Music Theory: Sonic CD's Metallic Madness

A look inside the music theory of Sonic CD's Metallic Madness.

[bakubread]

I don't usually comment on these because I've got little to no knowledge on the subject of music composition, but I gotta say the visuals you make have always helped keep my attention and make things more understandable to me, even if I don't *really* get what you're talking about on a more technical level. These videos are great because they're enjoyable despite my complete lack of knowledge.

[crushash]

Metallic Madness is easily the most satisfying stage in Sonic CD to get a good future on. You have to fight your way through hell and back, but man being greated by those opening chords in the good future makes it all the worth.

[bowserdude]

Something I noticed and liked is that in the Present mix, the piano rhythm at 0:03 after those opening orch hits is extremely similar to the opening of Palmtree Panic's Bad Future. In other words, it's like the potential bad future that we were given a glimpse of at the start of the game is now currently happening in full force, and it's our job to go undo it now.

[Konic_and_Snuckles]

Great music theory video, as always. I'm excited because now we only have one zone to go before the Sonic CD set is complete: Palmtree Panic

[BigWoke]

I could never get tired of watching Sonic cd music theories no matter how many times I've watched them

[Geebsa]

Having a new upload is essentially an early Christmas gift

[WindowsGod]

16:52 - Something I noticed that follows this idea is the intro for MM Present (US) uses power chords of the root and 5th the entire time, leaving out the 3rd to give it an ambiguous mood, setting up an uncertain future.

[LysiX]

A fun little thing I noticed about Mania's Metallic Madness act 2, it uses a synth found in CD's US soundtrack!
During the funky saxophone solo and right after the eggman rap section, Mania uses the choppy/static-y synth that is used in the background of the US track for Metallic Madness Good Future. I think that is pretty neat.

[Nic_]

Metallic Madness music goes so hard and it’s why I’m glad of all the other levels to reincorporate in Mania, it was this one

[vaporcranberries]

Metallic Madness has some of my favorite songs in the JP OST, Glad to see you finally dissect these themes.

[IkinBBfromAnthologyOfTheKiller]

Since last time i watched your channel, i learned music theory. I actually know what you're talking about now. Probably a good idea to rewatch the other ones too

[Accrovideogames]

The lack of the CD button in the elevator always annoyed me. Mania is the fifth game in that style, not the fourth. Not acknowledging CD in the marketing was an affront. If anything, the "K" was unnecessary since it represents the second half of the same game.

[riffi]

You definitely missed onto A LOT by omitting the other changes in the USA soundtrack, such as the intro, or how the good and bad future are mutually exclusive remixes of the present which mashes the two together into one

[JovianCloudfarmer]

"don't get cut" tell that to Dubious Depths

[appleofdoom]

5:19 to add to the 90's-ness of those piano stabs, the sample played just before them seems to be sampled from a 90s sample cd Zero-G Datafile 2, in particular track 58

[ReadyDude]

Always enjoy seeing you give some attention to the US soundtracks. The 3 US Metallic Madness songs are some of my favorite Sonic songs ever, funnily enough.

Similarly to Stardust Speedway, it feels like each soundtrack for this level was based off one one word in the name Metallic Madness; The US soundtrack takes the word “metallic” and the Japanese soundtrack takes the word “madness.”

[Carls]

Thank you so much for this series. You really helped to bring out more of the “beauty” that was put into Sonic CD.

Merry Christmas!

[Terionic]

this video is very welcome! Sonic CD is truly one of my favorite video game OSTs of all time.
here's my own personal suggestions for future videos!
*possibly a series on 3D Blast's OST. Jun Senoue's work on the Genesis OST carried over and influenced Sonic Adventure, while Richard Jacques' tracks for the Saturn OST feel like a nice middle point between CD and R.
*maybe a video covering the recently released Antonblast. its soundtrack being composed by an one man band (Tony Grayson, also the director of the game and voice actor of titular Dynamite Anton), pulls great inspiration from games like Sonic Mania, Adventure, or even at points Crash Bandicoot and Wario Land 4! my personal favorite track is the one heard in the second half of Bomb Candy Mines.

[anwd]

Best Christmas Eve present EVER! Always interesting to see the different time periods of metallic madness, because it’s the only stage Robotnik owns since he *built* it. It’s HIS stage, HIS base. He owns it, it was always HIS, we can only take it away by getting a good future, with a bad future showing that even his own base, which he built and designed, is not safe from his wasteful and cruel actions, with it looking as if it will all fall apart with exposed wires, worn lighting, the background of the second act is almost entirely dark like the power is fluctuating or failing, and everything is coated with a layer of sickly, brown rust. (Plus, just how LARGE is metallic madness? That background looks like it may go on and on forever and forever, just like the metal shell which Eggman has trapped little planet beneath)

[ZanyCat]

9:16 i can not even begin to describe just how cursed that "Present" sign post is.