ReMix: Mega Man 2 'The Annihilation of Monsteropolis'

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Ladies and Gentlemen... The Megas! If video game cover bands could be called "concept" bands, then The Megas are a concept WITHIN a concept (METACONCEPT!), as they focus specifically on Mega Man themes with original (kickass) lyrics + vocals. I suppose in Japan they'd be "The Rocks," which is equally appropriate, because... they do. Sayeth their website:

"Since the year 200X (4), The Megas have strived to bring a message from Dr. Light to the people. They have chosen to transmit that message, the tale of a small blue robot named Megaman, directly into the eardrums of the general populace through the power of rock."

So, I suppose a more accurate label would be, "Evangelizing Disseminators of the Good Word of Dr. Light through the Power of Rock," but that's a bit unwieldy. The group released their first album, Get Equipped, back in January, and actually subbed this mix a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It was 96Kbps/22Khz though, and both our standards and our consciences dictated a better quality version be posted. When spreading the Gospel of the Church of Capcom, you gotta go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere... and that requires fidelity. Larry was about to mail them since their album had come out, but Greg Schneider of the band actually got back to him first after all that time had passed and sent in this newer, shinier, far more Mega version of a truly kickass track. The lyrics here by themselves are a draw: if "I will fly high above Monsteropolis / and I'll rain terror down on the general populace" isn't the anthem of a new generation of disenfranchised, angst-ridden supervillains, I don't know what is. Plus, you know... it rhymes good. Ala Ginsberg w/ The Clash on Ghetto Defendant. These heroic messengers were actually interviewed on the same episode of Game Music Radio that Jill and Andy were back when they were doing VGDJ; small world. For me, this definitely conjured memories of Game Over's breakthrough track in terms of context-relevant original lyrics and vocal style. On the latter point, specifically you've got call-and-answer tradeoffs, some spoken material, and harmonies that reminded me of that mix. This is equally as epic, and the Mega-phone effected sermon of pure awesome that begins at 2'19" is a fantastic add that builds with intensity, leading up to the afforementioned Monsteropolis mantra.

VGM bands seem to be popping up all over the place, and getting a good deal of exposure while they're at it, but it's cool to see that trend resulting in some diversification. The Megas may not play from a very diverse setlist, given their Mega Man focus, but they're doing something different in terms of emphasizing original vocals and lyrics and taking on a sort of LARP persona as agents of Dr. Light, spreading the oral history of a beloved and popular franchise. There also seems to be something about Mega Man's whole universe, including its music, that lends itself well to this sort of focus; recall Project X, for example. I'm not sure whether the same concept would work with other games, but it's definitely working here for The Megas. Check out this ReMix, then check out http://themegas.com for more.

― djpretzel