Castlevania music often reminds me of summer (and vice versa). It's hard to know the reason for sure, possibly because the only Castlevania game I ever played in earnest was "Circle of the Moon" for the Gameboy Advance - a portable game that I would have played in the car on various summer road trips. Maybe because Castlevania's most popular music dates from the 90s, a decade when Konami's team of composers worked on other games that I surely played at boardwalk and beachside arcades. Or maybe it's just because summer was the season I typically acquired the soundtracks I now have. Regardless of the reason, Castlevania is one of those series that I can feel nostalgia for without actually having played the games. Konami games in general, and Castlevania games in particular, have a stylistic consistency to their soundtracks, and they've been omnipresent in my gaming life at least as far back as 1990.
Summer is certainly here now, and to kick off the hottest months, here is a song from the arranged album, "Dracula Battle Perfect Selection", released in 1994. This album is the third in a series of Dracula Perfect Selections (Dracula being the Japanese name for the series we know as Castlevania). The first, from 1991, was an album very specific to its moment in time. It was made up of synth-heavy tracks, many of which contained New Jack Swing style rythms and little vocal flourishes. The second, released in 1992, took a different approach, combining synth beats and instruments with a live chamber orchestra. "Battle Perfect Selection" opted to go the heavy metal route, and proved to be the most popular of the three (a second album of the exact same style was released the following year). I actually enjoy all of the albums, but these rock-style tracks are the ones I listen to most often, and "Cross a Fear" has proven to be my favorite. The original song is from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, released in 1993 - one year before this album. Enjoy!
Album info: http://vgmdb.net/album/552
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