Author: Masamune
Some of the writers at SNES Hub decided a review of the Killer Cuts soundtrack was in order since there is a review of the game. Below are my impressions of the various tracks.
Track 1: K.I. Feeling
This is an interesting song. It sounds like trance or dance music. These type of tunes are better to dance to than sitting down and listening to. Then at about 1:55 into the song, a woman saying touch me, feel me can be heard. And a little later we hear sensual moaning going on. The song morphs from a decent dance song to a softcore porn audition. It gets you pumped up for the wrong reason. If parents heard their underage child listening to this song, many would have confiscated the CD. I didn’t like this one.
Track 2: The Way U Move
This track is much better than the first, and seems much more suitable for a fighting game. The intro is strong, and the song itself is of the dance genre, which I’m guessing what most of the soundtrack will be. It has an excellent beat which my head eventually started moving to. Now this is the type of music which gets you hype for some fighting action!
Track 3: Controlling Transmission
Controlling Transmission is one of those songs that you think is good, but you wouldn’t go out of your way to listen to. It’s got a good beat, I like the ominous voice that says danger, humiliation, and some other stuff throughout the track. I think it fits into the theme of Killer Instinct, but it’s a forgettable piece of music.
Track 4: Oh Yeah!
I thought this was an average song. It’s clearly Chief Thunder’s theme with the Native American inspired voice-overs. It doesn’t come as hard as some of the other tracks and when it is separated from the game, it’s not likely something I would put in my Ipod to listen to independently.
Track 5: It’s a Jungle
This is a softer, more mellow song than you would expect from a Killer Instinct game. I think it’s just a decent song and the thing that saves it is the opening hook that prevails throughout the song. All the other additives actually diminish the quality of the track. Take away the sound effects and voice-overs and leave the opening hook, drum, and shakers by themselves, and we would have had a winner.
Track 6: Do it Now!
This song has energy and a nice beat, I’ll give it that. However it’s another one of the tracks I wouldn’t listen to unless it were in the game. I totally see my myself delivering 50 hit combos at the rhythm of this song, or maybe dancing to it with a partner, but other than that, not very memorable in my opinion.
Track 7: Full Bore
The very beginning reminds me of the first Silent Hill movie where residents of Silent Hill would ring an alarm bell whenever the sky started to turn black; that was an indication Pyramid Head was coming. Full Bore is very energetic and is a tune that could fit many different genres; fighters, beat’em ups, shmups, and platformers. There’s a sense of desperation in the track, that perhaps someone is trapped in a corner and has to go all out to survive. One of the better selections on this soundtrack.
Track 8: The Instinct
At first I thought this was a remix of The Way You Move, but they are different enough that I don’t think it is. This arrangement reminds me of the early 90s for some reason. Maybe because the song kind of conjures up memories of those B action movies that came out on Cinemax back in the day. Killer Instinct is a 90s game, so this track fits in, but it sounds a little dated to me. It’s a strong entry in this soundtrack nonetheless.
Track 9: Yo Check This Out!
I didn’t like this one too much. It’s short for one (maybe that’s a good thing), the beat didn’t do anything for me, and really it didn’t put me in the mood for fighting or for anything else. I think it’s fine for a fighting game though because when you’re knee deep in action, you won’t be focusing on the music anyway. Definitely the weakest track thus far.
Track 10: Freeze!
Not much to say about this one either. I do like the easy going beat, but it’s a totally forgettable affair. I don’t mind it being featured in a game, but I’m not going to go out of my way to listen to it. I’m addicted to epic-sounding music and this is not it.
Track 11: Trailblazer
I really like this one. It feels like you’re driving to a goal with the utmost of determination. A strong beat with a lot of energy, this track is among my favorites. The pace of the beat speeds up near the end to a satisfying conclusion. This one is a winner in my book.
Track 12: Tooth and Claw
I love Gothic themes. This one is very different from the other tracks which are more techno, dance or hip hop based. Tooth and Claw sounds like an orchestra performed it. This shoots up to one of my favorites based on the genre of music alone. You could play this at your next Halloween party!
Track 13: Ya Ha Ha!
I really do like the change of pace from the dance music stuff to what was played in the last track and this one. I must say though the sound of I assume is bones being used to make music in the background is a little irritating on my ears. However everything else about this tune is good.
Track 14: Rumble
The combination of sounds used in Rumble turned out well together. Though, like a few other tracks, I wouldn’t listen to it outside of the game. It would make for great video game boss/ final confrontation music though.
Track 15: The Extreme
As a track for the final boss, it’s an intimidating piece. I like it, especially the ending portion. It’s not my favorite in the soundtrack, but it’s not one of the worst either. I could see this being featured in a suspense or horror movie also. It’s a track that can transcend media platform.
Track 16: Groovy Humiliation
The final track I’m going to critique, it’s only 40 seconds long; short and sweet. It’s a cheery little tune and there’s not much to analyze because of its brevity. It’s a solid musical piece and that’s all I’m going to say on it.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I think the Killer Cuts soundtrack was ok. It’s a mixed bag with most of its music best suited to the video game or a dance floor. I would have much more appreciated an OST of Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy III packaged with those games rather than having Killer Instinct’s soundtrack included with its namesake. Others might have other opinions however. Post your thoughts in the link below.
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