MIDI Week Singles: "Jail of Jewel" - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS)

"Jail of Jewels" from Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin on the Nintendo DS (2006)

Composer: Michiru Yamane

Album: Akumajo Dracula Gallery of Labyrinth Original Soundtrack

Label: Konami Digital Entertainment

Developer: Konami

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin was the game that came out in 2006 that convinced me to go out and buy a Nintendo DS.  The song "Jail of Jewel" is one of the first songs that I came across in that game that stood out to me on a couple of fronts.  First and foremost, I find the song to be inexplicably catchy.  The melody is one that I have never heard before yet it immediately stuck as one of my favorite songs in the game.  

Secondly it caught my attention because it did not seem to fit in overly well with the area (The Great Stairway) that the song was played.  When I hear this song, the first couple of seconds (0:00 ~ 0:12) do sound somewhat stairwell-esque, but then once the melody comes in, I feel like a haunted art gallery would have been more appropriate, and reminds me a bit of a song from Symphony of the Night that I cannot quite place at the moment. . .maybe "Dance of Gold" but with a drummer?  I may just have to investigate a bit more and report back in another MIDI Week Singles article.  

But really, if anyone in the entire world knows how to write Castlevania music, it is Michiru Yamane, who has been writing music to this series since the release of Akumajo: X (Rondo of Blood) back in 1993 and all the way through 2008 with her work on Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.

And your guess as to the meaning of the song title is probably better than mine, because I currently have none.  I do not recall a jail filled with jewels in the game, or it is more than likely a metaphor that not only went over my head, but is laughing at me all the while.  Stupid Medusa heads.

Anyway, the point is, is that this is one of my favorite tracks both in game in from the soundtrack, hence why we are sharing it with you today.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

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