Track #29: Thunder Shooter
Artist: Chernabogue featuring Viking Guitar
Original: Kanden by Lawrence Schwedler
With the recent news about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, it feels appropriate that we finally get to the first remixed track from the game the antagonist originated in, Hunters. This remix is doubly unique as the first remix of a track by a non-Japanese composer, Lawrence Schwedler. Hunters' soundtrack was often overlooked until recently due to its oddball status as a spinoff of a spinoff that doesn't have any Metroids or play like the other Prime games, but Schwedler's work is incredibly solid and on par with other entries in the series (in particular, the final boss theme, a remix of Metroid Prime Core Essence, is arguably as good or better than the original).
This remix by Chernabogue and Viking Guitar covers Kanden's miniboss theme as a metal song. The recurring minibosses in this game, the bounty hunters from the title, all share a base theme which gains new instruments depending on which hunter (or hunters) is present fighting Samus. For example, Sylux's appearance means the song plays with eerie strings. Kanden's theme has a guitar-like synth. The strong melody that plays is rare among the bounty hunters, which is likely why this variation of the miniboss theme got the remix instead of one of the others (or instead of using elements for multiple).
For many years, when I listened to Harmony of a Hunter, I mentally skipped over this song because it's from a game I was unlikely to play and was surrounded by much calmer songs. However, after Sylux was confirmed for Beyond, I revisited the soundtrack and discovered what great songs the hunters have, and in turn this became one of my favorites off of Disc 2. This remix is an exciting, blood pumping take on Kanden's theme, and I think focusing exclusively on Kanden's theme lets them focus the remix and really get the most out of the original. Even if Kanden has fallen by the wayside compared to rival hunter Sylux, his theme is unforgettable, and this remix proves it.
Track #28: The Adventure Continues #30: Symbol of the Ancients
