FINAL FANTASY XI - Promathia no Jubaku - Original Soundtrack

Final Fantasy XI's second add-on, Chains of Promathia, has a different soundtrack from the original game and Rise of the Zilart. Naoshi Mizuta is still the composer, but contrary to the previous add-on which had cheerful exotic music, this one is darker. Although the battle themes and some other tunes are really close to what Mizuta did before for FFXI, there are some new atmospheric tracks that really bring a mysterious feel. The last track is a very good arrangement of "Gustaberg" performed by the Star Onions (a band formed by Square Enix composers & sound manipulators).

Some of the music on here, as on the last FFXI Expansion soundtrack, seems to ponder along without direction. However, there are very well put together calming tracks on here that, while slow paced, show the skill that Mizuta has shown with tracks like "Heavens Tower" and "Kazham" on previous FFXI efforts. The synthesizers used here occasionally sound a little fake compared to some more recent Square-Enix efforts, but are decent. The bonus track here, a version of Kumi Tanioka's "Gustaberg" performed by 'The Star Onions,' is an excellent addition to the disc, and ends it very nicely. Overall, it's nothing all that special, but it is enjoyable.