breaking down one of Fire Emblems Best songs

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 29 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 59

  • @skillshare385
    @skillshare385 9 місяців тому +220

    The context of this song is the supposed true villian making the ultimate sacrifice for his son, the protag, and the tonal shift is probably satisfaction

    • @ilavain
      @ilavain 9 місяців тому +40

      I can also add that the impression of the beginning feeling lost and unsure while the end was more sure is completely on point! There are official lyrics released for the song in the artbook that show the beginning of the song being addressed from the titular "lord" to a dying God that fostered this now dead Empire. The end is the lord being sure that his son will succeed him and revitalize this Empire in an image he could never achieve. It's a very beautiful song.

    • @skillshare385
      @skillshare385 9 місяців тому +3

      @@ilavain that's actually awesome. Intelsys goes above and beyond with music

    • @jaxxh6529
      @jaxxh6529 9 місяців тому +3

      this plays in act 2 and is the first song that you hear.
      celika has a terrefiing nightmare.
      alm!!!!!!
      this song is actually alms dad, king rudolf.
      the first words he says before this plays: rudolf??? die!!!!!!!
      it is also a selectable song in super smash bros ultimate.
      my girlfriend (that is a huge fire emblem fan) was really in tears. i was in that game there.
      the switch was just out.
      hope this game returns on the switch with all the dlc and special dungeons.

    • @skillshare385
      @skillshare385 9 місяців тому

      @@jaxxh6529 I wish, dude.
      ...but also with more traditional fire emblem gameplay.

    • @jaxxh6529
      @jaxxh6529 9 місяців тому

      the tiard system in dungeons also, more dungeons, bercut he was awful. yuda, the priest of duma aaaw maaaan.
      i have also nes gaiden but meh. neeeh. with this game? wow.
      maybe in the direct that comes this week?
      why i say that? because fire emblem warriors there was a "super 3ds version and the nintendo switch version.
      but they expanded it with free hopes. maaan. man man man. bummer.
      maybe they will. because the 3ds is soon... dead.
      miitopia, luigi's mansion 2 hd, alliance alive deluxe edition,.
      it would be cool.
      @@skillshare385

  • @mauwus4322
    @mauwus4322 9 місяців тому +155

    Valentia is a continent in decay because its living gods are turning mad with age.
    The main bad guy of the game, the titular Lord of a dead empire, enacted a plan to turn his son, who is destined to end the gods, into the savior of the continent by becoming an imperialistic conqueror forcing his son to strike him down thus uniting the whole continent behind him when he confronts said gods.
    To me, the song represents Rudolph's regrets on how his empire, that he cared a great deal about, is collapsing, how it came to be this way, and the choices he had to make for it to happen, but it also represents his hopes for the future and the success of his gambit.
    It's honestly one of my favorite songs of the franchise because of its uniqueness of having a male singer, being sung from the villain's perspective, and the bombastic nature of the song.

    • @antoniodicorato725
      @antoniodicorato725 9 місяців тому +21

      Not to forget that the official lyrics say it as well AND if Alm and Rudolph do battle in the game, Rudolph does NOT attack him.

  • @weebsabix7114
    @weebsabix7114 9 місяців тому +95

    God I wish I could experience this game for the first time again

  • @MajinMattPlays
    @MajinMattPlays 9 місяців тому +83

    Roughly Translated Lyrics and some commentary at the bottom!
    "Great Duma
    Our god of war!
    Glory has become a thing of bygone days
    That pride will be buried
    Great Duma
    Powerful god!
    How you have degenerated
    Do you wish for the capability to fear death?
    My son, Albein!
    People of Rigel!
    People of Valentia!
    My son, Albein!
    People of Rigel!
    People of Valentia!
    Grief and sadness both
    Will now
    Come to an end
    I will become your demon
    The age of gods is over
    The people must walk from the water
    And walk away from the end of the promise that was made
    I gladly turn myself over to the flames
    I do not regret the foundation of this new world"
    One super interesting thing about Lord of a Dead Empire, is the lyrics are fantastic. They are a song sung from the perspective of Emperor Rudolf, a message to his Son, whose name is Albine which can be heard several times throughout the track. It is Rudolf taking the mantle of the great villain, turning his life over so his Son, whom he loves deeply despite never getting to know, can bring the end of the Age of Gods, smiting Duma the God of War, and bringing about a new era for Valentia. It's a beautiful song that has so much meaning for the fantastic story of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. If you've not played the game, I would seriously recommend that you do.

    • @alternimousdimension
      @alternimousdimension 9 місяців тому +7

      Wow thanks for the translation! I never thought to look up the lyrics and their meaning.

  • @thevrex9237
    @thevrex9237 9 місяців тому +51

    lord of a dead empire started a trend in fire emblem where a morally somewhat ambiguous villain has a theatric opera theme when you finally face them
    honestly, probably one of my favorite things to happen to the series recently

  • @eternaldarklight8204
    @eternaldarklight8204 9 місяців тому +46

    Ah yes the song that paved the way for God shattering star, two absolutely banger tracks

  • @TPalidin
    @TPalidin 9 місяців тому +72

    I don't believe that I saw this song in the playlist of Fire Emblem music you have gone over already, but if possible could you check out "The Scions' Dance in Purgatory" as it is essentially the sequel to the "Lord of a Dead Empire". Also I learned a bit about the meaning of specific tone/notes of the singers from this vid.

  • @alosvods615
    @alosvods615 8 місяців тому +3

    THE PEEAK. My favorite Fire Emblem game.

  • @Palasid11
    @Palasid11 9 місяців тому +16

    One note is that at 3:20 there is a motif that is commonly used throughout most of Echoes’ music. It sounds different than some of the other uses though.

    • @Legion19911009
      @Legion19911009 9 місяців тому +7

      It's the leitmotif of Alm and Celica's love. It's an undercurrent in many of Echoes' songs, especially "Unity," which plays when Alm and Celica's armies unite at the end of the game.

  • @Matthew_Atlas_Carey
    @Matthew_Atlas_Carey 9 місяців тому +23

    I would love for you to do a deep dive specifically on this game- it’s a remake of an old NES game Fire Emblem Gaiden and they took the old chip tune soundtrack and completely orchestrated it, it is hands down the best soundtrack to grace the Fire Emblem series

  • @Rexaura888
    @Rexaura888 3 місяці тому +1

    As a Bass singer who also enjoys VGM, particularly Fire Emblem’s and of the in-game men’s vocal tracks this being chief among them (even above God Shattering Star which listening to your in depth detailing of how it’s a Tenor’s playground, really cool look into what it’s like being a Tenor), super impressed with how you understood the assignment and picked up on the “Lord” proper’s conflicted feelings about the fate of his empire (“Rigel”) based on the musical phrases alone, not even having the translated lyrics which also reflect the conclusion you came to (the first half being a lament, the second half displaying conviction).
    There’s a vocal song from the FE game Path of Radiance (my first) titled Life Returns that you might find intriguing. It uses a made-up language called the Ancient Tongue which phonetically (and in terms of meaning) is Japanese words backwards. For instance one of the key words that get repeated a lot towards the end is “Aros”. Mirroring that, you get “Sora” which is Japanese for Sky. Might be fun to try and pick out any other words or phrases from the piece as you listen to see if you can pick up on what the message of the song is.

  • @GRK_2024
    @GRK_2024 7 місяців тому +8

    i love how you basically discover a plot within the music itself without knowing the plot, similar to your analysis to twilight of gods,
    echoes has alot of great opera type themes you should listen to "Praise this despair", "the Scions dance in purgatory" or "Pride and arrogance" which is also from echoes. These mostly revolve around my favorite fire emblem antagonist berkut
    side note:its crazy how without this remake the game and its story would be lost into the NES

  • @Palasid11
    @Palasid11 9 місяців тому +20

    Love to see more appreciation for fire emblem music- doubly so for Fire Emblem Echoes music!

  • @YozoraKuroboshi
    @YozoraKuroboshi 9 місяців тому +12

    This was such an epic song to listen to especially in the moment this plays in the story. When I saw the translation of the song, it only added to it by adding context to the tragic narrative.

  • @Laselo
    @Laselo 9 місяців тому +7

    One of the best fire emblem ost, with "The Scions' Dance in Purgatory", echoes just blows my mind with it's ost.

  • @stryfe7467
    @stryfe7467 9 місяців тому +11

    I went into Fire Emblem Echoes SoV, not expecting anything. I was completely blown away by the beauty of the game, both in its illustration of a fading continent, as well as its breathtaking music. If you're looking for more FE SoV songs after listening to Lord of a Dead Empire, I'd recommend A Song for Bygone Days or Scion's Dance in Purgatory.

  • @mcihay246
    @mcihay246 9 місяців тому +20

    I believe this song is sung with a language within the game if it weren't translated to an understandable language to the player.
    The lyrics of the translated language are...
    Great Duma
    Our god of war!
    Glory has become a thing of bygone days
    That pride will be buried
    Great Duma
    Powerful god!
    How you have degenerated
    Do you wish for the capability to fear death?
    My son, Albein!
    People of Rigel!
    People of Valentia!
    My son, Albein!
    People of Rigel!
    People of Valentia!
    Grief and sadness both
    Will now
    Come to an end
    I will become your demon
    The age of gods is over
    The people must walk from the water
    And walk away from the end of the promise that was made
    I gladly turn myself over to the flames
    I do not regret the foundation of this new world

  • @atomicbaconbits6695
    @atomicbaconbits6695 9 місяців тому +7

    The song is played when Alm and the Deliverance get to Rigel Castle and have their final battle with Emporer Rudolf. Rudolf lets Alm kill him, and reveals that not only is Alm his son, but that everything he did was necessary to free Valentia from the Gods as they begin to go mad. I believe the song is from Rudolf's perspective; "This is the last battle of my empire, its all up to Alm to finish what I started."
    Also, I believe this song has lyrics? I heard Zofia clearly sang near the end. Not sure where to find them, though.
    A little lore tidbit for those who care:
    The reason Rudolf lets Alm kill him is because he's already labelled himself the "bad guy." Alm being the true heir to Rigel means the Regileans will accept him as such, and defeating Rudolf and freeing Zofia means the Zofians will accept him, so he's in the perfect position to unite both Kingdoms as the new ruler.

    • @damb1858
      @damb1858 9 місяців тому +3

      Another smaller lore tidbit: In the setting of Awakening 2000 years after the events of Valentia, the continent is renamed to Valm to reflect Alm's success & legacy as the ruler of Valentia. His legacy is what spurred the character Walhart to be a formidable leader in Awakening because he believed that his ancestors (mainly Alm) brought about success due to sheer strength alone, strength for a warrior, strenght for conquest. Of course I'd imagine it's easy how some finer details of a nation & ruler's history can be lost in time

  • @thesunthrone
    @thesunthrone 9 місяців тому +3

    Ah yes, the theme of teleporting Alm onto the rampart and rushing the Emperor in a 1v1 to end the mission without any needless bloodshed. What a beautiful turning point in the game.
    The map theme after this mission is also truly excellent.

  • @coldhazzard
    @coldhazzard 9 місяців тому +2

    everything about this game is so beautiful! thanks for analyzing this track, marco!

  • @oshawottlover8634
    @oshawottlover8634 9 місяців тому +3

    Another Music Breakdown of my favourite game of all time, thanks Marco

  • @ilavain
    @ilavain 9 місяців тому +2

    Oh my god! I love this song so much! I'm so happy that you covered it in a video!

  • @coolfish420
    @coolfish420 4 місяці тому

    You did it! I remember asking a long time ago, I'm so excited to listen!

  • @OrigamiJawny
    @OrigamiJawny 9 місяців тому +1

    ever since i first found marco a couple years or so ago I've wanted him to listen to SoV tracks 💞

  • @firerath
    @firerath 9 місяців тому +4

    Oh shit I remember recommending this years ago! I’m so glad you got the chance to break this down.
    While I don’t think it’s an actual language, there are lyrics for the song in the Valentian Accordian art book, and the translation of the lyrics are as follows:
    Great Duma
    Our god of war!
    Glory has become a thing of bygone days
    That pride will be buried
    Great Duma
    Powerful god!
    How you have degenerated
    Do you wish for the capability to fear death?
    My son, Albein!
    People of Rigel!
    People of Valentia!
    My son, Albein!
    People of Rigel!
    People of Valentia!
    Grief and sadness both
    Will now
    Come to an end
    I will become your demon
    The age of gods is over
    The people must walk from the water
    And walk away from the end of the promise that was made
    I gladly turn myself over to the flames
    I do not regret the foundation of this new world

  • @Majo_Ellen
    @Majo_Ellen 7 місяців тому +1

    You can actually hear him in the middle part mentioning:
    The son, "Albein"!
    The People of "Rigel"!
    "Valencia!" (Valentia)
    Praise our King Rudolf.
    Glad you enjoyed the song, so near and dear to my heart!

  • @Fighterman481
    @Fighterman481 9 місяців тому +3

    Super happy to hear more Echoes on the channel, because it is a strong contender for best Fire Emblem soundtrack. The music just has this...feel about it that I don't feel in many of the other games. Some others I'd recommend you check out if you haven't already:
    A Song For Bygone Days has more vocal work in it, but in less of a "climactic" fashion than Twilight of the Gods or Lord of a Dead Empire and more of a somber tone.
    March to Deliverance is a more...I don't know, warlike song? Not in the traditional aggressive way, but I feel like it captures the feeling of the grimness of war contrasted with the purity of the intention behind the protagonist's reason for this war, an attempt to overthrow a tyrannical empire.
    What Lies at the End is a much more hopeful sound compared to March to Deliverance, when the war finally has an end in sight.
    I listen to 30 minute extensions of these three songs in particular quite often, and they're great background music for when I'm doing other things.
    A non-Echoes plug here, but also check out Don't Speak Her Name from Awakening, which might well be my favorite track from the entire series (though there's stiff competition for that). There is a LOT to break down in that song, and I'm curious to see how much of the context of the chapter it plays in you can glean from just the music, because the track tells a phenomenal story.

  • @arianshahalin
    @arianshahalin 9 місяців тому +1

    marco reacting to fire emblem and nier never fails to make me happy . Thank you so much man.

  • @nevrikx
    @nevrikx 9 місяців тому +2

    This Song has a Roundabout Translation (From thu Fictional Valentian to Japanese to English) The Lyrics come from the Perspective of Emperor Rudolf, "Throwing himself to the Flames" to save his people and all of Valentia.

  • @grayrook8637
    @grayrook8637 9 місяців тому +3

    The best Fire Emblem game.

  • @eddiec9756
    @eddiec9756 9 місяців тому +1

    I've been waiting for you to do this song for so long now. I'm hoping that in the future more Fire Emblem games have more opera tracks like this. There are also a few Xenoblade songs that might interest you.

  • @zandalff
    @zandalff 5 місяців тому +1

    Maybe you could do Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation). I'm interested to see what you'd think of that?

  • @cl0k3
    @cl0k3 9 місяців тому

    TBh my favorite of that ost is probably Chasing Mila on the Plain, or the Mila's Ordeal song, a rendition of With Mila's Divine Protection that amps up the flamenco, by bringing acoustic guitar to the forefront, and having the main rhythm be provided by a freakin cajon, which is rare to hear.

  • @Hesketh32
    @Hesketh32 9 місяців тому +2

    Ah yes echoes music my beloved. The themes of Berkut for me are just 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 Idk if you’ve covered any of them

  • @geraq0
    @geraq0 9 місяців тому

    It's a testament to great video game music writing that you can perfectly understand the tone and motivation of the character and the scene without knowing the game or its plot. You're on point, the song is about an antagonist of the game, and Emperor of a declining Empire facing the ultimate battle against the heroes. But, in a twist revelation after the battle, he explains that all the evil actions he did were to free mankind from the oppression of the Gods, and that his wish was to be defeated by a true hero, in this case his only son. It is tragic, and the final section you speak of is more of a "I can't give up now" rather than a "nothing will stop me", because he needed his son to prove his strength and resolve in order to save the world.

  • @colinmunro3158
    @colinmunro3158 9 місяців тому

    The described shorthand and tropes of the baritone register in this video to my knowledge as a baritone myself appears to mostly relate to opera and other theatrical works of a similar nature. I mostly sing songs by Gordon Lightfoot, and Stan Rogers. Their works fit nearly perfectly in my vocal range. The themes of their songs are things such as promiscuity, alienation, love, tragedy, and forgiveness.Gordon Lightfoot does a great anti-war song called "The Patriot's Dream", and Stan Rogers does an amazing piece about The Troubles from the perspective of the grown offspring of an Irish emigrant called "The House of Orange"

  • @sparklingblue
    @sparklingblue 9 місяців тому +1

    omg my favorite echoes boss music

  • @saint_luiz
    @saint_luiz 9 місяців тому

    Oh Boy! I love this Music

  • @sailiealquadacil1284
    @sailiealquadacil1284 9 місяців тому

    4:37 Very interesting thoughts, but it might be worth knowing that he is singing the game's main theme here. It appears in different variations throughout the game, most notably on Alm's path.

  • @Adam-vg2lj
    @Adam-vg2lj 7 місяців тому

    YOU DID IT YOU FINALLY MADE THE VIDEO

  • @kyanucoors6520
    @kyanucoors6520 9 місяців тому +2

    Echoes story is just too good mang

  • @Toxin-56
    @Toxin-56 9 місяців тому +1

    I thought this was gonna be "With Mila's Divine Protection" 😅

  • @cybersnake88
    @cybersnake88 9 місяців тому

    Finally, I’ve been wanting this forever! Thank you so much for finally doing this! I prefer this song to Gld Shattering Star. Echoes best Fire Emblem Ost.

  • @Pe551
    @Pe551 9 місяців тому

    👍👍👍

  • @GKplus8
    @GKplus8 9 місяців тому

    More SoV! Woo

  • @falsefugo
    @falsefugo 9 місяців тому

    God shattering star is about a villain god killer and basically the big bad of FE3H

  • @massimilianoreali4398
    @massimilianoreali4398 9 місяців тому

    I know that this isn't a genshin video but i think it would be very good to hear a reaction about the theme of the solitary suanni is a bit short but is very good as theme