Akira Yamaoka - Silent Hill (Original Video Game Soundtrack) mp3 album

decent enough press with some surface noice, the gatefold art is almost dope, but the overall visual style doesn't seem all that suitable. the cover doesn't do much to convey the atmosphere of the work. the original soundtrack release is much cooler, but it's not mondo's thing to just put licensed art on a cover. regardless, it misses the mark.while Silent Hill's soundtrack uses the most stock sounds out of the three original soundtracks (to the point where some tracks are looping stock industrial loops (from collections like "A Poke In The Ear With A Sharp Stick," "Titanium Rhythms," and several libraries from Zero-G), the overall sound direction is what makes it special. the harsh, improperly-timed "trash can" percussion loops juxtaposed against long ambient pads and trip-hop drum breaks is a very special vibe that does a lot to extrapolate on the darker sounds that became popular in western music in the 90s. yamaoka's work as a composer and sound designer (i don't think he does much sound design here at all) comes across as decidedly average, but as a sound director, he really shines.the master was sourced from the original soundtrack CD, which is a plus and a minus. the soundtrack deviates from the ingame audio and is a really excellent front to back listen, whereas listening to a complete version of the soundtrack can be a little much. the downside is that the "front to back listen" is hampered by the 2xLP format. i feel as though doing a deeper dive into the game's audio and coming up with an alternative, format-friendly tracklist could have done a lot of good.it's nice to have it on the format, and the records themselves (including the labels) look wonderful, which i guess is to say that this is a cute collector's piece and i'm sure most people won't be too put off, but for people who are deep into the work itself, it's probably a pass.

Yet another one who doesnt appreciate the minimalist art of the cover. I dont get it.

I missed this but can't wait for silent hill 2

blarelmaxime I missed this but can't wait for silent hill 2 If they ever get to it, seems like its taking forever.

Can we talk about the cover? I mean yes, its okay, but this absolute classic invites you to so many aesthetic options to choose from - the cover made me stray away from the release, that and the fact that mondo put this out... (don't get me wrong, I like the soundtrack, especially tracks like claw finger or moon child, though I sadly missed the game when I was young so I don't have that connection, yet i've grown to love the silent hill series and personally prefer SH 2 soundtrack as a whole)

I couldn't agree more with your comment - cover is bad. And SH2 has better soundtrack. But still I enjoy this LP a lot. Also I managed to buy it for like 2$

This is what you get for being artistic I guess, should have stuck to some generic hyperdetailed clusterfuk of an image.

I agree, the cover is bad and I will not be buying this because of the unconvincing cover art. To me, one of the biggest aspects of a record is its 12 inch cover art, that right there separates vinyl from other mediums of music.

I still think the front cover is fantastic. Its what drew me to the product in the first place. Its almost like a high definition still of the PS1 game and captures the essence of the game beautifully. The music likewise is mysterious and enchanting just like the picture. In case you didnt know the games visual direction is also heavily inspired by artists like Andrew Wyeth, and that shows when you look at his paintings. Ultimately I think the cover has a similar sense of composition to evoke intuitional questioning and wonderment while still capturing the look of the eras graphically simple PS1 games.

The gatefold to this is indeed fantastic, but the OP is right about the front cover, as it's unfortunately goddamn awful.

OR. Can we talk about the cover? I mean yes, its okay, but this absolute classic invites you to so many aesthetic options to choose from - the cover made me stray away from the release, that and the fact that mondo put this out... (don't get me wrong, I like the soundtrack, especially tracks like claw finger or moon child, though I sadly missed the game when I was young so I don't have that connection, yet i've grown to love the silent hill series and personally prefer SH 2 soundtrack as a whole) So from a completely aesthetic and unbiased view I think this cover is great. Much better than the actual game cover. I never finished the game but I really cant think of a better motif for the gatefold. Its simple, and reflects the game superbly as I see it.And sure Silent Hill 2 has a great soundtrack. But I guess they wanted to do them in order. This sold well so Im sure they will make one for SH2 soon enough.

Why does the last track "Silent Hill (Otherside)" state a 6:23 run time while it actually lasts only over two minutes ?

It was a secret track on the CD, the silence disguises it

Because the first four minutes are silent. It's a design choice from the first release of the OST.

To firstly speak up about some peoples pressing claims I will say that they either dont have the record or exaggerate. Pressing wise its the normal Mondo and GZ standards, at least as I know them. Few clicks and pops and a rather medium level surface noise at worst, only heard on the quiet tracks. Which at times is not ideal, but nothing truly awful. This is not Iam8bit quality and Im thankful for that. However the quality of the actual music and mastering can be a hit or miss. I will admit that I myself never finished a Silent Hill game. Still, what it is and what it has done means a lot to many. For me that is mostly distilling an atmosphere. And in general the music captures that. But even so it feels like a shortcoming. I imagine the material Mondo received from Konami was less than what was needed and that is a shame. Under the right conditions I believe they could have taken this further. More sporadic and a wildness in the music instead of this tamed and compressed sound. Perhaps Im being too critical. If you want to have a listen yourself I can still recommend the purchase for its looks ontop of that. The jacket sleeve is visually fantastic and vinyl reflects its snowy and lost feel. The snow splattered release is for collectors and huge fans. The black version is cheaper and a better alternative for those only interested in the music. I doubt it sounds any better but it cant sound worse. In the end Mondo seem to have done all they could but sadly landed a little short of my hopes. Even so Im thankful for the effort they put in, so dont get me wrong, this is a Silent Hill worthy release, just a few, but major steps short of greatness.Update: Im not sure what it is, maybe my upgrade in carts, but I didnt remember the music being this dynamic and hard hitting. Currently Im enjoying a lot more bass as well so sound wise the efforts here shine through even more. The surface noise is still there at around medium levels, still only audible on the really quiet parts. Next to no pops however, except what seems like a slight defect on the start of side B. Happier than ever about the pressing and if cleaning with an RCM helps with the surface noise Ill be sure to update again. I doubt it though.Equipment used:Rega RP1 with Rega Carbon cartridgeCyrus 2 Amplifier System Fidelity SF-3050 tower speakersCustom made HQ speaker cablesUpdated equipment:Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge

This sounds amazing on a nice set up dark gloomy goodness seeps out of every groove.

I wounder if they just ripped the audio from the original CD and just burn it in Vinyl or if they modified it in someway (vinyl versions of all the albums almost always have a different mastering process just because is vinyl).If somebody is able, please rip this version and analyse its Dynamic Range with the DR Meter and upload it on http://dr.loudness-war.info/ to know if that issue is changed.

Auditory_Cortex I see. Well I haven't found how it actually sounds, but I realized that is not precise to measure the Dynamic Range as it has been usually done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-AE9dL5FG8So the only way to see if there was an actual change is having the original files (which is very likely impossible) and also we have to consider that they chose the white color vinyl which in many cases have a lower quality. True, however I hear a lot of people praising this release. It will be interesting to hear once i get it. Colored does not mean worse in all cases and remember that black vinyl is also a coloring process. All I try to avoid are picture discs and vinyl colored with more than 1 color.

I see. Well I haven't found how it actually sounds, but I realized that is not precise to measure the Dynamic Range as it has been usually done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-AE9dL5FG8So the only way to see if there was an actual change is having the original files (which is very likely impossible) and also we have to consider that they chose the white color vinyl which in many cases have a lower quality.

Auditory_Cortex I wounder if they just ripped the audio from the original CD and just burn it in Vinyl or if they modified it in someway (vinyl versions of all the albums almost always have a different mastering process just because is vinyl).If somebody is able, please rip this version and analyse its Dynamic Range with the DR Meter and upload it on http://dr.loudness-war.info/ to know if that issue is changed. Video game soundtracks usually dont get the same amount of care and effort put into them. However, I have listened to Mondos Iron Giant soundtrack and if it sounds anything like that then Id say its worth it. But that is all my knowledge of Mondo masterings and pressings so far. Any luck finding out how it sounds on your end yet? If not I will buy it myself in a week or so and check review it here on the site.

Essential. Plz give us silent hill 2 & 3! Sounds amazing

This is limited to /2000 copies just so everyone knows

Just received it and seems to be a great pressing. Happy I got in on this one early because it's one of my favorite albums of all time! Very pleased I didn't pay some exorbitant price.