Castlevania/Awesome Music

Deborah Cliff isn't the only place where you might want to bang your head.

Castlevania has a proud tradition of awesome music. All the versions here are the originals (when available), since there's enough remixes out there to choke a horse:

The Big Three

 * Vampire Killer, the 1st stage music from the first game. This one has been used quite a bit since then, to say the least.
 * Bloody Tears, from Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest and Haunted Castle. You don't have to like the games to like this one.
 * The IIDX Version is also really good.
 * The Super Castlevania IV version is particularly cool.
 * The rockin' SOTN version.
 * Judgment's version.
 * Last, but not least, Gothic Metal version!
 * Also the Arranged version and the SC-55 version from Chronicles.
 * The addictive Dawn Of Sorrow version.
 * There's actually three versions in Castlevania: The Arcade, the second of which is an odd but somehow memorable version that is minimalistically comprised of only drones from two choruses. It's worth a listen or two.
 * Beginning, the 1st stage music from Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse. The last of the Big Three opening tunes.
 * The Famicom version is somewhat better than NES, due to VRC6 music chip.
 * The Dracula X versions are especially awesome.
 * How about the ''Dracula X Chronicles version ? Makes me want to buy a PSP...

Castlevania (1986)

 * Stalker, so cool they used it twice.
 * Wicked Child. If you don't like beeps and boops, try the metal version from our friends at Overclocked Remix.
 * Or the Arcade version.
 * Walking on the Edge. Unfortunately, it is a Wasted Song.
 * Heart of Fire, an epic track before fighting Death itself for the first time in the franchise history. For an equally awesome remix with Don't Wait Until Night, go to the Aria of Sorrow section.
 * Out of Time, The Final Stage.
 * Nothing to Lose and Black Knight, the themes for the Dracula fight.
 * Voyager, the ending theme.
 * A notable remixer Goat was re-arranging the Castlevania 3 soundtrack. When he got Deja Vu, which is essentially Vampire Killer, he decided to create a medley of the whole original Castlevania soundtrack: Scourge of 1691. And it's Awesome.
 * Ecran Titre, the theme from the Amiga version of Castlevania.

Simon's Quest (II)

 * The Silence of Daylight, aka the town theme from Simon's Quest. There have only been two semi-official remixes of this piece, both from the Akumajou Dracula MIDI Collection. Sadly, it doesn't appear that a version of this has ever been used in an actual game since Simon's Quest itself.
 * Message Of Darkness. Imagine listening to this at two o'clock in the morning, with the only light being your TV screen. Ah, memories.
 * Within These Castle Walls.
 * Let's say it together guys: What a horrible night to have a curse!
 * Dwelling of Doom is just begging to be reused in a future game.

Haunted Castle

 * Cross Your Heart, originally from Haunted Castle. It was also remixed for Dracula X as well.
 * Crucifix Held Close from Portrait Of Ruin. Arrangement.
 * 8-bit VCR6 version.
 * Devil's Revival, stage 2.
 * Clocktower's Fear, stage 5. Very often gets misnamed as Underground Melodies and vice versa, as the comments of the now fixed videos shows.
 * Don't Wait Until Night. It's an awesome song. If you're looking for the same song combined with Heart of Fire from the NES and MSX Castlevania, look the Aria of Sorrow section for more information.
 * Sent To The Devil's Requiem, the hi-score list theme. It's unfortunately a Wasted Song, but this remix made for Adventure Rebirth certainly isn't.

Dracula's Curse (III)

 * The US and the Japanese versions of the soundtrack sound different since the former lacked the VRC6 chip which gave extra sound channels for the Famicom. YMMV on which is better.
 * Aquarius, also from Castlevania 3, and Circle of the Moon.
 * The Harmony of Despair version gives the song a nice rock remix.
 * Overture from Castlevania 3 never seems to get the attention it deserves; its weird time signature is a particular selling point.
 * Demon Seed. Damn if this isn't unbelievably creepy for 8-bit.
 * Clockwork, Dead Beat, Nightmare, Anxiety, Rising, Stream, Riddle...
 * Clockwork Vampire Dhsu's remix of the CVIII clocktower theme, is simply epic.
 * Mad Forest. Japanese version for extra awesome.
 * Castlevania Judgment version for extra EXTRA awesome.
 * As was said above, a remixer named Goat re-arranged the soundtrack.

Legends

 * Meet Lord Dracula (Meeting With Dracula) is a greatly underestimated song from a unfairly shunned game. Assuming you don't mind Beeps and Boops, you might find yourself hypnotized by this one.
 * Banquet of Spirits has a somewhat mournful, yet classy tone to it. Like the above (And most of Legends' music) it can easily memorize.

The Adventure/Belmont's Revenge/The Adventure ReBirth

 * Battle of the Holy, one of the only worthwhile songs in the god damn hard Castlevania Adventure, Christopher Belmont's debut game (The final stage theme, Revenge, being the other.) Yep, the game may be frustrating. But that piece of music pretty much makes up for it.
 * The extremely catchy Death Fair makes one of the most diabolical stages in gaming history much more tolerable.
 * They improved on Christopher's awesome with his next game, Belmont's Revenge. Here's Original Sin, a great badass tune that just tells you that Chris has come a-knocking, and he's out to get Dracula for taking his son.
 * The absolute best piece, by far, from Belmont's Revenge has to be Praying Hands, though New Messiah, Ripe Seeds, and Psycho Warrior deserve a mention as well. Also, even though Illusionary Dance may be the ultimate official theme for Dracula, Sons of Satan is a good runner up. And then there's Chromatische Phantasie, the theme for the battle against Christopher's son, Soleiyu. Hell, the whole damn soundtrack was excellent. It is amazing that the original Game Boy was capable of such awesome.
 * Here comes The Adventure: ReBirth! Yes, it's filled to the brim with remixes from other games, but they're awesome remixes, with 'Retro' written all over them. Reincarnated Soul from Bloodlines, Lullaby Sent to the Devil from Haunted Castle, New Messiah from Belmont's Revenge, Final Road, A.K.A the X68000 Load BGM, Aquarius, Yet Another Vampire Killer Remix, Demonic Revival from Haunted Castle, "The Last Fight" also from Haunted Castle for Dracula's 2nd phase, Riddle from Castlevania III, and lastly, The End of Day from Belmont's Revenge. Shame Battle of the Holy isn't there, but as previously mentioned, that was one of only two worthwhile songs in the original game anyway.
 * Although that Battle of the Holy doesn't appear in game, it appears in the soundtrack inside the Akumajou Dracula Another Medley, along with a version of Lost Painting from SOTN, all in good ol' 90's arcade-styled splendor. You can listen the medley here.
 * I prefer this fan's rendition of Battle of the Holy to the one they actually put in the game! (or...didn't...I guess)

Super Castlevania IV

 * Theme of Simon, from Super Castlevania 4. Used for a Theme Music Power-Up during the Final Battle and as a "stage complete" Sting (see first 4 seconds of link) throughout.
 * Also appears in Portrait of Ruin, as well as Bloodlines and Castlevania Chronicles. And there is this awesome arranged version as well.
 * this one.
 * this one from the Arcade game.
 * The Harmony of Despair version.
 * Perfect Selection version.
 * Treasury Room
 * Dracula's theme from Super Castlevania 4. A very creepy little piece.
 * Another great one from Super Castlevania 4 is Room of Close Associates. Pleasant dreams.
 * How about Clockwork Mansion from the same game? Slightly repetitive, sure, but very original, creepy and tension building.
 * Not complete without this.
 * The Circle of the Moon version of this is pretty awesome as well.
 * Secret Room and the super awesome Ending.
 * The library stage (7). Different to most of the soundtrack, nice and ambient.
 * The cave.
 * It's been written that the Submerged City theme was the most complex piece of 16 bit music ever composed. It's Bach meets Jazz meets Funk, all awesomely blended together.
 * And in between the above two, The Waterfall. Minimalist piece that will remind you of dark, dank, ruins.
 * This piece of music from Stage 6-2 totally feels like a symphony. It starts with the swinging chandeliers and just blows your mind onwards, adding both stress and awesomeness to the sequence.

Akumajou Dracula X68000/Castlevania Chronicles

 * In addition of having the original X68000 and Arranged version of the soundtrack, the remake also had the recordings of the CM-64 and SS-55 external midi versions (the second disk on the playlist). And the original X68000 could support other midi devices.
 * The intro/title screen music, Black Mass, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * The Boss music, Creatures in the Depth, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * Thrashard in the Cave, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * Tower of Gears, the Clocktower theme, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * Moon Fight, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * Dracula X Chronicles version.
 * Tower of Dolls, Original, SC-55 and Arranged.
 * The Order of Ecclesia version and Judgment version.
 * Etude for the Killer, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * The Dracula theme, You Goddamned Bathead, Original, SC-55, and Arranged.
 * Mother Earth, the ending theme, Original, SC-55 and Arranged.
 * The Loading BGM, will be later known as Final Road courtesy of various soundtrack CDs and Castlevania Rebirth. Original, no arrangements.

Rondo of Blood/Dracula X/Dracula X Chronicles

 * Bloodlines, from Dracula X: The Rondo of Blood, which is also used as Richter's theme.
 * The Harmony of Despair version mixes it with Blood Relations from Symphony of the Night, and it is epic.
 * The Pachislot version of Divine Bloodlines is perhaps the best one.
 * Cross A Fear from Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PC-Engine) rocks so hard when arranged.
 * Let's face it, the original.
 * Chronicles version.
 * Opus 13 And here's the SNES version.
 * Slash and the Judgment version.
 * Harmony of Despair version
 * Den (and the SNES version), and Cemetery (and the SNES version).
 * Illusionary Dance, the Final Boss theme from Rondo of Blood. It's been used as Dracula's theme almost consistently ever since that game.
 * Here's the Judgment version...
 * and the Dracula X Chronicles version...
 * and the Symphony of the Night version...
 * and Dawn of Sorrow's version.
 * This one has been remixed several times. There's also the version from Castlevania 64, and the one from Circle of the Moon.
 * Castlevania: The Arcade features this version, which adds epic vocals.
 * This is sadly missing Picture Of A Ghost Ship and it's remix from Dracula X Chronicles Ghost Ship Painting.

Bloodlines

 * Michiru Yamane composes her first Castlevania soundtrack, starting with Reincarnated Soul.
 * The Sinking Old Sanctuary. I still think this version is better than the remix in Circle of the Moon.
 * For those who likes the Circle of the Moon version, you can hear it here, and for those who likes the Legacy of Darkness version, here is it.
 * The Discolored Walls.
 * Iron Blue Intention.
 * Remixed twice, once for Portrait of Ruin, and again for Judgment.
 * Prayer of a Tragic Queen.
 * Calling from Heaven.
 * Requiem for the Nameless Victims

Symphony of the Night

 * Prologue, the opening level theme for Symphony of the Night. Very rockin'.
 * Can someone please explain why nobody has remembered, so far, Moonlight Nocturne, the intro theme before the title appears(between the Prologue and the actual game), and one of the most freakin' epic and ominous intro themes in existence?
 * Nocturne, from Symphony of the Night, a solemn, beautiful vocal hidden track that becomes all the better if you can understand the lyrics. This English version of it, from a later rerelease, is one of the rare examples where a translation of a Japanese song manages to preserve both meaning and rhythmical/intonational structure, and is at least as good as - if not better than - the original.
 * The Tragic Prince. Possibly the single most rockingly awesome piece from Symphony of the Night; just get past that sneaky intro that lulls you into a placid state before pounding you with the most incredible guitar riffs. Amazing.
 * It's also in Harmony of Despair under the new name of Pitiful Scion
 * Door of Holy Spirits, the background music to the Reverse Colosseum in Symphony of the Night. Not for the musical quality, but for how it takes an otherwise-plain-looking area (albeit upside-down) and turns it into Nightmare Fuel.
 * Wandering Ghosts, the normal Colosseum's music, is pretty awesome too.
 * The same could be said for Heavenly Doorway from the same game. Possibly the creepiest song in all of Castlevania.
 * It's either that or The Door to the Abyss; it's just demented.
 * Dracula's Castle. Rocks in an '80s synthesizer sort of way.
 * Harmony of Despair welcomes us back to 1997. Manly Tears optional.
 * Lost Painting, the surreal, ambient number that plays in some areas of Symphony's Inverted Castle.
 * Final Toccata. Admittedly, YouTube's limited audio here doesn't quite do it justice, but you have to love such a multilayered decadently evil-sounding organ-tacular 5/4 time track. Seriously. Some tropers may find it driving them insane - it does play almost everywhere in the Inverted Castle - but it's still fantastic.
 * You think THAT's an evil sounding organ-tacular piece? Then try Chaconne in C Moll! It's exclusive to the Saturn version of the game, sadly - it plays in the Haunted Prison, one of the two Saturn exclusive areas of the game. But this music more than makes up for it, it's practically Ominous Pipe Organ embodied.
 * Marble Gallery and Crystal Teardrops. Also, two of the best boss themes ever, Festival of Servants and Death Ballad. Then there's Rainbow Cemetery, which plays in the Catacombs, and Curse Zone, which plays in the Reverse Catacombs, both of which have this distorted, other-worldly feel to them.
 * Wood Carving Partita As can be seen from the huge list above, it's cruel to try and pick only a subset of the awesome tracks in SoTN, but it's simply impossible to ignore the haunting strings of Wood Carving Partita, played in the Long Library.
 * Festival of Servants returns in Harmony of Despair to shred your flesh from your bones. Fitting considering the boss of the stage it's for is Beelzebub.
 * As does Lost Painting and Death Ballad.
 * The end credits song I Am The Wind is a really perfect song for Alucard, it's a song that will really touch your heart and emotions when you first hear it. It's a shame that later versions of this game have replaced it (such as the PSP and Xbox 360 versions).
 * Of course the ending theme they replaced it with Mournful Nocturne is far from bad.
 * Guardian, the track that plays in the Saturn version of Sot N when you fight Maria. Why was this not included on the Dracula X Chronicles verion?!

Castlevania 64/Legacy of Darkness

 * It doesn't really have a name, but the opening theme to Castlevania 64 has an interesting violin tune with the child character Malus. Of course, it gets a bit creepier in hindsight when you find out a bit more about the kid...
 * He's playing Bloodlines from Rondo of Blood, or rather, Richter's theme.
 * The Level 6 stage music, The Sinking Sanctuary.
 * The Level 7 stage music, Thorny Grave.

Circle of the Moon

 * Awake! This is one of THE quintessential tunes.
 * Proof of Blood from Circle of the Moon. Easily one of the more memorable final boss music pieces in a Castlevania game.
 * Fate To Despair is also a memorable tune from this game

Harmony of Dissonance

 * Successor of Fate from Harmony of Dissonance.
 * Chapel of Dissonance, also from Harmony. The use of the GBA's weaker sound channels hardly detracts from the awesomeness of the game's music. If anything, it gives the music an eerie aura.
 * Marble Corridor.
 * To The Center Of The Castle.
 * Clock Tower Casualty.
 * Vampire Killer 2K2, aka Michiru Yamane puts Vampire Killer and Clockwork together, with extra awesome.

Aria of Sorrow

 * Heart of Fire, Julius Belmont's theme in Aria of Sorrow. It takes a song from the obscure arcade title Haunted Castle, a song from the original Castlevania of the same name, and puts them together in one rockin' medley. You hear it in, and again in Julius Mode, in the Castle Corridor in place of the regular Castle Corridor music.
 * The Harmony of Despair version turns the awesome up to 11.
 * Chaotic Realm.
 * Top Floor, and the regular Castle Corridor music.
 * Harmony of Despair gives us the awesome remix of the latter.
 * Aria of Sorrow has one of the best Clock Tower themes out of the series as well.
 * And then there's this arrangement.
 * Hammer's shop has this awesome theme. Why they didn't reuse it for Dawn of Sorrow is beyond me.
 * Sacred Cave, the theme to the Forbidden Area. It's a very calming and nice sounding track, with a mysterious sound to it.

Dawn of Sorrow

 * Dawn of Sorrow was pretty much full of awesome music, but especially Condemned Tower and Cursed Clock Tower.
 * The Pinnacle and Into the Dark Night
 * Harmony of Despair version of the latter
 * It's actually very ironic to hear Vampire Killer playing on your first playthrough since
 * Dracula's Tears, the music that plays in the Wizardry Laboratory.
 * Pitch Black Intrusion yet?It has to be the most splendid CV theme ever...EVER
 * The above is remixed in Harmony of Despair
 * Subterranean Hell, Scarlet Battle Soul, and Underground Melodies.
 * After Confession, the theme of the Dark Chapel.
 * The Harmony of Despair arrangement is widely considered a vast improvement over the original.
 * Momentary Moonlight, the credits theme.
 * Piercing Battle Fury.

Portrait of Ruin

 * The OST contained two discs: One with the original DS music, and the other with the arranged music, or rather the originals before they were converted to DS.
 * Portrait of Ruin brought us Piercing Silence, one of the two boss themes which plays for the Wake Up Call Boss Dullahan and the more classic bosses, like Death and Medusa. It pratically screams "you're fucked" and warns you that no, this Metroidvania is NOT that easy.
 * Harmony of Despair version.
 * In Search of the Secret Spell, played in the Underground Pyramid in the game's second version of the Egypt aesthetic. The way this blends with the flickering, almost magically-charged backgrounds and foregrounds in the area creates an atmosphere that's bloody brilliant.
 * Much like Shin Onigashima from Brawl, it may surprise the listener that it is remixed from an 8-bit game that was never released in the US. (It starts at 3:13.)
 * Despite the slew of excellent tracks in the game, its crowning achievement is easily the theme of the final battle, Banquet of Madness. If it wasn't made apparent that you're about to face what could be the most spectacular battle in history by the fact that Death and Dracula are tag-teaming you, much less by the fact that, halfway through the fight, Dracula uses his soul-stealing powers on Death, essentially the keeper of souls, transforming into a hideous beast with all the power that implies (including a one-hit kill), the haunting tune that accompanies this epic showdown will do the trick.
 * Invitation of A Crazed Moon. Like all Castlevania first stage music, it is awesome in its own way, and most importantly it doesn't get old, considering that we will visiting that particular area a lot.
 * Harmony of Despair version.
 * The Gears Go Awry is, hands-down, the best clocktower-level theme in the series.
 * Here is an orchestral version of it.
 * Hidden Curse is also pretty nice, as is Overture, a Castlevania 3 remix.
 * The Hidden Curse received a remix in Harmony of Despair
 * Gaze Up at the Darkness.
 * Harmony of Despair version.

Order of Ecclesia

 * The recently-released Order of Ecclesia has longtime Castlevania composer Michiru Yamane continuing to provide us with damn amazing scores, such as Ebony Wings, Sorrow's Distortion (Albus's theme), and An Empty Tome (the music for the first part of Dracula's Castle).
 * An Empty Tome is also the intro theme to the game as well.
 * Harmony of Despair version
 * Dissonant Courage, one of the boss themes, will likely set even the most anti-digital headbanger off with digitized drumming, a jaw-dropping bass and one of the catchiest melodies ever.
 * Try the arranged version for more headbanging.
 * "An Empty Tome" is particularly awesome not just because of the song itself, but because of how it was used, making it one of the best examples of this trope. The music starts playing at a moment where the main character has just defeated a difficult boss, lost a lot of her friends, and is finally venturing into Dracula's Castle to finish things. And when you do enter the castle, you discover that it's about as big as the rest of the game combined, and it's also the most difficult area yet, as opposed to every other Metroidvania so far, where you start off in the castle. The sense of accomplishment in reaching this level, combined with the music, made this one of the best moments in gaming in 2008.
 * "An Empty Tome" is remixed for Judgment as well, with 110% more electric guitar. Surprisingly, it works.
 * The Colossus, one of the best final level themes ever.
 * Harmony of Despair version, now with more rockin' out.
 * Chamber of Ruin, a boss battle theme from within the castle. As one of the comments on the video states, the first 40 or so seconds symbolize the threatening nature of one of the bosses that uses this theme, and then suddenly a mad beat kicks in symbolizing Wallman's flamboyant silliness.
 * A theme barely heard in the game, but Lone Challenger is awesome anyway.
 * The theme for Minera Prison Island, Rhapsody of the Forsaken is one of the better early game themes
 * The remixed version of Riddle.
 * Order of the Demon. They did the unthinkable by replacing Dance of Illusions as the Dracula Fight music, and then surprised everyone by having their replacement be one of the best final boss themes of all time.
 * I strongly recommend you check out the Harmony of Despair version. I fell to my knees. That is all.
 * Lament to the Master, the theme for the battle against, really captures the mood of the fight.
 * How Hard Won Nobility hasn't been listed here for so long is beyond me.
 * Emerald Mist captures the state of the world in one of the first outdoor stages in a Castlevania in a long time. Its somber nature really makes one feel truly alone.
 * Wandering the Crystal Blue
 * Jaws Of The Scorched Earth is a very serene and melancholy-inducing theme. Also note the awesome bass part towards the end.

Lament of Innocence

 * The game may be accused of suffering from hitting the Polygon Ceiling, but no one can deny that Lament of Innocence has some great themes, such as Melancholy Joachim, Lament of Innocence/Leon's theme, Bizarre Room, House of Sacred Remains, Dark Night Toccata and, of course, the absolutely epic remix of Dracula's Castle and Black Banquet from Symphony of the Night: Castlevania Reincarnation.
 * This is Death's only chance to be a final boss to date, and with it comes a suitably atmospheric theme: Evil's Symphonic Poem.
 * The Judgment version, which also incorporates the classic boss theme "Poison Mind", complete with counter-melody.
 * Both Dark Palace of Waterfalls and Ghostly Theatre are wonderfully atmospheric and fitting to the locations where the pieces belong to.
 * Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab. That is all.

Curse of Darkness

 * Eneomaos Machine Tower from Curse of Darkness.
 * A Toccata into the Blood-Soaked Darkness from Curse of Darkness is amazing. Listen closely to how many layers of choral action there are, and get goosebumps at the sudden triumphant major chords.
 * and The Young Nobleman's Madness/Insane Aristocracy (title depends on translator). Dig the Queen-esque guitar licks, the tie-in to the tune in the idlng cinema, the chanting - Isaac has the best boss-theme after Dracula.
 * "When you're fighting Trevor Belmont, the music has to be awesome. It has to be... legendary. I know! We'll call it Belmont the Legend!"
 * Legion and Nuculais is an excellent song, certainly worthy of fighting a huge ball of corpses, and then one of the hardest bosses in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.
 * The Visitor in the Silk Hat. It's probably one of Yamane's best compositions.

Harmony of Despair

 * The main menu has a mysterious, eerie feel to it with the chanting, and that is awesome.
 * Along with remixes of some recent 'Vania tunes, there are also brand new original tracks. The stage 3 theme, PHANTOM OF FEAR.
 * CRIMSON BLOOD, possibly the best new track of the entire game. It is, sadly, unused throughout the course of the game. ** It can be set as the music for any stage or boss battle in the options screen. I suggest using it for final boss beatdown music.
 * Tanz mit einem Clown is pretty good as well.
 * HoD's version of Portrait of Ruin's "Hail to the Past".
 * The latest DLC gives us remixes of music from an old, obscure Konami game known as Getsu Fuhma Den. Here's Go! Getsu Fuhma and Ryu Kokki.
 * Harmony of Despair finally gives "Nothing to Lose" an awesome remix.

Judgment

 * The gameplay in Castlevania Judgment may not be up to snuff, but the music is still as good as ever: The Darkness of Fear, the game's main theme.
 * The Wolf Revealed, Cornell's theme.

Pachislot

 * Trezire De Spirit may just be one of the most epic Castlevania (or for that matter all video games in general) songs to ever exist, if not THE most epic. The most awesome thing about it is that is was created solely for a Pachi-slot game!
 * Reinlich from the second Pachi-slot game isn't too bad, with its vocals.
 * The Pachislot version of Divine Bloodlines is perhaps the best one.

Resurrection

 * Too bad the game itself got cancelled but we did get to hear Have Mercy at least.

Lords of Shadow

 * Composer Oscar Araujo gives us Besieged Village, Final Confrontation and Belmont's Theme among other pieces of awesome.
 * Notably, the final boss music even has a bit of Beginning from Castlevania 3 towards the very end (begins approximately at 5:30).
 * These two ambiental pieces suit the overwhelming amounts of Scenery Porn in this game perfectly.
 * Boss fight music really can't get much more epic than this.