Of all the performers in the worldwide chipmusic scene, very few can match the flair and spectacle of San Francisco’s chip-hop king, A_Rival (aka Wave Theory, AE, Planet Skill, etc). In his latest album, 8-Bit Pimp, Rival stages a 2A03-powered assault on your ear drums, spitting rapid-fire rhymes with impeccable cadence atop some of the dopest 8-bit beats you’ve ever heard.

One thing I really enjoy about the soundtrack for Shadow Hearts: Covenant(composed mainly by Yoshitaka Hirota) is how much attention is given to the overall “sound” in his effort to portray the characters and add to the game’s unique mood. I’ve noticed that in music for JRPGs traditional instruments or simple synths rule the world and even when something other’s featured (like the ethnic instruments in Ar Tonelico) it’s just used as is.

Hello Powerglovers,

We're tickled pink (literally) to announce that we'll be touring with Sonata Arctica and Munity Within right after our tour with Hammerfall.  After these two big tour announcements this week, I have a sudden urge to travel back in time and reassure my 16 year old self that if I devote my life to making metal arrangements of video game and cartoon music, for some reason I'll get to tour with my metal heroes.  Also, I can let 16 year old Chris know that in a few short years his beard will finally fully connect to his moustache, ending years of nervous confusion and beard-doubt.

I've decided to finally release an album. Now it's not done yet, but I have suffered long enough from the it's-not-done-itis. I figure I can grab between 10 and 16 tracks, mostly from my recent compos, and others from songs that have never been released.