VGM of the Day #18: Gluttony Fang

There comes along every so often, a character in a video game that's just that perfect kind of evil. Be it demented psychopaths like Kefka from FFVI (Suck it Sephiroth), or more direct evildoers like Bowser or Ganondorf, they find a way to weasel into our hearts, for better or worse. BlazBlue's got one of those guys. His name is Hazama.

Hazama, although having a generic plan to destroy all existence as we know it, has won fans over for a different reason - he's a complete dick.

Yep, he's a real silver-tongued bastard; always has the perfect thing to say to press the BlazBlue casts' buttons, and then laughing in their face about it. Quick with one-liners and even direct quotes from other popular media (WHY SO SERIOUS), it's easy to hate the guy, but easier to love. He's the closest thing to a video game troll we've seen in years, and he's captured the hearts of fans and other trolls alike with his outspoken antics.

With the introduction out of the way, we can talk about his theme song. Daisuke Ishiwatari's got his name written all over this track, going crazy with the guitar, complemented with fast-paced bass and the occasional death metal scream. My personal favorite bits are the piano bars, adding flashes of color to the piece no matter how brief they may be. I don't expect much else from Ishiwatari, but he's an expert in the craft, even if predictable. It fits Hazama quite well nonetheless; hardcore and a little crazy, but well planned out and one of the more memorable tracks in the game.

Playing every time Hazama enters the room, this track can grow on a guy pretty quickly. Hazama's much the same way himself, and if you disagree, umad.

The Verdict: Some of Ishiwatari's finer work, and one of the best songs in the game.

Don't forget to drop your VGM requests at vgmoftheday@yahoo.com , and your song might be chosen for my next blog post!