#tim hellmann

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Track #3-26: TA4-X

Artist: Tim Hellmann

Original: Tallon Overworld Revisited by Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuma

Length: 4:28

After an absence from the 101% Run album, frequent contributor Tim Hellmann returns to Harmony of a Hunter with a remix of the funky second Tallon Overworld theme (with "TA4" referencing planet Tallon IV). This can be considered a sequel to the cover he did of the 'Planet Tallon IV' (AKA the first Tallon Overworld theme, itself a remix of the NES Brinstar theme) for the first album. This cover is reminiscent of the techno/dance covers he contributed to the first album, with an insistent beat and wheedling synth lines that draw the melody out.

Per Hellmann:

"With TA4-X, I wanted to even expand the gap in tone between the Tallon IV Overworld and Depths song that plays in the second half of Metroid Prime. I remixed the remix, so to speak."

I'll be the first to admit that I've been mixed on Tim Hellmann's remixes for the most part, but I've gotta say, this is the best he's ever done. This remix leans into Tallon Overworld 2's funky vibes hard, taking it from a laid-back hike through nature to an energetic hustle. The style has been fitted to the song like a nice suit, and the song develops its ideas fully without overdoing it. After all this time, it's great to have Tim Hellmann back on an album, fully realizing his ideas, and doing so on one of the series' best songs.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Track #3-25: War Golem Track #3-27: An Endless Sleep

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Track #30: Symbol of the Ancients

Artist: Tim Hellmann

Original: Chozo Shrine, Hall of the Chozo Elders by Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuma

Length: 4:19

The Artifact Temple theme from Prime is a gorgeous ethereal theme that plays at the site of the Chozo seal shrine on Tallon IV. It's ghostly chorus evokes the spirites of Tallon IV's dead serenading Samus on her arrival. For this theme, Tim Hellmann, here with his *checks notes* fourth (hell yeah) remix for the album. Hellmann's signature style is on full display for this remix, with heavy string arpeggios and orchestral and piano backing. The Hall of Elders theme is also incorporated.

This remix takes the majesty of the Artifact Temple theme and cranks it up into grandeur, so I like it very well. This cover makes the Artifact Temple feel alive, but keeps the undercurrent of tragedy running through the song. Per Hellmann's own comments, this was the remix he composed for the album first, and it's very strong for a first go.

Something confusing is that the beginning of the next remix on the album is also Artifact Temple, played as a stripped down piano piece, which wouldn't be too far outside of Tim Hellman's wheelhouse. In the past, I considered it fully to be the coda to "Symbol of the Ancients", but incorrectly mixed into the next track (and to be honest I still do, though now I see it is in fact its own thing). It makes for the greatest transition between tracks in the album.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐️

Track #28: The Adventure Continues                    #30: Symbol of the Ancients

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Track #27: Entering a New World

Artist: Tim Hellmann

Original: Tallon Overworld by Kenji Yamamoto

Length: 3:52

The first Tallon Overworld theme from Metroid Prime is a heroic environmental piece that remixes chords from "Brinstar" from the original game (the first time this ever happened in the series, despite the popularity of the Brinstar theme). The song builds from a soft ambient beginning before picking up steam into triumph before the loop, making this one of the few truly upbeat songs in Prime (and, for that matter, in the whole series).

For this remix, Tim Hellman remixes the song in orchestral style. The beginning introduces the strings that will dominate the song, before giving way to the piano that shares focus throughout. There is also a brief moment of what sounds like a bassy synthesizer underneath at the beginning, though I can't tell if this is a specific instrument or a product of .mp3 compression (or if it's the speakers on my laptop frizzing out). The remix maintains a consistent energy level throughout, as opposed to the slow crescendo in the original.

The orchestral style brings grace to the pensive atmosphere of the original track, and the synthy thing at the beginning adds some subtle darkness for the pleasant melody to overcome. For Tim Hellmann's second outing, this is a very strong piece. This remix makes "Tallon Overworld" sound more like the Brinstar theme it's based on, which is extra funny considering the remix that comes right after.

Rating: ⭐⭐

Track #26: Path of Ruin #28: The Adventure Continues

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Track #13: The Mission's Briefing

Artist: Tim Hellmann

Origin: Last Instructions by Minako Hamano and Akira Fujiwara

Length: 2:53

"Last Instructions" is the uplifting theme that plays upon the reveal in Metroid Fusion as to the true nature and allegiances of Samus's AI commanding officer, playing as a way out of one of the most difficult situations she has ever encountered finally presents itself. This remix, courtesy of Tim Hellmann, is for the most part very faithful to the original. The song opens on a very 80s bass synth that wouldn't feel out of place in a John Carpenter movie before heroic strings introduce the main body of the song. This remix is soft but driving, winding down from the energy of the previous remix.

This remix is one of the more straightforward remixes on the Harmony of a Hunter albums (though there are some that are nearly one-to-one the original, which this one isn't). It's a very pleasant change of pace from the dark and gloomy songs that have come before, which is very needed as we approach the end of the first album's Disc 1. All in all it's a faithful reproduction of one of the only outright pleasant songs in Fusion, and between this remix and "The Caves of Brinstar" Tim Hellmann's great range in remix style is on full display.

Rating: ⭐⭐

Track #12: Cave Dweller #14: Metroid Legacy