Amadeus Street Warrior is a homage to Bob Katsionis’ video gaming days in his teens, and it sounds just like a game I wish I could go play! There are awesome retro 16 bit gaming effects throughout the album, and I feel it would fit in at a Tech Noir style night club too. The album artwork features lots of pink glows, overall blue tones, and all kinds of futuristic designs. There are cyborgs reaching up to grab him while he’s playing the flute, spaceships in the sky by a beam of light, and the bridge behind Amadeus reads the year 2050. I also see a homage to Burger King, Space Invaders, and the original Game Boy. The album has elements of mysterious, excitement, and it’s full of thrills to hear! The awesome keyboard melody of the flute in most of the songs really sold this awesome album for me.
“Into the Asylum” instantly puts you in the video game mode with the sounds of loading a start-up menu, then slowly gradually picking up through play. It has steady beats and a slow build up with the flute/keyboards. I love how it loops as if playing an actual game, since when I do play games while listening, it does help me stay in a certain groove! “Seline City”, from the first note, there is an eerie Stranger Things vibe, especially when there’s low bug noises from the bass synth. Love the simple beat to really let the mood set in and emphasize the melody of the flute. An element is added every few notes then it mellows out with a steady groove that is simply hypnotizing. You get a sense you’re walking through the city, but the mood is “controlling”, as if you can feel something out of your control near. “Boss Fight I – The Doctor” starts with impending doom, but then it’s a classic sounding boss fight. It has high intensity like you need to move as quickly as possible. The keys go from wispy, to being hammered down, then flowing into whimsical chimes like something is floating. I can hear from small clusters of the higher keys that Amadeus is performing a few small sneak attacks! This track in particular is highly entertaining. You can definitely hear the back and forth of who’s getting the upper hand, almost like going up and down stairs at the end.
The Mansion is filled with bubbly chimes and a droning bass synth. The dramatic use of the keyboard effect reminds me of Castlevania IV, going in the caves where water droplets fall. It feels spooky and could fit right in with Halloween. There’s an awesome piece midway through song, then it’s almost organ-like or Phantom of the Opera-y with the 16 bit effect. I love that there are longer melodies that carry instead of just short re-looping. “Amadeus Main Theme” immediately is high energy with the most heroic and optimistic melody for the keyboard flute. It definitely would be the theme song for Amadeus. This soundtrack is so reminiscent of the classic SNES/Sega Genesis sound of games. The middle starts to mellow out and it sounds very heavily influenced by the 80’s band Europe. The theme song sounds like what you’d hear in a commercial for the game console and definitely for the game if it existed. It is almost as distinct as Castlevania. The keyboards have an awesome key swiping solo, and I love the epic higher tone of the song. This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album. It genuinely sounds similar to songs from the 80’s, I can’t praise it enough. “The Castle” begins with choppy trumpeting. I envision a grand, royal entrance, or an exaggerated scene with a mass of people gathered. There is a gradual, steady main beat and riff that echo throughout the song similar to Europe again with their heavy metal edge. It sounds like I’m exploring a castle, going up a winding staircase, dodging bats, or peering around a corner with only candle light. I can envision the anticipation of reaching this lower level boss. The keys have this awesome intricate melody before it cascades mimicking the low droning of the bass. “Bay Area Highway (The Dream)” puts you in the mood to race! Or just be outside cruising to spend time in the city in the summertime. There’s almost a vintage romantic feel halfway into the song. There are great stand-alone parts, as if the instruments are applauding each other while complementing each other. The melody in the solo is so beautiful before it flawlessly transitions back to the simple choppy beat the song started with.
“Twin Peaks” is solemn like “Seline City”. It features an easy, hypnotizing intro with alternating melodies. I couldn’t stop bobbing my head slowly while tapping my feet and getting lost in this song. The melody casually descends the scales with a little twist at the end, setting you in a dream-like state. I think this solo is the most diverse solo of all the songs which I appreciate. “Boss Fight II – The Mad Mouse” definitely gives an impression of a mouse being sneaky and menacing on entrance. There is a thick metal tone contrasting against Amadeus’ flute that I’m living for. It really makes the video game battle feel alive. Like little clues of “hits” and you can sense the struggle of both Amadeus and the Mad Mouse. I feel like I’m listening to something happening in a TV show! There is a completely different sound for a second solo that sounds killer! It totally spiced up the album and the whole track. One part near the beginning also reminded me of a synth version of Def Leppard’s song “Switch 625”. “End Credits Theme” reminds me a lot of “The Mansion”. It sounds like rain in an acapella style. Just light, higher octave notes, and no underlying bass. The bass grows from underneath, and there are creepy, menacing noises coming from the background. The beat is so mellow and steady that I get lost in it. All the songs’ basic melodies are switched up beautifully, this one especially to homage the rest of the album.
Amadeus Street Warrior is out now on digital and digipak CD from Symmetric Records.
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