The music of Super Metroid and Metroid Metal

This column is “The music of,” in which I’ll go into detail on the soundtrack or a piece of music from a video game. Previous entries in the series can be found through this link.

Metroid’s music was never supposed to be catchy. In fact, it was an intentional design decision to avoid that route, in opposition to the direction that the video game industry was taking its music in. As Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka told Alexander Brandon of Game Developer (née Gamasutra) in a 2002 interview, by the time of Metroid’s development for the NES, “sound started gaining more respect and began to be properly called game music. Even the media had put spotlights on it, and we began to see many articles on game music. Then, sound designers in many studios started to compete with each other by creating upbeat melodies for game music. The pop-like, lilting tunes were everywhere.”

You would think a composer of video games would be pleased with this development, where something he was part of was given a wider recognition as legitimate, but no. Tanaka’s issue was that the trend for music of the time was not necessarily a match for the “tastes and atmosphere” of the games it was composed for. This wasn’t a universal criticism — it’s hard to believe Tanaka would have objected to the music of Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda, for instance, as those soundtracks perfectly encapsulated the vibes of the games themselves so successfully that they influenced both the series and video games as a whole going forward, and Tanaka was also responsible for the very upbeat and catchy Kid Icarus soundtrack that was composed the same year as Metroid’s — but he felt strongly enough about this trend that he decided to buck it when given the chance to with Metroid.

Tanaka would continue:

Metroid’s music was serious, but Metroid was a serious game. Samus Aran, a lone bounty hunter, took on an entire intergalactic pirate force on her own, on their home base, while faced with the might of an unknown bioweapon. A supercomputer with intelligence led this force, with a pirate dragon as its lieutenant, and Samus was tasked with navigating underground caverns without a map on her way to find and defeat them all. This is all deserving of serious music! It took until Metroid Dread for a game to so openly point it out with its title, but “dread” is the feeling that Metroid games are supposed to, and do, evoke in the players. And that feeling necessitates a certain kind of accompaniment to ensure the message is received.

Saying Tanaka didn’t deliver on his task to make music that wasn’t able to be hummed or sung is overstating it, but it’s also pretty obvious that Metroid’s soundtrack held up outside of its context a little better than he might have intended. That might just be that no one could have necessarily predicted that you’d still have people, say, going on and on about how incredible its title theme is 38 years after the fact, or that Lower Norfair would slither its nefarious tendrils deep into your mind, or how the surprisingly uplifting and optimistic Brinstar stuck with you in comparison to the sounds of the deepest, darkest recesses of Planet Zebes — eventually you just hear a song enough times that it’s going to stick with you, regardless of the initial intent. The recent soundtrack for Metroid Dread might have done a finer job of accomplishing Tanaka’s initial goal, in that the music in there is very much designed explicitly for the context within which it’s contained. Which can be a little disappointing in the sense that you’re not as likely to want to listen to the music outside of that context, but in-game, at least, it’s a rousing success that helped make Dread the terror that it is.

Super Metroid’s soundtrack wasn’t composed by Tanaka, but instead Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano. The pair combined the musical direction of the original Metroid and its Game Boy sequel, Metroid II: Return of Samus, for something a little newer in Super Metroid. It was very much focused on the mood and atmosphere of the moment, and tied to the gameplay it was utilized for, as Tanaka initially envisioned. It, however, also leaned further into creating some damn memorable music that both fit its context and was something you could “sing or hum” either along with or outside of the game itself, which Metroid II had certainly succeeded with thanks to tracks like “Main Corridor” and the Metroid Queen theme (and without sacrificing the more atmospheric vibes of Tanaka’s vision, evidenced by the various “Cavern” themes).

There is simply no other way to explain why “Big Boss Confrontation 1,” which would eventually become Ridley’s theme, was allowed to exist.

Norfair now had a completely different vibe, but was still very much music written for a place you did not want to be longer than you had to be: the “Norfair Ancient Ruins” theme was full of a chanting choir and unsettling drum work, and “Norfair Hot Lava” presented a subtler, more muted sound that similarly told you that nothing good was going to come of you sticking around. Brinstar similarly received different themes depending on where in the region you were, but they were no longer so uplifting: Samus was back on Zebes, and she knew how dangerous this entire place was now, so even if the music for Brinstar’s “Overgrown” area, which was quicker-paced than much of the soundtrack, still had an obvious air of unnerving danger to it that matched well with its setting of violent, untamed overgrowth.

Super Metroid has arguably the greatest Metroid soundtrack — Metroid Prime might be the only one that can contend with it, as it also managed to balance some beautiful, catchy songs with the necessary horror of a Metroid title, only with more sci-fi attached than had been usual for the series to this point. For that reason, Super Metroid has understandably been a focal point for the band Metroid Metal for over two decades now.

Metroid Metal was started as a one-man project in 2003 by Grant Henry, aka Stemage. As Henry explained to me over email, “I was always a big fan of Metroid’s music, but it was never my intention to turn the arrangement of its music into a 20-year project. I unlocked the original NES Metroid on the Game Boy Advance back when you were able to connect that console to the GameCube. I hadn’t heard that title screen music in many years. I was a big fan of several video game bands and got the idea to write a fun prog rock song and layer the Metroid melodies on top. Metroid music is full of so much tension and release that I thought it might lend itself well to the metal genre.”

What began as Henry initially recording arrangements of Metroid songs on an 8-track cassette recorder, with Henry playing guitar and bass while programming drums, became a multi-person band arranging additional Metroid songs from other games in the franchise, to a band that played live shows, to one that released albums instead of “just” having songs out there on the internet waiting to be found. Dan Taylor, aka Chunkstyle, joined up first, to play bass. Kevin Lawrence (Cheddar) arrived on drums, and two additional guitarists joined up, as well: Dan Behrens (Danimal Cannon) and Kirby Pufocia.

As the group played live, the songs that had been arranged changed form — Metroid Metal would then record the record Varia Suite — get it? — with arrangements of songs from four different Metroid games, all based on the live versions. Of the 14 tracks on Varia Suite, four of them originated in Super Metroid: “Prelude,” “Lower Norfair,” “Maridia/Escape,” and a boss medley that covers the breadth of the various Super Metroid boss themes. There would be another two Super Metroid tracks each on Expansion Pack and Other Album, for a total of eight Super Metroid arrangements out of 28 total Metroid songs, with one of those including multiple themes from the SNES classic in a medley.

This wasn’t an accident, of course. As Henry told me, “In terms of the high point, Super Metroid really is the one. Each soundtrack has had notable pieces, but as a whole, Super Metroid really planted the flag with Metroid’s music and vibe. It’s the king. Metroid Prime is still my favorite Metroid game, but Super Metroid has the crown.” And even the music from Metroid Prime — Henry’s second-favorite Metroid soundtrack — succeeds in part because of how Super Metroid-esque it is. “I feel like the music of Prime is what Super Metroid might have sounded like if given access to more complex hardware with no limits. Somehow they were able to reel it in and keep it sounding like Metroid, even though they could do whatever they wanted. I think all those sci-fi elements that make up the soundtrack may have very well ended up in Super Metroid if it had been an option, but who knows?” Given Kenji Yamamoto was responsible for both soundtracks even with Retro Studios handling game development of Prime, and he was focused on continuity for the series, this all tracks.

Part of the success of Super Metroid’s music comes down to the songwriting itself and more experience with what Metroid is and what it could be. But part of the difference, for Henry, is also in the hardware itself. “The NES Metroid soundtrack is incredible, but that sound chip wasn’t as good at creating atmosphere. With Super Metroid, the true Metroid ‘vibe’ was created. You could really get alien and atmospheric with things. At the same time, songs don’t get much more triumphant than selections from Super Metroid. They went further in each direction of tension and release.”

Henry continued: “The ‘Prologue / Prelude’ track from Super Metroid is this incredible combination of both. The bassline is brooding, but the horns and main motif are so very positive and battle-ready. The boss themes are all very different and worked well in my medley. I think my favorite track from Super Metroid is probably Maridia. It has so many modulations and so much darkness. It reminds me of some of the swimmiest tracks from Wendy Carlos’ TRON soundtrack — albeit not as avant garde. ‘Crateria’ is a close second in terms of favorites. Also, we have to talk about Ridley. That early 90s 5/4 banger deserves all the Mortal Kombat shouts it can handle. The NES Metroid had incredible music, but Super Metroid really locked in the Metroid sound and helped finalize that world.”

Or, put another way, there’s a reason that Super Metroid was the basis for the changes made to the original title for the Game Boy Advance remake, Metroid: Zero Mission — Super Metroid was Metroid, the more fully realized version of that initial idea, and in many ways, 30 years after its initial release, it still is. This wasn’t just in terms of gameplay or visuals, but extended to the game’s sound and atmosphere, as well.

“Boss Confrontation 1” would eventually be exclusive to Ridley, and Metroid Prime’s more sci-fi oriented soundtrack, produced on more powerful and less limited audio hardware, allowed for it to further evolve from its more generalized beginnings.

Henry’s strategy for arranging the songs of Metroid games was to “songify” them to have a verse, chorus, and bridge — these are not straight covers of the music you would hear in-game, for reasons that make sense when you consider the source material. Bit Brigade can straight-up play the Mega Man 2 soundtrack in sync with the game itself being played on a big screen, and it makes sense and kicks ass because the music written for the game was written in such a way that it could be enjoyed like that outside of its original context — the instrumentation itself could change, but the songs are the songs. Metroid’s music and its purpose work differently, however, so “songifying” the tracks by arranging them this way, by giving them more of a structure designed for an album and more relaxed listening, while stitching the various parts together with new material that fits these parts all together, is part of what makes Metroid Metal’s take on the tracks work so well.

“Lower Norfair,” for instance, is a take on the aforementioned “Norfair Hot Lava Area” theme. The original is an atmospheric, slow-moving track that builds tension, but its job in the context it’s used in is never to also release the tension — that’s for other tracks to handle.

Metroid Metal, however, has a different job to accomplish with the arrangement, so it builds tension, yes, and begins with a quieter, plucked guitar intro that matches the origin song’s initial vibes, but eventually adds in the rest of the instruments, speeds up, and, inevitably, creates this massive release through a wall of guitars.

“Norfair Hot Lava Area” is excellent at what it does in-game. “Lower Norfair,” courtesy of Metroid Metal, is similarly excellent at what it set out to do outside of the games. Arrangements like this add an entirely new layer to existing music, both in appreciation of that music and in your ability to bring parts of the games you love with you outside of those games, whether in your home stereo or in your car or in your head. And there are 28 of these absolutely ripping metal arrangements that exist, courtesy this one band.

Significant effort went into getting these arrangements just right, and it certainly shows in the finished product. “The arrangements almost always started on drums,” explained Henry. “I’m a rhythm guy first and foremost, even though guitar is my main instrument. So many times I will write a wild drum beat with change-ups and force the rhythm parts and melodies to fit. So much of metal’s power comes from the drums, and I love changing times and surprising transitions. I always challenged myself to make stuff that was rhythmically interesting and sometimes disastrously difficult. In the band, Danimal Cannon calls those sections ‘asshole parts.’ He’s right. There was one part in ‘Crateria’ that was so difficult, we decided to just put ‘YYZ’ by Rush in its place when playing live because it was much, much easier.”

“Songifying” these atmospheric tracks had its own struggles, as well. “There is always some finagling when trying to make a song fit, or coming up with a bridge, or building a skeleton. Some came easier than others, but I always pushed myself to write new material for each song, so the songs became something reborn. Not everyone liked that approach, but I didn’t make the music for those people. I made it for me.”

What Metroid Metal has produced in its over 20 years isn’t simply some fan service or a set of covers that translates existing chiptune tracks to real instruments. These are their own songs, not just their own version of a song, and it’s what’s helped both the arrangements and the band stand the test of time. Metroid Metal might not have begun with the idea of becoming a 20-year project that is still touring to this day, much like Tanaka maybe didn’t expect someone to gush over Metroid’s melodies nearly four decades later, but that’s just what’s happened. And like with the original songs, that unexpected result is an understandable one.

The Metroid Metal project has morphed into so much more for Henry, as well. Not just other bands, which include various members of Metroid Metal, either. “Metroid Metal definitely led to a lot of things in my life. I owe a lot to that little fanged jellyfish. The session work, composing, and sound design I've been doing the last few years I can definitely point back to Metroid Metal. I've worked on a number of video game soundtracks and other media. I've been a member of several other bands including Viking Guitar Live, and more recently, Super Strikers. I finished a short film last year and I'm looking forward to scoring more to picture, as well as other tangential opportunities.”

Henry started out arranging songs on an 8-track cassette recorder, and now can point to credits on Steven Universe, on games from a slew of indie publishers such as Devolver Digital, and 2023’s Bit.Trip ReRunner, which brought the original into the modern day with a slew of changes and a soundtrack Henry composed for. That’s quite the journey, and it began with an appreciation of some masterful video game music, as well as an understanding of what made it work in the first place — and what wold make it work in a new context, as well.

Despite how busy Henry and his bandmates are these days, Metroid Metal isn’t over yet, either. “I still have some ideas for songs I’d like to do. And I just recently did a Prime Boss Medley for our recent MAGFest performance.”

“It's been a wild ride! But the band still does its thing. We don't really seek out shows or tour — we just play when it makes sense, and that feels good to me.”

I have a deeper appreciation for Metroid’s music thanks to listening to Metroid Metal for as long as I have — it’s a companion to the original tracks that is rewarding in its own way, but also enhances the original music upon returning to it in its original context. The sound is completely different, of course, but they’re in partnership with one another, which is the kind of result you can only get out of creating with deep care and attention during the process. If you’re interested in hearing more from Metroid Metal yourself, you can visit their Bandcamp page, where all three of their albums are available for purchase, or to Silent Uproar for the actual physical CDs of these albums.

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