This Chord in ABYSS WATCHERS Theme Has to Mean Something...
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- Опубликовано: 25 янв 2025
- It's been a while since I heard some Dark Souls music! So let's get back into it with the Abyss Watchers theme from the Dark Souls 3 soundtrack. I was surprised by how peaceful this theme felt. I wonder what is the meaning of that insistence on that single chord...
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A ton of new people have joined the channel since I last made a video on souls music. Have you all already caught up with my souls music reaction playlist? -> ruclips.net/video/kaMKeviMQD4/видео.html
I love your Videos!!!but it is a pity you did not react to the full version of the Abyss Watchers. The version you played in this video only repeated the firts half of the original song. I will let you the link of the full version, please, even if you don't make a video about it, you will enjoy it:
ruclips.net/video/tMuhUbYcazg/видео.html
Again, I love your videos!!
Please listen to the song of the Abyss Knight Arturias because there is a connection between him and the Abyss Watchers
I think you should listen to rykards theme from Elden Ring
Please listen to the Abyss Watchers complete OST
I have found this
ruclips.net/video/TmccPPaRb3w/видео.html
It's 8 minutes because it's looped
Phase 1, which you've listened to, ends and repeats at 2:06 but then they don't play it full again and transition to phase 2 at 3:01, phase 2 ends at 5:36 then repeats. I haven't found any properly recorded one on RUclips, I don't know why they can't get it right as it sounds more beautiful with proper transition and build ups.
I have personally recorded it well from the game though I don't know if I can legally upload it here.
React to Ori and the will of the wisp: mora the spider.
In the game the bell symbolizes the rising of the undead. The abyss watchers are an undead legion which members fight, die and then revive again to continue the cycle. Every ring of a bell means another fighter comes back from the other side of life. At some point the abyss watchers became corrupted themselves with the exact thing they swore to fight against - the abyss. So they’re killing eachother without an end in sight. Absolutely amazing writing.
There are also howling Wolfes in the track which has something to do with deeper Lore. It’s just nice to know they’re there.
Can’t forget their entire existence is to carry on Artorias’s legacy in Farron, which was once Oolacile.
I would also add that resting on the home chord is significant due to the fact that in the end they are the ONLY Lord of Cinder to desire rest, with only the Twin Prince's coming close.
Yhorm may have resented coming back, but he did not desire to go back into the Flame nor succumb to Abyss.
Aldrich was ecstatic to be back, and while he would desire the peace of Flame, he didn't desire it of Abyss opting to instead embrace it as an awakening.
Lorian and Lothric didn't desire rest either, as they actually already had it. They're prophetic upbringing disrupted it upon the Bell's ringing, and they embraced the urge to fight not for rest themselves... but for the Age of Fire to rest it's weary head.
All the while the Abyss Watchers soley desire rest, fighting both you and the allure of Dark in a an effort to simply return to that peace they had found together. In phase 2 it's even more prominent, coming together as their unified Soul and Blood reconvene as one, tainted by Abyss as they realize YOU can give them rest.
In the end they find that peaceful rest in the Dark AND Flame as they die aflame, unified by Blood and Abyss, to someone who has the potential to finally give the world itself a much needed rest...
So they aren't dead after you kill the last one?
@@unknownfigure1398 They are, thanks to you.
It's a symbolic thing that only the Ashen One can, since like the Age of Fire, the Abyss Watchers are stuck in a seemingly endless fight between Flame, Dark, and Humanity. It also foreshadows how we are able to finally stop the cycle after unifying the Humanity of the Abyss, since they're fight ends when they're Dark tainted blood and soul unifies as one.
"The song is resting, it's in a resting place"
Considering the fight takes place at the entrance to a gigantic catacomb, that choice of words is incredibly apt.
Hope to see you do Darkeater Midir in the near future. It's a powerful waltz.
Never realized it was a waltz. Now I can't unhear it and I love it more.
Someone told me once they believed that the woman’s singing symbolizes the lulling corruption of the abyss that fell upon some of the Abyss Watchers, while the men’s chorus symbolizes the legion’s commitment to their duty. Could be wrong, but I think that’s why they blend together so well.
The choir disappears in phase 2, when the woman’s voice is the only one remaining. That means the men’s voices are the legion and they dissipate when all watchers fuse into one.
During the phase shift the woman's voice fades and the men's sounds louder, this is the phase shift with the cutscene of the one watcher being empowered by flame. A moment of defiance before the end.
Would make sense, since the female voice is louder and it has the feeling the male voice tries to overtake it with no success for the entire phase 1
The female voice being the only one in phase 2 makes complete sense since the Lord of Cinder Abyss Watcher has red eyes in phase 2, meaning they all fell to the abyss finally.
@@themrmustazz With that. I believe who we fight in Phase 2 isn't just an Abyss Watcher, but THE Abyss Walker, Artorias, himself. The lore states they all partook in the blood of the Wolf Knight, who is Artorias, and when we go into Phase 2. All the blood comes together in one body. And how the Abyss Watcher uses their flame in a near identical manor to how Artorias used the Abyss.
I see Abyss Watchers and I click. Abyss Watchers was such a fun fight and one of my favorites in the game. Thank you for this reaction and analysis of the theme.
It’s a shame there wasn’t phase 2, but I was stilled hyped for this video all the same. The abyss watchers theme has to be my favorite piece of music ever composed
Actually I'd say it's rather thematic!
After all, they keep coming back, more and more succumbed to Abyss, much like the Age of Fire. However we are their first fie, and the first undead for that matter, that actually is capable of ending Gwyn's brand upon the world. We end their cycle as they succumb to Abyss, much like how we as a Hollow can end the cycle, having the First Flame succumb to our own Abyss.
The ost doesn't have a "phase 2", the boss fight changes, but the music remains the same
@@erfgs455 That's what they were referring to though???
There are a number of tracks in this game that are exceptional. Thing is you might not have had the oppurtunity to hear it all through. Lots of people joke about Vorths song but i like it alot especially the middle and end of it which you normally just never hear.
@@erfgs455 It's there if you listen closely, it's just mixed very well.
There is a second part to this soundtrack that you did not listen to. This part that you listened to is only phase 1.
man I love your chord teachings, very interesting and educational. And you keep doing Dark Souls 3 which is fascinating, nobody does it a lot now, a beacon of Dark Souls ost
Thank you my friend
9:08 It measn they are restless...the Abyss Watchers are forever cursed to battle the abyss and since they are infected with the abyss itself they are stuck in a cicle of ressurrect, kill themselves, ressurect and...you get the idea.
Great video as always! DS3 bosses and their themes are really amazing all out of DS series, especially Abyss Watchers are the most iconic and memorable bosses for me. This piece sounds sadly and hollowly, as if to tell the story of the ironic tragedy. Sometimes rather than intense pieces, melancholic pieces make the battle more terrifying and emotional. It’s so sorrowful that demoralizes you and makes the battle more and more painful, and when the battle is over, it leaves an indescribably empty aftertaste. Thank you for this, Davi!
That is so true! Sad pieces can be so powerful during battles. Thank you for watching, Aya!
Man, the Abyss Watchers fight is just so awesome. To think they put one of their most cinematic fights so early in the game; Dark Souls is truly a masterpiece.
The entire song is a tribute to the theme of a boss from the first game known as Knight Artorias, but that home cord in particular is a major part of the prominent motif used in Artorias'. You also do fight the Abyss Watchers in their home base.
The bell tolls whenever more humans are woken from the dead to link the fire- I believe in this song it represents the constant waking and endless plight of humanity constantly trying to rise up against a challenge greater than any single one of them and failing, hence the tragedy of this song.
It’s so perfectly juxtaposed with this boss- a legion of humans who fight endlessly against the abyss, despite being born of it themselves. I think this is why there’s so much of that home chord and rest- despite all this pain and this endless fight, the abyss is their home, and no matter how much they fight someone else’s war, the abyss will be there, waiting for them, at the end of it all.
The bells serve a more "explicit" purpose. They're the same bells ringing in Knight Artorias' OST, a direct link between the Watchers and the ancestral hero they worship w/o knowing the truth of what happened in Oolacile.
About time! I love this theme. Love your content
Thank you!
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS! I'm a bit upset since there was more of the song that you missed, but I'll take what I can get! Great video Davi!
Thank you! I didn't realize there was more of the song :( What a shame.
@@DaviVasc Yeah it’s weird some videos with this song only have phase 1 that loops
You said “this song is in a resting place” followed shortly by “why is that”. I think the answer to that is exactly what you said. The boss arena is obviously the final resting place of the Abyss Watchers, but it’s also the final resting place of the legend of Artorias. I think the home cord symbolizes the passing of a beloved story in a world that won’t remember it.
Wow, I've never realized how meaningful this song actually is. I'm usually too busy with the Watchers themselves to really *hear* it, but it really is a beautiful song.
From all the souls games I have played there are 4 that the music overrode the boss fight which were the abyss watchers, Gherman the first hunter, Emma the gentle blade (sekiro) and Gwyn boss fight.
I think that home tune you're hearing might be a longing to be home as the Legion have been left to wander and fall to the abyss.
Ah, could be. Something I think I didn't emphasize enough in the video is that it doesn't have to be literally home, could be some sort of rest or resolution.
@@DaviVasc that was my takeaway from knowing more context from the game. That "home" was more about being put to rest.
I also had to wonder if the bells were referencing death bells, and if the repeated home chords were a way to "ring bells" within the structure of the song. As you were playing them, they sounded like bells ringing to me.
You gotta react to Slave Knight Gael next. Also Sister Friede, Lorian and Lothric, and Pontiff from DS3. And Aldia’s theme from DS2, which is very reminiscent of Gwyn’s theme. Love your vids Davi, keep up the good work!
Edit: Also you should consider Knight Artorias and Sif’s theme from DS1 since they share the same lore
At this point, just ask for the whole DS series.
@@ocesa9406 Facts
i am a simple man
- Davi makes a souls theme video
- i watch it instantly
this song never fails to give me chills and make me emotional. i’m glad you reviewed it!
It’s so beautiful. I adore your Soulsborne breakdowns! You always get so much detail from just the notes and chords, it’s crazy.
This song is for a league of knights that swore to combat the Abyss, but were corrupted by it and ended up destroying each other. They were supposed to be heroes, but they were turned into the exact monsters they wanted to eliminate. It’s a classic grand scale Dark Souls tragedy. I think that’s why the soloist (The Japanese singer, Kokia) sings her lament above the male chants that suit the sound of a knight’s league marching to war.
I think the “home” chords represent a certain resignation and rest, because we as the player are meant to put it all to sleep, so-to-speak. We’re ending the long term suffering.
(By the way, I’m still hoping to see you react to Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos one day! I think you’ll enjoy breaking that one down! It’s incredible!)
I really liked this video. I’ve started playing my own instrument and your videos about video game music I love, helps me understand why they are made that way and how they work so well at making people feel the emotions the composer wanted
A DS3 song I haven’t heard requested but think would be fun to analyse would be “Nameless King” there’s clear indicators of age and royalty in it, and it gets more violent and intimidating as it goes on.
Congrats on 66.6k
I love how you dissect the song, describing the chord structure and why some instruments are used gives me a whole new point of view and a new interpretation for the themes.
When I first played DS3, my very first fight with the Abyss Watchers will be an unforgettable experience. Up until that point, most of the other bosses you've fought until that point have been monstrous and super intense with its music. (Especially Vorts) But you don't get that with this. You walk into a room full of corpses and witness the last two fighting untill only one stands. Turning to you to give the Watchers salute before the battle starts.
And then music comes in. This soft choir. I just remember being filled with this overwhelming amount of sadness. All the fear and anxiety I felt wondering what I was I for next just disappears. And I was at a lose for words.
No other boss got this kind of reaction from. No other boss filled me with an overwhelming amount of emotion like the Abyss Watchers did. Ane for that very reason, they will always be my favorite Dark Souls 3 boss.
Pretty underrated ones but I’d love to see something about the dragonslayer armor, Aldrich devourer of gods or the twin princes. Maybe even more than one at the time because they’re not too complicated. Just really good and well composed.
Could be fun indeed, thank you so much for the suggestion.
@@DaviVasc thank you for making these videos. Been a fan for a long time. By the way it seems like you only got half of the OST this time. There are many confusing DS3 OST videos online in many different versions. I’d suggest always listening to the official uploads from 'topic - yura kitamura‘. Some other ones are edited versions for ingame purposes or just Fan edits.
Dragonslayer Armor is one of my absolute favorites (phase 2 is a bit weak tho), super fun fluid fight with a really elegant theme!
@@pizzamozarella6346 I agree. There is an unused version of the OST with the second phase being quite different if you want to listen to it.
@@DaviVasc If you do listen to it maybe you could also listen to the unused version of the song and compare
If the Home chord is synonymous with "resting" then I suppose the location you fight the Abyss Watchers at is their final resting place. The arena is already littered with the corpses of Abyss Watchers as they ceaselessly fight and kill each other. By the time you get there, only 3 are still left that revive throughout the fight until you finally finish them off after one last final stand that leaves you in a 2nd phase 1v1 after one final body absorbs the blood of the fallen Watchers.
I appreciate this series, it's really nice hearing your insights and thoughts about the tracks, trying to understand the reasoning behind the chords and all. And most of the times you do actually guess some of the lore or meaning behind some of the tracks, it's awesome. Another track I'd recommend would be Twin Princes from DS3 too
So from what I've gathered from other sources and from translations coupled with my headcanon, this is what I've deduced from the fight and how the theme song tells the story of the Abyss Watchers:
Phase 1
As you enter the entrance to the catacombs, you see the AWs fighting each other. After one is killed, the other turns to you and greets you as a salute to do battle and test your strength. In this phase the woman's voice is the depiction of the sweet corruption that the abyss is using to ensnare the abyss watchers and so it does its own dance over them to keep them from dying, which as we know is a direct violation of the creed that the AWs swear to live and die by. Them being undead as it is is already a suffering enough. When you hear the bell knelling, this signifies a watcher rising from undeath to fight against the corruption of the abyss. It's also worthy to note that as the second watcher rises the men's chant begins to kick in which from a rough translation of Latin goes something like this:
The Abyss Watchers Chant
"Heated ash of the sacrifice, go away. Let you go from the false oath, I do. Sacrifice of the flame, go away, victim of the lie. I'm eroded by the false order of the wolf, I'm eroded by the fire. Go away. I'm thirsty and eroded by the fire. Use the oath of the wolf by a lie which blinded me from the truth of the fire."
This part here in my interpretation tells me that the undead legion learned that their oath of the wolf to hold the abyss back was a lie and that they were deceived into thinking that they could destroy it. The undead watchers are speaking to the ashen one, warning them and are attempting to save them from suffering the same fate that they have, falling to the darkness and becoming corrupted from within. As this dialogue progresses a second watcher rises from death to fight the corrupted one and you can faintly hear the Latin word "Avhere" meaning "Go away." They are trying to save you from becoming cursed like them.
The part where all the men's voices blend together
"Darkness weakens by sacrificing me and darkness weakens the fire but actually darkness and flame are both fading and I will act to prevent you from being lied to by the fire. I'll tell you the truth of this false vow, but I was loving of this false oath."
The abyss watchers learned that the darkness and the fire are actually two spectrums of the same entity. It is symbolic of humanity and the fire and flame are both responsible for the curse of the darksign, becoming undead, hollowed and of course the corruption. The watchers further explain that while they came to learn of this untruth, they swore the oath and drank the blood of the wolf to fight for their ideology and in the process became obsessed with it to the point of an undying love to destroy corruption.. which is also a part of humanity, but this was hidden from them by the warmth of the fire. So when they learned this, they would fight themselves until the end of time and seal themselves away so that others would not have to suffer the same fate as them.
Music crosses into Phase 2
The blood of the wolf from all the fallen watchers merges into one and as they rise, they have fallen completely into corruption from the abyss. Their fighting style is that of the wolf knight, Artorias, which in the legions eyes is a sacrilege that they are now being animated by the very thing that they swore to destroy. Throughout this phase we can hear the woman's voice saying the word "Amabam" which means roughly "I was loving" So from here, I have two possible theories:
- The watchers soul is still in there and they are speaking to you through the corrupted watcher fighting you
- This is now the darkness speaking to you telling you that it was loving and embraced the watchers into their control as the darkness only seeks to engulf more and more of the world until the last embers of the world have been snuffed out.
The words "Amabam" can be heard continually being mentioned until towards the end we hear "favilla tamen amabam" meaning roughly "Ashen one, nevertheless I was loving."
Shortly after this we hear the score of music closing and the whispers of the legion are heard, assuming at this point the killing blow is struck, which in my own interpretation means that they are finally set free from the curse of undeath and corruption, now able to finally be put to rest only at the hands of an unkindled ash. So now that they have fallen as a lord of cinder, the ashen one can finish what they started by taking their ashes and placing it on their throne at the firelink shrine.
So ends the story of the Abyss watchers, who were mere mortals that pledged to destroy the corruption and darkness, however they were corrupted due to prolonged exposure and thrown into a cursed loop of fighting themselves to attempt to end the ever spreading darkness, unless a worthy ashen one could put them to rest.
This is why in the first phase we are greeted by the abyss watcher as test of valour to honour the wolf and then in the second phase the corruption takes over and uses the full power of the wolf to stop you from killing them and becoming more of a threat to the darkness.
Thank you so much for writing this. Amazing analysis!
Dragonslayer armour from Dark Souls 3 is one of the most iconic
That's Lord's Blade Ciaran lamenting the death of her lover Artorias the Abysswalker...
Great video dude! I’ve gone through all your souls analysis over the last few days.
I would love to see Laurence the first vicar from bloodborne. It’s such a beautiful yet terrifying track
Hello Davi Vasc, I really like your channel. I'm really amazed how you analyze these songs that I love the most, and somehow when I watch your clips, I love the song even more knowing what it contains. This song abyss watchers like many others have a special place in my heart, considering that they carry a lot of story and character traits of my favorite game. The violin that can be heard in the background sounds as it is talking about the tragedy of these characters, as well as the female vocalist in the song, but in addition to that, I have the feeling that the singing is trying to testify to the magnificence, heroism and the courage of these characters, which fits the story.
I am so happy with this reaction and interpretation. Dark souls has a record if incorporation tragedy and finality into its music and its so good to hear you put into words what we are all feeling as we listen to this. I'm getting on your patron to suggest my all time favorite gaming song which is from dark souls 3. Thankyou for your awesome reactions Davi
I’d recommend you 3 songs. Tower Knight/Penetrator’s theme from the og Demons’ Souls, Tower Knight’s theme from the remake, and Penetrator’s theme from the remake.
"all souls music is beautiful" immediately made me think of the ps3 demon's souls soundtrack.
I sincerely hope you'll listen to the tower knight/penetrator theme from the ps3 version of the game one day. haha.
Another straight banger video!
In my mind the abyss watchers are the legacy of heroes of the old gods.
Following in the footsteps of Artorias, inspired by his actions and trying to keep his heroism in alive in a sense.
Sworn to endlessly fight against the abyss, yet so cursed by it that they no longer see their comrads but only the abyss within them. That is why they are cursed to endlessly kill each other.
Also, the bells are the the bells of awakening. Wich is an awesome idea to use in a song while fighting undead.
P.s. I'm sure you read this already but the piece you reacted to is only the 1st phase. I hope you listen to the rest of the song. It has some amazing symbolism in it.
I am glad how this chanel have grown over the past year, congrats!
Thank you for this analysis! I'm a bit burnt out on Destiny 2 and decided to start playing some Dark Souls 3, it has been quite a ride so far. But for some reason, I can't get this boss encounter and its music out of my head. There's a melancholy and tragedy to it that I can't quite wrap my finger around. I keep coming back to it on youtube and re-watching it even after beating the encounter days ago. Just absolutely beautiful. As if the fight wasn't perfect enough with the visuals and almost dance-like movement, the music made it just perfect ❤
Yess Davi video!! I've watched your soulsborne videos countless times in the last few days.
I have learned so much general music theory from you:) Thank you for doing these videos!
I absolutely love your analysis. I just discovered it and I can't get enough of you analyzing Souls music.
It's also amazing how spot on you are, having not even played the game in question, with the lore. It's a testament not only to the brilliance of the composers but of your ability to interpret that intention.
"When the link of fire is threatened, the Bell tolls."
I am so glad you picked up on the Bell chimes. Like, personally IMO feel like they are the most significant part of the song of the noble warriors that we know as the Abysswatchers.
Just the video I needed for the Saturday morning.
Finaly a review for Abyss Watchers Theme, great thanks for the content since many of the boss lore is hidden in their music theme + Lyrics (if exist)
Hello Davi and welcome back to souls music
I listened to every Monster hunter music you analysed on your channel and just as i finshed with Gaismagorms Theme you uploaded this.
Really happy to see this return.
Stay safe and keep up the fantastic work
Fun fact about the female solo vocalist. That is actually the composer of the OST, Yuka Kitamura. Any time you hear a female solo singer in the DS3 soundtrack, it is Kitamura.
Oh yes! This is one of my absolute top favorites in the entire Dark Souls trilogy. So glad to see you do an analysis of it!
One of the main reasons that the song sounds so harmonious is because it's partly signifying how, when the time came for the Abyss Watchers to link the fire, instead of just sending one of their own, they *all* marched into the kiln together. Their job was to fight to keep the Abyss held at bay, in the same vein as Artorias way back in Dark Souls 1. The tragedy comes form the fact that, just like Artorias, they were slowly overtaken by the Abyss, one by one, which is why they can wind up fighting each other in the first stage of the fight. The intro of the fight even shows the last remaining normal Abyss Watcher killing one of their fallen brothers in arms, only for them to revive over and over during the fight until they harness the power of the flames in the second stage.
Great breakdown! Really made some thoughs about the lore during video👌
Thx for covering this one, too!
Good one. Hopes and Dreams(Undertale) next?
The track starts with feelings of hopelessness and fear, then you feel there is sense of hope then the courage to sacrifice yourself at any cost for what you believe in. And finally victory. Thats how I felt.
Finally, The Abyss Watchers theme. Loved the boss fight, not the hardest one but truly one of the best. The song almost makes me cry each time i hear it. Thank you for this amazing video
The intro solo female singing reminds me of the Shrine of Amana song from Dark Souls 2 alittle.
Love this theme and how it fits to this hectic fight altough it feels so calm. It makes the fight stand out of all the others. I think it adds a special atmosphere focusing (At least in my opinion) more on the tragity of this boss.
I wonder what the community would think of a reaction to Oceiros the cosumed king's theme. It's one of my favourites and pretty interesting. It tells you so much about the boss, without any words.I find it extremely beautiful as well😉
Thank you, I was really looking forward to this one. I really hope we get to see you react to Aldia's theme from Dark Souls 2 at some point in future.
I would suggest you seek out the Dark Souls 3 Menu/Theme or Main Theme. It is an underrated gem that has a lot to talk about. But what's even more underrated, is the Epilogue OST. I highly reccommend that too!
It's crazy how well you break down the theme of songs for games haven't played.
It sounds so sad, melancholic and calm.
Like if they were tired, which i guess fits well.
You should check out bloodborne's "The one reborn" or "Amygdala" Both sound great, the first being absolutely man, and the second sounding like a fantastic love letter to brass.
There's a second phase for this music, a lot of videos about this ost repeats the first phase and forgets about the second one or continuation of the music
Yeeeeesss I was waiting for this!
And also this theme is somehow similar to Artoria's theme and maybe because the relation with the Abyss maybe
I hear the underlying rythm as a constant slow heartbeat, maybe the wolfs blood that unites them, even in death. Because of how slow and quiet it is, it makes the whole theme somewhat calming, and all the more sad.
Ah, The watchers of the abyss, the first real vibe check in dark souls.
0:44 a lot of us had the same reaction when we heard the choir.
Might wanna check out the sir alone track from dark souls 2. Feels to me like it kind of inspired the general theme of the dark souls 3 soundtrack.
Next time Sister Friede pls 🥺
Your work is just amazing pls keep going ❤️
I particularly like the bell tolling at the very beginning. Just from that, I knew the song was going to be something special.
I had always interpreted it as symbolism for the Lords of Cinders’ awakenings. The Firelink Shrine’s church bell wakes the Lords from their slumbers, stirring them into activity to link the Flame again. (The Abyss Watchers are a group that makes up _one_ Lord of Cinder.)
And no matter what you do, the Abyss Watchers will always be your _first_ Lord of Cinder.
I think the bell is a big, but hidden, hint that the boss you’re fighting is a Lord of Cinder (if you hadn’t already watched the opening cinematic).
when i fought the Abyss watchers the first time an that part of the ost startet playing 4:48 i was literally stunned and startet crying because it was so beautiful. i could simply sit there and watch as the main watcher walked slowly towards me and killed me. Good times!
Have you guys noticed? In the beginning of the music, every time the bell tolls a new voice comes and sing along.
"the song is in a resting place." too real
So many beautiful songs on this soundtrack
I highly suggest the “Aldia, Scholar of the first sin” boss theme in Dark Souls 2. I say this because the music gives like a dark and yet a bit sad vibe to me. like i’m causing great chaos towards the entire land.
I would recommend slave knight gael, dragonslayer armor, sister friede, and pontiff sulyvahn themes.
One of the first bosses I ever knew in Dark Souls. I didn’t know the lore at the time but I immediately interpreted a group of fallen warrior that are destined to fight each other to the death over and over again.
Hello Davi! Love the way you analyse and explain music.
I dont know if you will play the game and I dont want to spoil anything but yeah... Tragic and beautiful story for the Abyss Watchers. Just like their theme song.
Great video! 😊👍
It's so sad. These guys were comrades, brothers-in-arms, and now they are just forced to kill each other forever. It's only at the end of the fight that they remember they used to fight as one and you can finally put them to rest.
The Abyss Watchers are my favorite boss in the entire soulsbourne series. Their theme is both amazing and sad. The watchers are found fighting amongst themselves, having become corrupted by the abyss. By the time we get to them but a single member still stands, having just put down another of his brothers who turned. They fought a losing battle to the end, and the song tells of their struggle.
I like the theory that the female vocalist represents the abyss, with the male choir representing the watchers themselves. The male voices sound strong and unified, but the female voice gradually overpowers them till only she is left, the Abyss has prevailed over them.
in my thoughts the song signifies the desperation of the abyss watchers
they became the very thing they swore to destroy
The bells you hear in the background are a reference to the bells that tolled for the previous lords of cinder to rise from their graves.
I MISSED YOUR VIDEOS SO MUCH!!!
THANK YOU
"The song is in a resting place."
oh boy...
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.
If you decide to do more Souls music reactions I really recommend Twin Princes theme. It's two part song and really among the best ones of Dark Souls 3.
I'f I remember correctly, the "single voice" is Yuka Kitamura herself. She sings and plays violin solos for plenty of tracks in Dark Souls, Sekiro and Elden Ring
Oceiros the Consumed King I think is actually a really great piece of boss music. It's tragic and... I want to say primal at the same time? I don't know, you'd be better figuring it out than me.
You are mostly correct on the Abyss. It's either a kind of magical plane or a source of magic or both. You see, each human being in the world possesses a fragment of the titular dark soul. It was the gift bestowed on the world by the Furtive Pigmy just as the witch of Izaloth created fire magic with her soul, Neto made death/disease with his, and Gwyn created the sun with his. There was once a powerful human named Manus. For somewhat vague reasons he lost control of his soul. The dark gift of the Furtive Pigmy poured out of him and became the Abyss which is why when we fight him Manus is titled "Father of the Abyss."
I think than the home chord is repeated again and again like the bell of the church is reapeating the same note.
The bell it self can be there to mark an certain moment of the fight, like the bell of an church mark certain moments.
Ommmggg i didn't excpect this video :0 thanks :D
There's alot to unpack here.
The bells going back to the awakening and revival seen at the beginning of the game.
The constant Sorrowful tone harkening back to the Tragedy of Artorias, whom the abyss watchers modeled their fighting style, inherited the same endless goal after, and fall the same way as he did.
Or even how these are the 1st Lords of Cinder you fight, revived to kindle the 1st flame again only to forsake that duty. Not only a lament for their history, but their current circumstances aswell.
No one has a happy fate in Dark Souls.
Dark Souls 3 has some powerful pieces. Some standing proud on their own, others recalling older memories. You could honestly pick any of them and not do any wrong.
Very nice! I'd be really interested in seeing a video about the track "Slave Knight Gael". From what I've read, it's the track for the final boss fight of the entire Dark Souls universe. Dramatic as heck.
O my god, so glad to see another fromsoft ost reaction. Can you please do Slave Knight Gael too? I'm sure many of us have requested it.
how are you always so accurate with your assumptions man
It’s funny that you mentioned the chord is in “a resting place” considering corpses of dozens, if not hundreds of Abyss Watchers lie in the arena. It’s also the HQ of the Abyss Watchers, making it their “home” of sorts.
I think you inadvertently hit the nail on the head when you called the home chord "a resting place". What else would you call your own grave?
I think they had the whole song using the Home Chord is because in the lore the Abyss Watchers are fighting for their home even when they're corrupted by The Abyss they are still fighting desperately to keep it at bay
The Abyss Watchers are the Undead Legion that hunts the Abyss, destroying cities entirely if any trace of the Abyss is found in it. The lamentation that we can sense on the song can be pointing towards their unstopable drive to purge the Abyss but also to the tragedy that they face because the Abyss has been creeping into their Legion. They are locked in perpetual fights among themselves, since there's always one among them that carries the taint of the Abyss.
During the fight they fight both the player and the one of them with the red eyes, and they keep coming back.
10:20 In the game you fight abyss watchers in Farron Keep, which is a resting place for warriors. Also you put the Abyss Watchers to rest by defeating them, freeing them from endlessly killing each other.
I knew that this theme was a call back to a previous character in the first game Artorius, having their theme start with the beginning notes of his theme, but I never put together that the theme has more reference to him, having this song both sing his praise and lament his fall. I Liked this theme but now knowing what they are doing behind the scenes makes me appreciate it more.