Masashi Hamauzu took the reins on this one, and the result is a Final Fantasy VII soundtrack that sounds nothing like the original but still feels connected at the roots. Dirge of Cerberus follows Vincent Valentine three years after Meteorfall, and the score reflects that darker, more brooding perspective.
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"Flicker" opens with fragile piano that immediately tells you this is Vincent's story, not Cloud's. "Azul the Cerulean" and "Rosso the Crimson" give the Tsviets their own menacing identities, each boss theme dripping with personality.
The fight tunes are where Hamauzu flexes. "Fight Tune Arms of Shinra" keeps things militaristic and tense, "Fight Tune Killing One Another" goes full desperate and chaotic, and "Fight Tune Girl Named Shelke" brings an unexpected vulnerability to the combat music.
"Memories with Lucrecia" is devastating, the emotional core of the whole album, while "Sneaky Cait Sith" is a welcome bit of levity in an otherwise heavy tracklist. The character-specific compositions really sell it. "Mysterious Ninja" and "Ninja Girl of Wutai" are obviously Yuffie's tracks and they bounce with her energy.
"WRO March" has that organized resistance feel. "Counteroffensive" and "Ten Year Reunion" build toward the kind of climactic weight that Final Fantasy has always done well. Even the quieter tracks like "Discovery in Sadness" and "Sudden Parting" carry serious emotional heft.
Say what you want about the game itself, but this soundtrack absolutely earns its place in the FFVII extended universe.