I'm finally playing Hollow Knight these days and just gotten to the City of Tears yesterday. What a captivating game! What's your favorite track from it?
I love Sealed Vessel and City of Tears but my favourite probably is 12 Sisters of Battle (Mantis Lords remix for a special version of them) because of how well it works with the fight.
Troupe Master Grimm mixed with Nightmare King Grimm theme, Sealed Vessel/Path of Pain, Pale Court, and the Godhome versions od Hornet's and Mantis Lords/Sisters of Battle themes
Alex: *Hears three notes of the song* "Ok, I'm guessing from the music that this hornet is an agile character in a red dress who fights with a needle and will get her own spinoff game soon"
*Hears half a note of Truth, Beauty and Hatred* “Ok, I can tell due to the feel of the melody and the instrumental choices that this boss is probably quite *invincible,* also they seem to *not have any fear.* The overall tone so far is quite *sensual,* or maybe *mysterious* or *enchanting.* The tempo indicates that they are definitely *vigorous* but also *diligent* and sometimes *overwhelming.* Honestly this first note feels very *gorgeous* and *passionate,* and maybe even *terrifying.* This track clearly communicates the *beauty* and *power* of this character.”
"Oh! And this note right here tells us she is not made of void. Also, Just like this motif, I will repeat myself. She will get her own spinoff *soon* " - Alex probably.
4:45 “What did Hornet go through?” -Watched her home and kingdom die slowly -Killed plenty of the player’s siblings, because she knows a single one could technically doom the already-ruined kingdom straight to hell -Knew her mother is being kept in eternal stasis, keeping the world from falling apart -Knew she was only born as part of a deal -Probably never once saw her dad face to face -Had to wait for Silksong
The sheer amount of Hornet that Alex was able to glean from her theme alone speaks to how perceptive he is and how much Christopher Larkin was able to convey in one track. Game recognize game!
Hollow Knight's most memorable soundtrack, for me, was City of Tears, when you enter it and watch from the bench, with Quirrel, I wish I could experience it for the 1st time again 🥺
I wish I could experience the ENTIRETY of Hollow Knight for the first time again. The whole game fills me with such nostalgia and I only discovered it about a year or two ago. Definitely my favorite game of all time
Pointing out the call and response in Mantis Lords is fascinating considering the way you fight them feels like a call and response, especially when two fight you at once.
The whole fight is a dance. You’re not fighting, you’re following their lead. Then listening to the song itself it feels like it’s and intense ballroom song.
I'm really bad with musical terminology, but I love how Alex was able to pretty accurately understand the character/motivation of Hornet simply through his practiced inference over what the score was attempting to convey to the listener. I always feel a little bit smarter listening to him breakdown a score.
@@angelmarques3124 You'll notice though, I managed convey my message without using "music terminology" since I know almost nothing about music theory let alone how to read/discuss music on a technical level.
Everyone out here talking about how he predicted what Hornet is like as enemy, but the Mantis lords' music description fits them so well too! "...it sounds very sharp and very cold", "there's never a dull moment", "...it's more elegant and less in your face"
Mantis Lords and Hornet OSTs are fine and dandy, but I'd really like to hear Alex's opinion on "Sealed Vessel", in my opinion the best track in the entire Hollow Knight soundtrack. That track, with that fight especially THAT moment is an experience and a half.
Sealed Vessel is incredible - from epic final boss showdown to tragic, mournful sombreness. Not sure I've ever felt genuine sadness for a boss in a game before.
@@ImVeryOriginal You can find some videos on YT discussing how Christopher Larkin used a certain motif to construct various pieces -- from main menu theme, through Broken Vessel boss theme, to Sealed Vessel. Really makes you think how soundtrack can tie the game together.
The mantis Lord 's theme basically says: they're gonna beat you to a pulp in 3 seconds, and this is exactly what they do in game: the beat you until you're nothing more than a crying mess on the floor because it's you twentieth attempt in 5 minutes. And somehow you still wanna fight them because they're so cool and it's such a satisfying fight. I love the Mantis Lords
The mantis lord fight is one of the best (if not THE best) boss fights I’ve ever seen in a game Not only is it totally optional, but I was incredibly underpowered when I first fought them. I died over and over, but the fight manages to grab you so that you don’t want to quit. Every death feels like you’re a step closer to winning.
This was SUCH a good video, I absolutely love how you noticed the darkness in the mantis lords theme because the part of the map you unlock after beating them is called deepnest, and it’s absolutely terrifying. It’s where the spiders live and it’s dark and brooding and the music basically goes silent so you can hear scuttling and scurrying to get the sense that you’re not alone
Mantis Lords is one of my favorite tracks in the game but HOLY SHIT hearing it with the bigger orchastration was genuine horror. I never realized the weight of the chords in that section until the Bloodborne comparison (also subscribing! I love the content you add and as someone who is vaguely musical but not quite, it added so much to my understanding of the music). TIME TO LISTEN TO THAT MANTIS LORD PART AGAIN
Even though Silksong is not out yet, Lace was released by the artist. I highly recommend listening to that as it gives a good idea how much the composer has developed between the games. It’s fantastic.
6:30 it’s just like the boss fight, you fight up to a total of three of them and the boss fight doesn’t seem cluttered at all, in fact it all fits together perfectly
Alex: This hits different, let's make vampirecore a genre At first you had our curiosity, *now you have our full attention* _Also I would love full orchestrated versions of the boss themes in Hollow Knight_
A few of the songs in the Hollow Knight: Gods & Nightmares album has a few already. White Defender (Dung Defender), Daugter of Hollownest (Hornet) and Sisters of Battle (Mantis Lords). That said, I would loooooove a look at City of Tears, Greenpath, and Nosk with a full orchestra.
When one plays the game, one can feel how the score fits each character. It never disappears, but it is part of the overall scene composition. Hollow Knight is widely regarded as one of the best Metroidvanias for good reason, the world is immersive and the music is part of that.
I am AMAZED at how you managed to turn Hornet’s theme into her character and fight. You are very very good at understanding what a composer is trying to express through a musical piece. It shows that you’re a master!
You perfectly intuited what the fights were like from the music, a testament to both your analysis skills and Christopher Larkin’s skill at creating pieces that fit the beats of a fight.
Christopher Larkin actually hosted a lecture at the college my best friend went to once, I just think that's neat Also, if you liked these, you should check out Grimm Troupe and Nightmare King; two of the best songs in the game and two of my favorite video game OST tracks of all time
Just WAIT until he realizes that every song in the game follows a specific melody, redone and reimagined to fit the tone of the area, boss, or scene. Freaking beautiful game and perfect soundtrack.
I love how Alex, in the process of making the Mantis Lords sound like Bloodborne, pretty much just re-creates the Sisters of Battle theme that Chris Larkin already wrote for the harder version of them in Godmaster.
As a lifetime chamber and symphony orchestra performer, I fell head over heels in LOVE with Hollow Knight's soundtrack!! Christopher Larkin's work in this game, as you said, somehow manages to throw a thousand ingredients into a cake and still have it come out baked to perfection. I appreciated your commentary on both tracks, and would love to hear your perspective on the Radiance theme, because it has possibly the grandest orchestration in all of Hollow Knight's soundtrack. Utterly devastated me the first time I heard it. Keep being awesome, I look forward to your next video!
You talked a lot about how these tracks are in diferrent styles so you have to listen to the "Godmaster versions" of these (versions that play in the boss rush DLC), i would love a video about your reaction. Hornet -> Daughter of Hallownest Mantis Lords -> Sister of Battle
This was such a joy to watch, the way you immediately characterized the Hornet boss fight just from the song was absolutely stunning!! Hollow knight is a one of the BEST games ive ever played, its so perfect
The sadder part of Hornet's theme would either be due in part to either 1. having done the whole fight before against another vessel or 2. the fact that you're technically playing as Hornet's brother. As for the Mantis Lords (aka The Sisters of Battle) the more nightmarish aspect of their theme could be due to their kingdom being the only one standing around the collapsing Hallownest, a massive kingdom slowly dying to the infection.
It never matters what he's talking about, the passion, enthusiasm, and appreciation oozes out of this guy. He always puts me in a better mood and changes my perspective. Sincerely, thank you.
I wasn't expecting this but YES, hope you listen to a few more, as GOD there are some bangers in the soundtrack (to name a few, sealed vessel, grimm's theme, radiance). Love the channel!
Hollow Knight has one of the best soundtracks of all time! What’s even more amazing is that all instruments except for the Viola and the solo Voice had to be played with sample libraries due to the extremely low budget.
@@AlexMoukalaMusic if you listen to the new "lace" demo theme for the upcoming sequel, Christopher seems to be using a lot more real instruments this time, probably due to an increase in budget.
What an intelligent and artistic minded guy. He picks up on everything I love so much about these pieces and adds more that I'd never appreciated. I'll definitely be checking out this channel some more!
The moment I hit the City of Tears, I just stood still and had to take everything in. Christopher Larkin is my favorite composer just in the way how he did this.
Seeing City of Tears for the first time and hearing that theme was the moment I truly fell in love with that game. Definitely a one of a kind gaming experience.
The Hornet leitmotif is actually a different leitmotif that represents another character entirely, and is used for Hornet to show her connection to that character. The way the Mantis Lords theme has the call response going on which later just overlaps and becomes very overpowering fits, since you actually fight 2 Mantis Lords at the same time, and have to split your attention between them.
I just realized that dark part at the end of Mantis Lords refers to (mild spoilers) Deepnest which is very much horror themed and literally the Area you get to after the you defeat them .
You should really play the rest of Hollow Knight. It starts VERY slowly but it picks up. Also you absolutely got Hornet's gameplay concept down right away.
It's definitely on my list, I really liked the bit I played, but I want to re-start it on Playstation as soon as my backlog clears up a bit (was playing on Switch)
Please give more breakdowns of Hollow Knight music. I’m pretty sure all of us loved watching you meticulously breakdown and comprehend each phrase. You have an amazing musical mind as well as a new subscriber.
Love seeing a master as excited about this as myself! The way he describes the "colours", perfect descriptions and examples. Very educational, very humble. Great descriptions, Alex.
I never noticed the "jumping" aspect of Hornet's theme, and when you pointed out that it's all strings her attack patterns made way more sense than they should. As for the Mantis Lords, there's a version of the fight where you have to fight three characters at once, so the idea of the music being almost too complex is a great catch in a fight that's almost too much to manage. (Or just is too much if you're a scrub like me.)
"What did hornet go through?" Man, what didn't she go through? She's the princess of two dead kingdoms, forced to play the role of jailer and executioner.
You should absolutely listen to the official Piano arrangements done for some of the pieces, including Hornet and Mantis Lords! (They're called the HK Piano Collections)
This was so beautiful to listen to and learn about. I loved hearing your music theory breakdown of the music then hearing your interpretations and connections to how it fits the game or the stylistic choices of Chrisopher Larkin. It hit me so hard when you said that it was as if he was "giving" us instructions when listening to the song. Thank you again!!!
Mantis Lords is my personal favorite fight of the game. The fight isn’t that complicated, and can actually be broken down to just 4 attacks; however, it does such a good job of teaching you what to expect then raising the difficulty by simply adding more of what you’ve already gone through. There are plenty of more difficult and complicated fights, but this is the first fight that REALLY tests your reaction time and attentiveness.
It's possibly on the easier side of things all things considered (only real problem is the pressure of the middle phase allowing almost no heals, but it becomes so through being a dance: they telegraph, you dodge, you hit if they're close enough, then slightly change the tempo for the dual phase.
I absolutely love how you instantly knew what type of fight style Hornet has just by listening to her song, it's simply amazing and the thing about the sad slowed down version is simply genious knowing the lore of the game. I love your videos!
Ah man, the love for vampire-feels makes me hope Alex checks out both of Grimm's themes sometime and how the second plays off the first. But mostly cuz it's more "vampire" music and it's clear he loves that.
It’s so cool how Alex here and Davi Vasc have both been able to absolutely nail the types of battles that these songs go with, having never played the boss battles before. Speaks to both their advanced musical understanding and Christopher Larkin’s genius.
Mantis Lords is the coolest boss fight ever lol, the music makes it even better! Also iirc Chris Larkin made all of the music for the game just with his computer, no actual instruments which is pretty crazy.
i heard there were two not computer elements the viola in the hollow knight theme and the singing voice in city of tears were real doesn't make it any less awesome in my eyes
I love how Christopher Larkin makes every OST gold by simply touching it. I'm happy that he will also be the composer for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Have you heard the Lace track he made for it? Now that track is ART.
I love your ability to read the qualities of a character just by their music representation. So on point 0:45 I'm no music producer or literate just a music enthusiast and I've been playing this kind of game with my friends for years, showing them pieces of music and let them try to describe what it represents.
The Mantis Lords is one of my favorite fights and songs in the entire game. The track tells you SO much about the feel of the fight. That Harpsicord always reminding you that you're fighting regal lords. And the frenetic tempo feels like a dance to me; but it's fast, precise, and if you mess up the rhythm...well, the Lords will bring down their punishment.
I could listen to you dissect the entire soundtrack, you'd find so many goodies that I've misses with my rookie rear end. But you're absolutely on point with all the characterization you've picked up from those tracks. Would love to see more if you ever have the time for it!
Wow I can't believe you got so many things right about hornet's character and her development just through the theme along, the energetic fight the tragic undertones wow just wow
Holy crap you basically gave a detailed explanation of not only Hornet's fighting style, but also came pretty close to guessing her backstory, just from the boss fight theme. I am now super impressed by both you and Christopher Larkin.
I love how you called how Hornet moves. You totally got her right there. (Hornet went through alot!) Same with the Mantis Lords too! I hope you listen to more Hollow Knight!
I feel like "intimate" is a perfect expression for the Hollow Knight experience... The protagonist is a mere cockroach/cicada/beetle crawling around in a place that feels both alien and familiar, scraping by close encounter after close encounter... The ambience and music alternate between drawing you in, then scaring yo' ass with big ugly centipede monsters...
@@Hailstormful none of the above you’re the shade lord and until you reach the point of the game that you know that you wouldn’t understand what it meant anyway
The bosses are great but the ambience music in this game doesn't get the attention it deserves, the music of the City of Tears is my favorite but they're all pretty great.
I love the fact that he pointed out how they sort of teach you to understand the composition of Mantis Lords which mirrors the fight itself. The first phase teaches you the moves in a very simple way and preps you for the 2nd phase or the real fight.
I love every video this guy puts out, and I especially love when he analyzes music of something that I know and love (like Final Fantasy XIV, MGR Revengeance, and now Hollow Knight). I think the music is amazing, I don't know why, and he explains it beautifully.
Gotta love how you perfectly guessed Hornet's fight dynamic xD It was great to learn about the classical influence in this, the comparison to Bloodborne can be even expanded to a Dark Souls one, there's some pretty gothic tunes in the game. Anyways, a new Alex video makes my day, thanks for the content my man!
I've played the game, so I know the characters you are talking about. But your explanations still made me cry. You're such knowledgeable artist. The way you taught me more about the game I spent over 60 hours in just by explaining details within 2 soundtracks... This single feeling is great, you have my heartfelt gratitude, my guy. Thank you.
I would love for him to look at “Path of pain” and how it works as a great progressing canon in one of the longest sections of the game. Every time that piece evolves throughout the section it gives me chills.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm finally playing Hollow Knight these days and just gotten to the City of Tears yesterday.
What a captivating game!
What's your favorite track from it?
Pure & sealed vessel's theme is so good try listening to it
The Grimm troupe is my favourite
Crystal Peak, especially in the themes second half
I love Sealed Vessel and City of Tears but my favourite probably is 12 Sisters of Battle (Mantis Lords remix for a special version of them) because of how well it works with the fight.
Troupe Master Grimm mixed with Nightmare King Grimm theme, Sealed Vessel/Path of Pain, Pale Court, and the Godhome versions od Hornet's and Mantis Lords/Sisters of Battle themes
"This Hornet enemy is gonna be jumps around all over"
You're in for a nice trip, lemme tell you that
Oh shit, I don't like this 😂
SHAW
"The Mantis Lords sound scary! What are they hiding in their basement??"
GIT GUD
@@dvklaveren Deepnest hurt me on my first time there😔
My man described Hornet perfectly just by listening to the first 5 seconds of her theme, very impressive
I like how hornet uses string to fight, and her song has string instruments
IKR?!
He also points out an underlying melancholy that also fits her character perfectly.
Ikr I was actually shocked 😂
@@abnercliff9624 literally most of the hollow knight ost has string instruments...
I hear nostalgia
@Lucas Not Here #TechnoSupporter beans
Bro 2 years later and I still watch your videos 😭
this guy's passion for music made me cry !! i guess it's time to do another steal soul game...
@@Sjimpie beans😳
beans
my man guessed hornet's entire personality and fight correctly by listening to her ost for 20 seconds, what a legend
Christopher Larkin knows what he's doing.
yeah people here are saying that about him, but what about Cristopher?
He's literally the one who wrote this, perfectly to the vibe of hornet
Alex: *Hears three notes of the song*
"Ok, I'm guessing from the music that this hornet is an agile character in a red dress who fights with a needle and will get her own spinoff game soon"
*Hears half a note of Truth, Beauty and Hatred*
“Ok, I can tell due to the feel of the melody and the instrumental choices that this boss is probably quite *invincible,* also they seem to *not have any fear.* The overall tone so far is quite *sensual,* or maybe *mysterious* or *enchanting.*
The tempo indicates that they are definitely *vigorous* but also *diligent* and sometimes *overwhelming.* Honestly this first note feels very *gorgeous* and *passionate,* and maybe even *terrifying.*
This track clearly communicates the *beauty* and *power* of this character.”
That "soon" hit hard
"Oh! And this note right here tells us she is not made of void. Also, Just like this motif, I will repeat myself. She will get her own spinoff *soon* " - Alex probably.
@@hippotripo6145 "and by the depth of these notes it seems like the boss in this music is some sort of *Grey Prince* or something"
@@WoodlouseChucker we've been saying soon for a year and a half lol
4:45 “What did Hornet go through?”
-Watched her home and kingdom die slowly
-Killed plenty of the player’s siblings, because she knows a single one could technically doom the already-ruined kingdom straight to hell
-Knew her mother is being kept in eternal stasis, keeping the world from falling apart
-Knew she was only born as part of a deal
-Probably never once saw her dad face to face
-Had to wait for Silksong
I like that you threw in the "Had to wait for silksong" Poor Hornet has to wait for her own game.
The last one is the worst :( xd xdddd
*Has to wait for SilkSong
She technically killed her siblings and one of her siblings killed her mother.
@@cardnal44 the ultimate comeback
I swear Hollow Knight is one of those games that has the perfect soundtracks to go with the overall vibe of the game
How TF??? You are everywhere!
I heard an expression once that works well for this game. Hollow Knight feels like its perfectly "confortable in its own skin".
He is everywhere. It must be a sign
Joe mama
Wait you're a hollow knight fan!? My respect for you just went up.
0:42 he actually just guessed the enemy BY the soundtrack.
proof that hollow knight's soundtrack is perfect for the game
True
It's also proof that he is an amazing musician, describing a character only by hearing it's theme.
Hollow Knight has some of the best ambient music of any game I’ve ever played
I like Greenpath a lot!
@@AlexMoukalaMusic You may wanna check out insaneintherain’s Greenpath Jazz Arrangement, then. So chill~
Resting grounds is amazing. Could sit and listen to it for hours.
HE'S ALIVE
C'mon Danish, where ya been buddy? I'ved missed you...
I love it as well :D A close second to the Ori games :D
"Never a dull moment"
That is basically the perfect way to describe Mantis Lords as a fight too
You're always on your feet. Good luck with sisters of battle!
The sheer amount of Hornet that Alex was able to glean from her theme alone speaks to how perceptive he is and how much Christopher Larkin was able to convey in one track. Game recognize game!
Right? Amazed me
@@blackmage1276 same here
Hollow Knight's most memorable soundtrack, for me, was City of Tears, when you enter it and watch from the bench, with Quirrel, I wish I could experience it for the 1st time again 🥺
OMG same, I was sitting on this bench and listening to music for over 10 minutes
city of tears is absolutely my favourite. the enemies, the music, the entire environment. its amazing lol
I wish I could experience the ENTIRETY of Hollow Knight for the first time again. The whole game fills me with such nostalgia and I only discovered it about a year or two ago. Definitely my favorite game of all time
For me it’s either City of Tears or Sealed Vessel (because I had fun with the path of pain)
Honestly, ive never listened to that soundtrack. Maybe i should just sit down and replay the game and fully immerse myself in the games soundtracks.
Pointing out the call and response in Mantis Lords is fascinating considering the way you fight them feels like a call and response, especially when two fight you at once.
The call and response of this track is a lot like the passing of a baton, whenever one part stops the other carries on stronger
It gets even better when you fight them in Godhome and you fight all 3 at once.
Mantis Lords and Sisters of Battle are such great themes!
@@Nukesnipe One of my favorite fights in the entire game.
The whole fight is a dance. You’re not fighting, you’re following their lead. Then listening to the song itself it feels like it’s and intense ballroom song.
I'm really bad with musical terminology, but I love how Alex was able to pretty accurately understand the character/motivation of Hornet simply through his practiced inference over what the score was attempting to convey to the listener. I always feel a little bit smarter listening to him breakdown a score.
Shows the massive brains of this guy and Larkin both
“I’m very bad with terminology” he says, right before saying “practiced inference”, “attempting to convey to the listener”
@@angelmarques3124 You'll notice though, I managed convey my message without using "music terminology" since I know almost nothing about music theory let alone how to read/discuss music on a technical level.
@@wolfpack_104 yeah, but I still found it funny
@@angelmarques3124 Fair enough
Everyone out here talking about how he predicted what Hornet is like as enemy, but the Mantis lords' music description fits them so well too!
"...it sounds very sharp and very cold", "there's never a dull moment", "...it's more elegant and less in your face"
Took me by surprise how he noticed that layer of sorrow in Hornet's theme
Just like Hornet herself under all that stoicism and duty.
It feels weird to hear Hornet's boss music without the occasional SHAW!!
Shaw!
GIT GUD! Lol but I agree with you. :P
ADIDAS!
GARAMAR
The fact that he was able to predict Hornet’s style of fighting from the instruments means the music was on point.
If I win the lottery I’m hiring Alex to compose a symphony with an unlimited budget. This dude is a genius.
Mantis Lords and Hornet OSTs are fine and dandy, but I'd really like to hear Alex's opinion on "Sealed Vessel", in my opinion the best track in the entire Hollow Knight soundtrack. That track, with that fight especially THAT moment is an experience and a half.
It’s great, but IMO city of tears is the esential hollow knight track
@@TheCivildecay that too, the best environmental music by far
Sealed Vessel, City of Tears, The Grimm Troupe and Nightmare King, Crystal Peak, Kingdom's Edge, this game is full of 10/10 songs
Sealed Vessel is incredible - from epic final boss showdown to tragic, mournful sombreness. Not sure I've ever felt genuine sadness for a boss in a game before.
@@ImVeryOriginal You can find some videos on YT discussing how Christopher Larkin used a certain motif to construct various pieces -- from main menu theme, through Broken Vessel boss theme, to Sealed Vessel. Really makes you think how soundtrack can tie the game together.
The mantis Lord 's theme basically says: they're gonna beat you to a pulp in 3 seconds, and this is exactly what they do in game: the beat you until you're nothing more than a crying mess on the floor because it's you twentieth attempt in 5 minutes.
And somehow you still wanna fight them because they're so cool and it's such a satisfying fight.
I love the Mantis Lords
Pretty much like abyss watchers
The mantis lord fight is one of the best (if not THE best) boss fights I’ve ever seen in a game
Not only is it totally optional, but I was incredibly underpowered when I first fought them. I died over and over, but the fight manages to grab you so that you don’t want to quit. Every death feels like you’re a step closer to winning.
sisters of battle brings the same level of intrigue and satisfaction while upping the difficulty. Probably my favorite fight.
I screamed internally the whole fight and loved every second
only 20 in 5 minutes? pathetic
This soundtrack is just so damn good. And that bloodborne-ish remake at the end DANG 😮
Oh shit Geoff is here.
Why do I suddenly hear guitars in the distance?
@@AlexMoukalaMusic you'll see Christopher Larkins take on a more symphonic version of the track near the endgame haha
Geoff why tlou2 won got- wait wrong one
Geoff do NKG's theme pleeeeaaseee. I beg you!
Loved your HK cover. If you did another that’d be so cool
This was SUCH a good video, I absolutely love how you noticed the darkness in the mantis lords theme because the part of the map you unlock after beating them is called deepnest, and it’s absolutely terrifying. It’s where the spiders live and it’s dark and brooding and the music basically goes silent so you can hear scuttling and scurrying to get the sense that you’re not alone
"Let's make Vampirecore a genre"
Oh man, wait until he gets to Grimm. :D
Mantis Lords is one of my favorite tracks in the game but HOLY SHIT hearing it with the bigger orchastration was genuine horror. I never realized the weight of the chords in that section until the Bloodborne comparison (also subscribing! I love the content you add and as someone who is vaguely musical but not quite, it added so much to my understanding of the music). TIME TO LISTEN TO THAT MANTIS LORD PART AGAIN
Even though Silksong is not out yet, Lace was released by the artist. I highly recommend listening to that as it gives a good idea how much the composer has developed between the games. It’s fantastic.
He should really do this, I'm fairly certain he will be super interested in it.
Bonebottom was also released by Christopher Larkin, for silksong
And if he does this, I hope he includes Sealed Vessel! Understand he won't have time for them all but I think that one is REALLY special! :D
@@NervrSprout the choir and violin (probably not violin but idk) on that music gives me chills! He should definitely react to it!
Watching him break down Lace and Sealed Vessel would be a dream come true
6:30 it’s just like the boss fight, you fight up to a total of three of them and the boss fight doesn’t seem cluttered at all, in fact it all fits together perfectly
Alex: This hits different, let's make vampirecore a genre
At first you had our curiosity, *now you have our full attention*
_Also I would love full orchestrated versions of the boss themes in Hollow Knight_
Remember his vampirecore Bury The Light remix?
A few of the songs in the Hollow Knight: Gods & Nightmares album has a few already. White Defender (Dung Defender), Daugter of Hollownest (Hornet) and Sisters of Battle (Mantis Lords). That said, I would loooooove a look at City of Tears, Greenpath, and Nosk with a full orchestra.
I would listen to a whole hour of vampirecore remixes by Alex
When one plays the game, one can feel how the score fits each character. It never disappears, but it is part of the overall scene composition. Hollow Knight is widely regarded as one of the best Metroidvanias for good reason, the world is immersive and the music is part of that.
I am AMAZED at how you managed to turn Hornet’s theme into her character and fight. You are very very good at understanding what a composer is trying to express through a musical piece. It shows that you’re a master!
You perfectly intuited what the fights were like from the music, a testament to both your analysis skills and Christopher Larkin’s skill at creating pieces that fit the beats of a fight.
Christopher Larkin actually hosted a lecture at the college my best friend went to once, I just think that's neat
Also, if you liked these, you should check out Grimm Troupe and Nightmare King; two of the best songs in the game and two of my favorite video game OST tracks of all time
Woahhh that’s so cool!!
So lucky!!
Nightmare King is the absolute best one imo. I was hoping to see him going through that one
@@pedrinkss I can’t help but love broken vessels song enough to put up with both those two.
What did hornet go through?
She lost her mom, and was left eternally alone to defend a kingdom buried by ash. She been thru it
What do you mean "Ash" it's not dark souls
They probably mean the Kingdom’s Edge, where her second fight takes place.
@@aelechdeepestflame4347 yeah but it's not the entire kingdom
Just WAIT until he realizes that every song in the game follows a specific melody, redone and reimagined to fit the tone of the area, boss, or scene. Freaking beautiful game and perfect soundtrack.
The music throughlines of Hollow Knight are *iconic* and I love just listening to the soundtrack to hear it all fit together
My man really perfectly explained hornet without knowing who hornet is just through her theme
I love how Alex, in the process of making the Mantis Lords sound like Bloodborne, pretty much just re-creates the Sisters of Battle theme that Chris Larkin already wrote for the harder version of them in Godmaster.
I knew somebody was also going to say this!
Wait it wasn’t intentional
As a lifetime chamber and symphony orchestra performer, I fell head over heels in LOVE with Hollow Knight's soundtrack!! Christopher Larkin's work in this game, as you said, somehow manages to throw a thousand ingredients into a cake and still have it come out baked to perfection.
I appreciated your commentary on both tracks, and would love to hear your perspective on the Radiance theme, because it has possibly the grandest orchestration in all of Hollow Knight's soundtrack. Utterly devastated me the first time I heard it. Keep being awesome, I look forward to your next video!
You talked a lot about how these tracks are in diferrent styles so you have to listen to the "Godmaster versions" of these (versions that play in the boss rush DLC), i would love a video about your reaction.
Hornet -> Daughter of Hallownest
Mantis Lords -> Sister of Battle
Alex must see this comment. The Godmaster soundtracks are godlike, especially Sister of Battle, it's my #1
Sister’s of Battle is my favorite boss in the game, closely followed by Nightmare King Grimm
Yup he basically predicted Sisters of Battle
Has he reacted to the Nightmare King theme?! 🤔
Yes pls!
This was such a joy to watch, the way you immediately characterized the Hornet boss fight just from the song was absolutely stunning!! Hollow knight is a one of the BEST games ive ever played, its so perfect
The way Alex so elegantly explains the music I've heard a million times before, it's like I'm listening for the first time again
The sadder part of Hornet's theme would either be due in part to either 1. having done the whole fight before against another vessel or 2. the fact that you're technically playing as Hornet's brother.
As for the Mantis Lords (aka The Sisters of Battle) the more nightmarish aspect of their theme could be due to their kingdom being the only one standing around the collapsing Hallownest, a massive kingdom slowly dying to the infection.
*Sibling. The White Lady calls Hornet the Gendered Child, implying the others don’t have gender
@@duane6386 The others are also all referred to as "it", which seems to be the pronoun the bugs in HK use to fulfill the same purpose as singular they
It never matters what he's talking about, the passion, enthusiasm, and appreciation oozes out of this guy. He always puts me in a better mood and changes my perspective. Sincerely, thank you.
mantis lords theme fits so well with the way the *SPOILERS* gates drop down around you as the song starts and they all start jumping at you
"I think I became a better music producer just hearing this." This is how I feel when I watch your videos!
Everyone should find someone in life that makes their heart skip the way Alex's dose here
I wasn't expecting this but YES, hope you listen to a few more, as GOD there are some bangers in the soundtrack (to name a few, sealed vessel, grimm's theme, radiance). Love the channel!
Grimm's theme is sooooo good
pure vessel too! one of my favourites
Grimm has 2 themes, both excellent. Honestly, I think Troupe Master Grimm theme might actually be a bit better than the NKG theme
Not to mention ambient masterpieces like city of tears, the hollow knight, sealed vessel, and soul chamber.
You named the best of the best
What makes this funny is that both these songs have a sequel
Hollow Knight has one of the best soundtracks of all time! What’s even more amazing is that all instruments except for the Viola and the solo Voice had to be played with sample libraries due to the extremely low budget.
Holy shit, they definitely fooled me. All those string instruments sounded quite real to me
Yeah Team Cherry are crazy people who deserve every dollar that game made
@@AlexMoukalaMusic if you listen to the new "lace" demo theme for the upcoming sequel, Christopher seems to be using a lot more real instruments this time, probably due to an increase in budget.
@@herb2110 yes! They have an orchestra now!
What an intelligent and artistic minded guy. He picks up on everything I love so much about these pieces and adds more that I'd never appreciated. I'll definitely be checking out this channel some more!
The moment I hit the City of Tears, I just stood still and had to take everything in. Christopher Larkin is my favorite composer just in the way how he did this.
Seeing City of Tears for the first time and hearing that theme was the moment I truly fell in love with that game. Definitely a one of a kind gaming experience.
8:26 that Haken reference hit me out of nowhere. Incredible band, glad you enjoy 'em too!
The Hornet leitmotif is actually a different leitmotif that represents another character entirely, and is used for Hornet to show her connection to that character.
The way the Mantis Lords theme has the call response going on which later just overlaps and becomes very overpowering fits, since you actually fight 2 Mantis Lords at the same time, and have to split your attention between them.
yes! 8-bit music theory has a great video covering hornet's connection to that specific motif and other areas where it's showcased. awesome detail.
Wait, where does Hornet's leitmotif come from?
@@BrassWing the first few notes are from
the pale king's theme, except hornet's varies about halfway through but still ends on the same tonic
The way Christopher Larkin uses leitmotif is brilliant
3 mantos lords if you fight sisters of battle (One of The Best boss fights in my opinion)
bro hornet and mantis lord's have the best theme
I FINISHED HOLLOW KNIGHT RECENTLY AND THIS HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!
My progress got deleted :( 6 months ago BUT today im going to play again!
@@Mikey4ever1s sorry to hear that. The game is worth replaying millions of times so enjoy!
@@R.Sinnia oh! im playing right now. LOVEEE this game with all my heart!! Have a nice day my friend
ive sunk so many hours into hollow knight, all pantheons, all bosses radiant, speedran under 4 hours in steel soul
@Sabre Turbo, so the game can actually be finished. Thanks
the amount of insight i am getting from this is unbelievable wow. when you slowed down the hornet theme i got CHILLS
I just realized that dark part at the end of Mantis Lords refers to (mild spoilers) Deepnest which is very much horror themed and literally the Area you get to after the you defeat them .
The entire OST is genius. It has so many callbacks to little melodies and accents.
You should really play the rest of Hollow Knight. It starts VERY slowly but it picks up. Also you absolutely got Hornet's gameplay concept down right away.
It's definitely on my list, I really liked the bit I played, but I want to re-start it on Playstation as soon as my backlog clears up a bit (was playing on Switch)
Please give more breakdowns of Hollow Knight music. I’m pretty sure all of us loved watching you meticulously breakdown and comprehend each phrase. You have an amazing musical mind as well as a new subscriber.
Love seeing a master as excited about this as myself! The way he describes the "colours", perfect descriptions and examples. Very educational, very humble. Great descriptions, Alex.
It's so freaking cool that you could determine the sorrow in hornets past simply by listening to that end part of the song.
I never noticed the "jumping" aspect of Hornet's theme, and when you pointed out that it's all strings her attack patterns made way more sense than they should. As for the Mantis Lords, there's a version of the fight where you have to fight three characters at once, so the idea of the music being almost too complex is a great catch in a fight that's almost too much to manage. (Or just is too much if you're a scrub like me.)
"What did hornet go through?"
Man, what didn't she go through? She's the princess of two dead kingdoms, forced to play the role of jailer and executioner.
You should absolutely listen to the official Piano arrangements done for some of the pieces, including Hornet and Mantis Lords!
(They're called the HK Piano Collections)
This was so beautiful to listen to and learn about. I loved hearing your music theory breakdown of the music then hearing your interpretations and connections to how it fits the game or the stylistic choices of Chrisopher Larkin. It hit me so hard when you said that it was as if he was "giving" us instructions when listening to the song. Thank you again!!!
Mantis Lords is my personal favorite fight of the game. The fight isn’t that complicated, and can actually be broken down to just 4 attacks; however, it does such a good job of teaching you what to expect then raising the difficulty by simply adding more of what you’ve already gone through.
There are plenty of more difficult and complicated fights, but this is the first fight that REALLY tests your reaction time and attentiveness.
It's possibly on the easier side of things all things considered (only real problem is the pressure of the middle phase allowing almost no heals, but it becomes so through being a dance: they telegraph, you dodge, you hit if they're close enough, then slightly change the tempo for the dual phase.
This guys channel is so great. So insightful. He is so passionate and excited he reminds me of when a close friend is needing out about something.
I absolutely love how you instantly knew what type of fight style Hornet has just by listening to her song, it's simply amazing and the thing about the sad slowed down version is simply genious knowing the lore of the game. I love your videos!
Now we just have to wait for that King Grimm theme reaction
Ah man, the love for vampire-feels makes me hope Alex checks out both of Grimm's themes sometime and how the second plays off the first.
But mostly cuz it's more "vampire" music and it's clear he loves that.
It’s so cool how Alex here and Davi Vasc have both been able to absolutely nail the types of battles that these songs go with, having never played the boss battles before. Speaks to both their advanced musical understanding and Christopher Larkin’s genius.
Mantis Lords is the coolest boss fight ever lol, the music makes it even better! Also iirc Chris Larkin made all of the music for the game just with his computer, no actual instruments which is pretty crazy.
i heard there were two not computer elements
the viola in the hollow knight theme and the singing voice in city of tears were real
doesn't make it any less awesome in my eyes
The Hornet theme always makes me cry... It's the only piece of music that has ever done that!
This is the kind of music a Metroidvania always deserves.
That analysis was amazing
I love how Christopher Larkin makes every OST gold by simply touching it. I'm happy that he will also be the composer for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Have you heard the Lace track he made for it? Now that track is ART.
I love your ability to read the qualities of a character just by their music representation. So on point 0:45
I'm no music producer or literate just a music enthusiast and I've been playing this kind of game with my friends for years, showing them pieces of music and let them try to describe what it represents.
The Mantis Lords is one of my favorite fights and songs in the entire game. The track tells you SO much about the feel of the fight. That Harpsicord always reminding you that you're fighting regal lords. And the frenetic tempo feels like a dance to me; but it's fast, precise, and if you mess up the rhythm...well, the Lords will bring down their punishment.
Came here for the Hollow Knight discussion. Left supremely happy that Visions by Haken got a shoutout. My favorite track by them. What a masterpiece.
I could listen to you dissect the entire soundtrack, you'd find so many goodies that I've misses with my rookie rear end. But you're absolutely on point with all the characterization you've picked up from those tracks. Would love to see more if you ever have the time for it!
Wow I can't believe you got so many things right about hornet's character and her development just through the theme along, the energetic fight the tragic undertones wow just wow
"That hit different" with the Trash Taste banner was a very classy touch Alex!
Holy crap you basically gave a detailed explanation of not only Hornet's fighting style, but also came pretty close to guessing her backstory, just from the boss fight theme.
I am now super impressed by both you and Christopher Larkin.
Mantis Lords - my favorite track. But all of them are incredible! And I love your analysis, Alex!
The way he described hornet was too true
I love how you called how Hornet moves. You totally got her right there. (Hornet went through alot!)
Same with the Mantis Lords too!
I hope you listen to more Hollow Knight!
I love what you said about the call and response and teaching the listener during the song, because that reflects the boss fight itself perfectly
I feel like "intimate" is a perfect expression for the Hollow Knight experience...
The protagonist is a mere cockroach/cicada/beetle crawling around in a place that feels both alien and familiar, scraping by close encounter after close encounter... The ambience and music alternate between drawing you in, then scaring yo' ass with big ugly centipede monsters...
the protagonist is the shade lord
@@radiotan5173 First, spoilers? Also, if everyone is kindof a vermin/bug, which one is us? Cicada? Stag beetle? Cockroach? Winged ant?
@@Hailstormful
we're a weird shadow made of void with a mask
@@Hailstormful none of the above you’re the shade lord and until you reach the point of the game that you know that you wouldn’t understand what it meant anyway
@@radiotan5173 wdym, I'm right
"It's a more intimate experience but still feels very real and very epic"
You literally... *HOW?!*
The bosses are great but the ambience music in this game doesn't get the attention it deserves, the music of the City of Tears is my favorite but they're all pretty great.
WHITE PALACE
CRYSTAL PEAK IS SO UNDERRATED
@@a_dumbuser I hate Crystal Peak as a level but the music always made it up to me!
I love the fact that he pointed out how they sort of teach you to understand the composition of Mantis Lords which mirrors the fight itself. The first phase teaches you the moves in a very simple way and preps you for the 2nd phase or the real fight.
I love every video this guy puts out, and I especially love when he analyzes music of something that I know and love (like Final Fantasy XIV, MGR Revengeance, and now Hollow Knight). I think the music is amazing, I don't know why, and he explains it beautifully.
“Which tells me that this hornet will be very agile”
Painfull flashbacks intensifies!
Gotta love how you perfectly guessed Hornet's fight dynamic xD It was great to learn about the classical influence in this, the comparison to Bloodborne can be even expanded to a Dark Souls one, there's some pretty gothic tunes in the game. Anyways, a new Alex video makes my day, thanks for the content my man!
I've played the game, so I know the characters you are talking about. But your explanations still made me cry. You're such knowledgeable artist. The way you taught me more about the game I spent over 60 hours in just by explaining details within 2 soundtracks...
This single feeling is great, you have my heartfelt gratitude, my guy. Thank you.
The Hornet fight is such an iconic intro to the game. It's just dripping with aesthetic, style and damn fun to play.
This video filled me with joy. Excellent breakdown
I would love for him to look at “Path of pain” and how it works as a great progressing canon in one of the longest sections of the game.
Every time that piece evolves throughout the section it gives me chills.
The amount of effort put into this 10 minute video is quite remarkable