Also, as happy as I am that he did it (I even requested it), I find it highly ironic that he played Never Turn Back for May Madness, a series all about reviving old covers from like, 10 years ago.
@@obimaru925 Of course it was overhated. Shadow the Hedgehog was easily the most interesting and innovative game in the entire Sonic franchise, with a protagonist with more character development in his first 5 minutes than Sonic has had in his entire existence put together. So naturally, Sonic fans hated it, they despise anything that could actually improve the franchise.
This song is one of THE standouts for me in terms of modern Sonic music. Specifically because the lyrics have that uplifting/resurgence feel to them. Very inspirational to people like me who struggle from mental health issues.
@@brawlmasterjoelstudios It's funny because back in the day there was a common distinction of two eras: Classic and modern Sonic. But Modern Sonic isn't modern anymore LOL
@@Shadrake I think generations had a good way of differentiating the eras. Classic, Dreamcast and Modern. But I feel like everything post-generations feels different, so it should probably be considered Post-modern. (What comes after post-modern then? uhhhhhh post-post-modern)
5:32 - I recognize that silhouette. We might have missed his 30th anniversary, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate this greedy trickster in *DELUXE* fashion!
I literally shouted "WAH?!" out loud when I saw the silhouette! Johnny doing my favourite Sonicverse character and my favourite Marioverse character back-to-back makes me so happy!
I really love this song, and it’s a shame that it’s so overlooked by the other bangers that this game had (I Am All of Me, All Hail Shadow, and Chosen One); it’s even in my top 5 of vocal Sonic, which is not an easy accomplishment. So glad you gave this song the full respect it deserved.
@@porygonlover322 I guess it feels better when people know what my PFP is when they get rid of nicknames, huh? Good to see a fellow FE fan, or maybe a retro FE fan.
@@tylerherr4288 kinda wish supporting me became shadow's main theme after sa2, i feel like it'd at least make for fitting background music for him making an epic entrance
This May Madness has been a long, rough road, but here we are... Never Turn Back. It feels like a year since I started getting people to vote for this song. The fact that this is real seems so unreal, is it true? Is it true? Nah but seriously this turned out even better than I expected, I love the more aggressive take on the vocals and the solo is very much needed. Phenomenal job, Jonny! Edit: the IAAOM acoustic got me lmfao, incredible
At this point, "The game sucks but the songs are great" is a standard in many games of the Sonic franchise. If the game sucks but the soundtrack is good, I won't play the game, I will just listen to the songs.
Honestly the only real problem with the game is replaying Westopolis 10 times, but even then it's... Such a quick level when you're not stopping into listen to the dialog.
Haven't been a fan of sonic for about a decade now, but I think everyone can agree Crush 40's always a good thing. This song in particular helped me get out of a huge depressive slump years ago. Still helps me gain motivation to this day. And now a great cover of it? Hell yeah.
A fantastic remix, blew away my expectations! Despite the problems this game has, I still enjoy it, and happily stepped up to grab footage. This was done on the recently released "Shadow the Hedgehog: Reloaded" mod set which improves a number of control issues and some of the more tedious aspects like the kill/collect all missions and needing every ending to reach the Last Story. Being able to hold L so you can just dash forward in the air without doing a homing attack is a godsend! There's even some extra stuff for Dolphin users like proper widescreen support plus updated textures.
GOD, I've been BEGGING for Never Turn Back covers for YEARS, it's one of my favorite Crush 40 songs and Sonic songs in general and it feels like it's so underrated!! Thank you so much for blessing my year with this cover
Say what you will about the game itself... I can think of no better song to represent Shadow. He is utterly done with being a villain and being shackled by his obsession with the past, and will move forward and be the hope for the world Maria wanted him to be instead of living attached to her shadow. This carries into all future games with him and really makes Shadow a better person.
"be the hope for the world Maria wanted him to be" That is the opposite of what the ending of STH is about. Shadow resents his entire past and wants nothing to do with it at all, including Gerald and Maria.
@@ErrantPathfinder You might want to check out the original Japanese dialogue and see how "smooth brained" it is. But I'll just go ahead and drop it here so you can see how the dub butchered Shadow's character development because why not. The first, and honestly the biggest problem, is what Shadow says before transforming into Super Shadow. "I made a promise and I'm here to keep it". This gives the idea that Shadow is actively fighting for Maria. While Shadow did talk about fulfilling a wish, the way he did that was very different in Japanese. What he said instead was "Today is the day I will finally fulfill the Professor's wish and part with the past!" Taken with another line Shadow had had earlier on in the True Story, it's made very clear that Shadow destroying the Black Comet and fulfilling Maria and Gerald's wish was a means to an end, and that Shadow destroying the Black Comet was done to bury the last remnants of his past from getting to him. While Shadow talked about how no one could tell him what to do after making his mind up right after getting up on his feet might have left people with the interpretation that no one can tell Shadow what to do because he has decided to fight for Maria's wish, there's no such room for interpretation with what he actually said. "My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. The one who let go of his whole past! I'm not doing this for anyone else and I'm bound by nothing." Shadow going up against Black Doom and the Black Comet wasn't done for Maria and Gerald. It was done so that he could bury the last remains of his past; A past he wants nothing to do with. While he may have said he was gonna put the past behind him in the English version, he was a lot more explicit in the Japanese version where he outright called the entire thing 'abominable' and told it to begone. That includes Maria. And ultimately, Shadow's decision to bury his past entirely and be completely done with it isn't even particularly far-fetched, and it all comes down to one thing: A lack of connection. The main thing that's worth keeping in mind now is the fact that by the time Shadow gets his hands on the Chaos Emeralds, he doesn't actually get the chance to go about wishing for his memories to return because a bunch of people show up. And before he goes about wishing for his memories, he decides against it. And without his complete set of memories, he doesn't have that sense of having actually experienced what happened 50 years prior. Therefore, any kind of impact Maria and Gerald would have had on him is ultimately nullified. And he comes to the conclusion of him not wanting anything to do with his past due to this: Notice the pattern with this stuff here? Maria tells him his purpose is to look over Earth. Gerald tells him it's to get revenge for Maria's death. Black Doom tells him it's to hand the Chaos Emeralds over to the Black Arms because of the deal made with Gerald and that Shadow should serve Black Doom because he helped create Shadow. Eggman tells Shadow he's a Shadow Android in the main timeline and that he should serve him because of that, and in others he says Shadow should at least not get in Eggman's way because he is Gerald's grandson. Sonic & co. tell him he's a hero who should fight on their side. The old recording of Gerald telling Shadow his purpose is to destroy the Black Comet is dug up, Everyone has always been telling him what to do, with Shadow never having been given the ability to choose for himself. This is what ties into Shadow's decision to not pursue his past. There's another little thing to bring up. It's a bit of a minor change in the dialogue, but it was a lot more significant in the Japanese version of the game. This is the last thing Shadow says in the last story: "Adios, Shadow the Hedgehog." This is a line we've heard before. Maria said that to Shadow before they were separated, and Sonic went on to say that same thing after he thought Shadow died (It's interesting to note that Shadow says "Adios, Sonic the Hedgehog" in Sonic X, probably because he was meant to say that to Sonic in SA2. Just a theory though.) And here we have Shadow saying that exact same thing. He is saying farewell to the Shadow that used to be tied to his past. And despite how the translation changed his character up significantly with the dialogue, there was one thing they couldn't change: The last thing we see Shadow do. As opposed to taking the picture of Maria and Gerald, the two people who meant the most to Shadow than anything else in the world, and respectfully placing it somewhere; He chucks it away, and with enough force that it looked like it might as well have been a piece of trash that was stuck to his hand. Another interesting thing is that Never Turn Back highlights this part of his character. "And what will I become if I don't look back? Give myself a reason for this and that. I can learn, no U-Turn, gotta stay right here where I'm at." Shadow is giving himself a reason for what he's doing going forward. If he had decided to pick up the old purpose he had of doing what he did specifically for Maria, there wouldn't be a reason for any mention of Shadow now giving himself a reason for what he does. And honestly, it even makes sense from a narrative perspective. One of the big things that people complained about when it came to Shadow returning in Sonic Heroes was the fact that his sacrifice towards the end of SA2 was kind of rendered pointless. With Shadow never reclaiming his memories and subsequent emotional ties to his past before burying the entirety of it, that sacrifice isn't as pointless as some people would think because the Shadow who cared about Maria is still dead.
@@Watchers_Music >original Japanese dialogue Dropped right there, the game was developed by Sega Studio USA. The Japanese dub is the mistranslation, not the American one. You've got it backwards, the Japanese lines were the ones that butchered his character.
I'll never turn back on GaMetal's absolutely phenomenal covers, he became one of my favorite artists when I first discovered him about 2 and a half years ago and it's stayed that way ever since. I always get excited when I see the notification for a new cover from you, Jonny, and despite how amazing I always expect them to be, they just never fail to blow me away with how freaking *incredible* they are!! And this one is far from an exception, Never Turn Back goes _extremely_ well with your style! It's not often that you put your own vocals in a song, but it's always a treat when you do. Because your voice is actually amazing!! And the guitar and drum work on this is also absolutely stellar as always! There isn't a single part of this cover that wasn't executed incredibly well, you did an absolutely *_phenomenal_* job on it!!
One of the few underrated Ending Themes to a Sonic game and it’s a Character Spin-off too (still wish we got a Silver Blaze or Amy Game), the lyrics are so relatable and are very fitting for Shadow moving on from his past and not worrying about it, just living a normal life while working for G.U.N. I love this song so much and the game holds a place in my heart as I grew up with it.
HECK YEAH, my favorite song from Shadow the Hedgehog! It's surprising how many great themes that game has, and you covered the best one masterfully! Underated OST and fantastic cover 🎸
Over the decade of me listening to your covers, I’ve been wanting to hear this for a very long time and you finally did it! BLEW MY MIND!! I can not wait to see what you have next. Also, I reeeeeeally wanna see what you can do with DBZ Dokkan Battle character OSTs.
One of the best Sonic ending themes one that's honestly quite overlooked. You killed it with those vocals, and guitar cover. Incredible job Johnny! Always look forward to your covers!
As someone with Shadow the Hedgehog as probably my unironic favorite fictional character of all time, I'm so glad to finally see a cover this good of the song that actually captures what makes him so great beyond memes
@@rodolfomad2477 well, yeah but the line being said with that specific part of Never Turn Back was how it was used in Nazo Unleashed. That fan film used a lot of Adventure Era quotes.
This song is an absolute slapper, awesome work. Captures all the epicness and emotion of the original while also giving it some more modern feeling flair.
I was elated when I saw this in my subscription feed today. After some intense issues I had to put up with this past month, I really needed this song. Thank you so much for working on this, GaMetal!!! Thank you for working on this amazing piece!! It really put a bright smile on my face today! That acoustic I Am All of Me bit sent me into a giggle fit when I can recognize the first few notes at the end... XD
Doing the piano intro on acoustic guitars was a really nice touch, and adding the guitar solo was unexpected too! Even had some Jun Senoue-style harmonies in there!
This cover is amazing. To be genuine, never turn back is one of my favorite songs of all time and when I first heard this cover, it made me ecstatic. I can't describe how much I loved it, but anywho thanks.
Wow, thank you so much for playing a song that I once really liked!! Listening to the metal arrangement, I think it's really new and the feeling of the song has become stronger!
One of the most underrated Crush 40 songs, glad to finally hear a great cover. Well done as usual!!!!! Now do Waking Up, one of the most underrated songs in STH, it needs a metal cover!
My first job was at a Fast Food Restaurant, and if you know anything about customer service, you know how bad that is by itself. My managers were the most immature, inappropriate people I had ever met in real life. One constantly kept making inappropriate sexual jokes (not helped that I don't appreciate being flirted with against my will by someone outside my preferences), and the other kept me at minimum wage for my state for 4 years while increasing my workload. Working my way through work plus college and other issues (both relationship and a death in the family) took a massive toll on my mental health. And I remember having a breakdown at work, only for the district manager to sarcastically remark "If flipping burgers is too hard for you, maybe you shouldn't be employed." I blasted "Never Turn Back" out of my car every single day of my 2 weeks notice, as loud as my car could handle. I didn't care. I love this song, as much as I loved it when I completed Shadow the Hedgehog's True Story.
When I originally saw the challenger approaching from the last video, I thought it was gonna be I Am All of Me…..BUT HOT DIGGITY DAMN THIS WORKS TOO FANTASTIC JOB MY GUY! You crushed it x40.
One of my favorite tracks from the Shadow ost. The acoustic guitar opening and the solo are especially amazing here! I would be over the moon with excitement if you did a cover of Waking Up at some point!
So glad to see this song getting some recognition. Shadow the Hedgehog as a whole, has a phenomenal soundtrack as a whole. And it getting some more recognition besides the usual songs is great, specially by you how did an amazing cover. Please do BB Channel from Fate/EXTRA CCC.
amazing cover as always, definitely felt shorter than it was but i guess i was just mesmerized by the guitar playing for this song. For some reason I want a guilty gear song that has vocals in it sung by Johnny now. Seems like it would be a perfect fit in my opinion.
instant like! There may have been a few problems with that game, some of the level designs, controls at times, how many times you have to go through westopolis alone because of alternate paths, but the soundtrack still freakin rocks! And this cover does it great justice!
Another banger from Jonny! The original song is without a shadow of a doubt one of Sonic's finest vocal tracks, and this cover is a hell of a rendition. That little ending solo before going back to the "woho"? Perfection.
I was actually JUST at a Crush 40 concert at Too many Games and this was one of the songs played. Incredible timing for uploading this lol. I can say as I just saw the song played live, you certainly killed it in comparison!
I always love hearing that little bit of I Am All of Me's chorus in the intro. The original Sonic Medley was how I found this song (and Chaos Angel, probably my favorite cover you've ever done), so it's really great to hear an even more expansive version of it, you killed it
Shadow the Hedgehog has some of the best vocal songs in the entire franchise, and this one in particular is an absolute banger. Thank you so much for making this amazing cover ❤
NO DAMN WAY THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHADOW SONG, SO COOL TO SEE YOU DID BOTH THE BIOLIZARD THEME AND THIS AKSJSKSJD THEY'RE BOTH MY FAVORITES This was such an unexpected surprise, I'm so happy! You sound absolutely amazing, love how every vocal track you make you just seem to get better and better at singing. ❤ But of course, you already know my biggest request is Aeon's Devil Gundam from MS Saga, heheh.
Song is such a friggen throwback! Say what you will about Shadow The Hedgehog as a game, but the music slaps way too hard!!! Amazing work as always Johnny!
3:21 watching this on December 31st 2024, the Fearless Year Of Shadow is almost over. It's been a lot of fun, Shadow deserved all this special attention recently XD
The first time I finally beat Shadow was such an emotional rollercoaster and you totally did this underrated song justice. Most hate the game for it's over the top edgy tone but that's the exact reason I love it. No Sonic game is like it and I'll have it no other way. Also just bought the Japanese soundtrack CD on ebay and was so sad to realize they didn't include Waking Up, The Chosen One or especially Never Turn Back.
"Can you see all of me? Walk into my mystery Step inside and hold on for dear life Do you remember me? Capture you or set you free I am all, I am all of me" The opening piano (acoustic guitar in this remix) is an instrumental of this part from I Am)
YESSSS This song on its own turns the Shadow the Hedgehog game into a guilty pleasure. I'd honestly say that I like this better than the original simply because I think someone listening for the first time could actually hear the lyrics clearly lol
Didn't see the song I wanted for May Madness but there was so many good songs this year that It doesn't really matter to me that much that it didn't get done, great job as usual Jonny. Request Dark Crafter
Hah, I felt like listening to the GaMetal version of this just recently, so I looked in my music collection and... wait a minute, it's only in Sonic Medley 1? Jonny never did a full cover? Thanks for finally righting this egregious wrong! :D
When I saw the tease for the next song being Shadow, I immediately thought it would be Never Turn Back. And like always, Atma kicked it outta the park. Cheers you absolute legend
I've waited for such a long time for this moment to come. I remember being thoroughly impressed when I heard you play this in Sonic Melody 1. I've always wanted you to do this song in full since then. Also, your transition from the solo to the killer lick at the start and end is impeccable!
This was definitely a welcome surprise, sounds freaking incredible as always! Very underrated vocal track right up there with Live Life with how it was overShadowed by the main theme/final boss theme of the game. You even got the legendary AtmaAcoustics to collab with you at the beginning 😄
this has always been my favorite crush 40 track, with all it represents in the context of shadow the hedgehog and out, thank you SO much for covering it, and doing a damn good one at that!
Ooh, didn't know I needed this. Always been a big fan of the intro to this song, good to hear you've done it justice (oh, and of course, the main part of the song is good too!) Also hoping we get the "I am all of me" end card on your acoustic channel too, maybe?
![The "At Doom's Gate" Jam [E1M1] (DOOM) - GaMetal & Friends](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IPfI5GMhzBw/mqdefault.jpg)
![Shadow The Hedgehog - I Am All of Me [EPIC METAL COVER] (Little V)](/img/n.gif)
It's the Year of Shadow!
FUCK YAH!! 🤘🤘
Shadow is the best boy in the Sonic Franchise 🖤
Damn right! 🖤❤️
LFG
Shadow fans won yesterday
The most underrated Crush 40 song
For me their most underrated song is "Through the Fire" from Black Knight
Realistically their most underrated would be something off of their self-titled that wasn't from the games, no?
I would say the most underrated Crush 40 Sonic song is “Live Life”
@@hhhahjthat would be 2 Nights 2 Remember
TRUTH.
Easily my second favorite
As a die-hard fan of Shadow the Hedgehog, let me just say...
You *killed* it. Amazing job.
As a die-hard hater of Edgy the Hedgy i agree a 100%👌
Also, as happy as I am that he did it (I even requested it), I find it highly ironic that he played Never Turn Back for May Madness, a series all about reviving old covers from like, 10 years ago.
Bet.
That game was quite over hated, and the OST was crazy good.
@@obimaru925 Of course it was overhated. Shadow the Hedgehog was easily the most interesting and innovative game in the entire Sonic franchise, with a protagonist with more character development in his first 5 minutes than Sonic has had in his entire existence put together. So naturally, Sonic fans hated it, they despise anything that could actually improve the franchise.
This song is one of THE standouts for me in terms of modern Sonic music. Specifically because the lyrics have that uplifting/resurgence feel to them. Very inspirational to people like me who struggle from mental health issues.
This game is 19 years old.
@@brawlmasterjoelstudios It's funny because back in the day there was a common distinction of two eras: Classic and modern Sonic. But Modern Sonic isn't modern anymore LOL
Fair and true
@@Shadrake I think generations had a good way of differentiating the eras.
Classic, Dreamcast and Modern.
But I feel like everything post-generations feels different, so it should probably be considered Post-modern. (What comes after post-modern then? uhhhhhh post-post-modern)
@@vreikezen8268 meta era and then the flynn era for rn
"Do your worst! Next to me, you're all number two!"
Finally, he teases an upcoming remix that'll be worth its weight in gold! 😀
It kinda looks like Wario but I have no clue where that render’s from
Wario deluxe from Warioware: gold.
5:32 - I recognize that silhouette. We might have missed his 30th anniversary, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate this greedy trickster in *DELUXE* fashion!
I was waiting f8or your comment lol
I literally shouted "WAH?!" out loud when I saw the silhouette! Johnny doing my favourite Sonicverse character and my favourite Marioverse character back-to-back makes me so happy!
Yeah, about that
@@tsyumamatsuthehavenofguard32 About what?
I really love this song, and it’s a shame that it’s so overlooked by the other bangers that this game had (I Am All of Me, All Hail Shadow, and Chosen One); it’s even in my top 5 of vocal Sonic, which is not an easy accomplishment. So glad you gave this song the full respect it deserved.
honestly don't care much for i am i'm all of me in comparison to Never Turn Back.
@@CallofDutyBlackOps28 holy shit lachesis fire emblem
@@porygonlover322 I guess it feels better when people know what my PFP is when they get rid of nicknames, huh? Good to see a fellow FE fan, or maybe a retro FE fan.
@@CallofDutyBlackOps28 i am a fan of All fe
noo not another FE engage unironic fan 😭💀
Definitely an underrated song from this game! Thanks for the epic cover!
Love that acoustic beginning.
should of became shadows theme tbh
more accurate representation then all hail shadow
@@tylerherr4288 HARD AGREE And this Song is Extremely Underrated
@@tylerherr4288 kinda wish supporting me became shadow's main theme after sa2, i feel like it'd at least make for fitting background music for him making an epic entrance
This May Madness has been a long, rough road, but here we are... Never Turn Back. It feels like a year since I started getting people to vote for this song. The fact that this is real seems so unreal, is it true? Is it true?
Nah but seriously this turned out even better than I expected, I love the more aggressive take on the vocals and the solo is very much needed. Phenomenal job, Jonny!
Edit: the IAAOM acoustic got me lmfao, incredible
Wow, you put that almost as well as GaMetal executed this cover
His vocals on this were honestly really good. Was decently surprised tbh. They were better than some other vocals I've heard.
I've waited for a long time for Jonny to do this one, so thanks for getting so many people to vote on it!
Shadow the Hedgehogs game wasn't completely bad, had some of the best tracks in the franchise.
could say the same thing for most sonic games from this era.
At this point, "The game sucks but the songs are great" is a standard in many games of the Sonic franchise.
If the game sucks but the soundtrack is good, I won't play the game, I will just listen to the songs.
@@silverdamascus2023 Hot take, but this game is more fun than Sonic Heroes, and maybe even Sonic Adventure 1.
@@TripleBMusicbut is it more fun than sonic adventure 2?
Honestly the only real problem with the game is replaying Westopolis 10 times, but even then it's... Such a quick level when you're not stopping into listen to the dialog.
Haven't been a fan of sonic for about a decade now, but I think everyone can agree Crush 40's always a good thing.
This song in particular helped me get out of a huge depressive slump years ago. Still helps me gain motivation to this day.
And now a great cover of it? Hell yeah.
A fantastic remix, blew away my expectations! Despite the problems this game has, I still enjoy it, and happily stepped up to grab footage.
This was done on the recently released "Shadow the Hedgehog: Reloaded" mod set which improves a number of control issues and some of the more tedious aspects like the kill/collect all missions and needing every ending to reach the Last Story. Being able to hold L so you can just dash forward in the air without doing a homing attack is a godsend! There's even some extra stuff for Dolphin users like proper widescreen support plus updated textures.
GOD, I've been BEGGING for Never Turn Back covers for YEARS, it's one of my favorite Crush 40 songs and Sonic songs in general and it feels like it's so underrated!! Thank you so much for blessing my year with this cover
hello? based department?
....
it's for you.
I don’t care how much people like All Hail Shadow, this should be Shadow’s main theme in the games. Even if I Am (All of Me) slaps so hard
Say what you will about the game itself... I can think of no better song to represent Shadow. He is utterly done with being a villain and being shackled by his obsession with the past, and will move forward and be the hope for the world Maria wanted him to be instead of living attached to her shadow.
This carries into all future games with him and really makes Shadow a better person.
"be the hope for the world Maria wanted him to be"
That is the opposite of what the ending of STH is about. Shadow resents his entire past and wants nothing to do with it at all, including Gerald and Maria.
@@Watchers_Music ^
>thinking Shadow would ever deliberately forget about Maria and resent her involvement in his life
Absolutely smoothest brained reading of Shadow
@@ErrantPathfinder You might want to check out the original Japanese dialogue and see how "smooth brained" it is. But I'll just go ahead and drop it here so you can see how the dub butchered Shadow's character development because why not.
The first, and honestly the biggest problem, is what Shadow says before transforming into Super Shadow. "I made a promise and I'm here to keep it". This gives the idea that Shadow is actively fighting for Maria.
While Shadow did talk about fulfilling a wish, the way he did that was very different in Japanese. What he said instead was "Today is the day I will finally fulfill the Professor's wish and part with the past!"
Taken with another line Shadow had had earlier on in the True Story, it's made very clear that Shadow destroying the Black Comet and fulfilling Maria and Gerald's wish was a means to an end, and that Shadow destroying the Black Comet was done to bury the last remnants of his past from getting to him.
While Shadow talked about how no one could tell him what to do after making his mind up right after getting up on his feet might have left people with the interpretation that no one can tell Shadow what to do because he has decided to fight for Maria's wish, there's no such room for interpretation with what he actually said.
"My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. The one who let go of his whole past! I'm not doing this for anyone else and I'm bound by nothing."
Shadow going up against Black Doom and the Black Comet wasn't done for Maria and Gerald. It was done so that he could bury the last remains of his past; A past he wants nothing to do with. While he may have said he was gonna put the past behind him in the English version, he was a lot more explicit in the Japanese version where he outright called the entire thing 'abominable' and told it to begone. That includes Maria.
And ultimately, Shadow's decision to bury his past entirely and be completely done with it isn't even particularly far-fetched, and it all comes down to one thing: A lack of connection.
The main thing that's worth keeping in mind now is the fact that by the time Shadow gets his hands on the Chaos Emeralds, he doesn't actually get the chance to go about wishing for his memories to return because a bunch of people show up. And before he goes about wishing for his memories, he decides against it. And without his complete set of memories, he doesn't have that sense of having actually experienced what happened 50 years prior. Therefore, any kind of impact Maria and Gerald would have had on him is ultimately nullified.
And he comes to the conclusion of him not wanting anything to do with his past due to this:
Notice the pattern with this stuff here?
Maria tells him his purpose is to look over Earth.
Gerald tells him it's to get revenge for Maria's death.
Black Doom tells him it's to hand the Chaos Emeralds over to the Black Arms because of the deal made with Gerald and that Shadow should serve Black Doom because he helped create Shadow.
Eggman tells Shadow he's a Shadow Android in the main timeline and that he should serve him because of that, and in others he says Shadow should at least not get in Eggman's way because he is Gerald's grandson.
Sonic & co. tell him he's a hero who should fight on their side.
The old recording of Gerald telling Shadow his purpose is to destroy the Black Comet is dug up,
Everyone has always been telling him what to do, with Shadow never having been given the ability to choose for himself. This is what ties into Shadow's decision to not pursue his past.
There's another little thing to bring up. It's a bit of a minor change in the dialogue, but it was a lot more significant in the Japanese version of the game. This is the last thing Shadow says in the last story:
"Adios, Shadow the Hedgehog."
This is a line we've heard before. Maria said that to Shadow before they were separated, and Sonic went on to say that same thing after he thought Shadow died (It's interesting to note that Shadow says "Adios, Sonic the Hedgehog" in Sonic X, probably because he was meant to say that to Sonic in SA2. Just a theory though.)
And here we have Shadow saying that exact same thing. He is saying farewell to the Shadow that used to be tied to his past.
And despite how the translation changed his character up significantly with the dialogue, there was one thing they couldn't change: The last thing we see Shadow do.
As opposed to taking the picture of Maria and Gerald, the two people who meant the most to Shadow than anything else in the world, and respectfully placing it somewhere; He chucks it away, and with enough force that it looked like it might as well have been a piece of trash that was stuck to his hand.
Another interesting thing is that Never Turn Back highlights this part of his character.
"And what will I become if I don't look back?
Give myself a reason for this and that.
I can learn, no U-Turn, gotta stay right here where I'm at."
Shadow is giving himself a reason for what he's doing going forward. If he had decided to pick up the old purpose he had of doing what he did specifically for Maria, there wouldn't be a reason for any mention of Shadow now giving himself a reason for what he does.
And honestly, it even makes sense from a narrative perspective. One of the big things that people complained about when it came to Shadow returning in Sonic Heroes was the fact that his sacrifice towards the end of SA2 was kind of rendered pointless. With Shadow never reclaiming his memories and subsequent emotional ties to his past before burying the entirety of it, that sacrifice isn't as pointless as some people would think because the Shadow who cared about Maria is still dead.
@@Watchers_Music >original Japanese dialogue
Dropped right there, the game was developed by Sega Studio USA. The Japanese dub is the mistranslation, not the American one. You've got it backwards, the Japanese lines were the ones that butchered his character.
Say what you will about the game, but the music definitely isn't bad. And it's even better in GaMetal form. Another fantastic cover!
The music is really good yeah. Except for Almost Dead honestly I think it's all really good. Shoutout to Lost Impact and G.U.N. Fortress's theme.
That's almost every Sonic Team game honestly. There's bangers in Sonic 06 and Forces and we know the quality of those.
Most Sonic games have amazing OSTs even the bad ones like 06🙂
@@adamrhodes9533almost dead is badass from a badass band, not a bad one at all
@@SonicAdventureEnjoyer Honestly you're the first person I've seen like Almost Dead.
I am using my mobile data for this, something tells me that I won't regret this. I regret NOTHING, Bravo Jonny👏👏👏
I'll never turn back on GaMetal's absolutely phenomenal covers, he became one of my favorite artists when I first discovered him about 2 and a half years ago and it's stayed that way ever since. I always get excited when I see the notification for a new cover from you, Jonny, and despite how amazing I always expect them to be, they just never fail to blow me away with how freaking *incredible* they are!!
And this one is far from an exception, Never Turn Back goes _extremely_ well with your style! It's not often that you put your own vocals in a song, but it's always a treat when you do. Because your voice is actually amazing!! And the guitar and drum work on this is also absolutely stellar as always!
There isn't a single part of this cover that wasn't executed incredibly well, you did an absolutely *_phenomenal_* job on it!!
You totally KILLED it with the lyrics, got chills the entire time. Amazing cover dude!
It's really not easy to keep up with Crush 40 vocals, but Jonny always gets it.
One of the few underrated Ending Themes to a Sonic game and it’s a Character Spin-off too (still wish we got a Silver Blaze or Amy Game), the lyrics are so relatable and are very fitting for Shadow moving on from his past and not worrying about it, just living a normal life while working for G.U.N. I love this song so much and the game holds a place in my heart as I grew up with it.
One thing will always remain true about sonic games, regardless of quality...
The OSTs are incredible.
Best ending song in the series, it really holds its weight as a finally over coming something big kinda song
HECK YEAH, my favorite song from Shadow the Hedgehog!
It's surprising how many great themes that game has, and you covered the best one masterfully! Underated OST and fantastic cover 🎸
Since the Sonic Fan Medley I've wanted a full version of your take of Never Turn Back and maaaan, really cool remix Gametal, worth the wait!
Over the decade of me listening to your covers, I’ve been wanting to hear this for a very long time and you finally did it! BLEW MY MIND!! I can not wait to see what you have next. Also, I reeeeeeally wanna see what you can do with DBZ Dokkan Battle character OSTs.
Thank you Satsuinotap!
One of the best Sonic ending themes one that's honestly quite overlooked. You killed it with those vocals, and guitar cover. Incredible job Johnny! Always look forward to your covers!
As someone with Shadow the Hedgehog as probably my unironic favorite fictional character of all time, I'm so glad to finally see a cover this good of the song that actually captures what makes him so great beyond memes
0:20 The servers are the seven chaos. Chaos is power. Power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one who unifies the chaos.
Nazo Unleashed reference
@@redstreak9430 yep
@@redstreak9430Actually thats a real line in the Sonic games, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for be more specific, but ok
@@rodolfomad2477 well, yeah but the line being said with that specific part of Never Turn Back was how it was used in Nazo Unleashed. That fan film used a lot of Adventure Era quotes.
@@redstreak9430 Yeah, it's pretty cool
Been jamming to this for ages now, glad to see it here for everyone else to jam to. Amazing as always!
Kind of excited to see how he covers the Shadow the Hedgehog BGMs and not just the vocal songs now. o.o
This song is an absolute slapper, awesome work. Captures all the epicness and emotion of the original while also giving it some more modern feeling flair.
One of my favorite vocal Sonic songs, and one of the most overlooked ones too. Cool to see it covered in this channel!
I was elated when I saw this in my subscription feed today. After some intense issues I had to put up with this past month, I really needed this song. Thank you so much for working on this, GaMetal!!! Thank you for working on this amazing piece!! It really put a bright smile on my face today!
That acoustic I Am All of Me bit sent me into a giggle fit when I can recognize the first few notes at the end... XD
Doing the piano intro on acoustic guitars was a really nice touch, and adding the guitar solo was unexpected too! Even had some Jun Senoue-style harmonies in there!
This cover is amazing. To be genuine, never turn back is one of my favorite songs of all time and when I first heard this cover, it made me ecstatic. I can't describe how much I loved it, but anywho thanks.
One of my favorite Shadow songs being covered by you. Bless you man
BRO THIS is literally one of my most favorite songs of all time and you SLAYED IT, amazing cover Jonny
I get up at 2 am to work a 12 hour day. Come home and find this waiting for me to be added to my work Playlist. Made my day!
Definitely my favorite crush 40 song, you nailed that solo!
Dude this has helped me keep my chin up lately. Thank you.
_Dammit_ I've always loved this track. Never Turn Back > All Hail Shadow, *fight me.*
Requesting Ark Mall from Astral Chain.
Best Shadow theme right here. I Am All Of Me’s a kickass song, but this is honestly one of Crush 40’s best.
Wow, thank you so much for playing a song that I once really liked!! Listening to the metal arrangement, I think it's really new and the feeling of the song has become stronger!
That shredding at the end honestly feels like what the song always needed. This was an awesome cover, thank you!
Back then when Shadow had character development
My favorite soundtrack in all of Sonic, and you picked one of the best songs. So glad to hear this cover!
*chefs kiss* another masterstroke your musical talents know no bounds
One of the most underrated Crush 40 songs, glad to finally hear a great cover. Well done as usual!!!!! Now do Waking Up, one of the most underrated songs in STH, it needs a metal cover!
Under rated song, overshadowed by I am all of me & all hail shadow.
My first job was at a Fast Food Restaurant, and if you know anything about customer service, you know how bad that is by itself.
My managers were the most immature, inappropriate people I had ever met in real life. One constantly kept making inappropriate sexual jokes (not helped that I don't appreciate being flirted with against my will by someone outside my preferences), and the other kept me at minimum wage for my state for 4 years while increasing my workload.
Working my way through work plus college and other issues (both relationship and a death in the family) took a massive toll on my mental health.
And I remember having a breakdown at work, only for the district manager to sarcastically remark "If flipping burgers is too hard for you, maybe you shouldn't be employed."
I blasted "Never Turn Back" out of my car every single day of my 2 weeks notice, as loud as my car could handle. I didn't care. I love this song, as much as I loved it when I completed Shadow the Hedgehog's True Story.
When I originally saw the challenger approaching from the last video, I thought it was gonna be I Am All of Me…..BUT HOT DIGGITY DAMN THIS WORKS TOO FANTASTIC JOB MY GUY! You crushed it x40.
One of my favorite tracks from the Shadow ost. The acoustic guitar opening and the solo are especially amazing here! I would be over the moon with excitement if you did a cover of Waking Up at some point!
It's been a long, rough road but we're finally here! Awesome cover as always!
So glad to see this song getting some recognition. Shadow the Hedgehog as a whole, has a phenomenal soundtrack as a whole. And it getting some more recognition besides the usual songs is great, specially by you how did an amazing cover.
Please do BB Channel from Fate/EXTRA CCC.
amazing cover as always, definitely felt shorter than it was but i guess i was just mesmerized by the guitar playing for this song.
For some reason I want a guilty gear song that has vocals in it sung by Johnny now. Seems like it would be a perfect fit in my opinion.
instant like! There may have been a few problems with that game, some of the level designs, controls at times, how many times you have to go through westopolis alone because of alternate paths, but the soundtrack still freakin rocks! And this cover does it great justice!
I first heard this song in your Sonic Medley. So hearing the full version for the first time is a blessing 🙏
Another banger from Jonny! The original song is without a shadow of a doubt one of Sonic's finest vocal tracks, and this cover is a hell of a rendition.
That little ending solo before going back to the "woho"? Perfection.
I was actually JUST at a Crush 40 concert at Too many Games and this was one of the songs played.
Incredible timing for uploading this lol. I can say as I just saw the song played live, you certainly killed it in comparison!
I always love hearing that little bit of I Am All of Me's chorus in the intro. The original Sonic Medley was how I found this song (and Chaos Angel, probably my favorite cover you've ever done), so it's really great to hear an even more expansive version of it, you killed it
The most underrated gametal song as of 2023
This is so good! Now all we need is a metal pumpkin hill remix. Thanks
I've been DYING for a solo cover of this since the Sonic fan medley and it was worth the wait! You never disappoint, man
Shadow the Hedgehog has some of the best vocal songs in the entire franchise, and this one in particular is an absolute banger. Thank you so much for making this amazing cover ❤
Ow the Edge!
When I saw Shadow at the end of the Iris cover, I should have seen this coming, but I am so, so, thankful I didn't because this was a killer surprise!
NO DAMN WAY THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHADOW SONG, SO COOL TO SEE YOU DID BOTH THE BIOLIZARD THEME AND THIS AKSJSKSJD THEY'RE BOTH MY FAVORITES
This was such an unexpected surprise, I'm so happy! You sound absolutely amazing, love how every vocal track you make you just seem to get better and better at singing. ❤
But of course, you already know my biggest request is Aeon's Devil Gundam from MS Saga, heheh.
Song is such a friggen throwback! Say what you will about Shadow The Hedgehog as a game, but the music slaps way too hard!!!
Amazing work as always Johnny!
Man how'd I miss this one?
Edit: Awesome, as expected!!!
3:21 watching this on December 31st 2024, the Fearless Year Of Shadow is almost over. It's been a lot of fun, Shadow deserved all this special attention recently XD
well this was a welcome surprise! great job on remastering one of my favorite sonic tracks ever!
The first time I finally beat Shadow was such an emotional rollercoaster and you totally did this underrated song justice.
Most hate the game for it's over the top edgy tone but that's the exact reason I love it. No Sonic game is like it and I'll have it no other way.
Also just bought the Japanese soundtrack CD on ebay and was so sad to realize they didn't include Waking Up, The Chosen One or especially Never Turn Back.
"Can you see all of me?
Walk into my mystery
Step inside and hold on for dear life
Do you remember me?
Capture you or set you free
I am all, I am all of me"
The opening piano (acoustic guitar in this remix) is an instrumental of this part from I Am)
Crush 40 songs suit your voice so well! Great cover as always :D
YESSSS
This song on its own turns the Shadow the Hedgehog game into a guilty pleasure. I'd honestly say that I like this better than the original simply because I think someone listening for the first time could actually hear the lyrics clearly lol
That sad All of Me at the start always gets me.
Rock Version: I am ALL of me!
Slow Version: I AM all of me...
Just saw this release! and I'm glad to have supported it!! Thank you GaMetal!!!
Oh hell yes! This is one of my favorite songs from this game. I especially love how you did the intro. Thank you so much for sharing this
Thanks for bringing a childhood ballad back from the past and giving it a fresh fire.
Didn't see the song I wanted for May Madness but there was so many good songs this year that It doesn't really matter to me that much that it didn't get done, great job as usual Jonny. Request Dark Crafter
What was your vote?
@@DeviDoesNothing I voted for mega man 2 Dr Wily's castle, I haven't played mega man 2 but the song is so good I voted for it anyway
Solid pick, maybe one year
amazing cover! I always loved the beginning of the song faking you into the actual song, and making it a guitar instead of a piano was a neat change
The solo in the end take it to another level
holy i forgot about this masterpiece of a song.
thank you for reminding me of it and also making an absolute banger.
Hah, I felt like listening to the GaMetal version of this just recently, so I looked in my music collection and... wait a minute, it's only in Sonic Medley 1? Jonny never did a full cover?
Thanks for finally righting this egregious wrong! :D
This song is so inspirational to me. Thanks for covering it.
Heroes, optimism, brightness, positivity
When I saw the tease for the next song being Shadow, I immediately thought it would be Never Turn Back. And like always, Atma kicked it outta the park. Cheers you absolute legend
Awesome!~ Would really like to see your play Shadow the hedgehog "The Chosen One" one if my favorites!~ 🤗
I've waited for such a long time for this moment to come. I remember being thoroughly impressed when I heard you play this in Sonic Melody 1. I've always wanted you to do this song in full since then. Also, your transition from the solo to the killer lick at the start and end is impeccable!
This was definitely a welcome surprise, sounds freaking incredible as always! Very underrated vocal track right up there with Live Life with how it was overShadowed by the main theme/final boss theme of the game.
You even got the legendary AtmaAcoustics to collab with you at the beginning 😄
LIVE LIFE enjoyer? Hell yeah
damn dude, you could definitely pull off Undefeatable in a Crush 40 style.
So happy to see some from shadow the hedgehog on this channel
this has always been my favorite crush 40 track, with all it represents in the context of shadow the hedgehog and out, thank you SO much for covering it, and doing a damn good one at that!
Ooh, didn't know I needed this. Always been a big fan of the intro to this song, good to hear you've done it justice (oh, and of course, the main part of the song is good too!)
Also hoping we get the "I am all of me" end card on your acoustic channel too, maybe?
The fact that you added to the song at the end was perfect. I always felt it just sort of ended too early. I'm so glad you did that.
The guitar solo is GOD
Shadow the Hedgehog OST kinda underrated, ngl. Great job, Jonny!
My favorite OST from the game. Thank you so much Johnny!
That "I am... All of me" intro made me crave for so much more. That was beauty.