Seth Sternberger's 8-Bit Weapon

Review by Andrew Fisher, Independent Reviewer of note!

Available for free download from 8BitWeapon.com

Seth Sternberger performed at the third Back in Time live event with his SIDStation, and I was able to interview him afterwards. He talked about his first album of original tunes, UNFORTUNATE BRAIN CHEMISTRY, and his plans for a remix album called 8-BIT WEAPON. Eventually he finished creating it and decided to release it free online, hosted by Chris Abbott's website. You get 13 tunes to download, and one tip I have for you is to renumber the tunes as you download them - so you can play them in album order easily.

01. Intro (Project Firestart)

A dramatic echoing voice tells you the sci-fi background story to this album, over the intro theme from the classic Project Firestart. It's a clever introduction to the rest of the material. With a loud gong, the track ends.

02. MULE (Bitblaster mix)

Those classic white-noise drums herald this noisy and fun remix of an unusual theme. While it is obviously a SID tune with extra voices added to it, it does capture the mechanical spirit of the track. My favourite bit comes after the drum break, with the cascading notes. It sticks very close to the original; in fact some people may not consider it a remix. Elvin Atombender's evil laugh (from Impossible Mission) adds a clever twist at the end.

03. Acidgroove (Orchestral mix)

Some great orchestral sounds and a strong beat form the backbone of this excellent piece. It also speeds up the tempo of the original, making it even more frenetic. The changing filters sound authentic, and the very metallic lead is also very good. I also like the way it builds up and then fades out.

04. Times of Lore intro (remix)

Starting off with a hip-hop drum loop, this very short segment of the title tune soon fades away with its siren sounds. Altogether it is really too short to comment on, other than the very noisy drums.

05. Bards Tale II - Sanctuary Score (Ybarra's Mystic Mix)

While not an obvious choice to remix, there are some great snippets of music in all the Interplay role-players. Another big drum loop is joined on to the layers of mediaeval music. For a mystical mix I would have thought flutes and violins would have made a better arrangement, and again the drums are dominant.

06. Commodore C 64 (bit blitz mix)

We are into techno territory here, with a pounding bass drum and some great little jingles and SFX. There is a very effective change of pace in the middle of the tune, speeding up and changing the drum pattern.

07. Movie Monsters Game (disco terror mix)

I know this is one of Seth's favourite games, and here he gives us an unusual disco remix. This is another track that sounds like drums were added to the original SID, and I personally would have liked a bit more bass in there. Still, it is a reminder of the era when Epyx ruled the game scene.

08. Mars Saga (Mr Jetlands slow jam mix)

There are some nice ethnic sounding instruments in this track, with a nice slow tempo. The main theme does repeat, when it would have been nice to hear a little progression and change in the track, but that echoing 2-channel lead is clever.

09. Neuromancer Ending (Warhol Edit)

Named after the EA composer Dave Warhol and another tune dominated by the drums. Some nice synth sounds, and a clever end with what sounds like a heart-monitor flat lining. At only 2 minutes it is also rather short.

10. Times of Lore Title (Epic Hendrix Mix)

Seth is also a big fan of this classic Galway piece that has a random solo generator. It starts nicely with some great background noise and the familiar arpeggios being joined by some soft percussion, then the bass kicks in. At the 3-minute mark the mood changes considerably, with some evil laughter and throbbing bass notes. Rolling thunder changes the mood again, as the guitar jamming begins again accompanied by an effective drone.

11. Spy vs. Spy II (Drunk n basement mix)

The familiar bleeps and bops of this classic tune get overlaid with a great drum track and an echoing bass. It's about time this classic series of games was revived for a new audience, and this funky remix would be perfect for it.

12. Crazy Comets (Orbital Decay Mix)

Rob Hubbard's masterpiece blasts from the speakers in a very familiar way and then Seth adds a whole new layer of drums that gets your toes tapping. I also like the way it ends up with just the drums and the cosmic crash at the end. The only trouble is that there have been so many remixes of this tune it is difficult to take a fresh approach to it.

13. Chimera (Miles mix)

A sampled voice says Chimera and those familiar twinkling chords start the whole thing off. In comes a jazz saxophone and a Hubbard-style vibrato voice over a very funky bass-line. I'm guessing the Miles in question is Miles Davis, lending the whole track a slightly more improvised air. The ending is too abrupt for my tastes however.

Conclusion

One criticism of the album is the short length of the tracks, as each one has barely had time to get going before the next one starts. Having said that, track 10 is given a bit more time to become the epic remix it deserves. While it is not the most experimental album so far, it does have some unusual choices in its favour and some excellent drum-work.

So, how does it rate? As a remix album it does not score highly. As a collection of tracks showing what can be done with a SIDStation it is quite good. Whatever, everyone should make an effort to download them from:

http://www.8bitweapon.com