The Collab EP lives up to its name by pulling in multiple artists under the Jack Daniels Sound Team umbrella for a set that bounces between original compositions and some bold remix choices. "Forsaken Tale" opens as a multi-artist piece with layered production, while "Lament Rain" and "Swan Song" lean into dramatic, almost theatrical territory, the latter drawing from Swan Lake with predictably grandiose results.
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"Xéroa" features an Ashrount vs. Laur climax drop remix that hits with the kind of peak-time intensity rhythm game players live for. The Fire Emblem Three Houses arrangements are the real conversation starters here. The main theme gets a full RASI vs.
SKMT metal arrangement that trades the original's regal orchestration for distorted guitars and double kicks, and it somehow still carries the emotional weight. Both versions of "The Edge of Dawn" go instrumental and metalcore, stripping out the vocals but keeping that achingly melancholic melody Manuela Cadena made iconic.
The short metal version in particular is a surprisingly tight reinterpretation. "Alterium -paradQx-" and "Designant. -For Chronicles-" bookend the remixes with original work that shows the circle's compositional chops beyond just rearranging existing material.
The whole EP feels like a showcase of what happens when rhythm game producers get their hands on beloved source material and treat it with equal parts reverence and reckless energy.