A Tribute to Bits
1/2/2016
If you love rock music and retro video games, then you'll love the topic of today's article: a full album of rock covers of retro video game music! Last month I featured an epic Zelda guitar medley by the VGM cover band Nimrod16. They have recently released their first album, A Tribute to Bits, featuring 8 of their amazing VGM covers. If you're already too excited to read the rest, then you can find the album on their bandcamp page here. If you're not convinced yet, then read on to see my descriptions (and praise) of each track.
Tetris Theme 3:40 All three of the original Tetris themes (A is my favorite)! This one has actually been uploaded to their YouTube channel and can be listened to here.
Super Mario Bros Medley 7:12 This epic rock medley is, in my opinion, one of their best performances. It starts with the slow grooving overworld theme #1 from Super Mario Bros. 3 then quickly moves into the classic overworld theme. After a quick starman theme interlude, they then move onto the original underground and underwater themes. Next is my favorite part: the Super Mario World castle theme. I would never have thought to try this one on guitar, but they did an amazing job with great tremolo guitar and an awesome solo in the middle. The song then switches to the much beloved athletic theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. Finally, the Super Mario World theme followed by the flag grab fanfare ends this epic medley. A great way song to listen to while playing Super Mario Maker!
Those Who Fight (Final Fantasy VII Battle Theme) 3:13 I've never played Final Fantasy VII, but I've heard this song quite a bit recently (it's in Cloud Strife's Smash Bros trailers); and I have to say that the guys at Nimrod16 have definitely done it justice. A great cover, and just in time for the FF7 remake too!
Corridors of Time (Chrono Trigger) 4:41 I haven't played much of Chrono Trigger (not much of an RPG guy), so I'm not familiar with this song. That said, I looked it up, and I think this version is better than the original! I know this is a popular song, so you may disagree, but I just really like the guitar effects in this one.
The Legend of Zelda Medley Part 1 8:27 This (and the second part) is my favorite piece performed by these guys. It starts with the fan favorite Gerudo Valley, then moves into the beloved Ocarina of Time Hyrule Field theme. The pace slows down a bit for the OoT shop theme, but then starts rocking hard again with the Lost Woods theme. Finally, to finish off the first part of this epic medley is the classic A Link to the Past Dark World theme. The action isn't over yet though, because then we move into the next track...
The Legend of Zelda Medley Part 2 5:44 Part two of the medley starts with one of my favorite Ocarina of Time songs: Windmill Hut (Song of Storms). After reaching a crescendo near the end of that song, the pace slows down considerably leading into Zelda's Lullaby. After a few repetitions of that, getting more intense each time, the grand finale begins, the original overworld theme. This is one of the most amazing Zelda medleys I've ever heard, which is saying a lot considering I've done several. Be sure to listen to it here!
Warp Room (Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped) 2:19 There's not a whole lot to say here except that this song sounds great on electric guitar! If you're a fan of Crash Bandicoot, then you're sure to love this track!
Castlevania Medley 5:30 Finally, we have a classic Castlevania medley. To tell the truth, I've never played any Castlevania games (I'll get around to it someday), so I don't recognize any of these songs. That said, I still really enjoy listening to this one. The 3 songs included are: Vampire Killer from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Dracula's Castle from Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, and Bloody Tears, also from Castlevania II. If you want to listen to it yourself, this song is also up on their YouTube channel.
What are you waiting for? Go check it out now! It's also a steal at $8, or only $1 a track! Considering the length of some of these tracks (the 8 minute 27 second part one of the Legend of Zelda medley, for example), $1 each is an amazing deal! If you want to find out more about Nimrod16, or contact them directly, be sure to check out the links below.
The Author
I'm the guy who programmed this whole website from scratch and I'm responsible for most of the content you see here (including these cool author profiles!). I've been a huge fan of Nintendo since I picked up my first NES controller when I was 3. When I'm not writing articles or filming a new video, I enjoy playing and composing music, reading, math, art, and computer programming.