What I love about the Second phase is that it goes from a full Chorus in the first phase where there are multiple enemies, and the second phase is a Solo singer while you fight the Last Abyss Watcher.
I agree. Towards the end of the theme, an atmosphere of loneliness and emptiness is creating more and more, which beautifully expresses the development of the fight. Absolutely stunning.
Actually, my interpretation about this fight is that all Abyss Watchers united in thid body commited to stop you. And the voices where all united to the single voice
I think it's more. You're fighting the very first. The Abyss Walker himself. The lore states that the Watchers all partook in the blood of the Wolf Knight (who's armor is clearly Artorias' that we find later), and the cutscene shows all the blood coming together. As he no longer has a body. He uses the most powerful Watcher he can fine. However, He does not come back correctly in a sense. He has been completely consumed by the Abyss, and has become the Dark Wraith that Manus attempted to turn him into.
Considering Artorias, the knight who fought the abyss, would also succumb to the abyss, it’s only fitting that an order spawned of the legendary knight would befall the same fate.
The second part having thinner orchestra and a bigger focus on solo makes all the sense since in the second phase you fight the last abyss watcher standing instead of a group.
If phase 1 wasn't enough to showcase the severity of their fall, phase 2 is bound to make me shed a tear every time I listen to it. The background strings are so consistent at being painfully heart-touching, having just enough vibrato to emulate that teary sensation, and the octaves marked by the vocals boost both the strength and somberness of it all (especially when the rhythm appears more prominent). The wind instrument can be faintly heard before taking the main stage, and I applaud how mournful makes the ending sound. I'm in love with this theme 🖤
The woodwind section at the end seems like a reflection on the original intent of the abyss watchers. Reflecting on their progression from honest beginnings to corrupted monsters.
Another reason that the loneliness in this phase is more prominent may be because while the fight starts with multiple Watchers, the second phase only has one. I always interpreted the vocals in that phase as the lone Watcher mourning the fallen and fighting in their memory
Yuka is 🔥 but she shines even brighter in experimental or melancholic compositions lile Aava the King's Pet, Rennala Queen of the Full Moon, Regal Ancestor Spirit, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Abyss Watchers, etc
i love the empty and kind of "lost" feeling of the second phase, it's really fitting as you go from sort of joining in on and getting caught in the middle of a bunch of the abyss watchers fighting each other in the first phase to facing a single, lone warrior that's the last remaining member of the legion and dueling them one-on-one after they take on the power of their fallen comrades, and the music reflects that change from chaos and confusion with many different voices to lonely and sad with more emphasis on the solo sections :')
The chorus in part 1 is actually sung in latin: I will slay you, victim of the cinder. To block you from the false oath, I will slay you. Victim of the flame, victim of the fallacy, I'm suffering, suffering from the flame's fallacy and the wolf's oath. per the fallacy. I'm thirsty, suffering form this fallacy, from wolf's oath. To block from the truth of the flame, the fallacy tells. Life weakens Dark. Dark weakens Flame. Dark and Flame are fading. I learned the fallacy of the flame and the truth of the oath. And so, I loved, loved, loved,.. loved the fallacy. Loved, loved, loved,.... Essentially, the undead legion speak to us through their song of how they were lied to about the flame, how they loved the lie they were given. After learning the truth, they try to stop us as we are another victim of the flame, like they were when they linked the flame.
I’m glad you’ve done both phases of the Abyss watchers. This boss is in a way both tragic and beautiful. Tragic in the way that they failed their mission but beautiful in the form of how in the end they all came together into one body for one final stand.
Glad you looked at phase two of the fight. Not gonna lie I was a little sad when the first video only had the first phase haha! Absolutely love their theme!!
This is the last song for a knight that finally stands uncorrupted, the abyss driven out and the full soul of a Lord of Cinder reunited in one knight. And yet, there is no real hope, the person that tipped the scales seeks to claim their soul, but if they defeat them the scales will soon reset as the darkness creeps back out of the tomb they are bound stand watch over.
You’re the best for doing this haha. The saddest part about the abyss watchers is their mission itself. They worshipped a knight called artorias who fell to the abyss in dark souls 1 (2011). He fights you with a broken souls and a broken body. His left arm dangles to the ground so he can’t even hold his shield up. In the end the player banishes the abyss for a while after killing the already corrupted artorias but in the end everyone believed artorias itself defeated the darkness. He went into the pit and later it was gone. Everyone thought he’s the hero. Artorias absolutely was one but he didn’t actually win. Many years later the abyss watchers were formed to praise artorias‘ sacrifice and honor him without knowing the truth about him. The only one who knows what really happened is the player. And after all this time the watchers died to the exact same thing their master did to. They got corrupted and fell to the player itself. Artorias had a wolf as a pet which also died tragically to the abyss during his mission which can be heard in the OST youre listening to itself at a specific high note.
You kill sif in DS1, sif never died to the abyss. When you go to the past in oolacile, you have the choice to save her and she helps you fight manus, father of the abyss. She later recognises you in a cutscene and she whimpers and howls that she has to fight the one who saved herself from the past. Even if you don't save sif in the past she still manages to escape lorewise, otherwise there would be no bossfight.
Wow! You made a second video!! I’m so happy, haha. The second phase is just as gorgeous as the first. I feel like there’s this stunning, tragic buildup with the female vocals that just swirls into such a satisfying crescendo. It’s one of the most emotive Soulsborne tracks out there. It was also fascinating to hear the woodwinds, wasn’t it? I always liked that detail. Thank you for breaking this part down as well!
This remains one of the best Soulsborne tracks. Hell one of the best tracks in gaming. Kitamura put so much of her soul into this one that I'm amazed we still had such great tracks for the DLC, Sekiro and Elden Ring from her as well.
@@TheStraightestWhitest on spotify atleast it usually says the composers for the songs and she actually doesm't have many tracks, but i do think she composed godfrey, first elden lord/hoarah loux and Malenia's theme so yeah she made some serious bangers
Good Sir, that was an unexpected surprise, after the Phase 1 video. I'm really impressed with how perfectly you read the tale that music tells us, and even more so, I'm thankful you did this, second video! There are alot of Souls/Ring tracks that tell us tragic stories, but one theme in particular, Regal Ancestor Spirit, seems to be quite different. Would be really interesting to see how you would break it down!
Souls music is so beautiful and unique, but if I'm being completely honest, vort of the boreal valley is such an intense song, so much fear brought onto us, so I do hope you listen to that one day, I would love to see your reaction
Would love to hear his interpretation of "Slave Knight Gael" or "Sister Friede's" themes. Those two also go way different in their 2nd (or 3rd) phases.
Okay im gonna say it, the fact you can listen to a track then play it like just by listening is crazy, it may not be cool to some people but I find that incredibly cool and that's gotta take skill
Another great video, I simply love how you, even though you don't know much about the story of the game, can pin thing just by the song. That shows how amazing you are. I believe that the "home chords" represent the fight itself, the true nature of the watcher, fighting and enduring for their duty even before ages. The loneliness comes from... They all died and just one of them is left.
Not just that, the lonliness comes from the fact that they knew the real Artorias and still decided to follow in his footsteps. They knew he was no hero, but he was a brave man who tried regardless of the futility. That is what inspired them to build this suicide squad of sorts to fight the abyss.
speaking of second phases, i would love to hear you talk about the theme of Vordt of the boreal valley, the 2nd phase is so intense it became the "why do i hear boss music" meme
I feel like the emphasis on solo sections in the second piece is due to there being only a single abyss watcher left. However he seems to gain some semblance of his old power when his brothers give their essence to him for a final stand. Which gets progressively more intense. Incidentally, they didn't fail in their mission. In their time they gave up their lives to link the flame after gaining a reputation for taking extreme measures to hold back the spread of the abyss.
But you can't look at the way they are now and call that a success. Eventually they were doomed to fail, if for no other reason than because their whole order was based on a lie.
@@dorkmoonblade4315 To be fair, they weren't even supposed to be resurrected. None of the lords of cinder were supposed to come back. Hence the sadness of the piece.
I would highly recommend the Dancer of the Boreal Valley next. It is one of the few pieces in a different time and it makes the fight even harder than it normally would be
Seeing as it's the same video part 2 I'll leave the same suggestion, haha! But uh, yes, Oceiros the Consumed King. The boss fight has a couple of things you can only assume about it. But it is a brilliant piece of music for an optional boss that, spoiler, can get you the Moonlight Greatsword in DS3.
I appreciate the integrity of going back to a theme you missed a bit on. Abyss Watchers is a great bit of music, so I'm not complaining, but that aside it's a nice character moment, so to speak, for you.
Massive props for doing the second phase knowing a lot of the lore it's great to see this deeper understanding of the music we probably all feel but having it described is like clues that confirm lore around these boss battles even more its great stuff keep it up my man just love it.
I'd love to see you react to 'For the Dark Soul' It's a much shorter piece than you're probably used to with the DS OST but I feel it summarises the series as a whole really well
I could be way off but to me it feels like the first phase feels like the character slowly coming to the realization of the fate and reality of what the Abyss Watchers have become. Maybe almost feeling pity and sadness for them. Where as the second phase feels a bit more like solidifying your resolve to grant them death, rest, respite etc. I think a lot of these bosses have a feeling of granting closure in some kind of way but this one feels a bit special considering the back story and the other person summoned to help bring them to their end.
I love the emotion and passion that you put on your reactions and I love the fact that you did this part. You take care of the people who follow your content and this is highly professional by you, and very appreciated
Part of that loneliness might come from the difference between phase one and two. In phase one, you're fighting multiple Abyss Watchers and it can get very chaotic if you're not careful; but in phase two, you fight a single empowered member after killing the rest. The one you fight in the second phase, lost and maddened as he is, is the last man standing.
Maybe the resolution of the woodwind is that at the end of all the fighting against the inevitable Dark, they too get to rest. They spent their entire lives in honour and pride and doing what they did for a hatred of the abyss, but also of love for the world and for the first of their mission, Artorias the Abysswalker, forgotten in name but living on in the Soul of the Blood of the Wolf. They did everything they could, to the last, and then they get to rest. Whether they die at your hands and you take their ashes to do something to the world, or you go hollow and absolutely nobody comes to take them back, the fight will eventually be over. The final Abyss Watcher is only when the soul becomes of present mind, uniting all the souls within it, to finally defy you once more to continue its mission against the abyss, its final self-defence mechanism, purifying the dark within itself, perhaps this is the innocence, through rebirth? It gets to have one final fight in unadulterated soul, where if it wins it gets to continue fighting the dark where it stands, or if it loses, it becomes ash to help stave off the dying of the world. In purity of soul, unity of purpose, and a fight where the stakes are two paths of things that it finds purpose in doing, no matter what the Soul of the Blood of the Wolf can continue to fight to preserve the world. That's my reading, at least. By bringing it to phase 2 you've united its soul again, not free from the Dark permanently, but easing the corruption a little, and it can do what it does easier, and is less capable of fighting itself at this point at least. Not incapable probably, it'll start burning and stabbing itself when the Dark takes over again, but it might also be less effective yet at fighting the Dark at such a point, easing its inevitable fall into the Dark.
I'm really impressed with your reaction! Of course, the Abyss Watchers theme is one of the most powerful theme in DS3. Please, pay your attention to Lothric and Lorian's theme and to Slave Knight Gale's theme.
The absolute genius of the Abyss Watchers to me is that, by the second phase, both the fight and the theme take on a whole new role. To me, the first phase is chaotic, messy, it's kind of overwhelming with disparate enemies, and this perfectly matches the fight against three Abyss Watchers that are also fighting each other while you fight them. But by the second phase, you defeat the main Abyss Watcher, and as the last one falls, the blood of all other Abyss Watchers pools into the main one. You now fight only one Abyss Watcher with added flame attacks. This is beautiful to me because, in the theme, the chaos and mess of the first phase falls away, and you are overcome by these beautiful, tender solos. The loud, chanting choir is gone, replaced by soprano voices that layer on top of each other in harmony, representing how the Abyss Watchers are not fighting in harmony together, against you. It's just such a genius concept and I appreciate it so much. The last thing I expected from a Dark Souls boss theme was a clarinet solo, but I'm more than here for it
You gotta do Dancer of the Boreal Vally's theme from this game! It is one of the hardest bosses in the game mainly because the rhythm of the fight is uniquely different than a majority of the fights in the game if not the only one in the game that follows that rhythm of combat. I believe the theme itself reflects the difference as well but it is very subtle.
I enjoyed this video so much, I love how every time you open my eyes to the music and I appreciate the games even more. I'll be waiting for when you do Slave Knight Gael, cheers man.
The game by default has the music volume really high, and this is the first boss theme to actually sound really loud, makes sense being the first Lord of Cinder you fight In my first run, i didn't want to lower the music in this one since i was really into it, now it's perhaps the most special part of this game to me, makes me feel like i'm part of the legion, metaphorically
all the boss themes from dark souls 3 take the spotlight, but theres more songs than just them!! my favorite track in the game is Epilogue from the Ringed City DLC. it made me cry at the end of my first playthrough. you should check it out!
Please do Darkeater Midir’s theme next, it sounds so much like the absolute encapsulation of everything a western dragon represents, it’s a good listen I recommend it highly.
It's crazy how I'm like the only person who didn't like that one too much. I loved the first phase track though. Second and third, while they complemented the fight extremely well, did not feel like they were telling an entire story the way Abyss Watchers or Soul of Cinder did.
I love this series of videos that you’ve done! I would love to see you review Slave Knight Gael’s theme, you have extremely good insight on the music you review
As always a good video! I'm always amazed how much I look at the songs differently every time after your videos. There are so many wonderful Souls songs, I would like you to react to Yhorme the Giant!
Man, you NEED to break down Slave Knight Gael's theme. His fight is the culmination of the series and represents the themes of Dark Souls in a fantastic way. It has three separate phases and says a whole lot about Gael, the Ashen One, and the series in general. Also, it's just really, really good.
Agree, Slave Knight Gael is absolutely phenomenal. I'm not sure if there is a good video with all three phases in it but it's easily one of my favorite tracks from any Miyazaki game. Edit: And right after I comment this, I find a good video with all three phases together: ruclips.net/video/fqQ1Xum8uNI/видео.html
The abyss watchers all linked the fire together save for one deserter. They fell from glory. That last bit of glory at the end of their second phase is a telltale sign of the lack of hope in this world. They wanted to return to their glory, but simply petered out as more fuel for the fire
Hey Davi I'd highly recommend the Darkeater Midir theme from Dark Souls 3... I don't think you've done a breakdown of it yet, at least not that I remember, but I still think you'd enjoy it
The true tragedy of the Abyss Watchers is their devotion to the legend of Knight Artorias, who likewise succumbed to the Abyss. The Abyss Watchers were damned the moment they worshipped Artorias, never knowing the full scope and tragedy of Artorias, and his failure.
You really should do Slave Knight Gael though, the final fight in all the Dark Souls games and arguably one of the best (if not the best) boss themes in Fromsoft's catalogue.
"Long ago, a powerful knight sought to subdue the abyss but was consumed by the very thing he wished to destroy. The tale of the Wolf Knight is known well to archeologists such as myself. Ages passed and even now the Abyss Watchers take on the hero's mantle, strengthened by brotherhood and the Blood of the Wolf. But they've long since hollowed, forced to fight amongst themselves for eternity. Souls corrupted by the Abyss. To fight the Abyss is to be consumed. Such is the curse of Knight Artorias, the Abysswalker."
I'll repost my commentary from the first video on this one (brace yourself. bad english ahead) First Phase: The bell in the song its a reference to the Bell of Awekenig: in DS3 the was used to awake the former lords of cinder (Yhorm, Aldritch and Farrom Legion - The Abyss Watcher) since Lothric refuses to link the flame and become the new lord of cinder. Once awakening, the former lords of cinder refuse to relink the flame too. They have another plans and abandoned the throne too... so the firekeeper ring the bell once again to awakening the Unkindles (beings who try to relink the flame, but failed - the players). The "home" mentioned in the analysis may have connections with the fact that the Abyss Watchers return to fulfill their dutty in their place of origin: Farrom Keeper, that stands like the last line of deffense against the abyss released by Wolnir in the Catacombs of Carthus. A cool detail is: the Abyss Watcher are a legion of undeads, but they are one Lord of Cinder. Second Phase: The positivity may have a connection with the heroic legacy of Artorias that the Undead Legion carry as the main goal (stop the abyss like the great hero did before).
It's not your fault to miss the second half. The soundtrack that came with the special edition of the game, left out a few of the songs' second phases.
There is one point in this song where it could seemlessly transition into "Dancing Queen" by Abba and if I had the editing skills I'd do it just to mess with peoples brains.
Have you ever looked at the Daemon X Machina OST, "Inherent the Stars' is especially interesting considering how different it is from the rest of the OST
the lonely sound is probably because the watchers manifest into a single mind and a single body, since they were all bound by something known as the wolf's blood, making them one. the loss of orchestra, however, probably symbolizes either their fall to madness or, most likely, they have become lords of cinder. as you may know the first flame feeds off the souls of man and once you sacrifice your body and soul to fuel it, you loses your humanity. the game also points towards this because the player is no longer human, they are ash or cinder. we can see this because in the first souls game you can go hollow, which is what happens to humans. in the third game, however, you cant go hollow. TL:DR, the abyss watchers lost their humanity, and the song shows that because many instruments are taken away, like taking what gives it life, like taking their humanity
Hey Davi, I have a request! Can you do some reactions to the music of Xenoblade Chronicles? I recommend starting with 'Xenoblade Chronicles - Main Theme' and 'Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Counterattack'. Those two pieces are beautiful to me and I'd love to see your thoughts and breakdown of the pieces. I'd love to see you dive into quite a bit of the Xenoblade music, but those two pieces are a great start.
Make sure to watch the video on phase 1 if you haven't already: ruclips.net/video/_QuVglIG4pk/видео.html
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Plz react to Shadowlord from Nier Automata i think
Can you review prior extinction OST #3 combat theme
Cara tu é brasileiro?
What I love about the Second phase is that it goes from a full Chorus in the first phase where there are multiple enemies, and the second phase is a Solo singer while you fight the Last Abyss Watcher.
I agree. Towards the end of the theme, an atmosphere of loneliness and emptiness is creating more and more, which beautifully expresses the development of the fight. Absolutely stunning.
Basiccally the last Wolf standing. And if you know Dark Souls enough, you know who the wolves are, and who the First Legendary Wolf Is.
that's insane attention to detail
Actually, my interpretation about this fight is that all Abyss Watchers united in thid body commited to stop you. And the voices where all united to the single voice
I think it's more. You're fighting the very first. The Abyss Walker himself. The lore states that the Watchers all partook in the blood of the Wolf Knight (who's armor is clearly Artorias' that we find later), and the cutscene shows all the blood coming together. As he no longer has a body. He uses the most powerful Watcher he can fine. However, He does not come back correctly in a sense. He has been completely consumed by the Abyss, and has become the Dark Wraith that Manus attempted to turn him into.
YOOOO I DIDNT THINK YOUD MAKE A SECOND VIDEO ABOUT THIS. I COULDNT BE HAPPIER. DAVI YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY
So many people were disappointed that I forgot phase 2. I just had to :)
thanks so much davi we appreciate it!!
One of the few soulsborne tracks that actually gets calmer in phase 2, which is pretty cool.
This is such a harrowing track. That loneliness and sorrow creeping up as the second phase approaches is so powerful.
Still upset they didn’t group these together on Spotify
They were grouped together, untill one day they suddenly took the whole Dark Souls 1 to 3 soundtrack out of Spotify
I believe it's because the licensing expired
@@simonolomudzski3985 they replaced it with Elden ring.
It's not even there on Spotify anymore
@@ctesiphon2978 sadge
The Abyss Watchers are indeed tragic characters but it's even more tragic with who they based their entire ordeal after.
Considering Artorias, the knight who fought the abyss, would also succumb to the abyss, it’s only fitting that an order spawned of the legendary knight would befall the same fate.
@@blueblaze5160 They were very much aware that they're gonna suffer the same fate but chose to pursue the abyss regardless.
it would be great to do Artorias next!
Cries in Artorias
@@danielantony1882 imo they are even greater than artorias
The second part having thinner orchestra and a bigger focus on solo makes all the sense since in the second phase you fight the last abyss watcher standing instead of a group.
If phase 1 wasn't enough to showcase the severity of their fall, phase 2 is bound to make me shed a tear every time I listen to it. The background strings are so consistent at being painfully heart-touching, having just enough vibrato to emulate that teary sensation, and the octaves marked by the vocals boost both the strength and somberness of it all (especially when the rhythm appears more prominent).
The wind instrument can be faintly heard before taking the main stage, and I applaud how mournful makes the ending sound. I'm in love with this theme 🖤
The woodwind section at the end seems like a reflection on the original intent of the abyss watchers. Reflecting on their progression from honest beginnings to corrupted monsters.
I love this comment
I always thought woodwinds in video games always had a sense of reflection back to a happier time and accepting their fate in peace
Another reason that the loneliness in this phase is more prominent may be because while the fight starts with multiple Watchers, the second phase only has one. I always interpreted the vocals in that phase as the lone Watcher mourning the fallen and fighting in their memory
Did you notice another thing going that way ? The bells no longer ring, other abyss watchers no longer rise
Yuka is 🔥 but she shines even brighter in experimental or melancholic compositions lile Aava the King's Pet, Rennala Queen of the Full Moon, Regal Ancestor Spirit, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Abyss Watchers, etc
i love the empty and kind of "lost" feeling of the second phase, it's really fitting as you go from sort of joining in on and getting caught in the middle of a bunch of the abyss watchers fighting each other in the first phase to facing a single, lone warrior that's the last remaining member of the legion and dueling them one-on-one after they take on the power of their fallen comrades, and the music reflects that change from chaos and confusion with many different voices to lonely and sad with more emphasis on the solo sections :')
The second phase really sets in how tragic the story of the abyss watchers is. I'm happy and surprised that this got uploaded!
The chorus in part 1 is actually sung in latin: I will slay you, victim of the cinder. To block you from the false oath, I will slay you. Victim of the flame, victim of the fallacy, I'm suffering, suffering from the flame's fallacy and the wolf's oath. per the fallacy. I'm thirsty, suffering form this fallacy, from wolf's oath. To block from the truth of the flame, the fallacy tells. Life weakens Dark. Dark weakens Flame. Dark and Flame are fading. I learned the fallacy of the flame and the truth of the oath. And so, I loved, loved, loved,.. loved the fallacy. Loved, loved, loved,....
Essentially, the undead legion speak to us through their song of how they were lied to about the flame, how they loved the lie they were given. After learning the truth, they try to stop us as we are another victim of the flame, like they were when they linked the flame.
I’m glad you’ve done both phases of the Abyss watchers. This boss is in a way both tragic and beautiful. Tragic in the way that they failed their mission but beautiful in the form of how in the end they all came together into one body for one final stand.
Glad you looked at phase two of the fight. Not gonna lie I was a little sad when the first video only had the first phase haha! Absolutely love their theme!!
Now, I'm waiting to Pontiff Sulyvahn Theme reaction. He is just brilliant. Nothing else.
"Lonely"
You are fighting a single watcher now...
This is why you're awesome, thank you for the follow up.
This is the last song for a knight that finally stands uncorrupted, the abyss driven out and the full soul of a Lord of Cinder reunited in one knight.
And yet, there is no real hope, the person that tipped the scales seeks to claim their soul, but if they defeat them the scales will soon reset as the darkness creeps back out of the tomb they are bound stand watch over.
I would love to see Artorias' theme from dark souls 1
You’re the best for doing this haha. The saddest part about the abyss watchers is their mission itself. They worshipped a knight called artorias who fell to the abyss in dark souls 1 (2011). He fights you with a broken souls and a broken body. His left arm dangles to the ground so he can’t even hold his shield up. In the end the player banishes the abyss for a while after killing the already corrupted artorias but in the end everyone believed artorias itself defeated the darkness. He went into the pit and later it was gone. Everyone thought he’s the hero. Artorias absolutely was one but he didn’t actually win. Many years later the abyss watchers were formed to praise artorias‘ sacrifice and honor him without knowing the truth about him. The only one who knows what really happened is the player. And after all this time the watchers died to the exact same thing their master did to. They got corrupted and fell to the player itself. Artorias had a wolf as a pet which also died tragically to the abyss during his mission which can be heard in the OST youre listening to itself at a specific high note.
You kill sif in DS1, sif never died to the abyss. When you go to the past in oolacile, you have the choice to save her and she helps you fight manus, father of the abyss. She later recognises you in a cutscene and she whimpers and howls that she has to fight the one who saved herself from the past. Even if you don't save sif in the past she still manages to escape lorewise, otherwise there would be no bossfight.
Wow! You made a second video!! I’m so happy, haha. The second phase is just as gorgeous as the first. I feel like there’s this stunning, tragic buildup with the female vocals that just swirls into such a satisfying crescendo. It’s one of the most emotive Soulsborne tracks out there. It was also fascinating to hear the woodwinds, wasn’t it? I always liked that detail.
Thank you for breaking this part down as well!
This remains one of the best Soulsborne tracks. Hell one of the best tracks in gaming. Kitamura put so much of her soul into this one that I'm amazed we still had such great tracks for the DLC, Sekiro and Elden Ring from her as well.
@@TheStraightestWhitest on spotify atleast it usually says the composers for the songs and she actually doesm't have many tracks, but i do think she composed godfrey, first elden lord/hoarah loux and Malenia's theme so yeah she made some serious bangers
A great theme you should listen to also is Slave Knight Gael or Sir Alonne
The strings in the second phase and in the song in general are amazing
I really wished at the time that Abyss watchers was a more difficult boss so i could listen to this song a lot more
Good Sir, that was an unexpected surprise, after the Phase 1 video.
I'm really impressed with how perfectly you read the tale that music tells us, and even more so, I'm thankful you did this, second video!
There are alot of Souls/Ring tracks that tell us tragic stories, but one theme in particular, Regal Ancestor Spirit, seems to be quite different.
Would be really interesting to see how you would break it down!
Souls music is so beautiful and unique, but if I'm being completely honest, vort of the boreal valley is such an intense song, so much fear brought onto us, so I do hope you listen to that one day, I would love to see your reaction
Vordt has that hidden last minute in the second phase almost nobody knows about where it completely changes up and goes ballistic.
Would love to hear his interpretation of "Slave Knight Gael" or "Sister Friede's" themes.
Those two also go way different in their 2nd (or 3rd) phases.
Okay im gonna say it, the fact you can listen to a track then play it like just by listening is crazy, it may not be cool to some people but I find that incredibly cool and that's gotta take skill
I'd love to see you react to the Champion's Gravetender theme, (DLC for dark souls 3) it's a very, "powerful" composition.
Duuude this was amazing thank you for doing the second part you are so kind!!!!
Another great video, I simply love how you, even though you don't know much about the story of the game, can pin thing just by the song. That shows how amazing you are.
I believe that the "home chords" represent the fight itself, the true nature of the watcher, fighting and enduring for their duty even before ages.
The loneliness comes from... They all died and just one of them is left.
Not just that, the lonliness comes from the fact that they knew the real Artorias and still decided to follow in his footsteps. They knew he was no hero, but he was a brave man who tried regardless of the futility. That is what inspired them to build this suicide squad of sorts to fight the abyss.
speaking of second phases,
i would love to hear you talk about the theme of Vordt of the boreal valley,
the 2nd phase is so intense it became the "why do i hear boss music" meme
I feel like the emphasis on solo sections in the second piece is due to there being only a single abyss watcher left.
However he seems to gain some semblance of his old power when his brothers give their essence to him for a final stand. Which gets progressively more intense.
Incidentally, they didn't fail in their mission. In their time they gave up their lives to link the flame after gaining a reputation for taking extreme measures to hold back the spread of the abyss.
But you can't look at the way they are now and call that a success. Eventually they were doomed to fail, if for no other reason than because their whole order was based on a lie.
@@dorkmoonblade4315
To be fair, they weren't even supposed to be resurrected. None of the lords of cinder were supposed to come back. Hence the sadness of the piece.
My absolute favourite track from all Souls games, it just gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Abyss Watchers and Ludwig's Theme are my favourite Soulslike soundtracks of all time.
Great video as always !
I would highly recommend the Dancer of the Boreal Valley next. It is one of the few pieces in a different time and it makes the fight even harder than it normally would be
I've never played dark souls, so I didn't knew that this song had a phase two!
It was a nice video!
You should play it. The game is every bit as amazing as the soundtrack
Two breakdowns for 1 OST? This proves Abyss Watchers is objectively the greatest Souls OST I'm afraid.
He said he missed the second phase the first video xD
You should have a closer look at the DS3 Midir OST. That's a real hidden gem of all ds games, and it have a lot of piano covers on RUclips :)
Seeing as it's the same video part 2 I'll leave the same suggestion, haha! But uh, yes, Oceiros the Consumed King. The boss fight has a couple of things you can only assume about it. But it is a brilliant piece of music for an optional boss that, spoiler, can get you the Moonlight Greatsword in DS3.
I appreciate the integrity of going back to a theme you missed a bit on.
Abyss Watchers is a great bit of music, so I'm not complaining, but that aside it's a nice character moment, so to speak, for you.
Massive props for doing the second phase knowing a lot of the lore it's great to see this deeper understanding of the music we probably all feel but having it described is like clues that confirm lore around these boss battles even more its great stuff keep it up my man just love it.
I'd love to see you react to 'For the Dark Soul'
It's a much shorter piece than you're probably used to with the DS OST but I feel it summarises the series as a whole really well
I could be way off but to me it feels like the first phase feels like the character slowly coming to the realization of the fate and reality of what the Abyss Watchers have become. Maybe almost feeling pity and sadness for them. Where as the second phase feels a bit more like solidifying your resolve to grant them death, rest, respite etc. I think a lot of these bosses have a feeling of granting closure in some kind of way but this one feels a bit special considering the back story and the other person summoned to help bring them to their end.
Thank you so much for this, Davi! Great video :)
I love the emotion and passion that you put on your reactions and I love the fact that you did this part. You take care of the people who follow your content and this is highly professional by you, and very appreciated
Part of that loneliness might come from the difference between phase one and two. In phase one, you're fighting multiple Abyss Watchers and it can get very chaotic if you're not careful; but in phase two, you fight a single empowered member after killing the rest. The one you fight in the second phase, lost and maddened as he is, is the last man standing.
This is probably my favorite breakdown so far, both videos that is. You hit almost everything to note!
I was hoping you’d listen to phase 2 :)
Really glad you posted this, thank you!
Maybe the resolution of the woodwind is that at the end of all the fighting against the inevitable Dark, they too get to rest. They spent their entire lives in honour and pride and doing what they did for a hatred of the abyss, but also of love for the world and for the first of their mission, Artorias the Abysswalker, forgotten in name but living on in the Soul of the Blood of the Wolf. They did everything they could, to the last, and then they get to rest. Whether they die at your hands and you take their ashes to do something to the world, or you go hollow and absolutely nobody comes to take them back, the fight will eventually be over. The final Abyss Watcher is only when the soul becomes of present mind, uniting all the souls within it, to finally defy you once more to continue its mission against the abyss, its final self-defence mechanism, purifying the dark within itself, perhaps this is the innocence, through rebirth? It gets to have one final fight in unadulterated soul, where if it wins it gets to continue fighting the dark where it stands, or if it loses, it becomes ash to help stave off the dying of the world. In purity of soul, unity of purpose, and a fight where the stakes are two paths of things that it finds purpose in doing, no matter what the Soul of the Blood of the Wolf can continue to fight to preserve the world. That's my reading, at least. By bringing it to phase 2 you've united its soul again, not free from the Dark permanently, but easing the corruption a little, and it can do what it does easier, and is less capable of fighting itself at this point at least. Not incapable probably, it'll start burning and stabbing itself when the Dark takes over again, but it might also be less effective yet at fighting the Dark at such a point, easing its inevitable fall into the Dark.
I think it’s a genuine crime that the second phase of most of the songs from ds3 were not included in the official ost
Part 2! Love your videos man!
I'm really impressed with your reaction! Of course, the Abyss Watchers theme is one of the most powerful theme in DS3. Please, pay your attention to Lothric and Lorian's theme and to Slave Knight Gale's theme.
You say now it sounds even more lonely, and in the game the abyss watcher is now completly alone and all others are dead, so good job on that
Thanks for making your reaction to second phase
The absolute genius of the Abyss Watchers to me is that, by the second phase, both the fight and the theme take on a whole new role. To me, the first phase is chaotic, messy, it's kind of overwhelming with disparate enemies, and this perfectly matches the fight against three Abyss Watchers that are also fighting each other while you fight them.
But by the second phase, you defeat the main Abyss Watcher, and as the last one falls, the blood of all other Abyss Watchers pools into the main one. You now fight only one Abyss Watcher with added flame attacks. This is beautiful to me because, in the theme, the chaos and mess of the first phase falls away, and you are overcome by these beautiful, tender solos. The loud, chanting choir is gone, replaced by soprano voices that layer on top of each other in harmony, representing how the Abyss Watchers are not fighting in harmony together, against you. It's just such a genius concept and I appreciate it so much. The last thing I expected from a Dark Souls boss theme was a clarinet solo, but I'm more than here for it
You gotta do Dancer of the Boreal Vally's theme from this game! It is one of the hardest bosses in the game mainly because the rhythm of the fight is uniquely different than a majority of the fights in the game if not the only one in the game that follows that rhythm of combat. I believe the theme itself reflects the difference as well but it is very subtle.
I enjoyed this video so much, I love how every time you open my eyes to the music and I appreciate the games even more.
I'll be waiting for when you do Slave Knight Gael, cheers man.
Please do Pontiff Sulyvahn! It is epic perfection
I don't know why, but I always found the abyss watchers to be one of my favorite fights. I am not sure why, but they are.
The game by default has the music volume really high, and this is the first boss theme to actually sound really loud, makes sense being the first Lord of Cinder you fight
In my first run, i didn't want to lower the music in this one since i was really into it, now it's perhaps the most special part of this game to me, makes me feel like i'm part of the legion, metaphorically
all the boss themes from dark souls 3 take the spotlight, but theres more songs than just them!! my favorite track in the game is Epilogue from the Ringed City DLC. it made me cry at the end of my first playthrough. you should check it out!
Wow thanks for the extra vid! Love it! 😊👌
Please do Darkeater Midir’s theme next, it sounds so much like the absolute encapsulation of everything a western dragon represents, it’s a good listen I recommend it highly.
I'd recommend Slave Knight Gael from DS3
the best track in DS3, in my opinion
For the dark soul as well it’s my favorite track
It's crazy how I'm like the only person who didn't like that one too much. I loved the first phase track though. Second and third, while they complemented the fight extremely well, did not feel like they were telling an entire story the way Abyss Watchers or Soul of Cinder did.
@@TheStraightestWhitest It's a bit like Vordt's theme, where it doesn't tell a story but still sounds greats either way. Also based name
We need to see him analyze the Twin Princes track.
I love this series of videos that you’ve done! I would love to see you review Slave Knight Gael’s theme, you have extremely good insight on the music you review
The Woodwinds are basically a final farewell from the Wolves, and the first wolf being Artorias.
Since you're doing undertale on the weekends, I'd be happy to hear you do Spear Of Justice now that you finished the Undyne fight
As always a good video! I'm always amazed how much I look at the songs differently every time after your videos.
There are so many wonderful Souls songs, I would like you to react to Yhorme the Giant!
Oh nice! I was wondering why you didn't listen the second part in the other video.
Man, you NEED to break down Slave Knight Gael's theme. His fight is the culmination of the series and represents the themes of Dark Souls in a fantastic way. It has three separate phases and says a whole lot about Gael, the Ashen One, and the series in general. Also, it's just really, really good.
Agree, Slave Knight Gael is absolutely phenomenal. I'm not sure if there is a good video with all three phases in it but it's easily one of my favorite tracks from any Miyazaki game.
Edit: And right after I comment this, I find a good video with all three phases together: ruclips.net/video/fqQ1Xum8uNI/видео.html
he has to listen to it
The abyss watchers all linked the fire together save for one deserter.
They fell from glory. That last bit of glory at the end of their second phase is a telltale sign of the lack of hope in this world. They wanted to return to their glory, but simply petered out as more fuel for the fire
Hey Davi I'd highly recommend the Darkeater Midir theme from Dark Souls 3... I don't think you've done a breakdown of it yet, at least not that I remember, but I still think you'd enjoy it
Two videos instead of one...
I don't mind at all!
The true tragedy of the Abyss Watchers is their devotion to the legend of Knight Artorias, who likewise succumbed to the Abyss. The Abyss Watchers were damned the moment they worshipped Artorias, never knowing the full scope and tragedy of Artorias, and his failure.
You really should do Slave Knight Gael though, the final fight in all the Dark Souls games and arguably one of the best (if not the best) boss themes in Fromsoft's catalogue.
Amazing content. You earned a subscriber in me. Keep up the great work.
"Long ago, a powerful knight sought to subdue the abyss but was consumed by the very thing he wished to destroy. The tale of the Wolf Knight is known well to archeologists such as myself. Ages passed and even now the Abyss Watchers take on the hero's mantle, strengthened by brotherhood and the Blood of the Wolf. But they've long since hollowed, forced to fight amongst themselves for eternity. Souls corrupted by the Abyss.
To fight the Abyss is to be consumed. Such is the curse of Knight Artorias, the Abysswalker."
Would love to see you react to God Devouring Serpent from the Elden Ring soundtrack, from one of my favorite bosses!
You have to break down slave knight gael, best ost in all the souls games imo
I'll repost my commentary from the first video on this one (brace yourself. bad english ahead)
First Phase: The bell in the song its a reference to the Bell of Awekenig: in DS3 the was used to awake the former lords of cinder (Yhorm, Aldritch and Farrom Legion - The Abyss Watcher) since Lothric refuses to link the flame and become the new lord of cinder.
Once awakening, the former lords of cinder refuse to relink the flame too. They have another plans and abandoned the throne too... so the firekeeper ring the bell once again to awakening the Unkindles (beings who try to relink the flame, but failed - the players).
The "home" mentioned in the analysis may have connections with the fact that the Abyss Watchers return to fulfill their dutty in their place of origin: Farrom Keeper, that stands like the last line of deffense against the abyss released by Wolnir in the Catacombs of Carthus. A cool detail is: the Abyss Watcher are a legion of undeads, but they are one Lord of Cinder.
Second Phase: The positivity may have a connection with the heroic legacy of Artorias that the Undead Legion carry as the main goal (stop the abyss like the great hero did before).
It's not your fault to miss the second half. The soundtrack that came with the special edition of the game, left out a few of the songs' second phases.
This is ironic was just recently playing darksouls 3 then I go on RUclips and then I found this on my recommend awesome
I'm still waiting for the day you'll react to the battle against Slave Knight Gael from Dark Souls 3
Just one word, Lonely.
You should do a breakdown of slave knight Gael's theme
There is one point in this song where it could seemlessly transition into "Dancing Queen" by Abba and if I had the editing skills I'd do it just to mess with peoples brains.
Basically, the Ashen One breaks into a convention and kills everyone there.
That's cannon, it's in the lore.
It would be interesting to hear you react or breakdown the scarlet and violet "vs professor" theme or the "vs champion" theme
Have you ever looked at the Daemon X Machina OST, "Inherent the Stars' is especially interesting considering how different it is from the rest of the OST
the lonely sound is probably because the watchers manifest into a single mind and a single body, since they were all bound by something known as the wolf's blood, making them one.
the loss of orchestra, however, probably symbolizes either their fall to madness or, most likely, they have become lords of cinder. as you may know the first flame feeds off the souls of man and once you sacrifice your body and soul to fuel it, you loses your humanity. the game also points towards this because the player is no longer human, they are ash or cinder. we can see this because in the first souls game you can go hollow, which is what happens to humans. in the third game, however, you cant go hollow. TL:DR, the abyss watchers lost their humanity, and the song shows that because many instruments are taken away, like taking what gives it life, like taking their humanity
Hey Davi, I have a request! Can you do some reactions to the music of Xenoblade Chronicles? I recommend starting with 'Xenoblade Chronicles - Main Theme' and 'Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Counterattack'. Those two pieces are beautiful to me and I'd love to see your thoughts and breakdown of the pieces. I'd love to see you dive into quite a bit of the Xenoblade music, but those two pieces are a great start.
Great video as always, I'd love it if you could react to Artorias' theme from DS1 as it is like the predecessor to the abyss watchers.
Great Grey Wolf Sif is also an very nice theme i recomenbd you
I highly recommend Maliketh the black blades ost, it's one of my favourites