Lost in the Music: Time's End by Theophany

Majora's Mask is a creepy game. As I said in my Ocarina of Time vs Majora's Mask write up, Ocarina of Time was a childhood adventure while Majora's Mask was a far more adult adventure. There were consequences to be had should you have failed a side-mission. While it was possible to undo the damage by using the Song of Time to travel back 72 hours, you still saw what happened when you failed. The preteen went through hell with whatever captured her and came back suffering from PTSD, her Ranch lost it's livestock to said unknown beings, and the lovers never reconciled and should you fail in gathering the sleeping giants, you saw the entire town get destroyed. There were consequences to your actions. No other Zelda game has done this concept since.

So how does this tie into Theophany's Majora's Mask album? He has taken a soundtrack from an already dark game and made it even creepier. The original soundtrack had some genuinely happy pieces of music such as Romani Ranch. Granted the track is directly lifted from Lon Lon Ranch but it still is one of the few genuinely peaceful and happy themes from the games soundtrack. The only tracks Theophany remixed for Time's End were the creepy and apocalyptic selections from the original OST.

Of all the tracks in Time's End, my favourite would have to be Final Hours, the title track Time's End and Majora's Mask. Theophany took a group of already dark songs and intensified the creepiness. Final Hours sounds more like the finale to some epic battle then anything else. You forget you are playing a tween time lord racing against the clock trying to save a twisted mirror of Hyrule. The way Theophany uses both the sound of thunder and the somber vocals in the background really helps sets the mood before fading into the title track of Time's End.

Following up Time's End is Majora's Mask. the finale of this mini trifecta. Whereas the previous songs were dark and depressing with an added touch of creepiness, this song is straight up unnerving. It is obviously the set up before the actual fight with Majroa, but sadly the song doesn't cover that part. Instead it fades off with Majora laughing before going to The Clockworks, a song completely unrelated to the previous three.

These three songs are the real cornerstone of the album. While the other songs are fantastic, these three are a step above because they make you feel absolutely helpless. These three songs are nothing short of fantastic boosting an already good album to new heights. On a final note, the last part of the song, where the Song of Time is “sung” and causes the music to start playing in reverse is a great touch.

What I love about this album is the atmosphere. It's dark and menacing and it sticks with you. Theophany took an already dark OST and made it even more grim. There are no thoughts of peace and goodwill. The world is going to hell, and the only person who has the courage to do anything is a 12 year old kid who fell down the rabbit hole.

You can grab the album off of Theophany's bandcamp page.

This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.