Chrono Trigger - The Brink of Time

Chrono Trigger - Brink of Time is one CD where it's important to know what you're getting into before buying it. The music is in jazz, blues, light pop, etc. styles. If you buy this soundtrack looking for classical style, orchestrated tunes as in the Final Fantasy games then you will be thrown for a loop. It is not at all along those lines, but then again neither was much of the original music to Chrono Trigger.

These tracks are for the most part somewhat laid back. Few, if any, of them really rock, but you could say many of them groove with their smooth bass lines, funky guitar chords, and synthey melodies. All in all, it's cool hearing Chrono Trigger's music in these styles if they're your thing, but it's not nearly as dramatic as most other Square soundtracks. For me it works best as a secondary CD to pop in occasionally as a change of pace. I'm still dreaming of hearing Frog's and Magus's themes performed by a full, blasting orchestra...

For a huge Chrono Trigger music fan like myself, hearing Brink of Time was like getting manna from heaven. I had grown accustomed to the usual (if it can be called usual) big symphonic sound of the OSV, but this CD has a groove that few others can match. I'm referring to the entire CD's groove; each song has its own individual quirks, from the opening song's muted trumpet, to the screeching guitar in "World Revolution" (which I like much more then I had originally thought). Being a jazz/blues CD, the performers are not constrained by the sheet of music in front of them, so improvisation is the word of the day. I have to admit though, that I usually skip "Zeal Palace", as it is extremely hard to connect what is in the game with what's on the CD. Granted, if you would rather be castrated with a rusty spoon than listen to an OSV turned upside down, pass on by. Otherwise, this soundtrack might be right up your alley.

This was a very unexpected music experience. The whole soundtrack is a mix of jazz and pop. I don't find it bad, but I was expecting a different arranged style, like the usual orchestra or upgraded synths. The music is performed quite nicely, with the better ones being the smooth jazzy "Secret of Forest", the funky "Chrono Trigger" theme, the awesome sounding "Undersea Palace", and the pleasant "Guardia Millenial Fair". "Outskirts of Time" is my favorite song. The twelve string guitar makes for a very nice listening experience. There are some very bad perfomances here, though. "Zeal Palace" in particular - my god, what happened here?! This song is pure garbage! Those distorted guitars have got to go. "Warlock Battle" wasn't that great either and "Brink of Time" was totally boring. In all, this soundtrack is passable, but, like almost everyone else, I think an orchestra version would have been more suitable. Brink of Time is not for everyone, but it's different, and worth your ear.