So yeah, I talked about starting the year right in the last update... and then missed two consecutive updates immediately afterwards. Well, I do have a valid explanation. I've gotten more duty hours, and it includes the entirety of Friday. So yes, there's an eleven-month-old in the next room who just had a seizure as I create this update. Thankfully, the workload is very light. I also get to use the hospital's Wi-Fi.

In order to make up for the missed columns, I've decided to post all three remaining pieces of Daryl Banner's album. Yes, three. There hasn't been as much music in an update since "The (Ultimately Fruitless) Grand Audition 2009." Let's get to them, shall we?

Now, I must admit, I'm pretty torn about Hunters of the Golden Power. The instrumentation is awesome, as expected. However, what drew me to the original piece was its brisk, militaristic quality. Even the relatively mellow string segment contained vigorous percussions. Daryl's version sounds almost lazy. Using instruments other than the brasswinds to carry the melody amplified this. Still, it's a very well-executed arrangement.

Showdown with Ganon, on the other hand, is exactly as it should be—tense and vigorous. The distortion swell from 00:54 to 00:57 followed by the split-second silence is absolutely perfect; the percussions that follow, simply divine.

Last, but certainly not the least, we have Zelda's Answer. The opening and ending, I didn't like too much. The initial fragment felt a bit too slow. It sounded like a largo to me. I'm also not a big fan of the wind glissando at 2:01. The reentry of Princess Zelda's Rescue at 4:24 also felt somewhat abrupt. The Overworld segment, however, I can only sing praises about. I've always liked this theme played in a slower tempo. The polyphony is utterly superb, as is the instrumentation. All in all, it's truly a magnificent ending to a magnificent compilation.

Well, that's it for Daryl Banner's Link to the Past. He has another album lined up, but I suppose we could use a little curator interlude first before we dive into another compilation. Look forward to it in the next update! Have a great weekend!

Fermat's Last Theorem, M.D.

Sound Test Curator