We wanted to capture the somber yet hopeful feel of the original track in this arrangement. We approached the mix by trying to incorporate feelings of longing and hope. In order to achieve this we crafted a simple yet powerful ambient piece featuring acoustic guitar by Level 99.—avaris / level 99

A band meets in a garage to perform 'Bonds of Sea and Fire' for themselves.—ziwtra

I was extremely excited when the Leviathan chose this source. His style and attention to enhancing the emotional content of songs is not to be missed. The ethnic/orchestral stylings add a new layer of texture to this quant love affair of a piece.—avaris

Prometheus weaves a groovy track out of one of the most recognizable tracks from the game. The upbeat elements combined with subtle orchestral stylings help take this source tune in a new direction. This track carries a profound meaning towards the game with its use of an eclectic yet powerful voice sample for its final section.—avaris

This mix is a very emotional one for me, and I think the story behind it is worth telling. As most (if not all) of you know, I coach gymnastics. It's far more than a job to me; the gym is my home, the kids I coach are my family. Back in October of '06, a hazmat plant next door to the gym exploded, and much of the town was blanketed in toxic fumes. For three terrifying days, I had no way of knowing if my kids were ok, and no way of contacting them to find out. That weekend, my girls had a competition at another gym. At that point, most of them had been forced to evacuate their homes, and didn't know when they'd be able to go back. That meet was the first I saw of them after the explosion, and I think seeing them all there made me more relieved than I'd ever been about anything in my life. The fact that, in spite of all that had happened, they still showed up, still came together, and on top of it all performed beautifully, made me more proud of them than I can ever describe. Their perseverance and dedication in spite of the explosion were absolutely inspiring. I started on this track when I got home from that meet. It was awhile later before I actually got to recording it or posting it anywhere, but it has still been driven by that original inspiration all the way. This song is dedicated to my kids, whom I love more than anything.—geoffrey taucer

This arrangement was basically a grandiose version of my longtime dream of paying homage to 'Ship of Regret and Sleep' and 'Flight,' to me two of the most beautiful pieces of VGM in history. 'Flight' in particular always had huge orchestral potential in my head, and this 'medley' gave me a chance to finally put it all together. I was especially inspired - more than I'd expected to be - by 'Emotions' once the midway point in the arrangement passes (just before we take 'Flight'), and I hope every listener can feel what I felt as I slowly put that extremely challenging but rewarding section together.—vampire hunter dan

POCKETMAN was one of the first remixers on the project. He provided a short but sweet rendition of this classic theme. The pacing and arrangement align themselves with the images the source tune so often conjures throughout the game.—avaris

This track was heavily inspired by the 'Last of the Mohicans' soundtrack and theme. It features traditional and ethnic instruments from almost every geographical location on the planet.—avaris

Echoes was inspired by cheesy 80s guitar ballads, in particular a song called Echo by Joe Satriani. It uses a few different time signature's including a fun legato solo in 5/4. The drums were made using my dads real 80s drum machine for that authentic cheese sound. Enjoy!—fishy

A mother sings to soothe her child, who she knows will not survive the night. All she wants is for her child to pass away free of fear. This is that bittersweet lulluby that she might have sung.—avaris

I originally made this in the beginning of 2008 for a friend that wanted a love style remix of the original for his girl. The original song was lovely and I wanted to extend the track and build on it to make a moving orchestration with some rhythmic guitar and EP to build on that emotion. I believe I achieved that whilst capturing the original song's feeling. The soft strings, soothing flute and light textures bring the feeling of two people's love and their hopes and dreams.—roetaka

A couple weeks in my living room with a few experimental whims brought this song to fruition. The moment I heard the source, I knew what to do! It was one of those rare occurrences.—oinkness

What I wanted to capture was an unstoppable forward momentum.—ziwtra

John and Paul teamed up to create a riveting yet thought provoking mix dealing with themes close to the game's heart. With some excellent guitar and orchestral work, John topped it off with his staple use of voices to add a personal touch to the song.—avaris

Fei and Elly meet for the first time in their era in the dark woods outside Lahan. The circumstances of this meeting are unfortunately tragic, and one can't help but wonder if their destiny is drawing on the sorrow surrounding the fates of their previous incarnations: ten millenia ago when Elly stood in Cain's way to protect Abel; four thousand years ago when Elly barred passage to Kim and their daughter during Miang's invasion; and a mere 500 years past when Sophia sacrificed herself to end the war despite Lacan's pleading. What now awaits these two souls in the era of their final meeting?—jormungand

This is a slightly remastered version of The Prophet of Mephisto's saxaphone work on the Akkadia Rising track for the GEARS album. Some of the original FX, such as distortion and flange, were kept to provide a gritty trip-hop feel. This is a sublime atmospheric take on Awakening that is not to be missed.—avaris

Joren originally set out to create a groovy little trip-hop track with rock influences. DA added her excellent vocals over his hypnotic background creating a wonderful blend of musical stylings. To top it all off OA put some spit shine on the mix with an excellent guitar solo, while helping to tie various elements of the track together.—avaris