choices deserve plenty of recognition too.

Also: Nomination!

Album: Twisted Metal 2 (Redbook Audio)
Track: Holland (Field of Screams)
Track Number: 10
Year: 1996

Additional Notes: This track is identical to one found on the Jet Moto Redbook Audio. Both games were produced simultaneously and this track was shared. I've always wanted to nominate it and since it's liable to come up during the week of my birthday, I say what the hell. This one's purely for kicks.

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Oh wow, I squeaked out a bronze, mostly thanks to Drakken's last minute vote. Thank you, sir. The votes were rather widespread this week, so it was impossible to foresee how the final tally would fall. I knew Huelsbeck would take Gold (continuing his dominance as SotW's most consistently placing composer), but after that, it was a mystery.

Thanks everyone, and congrats to the Gold and Silver finishers.

There's nowhere I can't reach.