Just started filming my Devil May Cry 5 musical let's play - really curious to play the older titles as well, especially if the music sounds like THIS.
A lot of people dont really understand dantes story even after playing the games but u pretty much nailed it on the head just by listening to his theme. this was amazing.
I honestly expected people to easily understand Dante's character, but man I was really wrong when a friend of mine started saying random nonsense about Dante's entire story that made no sense at all??? Kinda sad now that I think about it
You took the words out of my mouth. Marco absolutely understood more about Dante as a character from this song alone than most people I have met in my life
@@Heroisback92192 Ong, and I really...really...REALLY hate how people say that Dante is just a goofy person, hmm...okay. Did he act goofy when he saw Vergil again for the first time in DMC5? Does he act goofy when he thinks of his literal dead mom? Didn't think so 😐
Another aspect of the song, you could infer the angelic choir at the beginning as what you'd expect from Dante's demon hunting business. Righteous and just, fighting demons to protect the innocents of the human world. But then the metal kicks in, and you realize Dante isn't doing this to be a hero or anything. He hunts demons as a form revenge for tearing apart his family. That's all it is, a personal vendetta against all of demonkind... at least at first. Then he realizes the scope of the sacrifice his father made to protect the human world. He realizes that there is more to life than his revenge, that he can genuinely help people with his career. And that's when the chanting kicks in. And then the chanting and metal vocals mix together. He can get his revenge, and he can protect the world his father and mother loved.
That is a nice interpretation, i myself thought of it as vergil and dantes duality, dante being the crazy and over the top (metal) vergil being the calm and calculated (chanting) and then they both play at the same time, symbolizing their rivalry
I think of it as the choir is the human side and the metal is the demon side. The separating of the two parts of the song symbolizes the clear divide Dante tries to maintain between his human and demon side, but the demon in him seems to want out. “Steal a soul for a second chance, but you will never become a man.” Is the first lyric of the metal section and that feels like the demon half basically saying Dante can keep trying to reject it but he’ll never be fully human no matter how much he tries to reject the demon. I believe the end of the game is the only time we here the full song, including the part where the choir (human) and metal (demon) sing at the same time. This to me shows that Dante has finally accepted both halves of himself equally and no longer rejects the demon side anymore.
Nero: Embrace the darkness that's within me! / GOTTA LET IT OUT GOTTA LET IT OUT! Dante: Bless me with your gift of light! / Bless me, with the, leaf off of the tree. On it, I see, the freedom reign. Vergil: BURY THE LIGHT DEEP WITHIN /I AM RECLAIMER OF MY NAME~. BORN IN FLAMES, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED! MY FAMILY CREST IS A DEMON OF DEATH! The three are so inherently different, yet similar all at once. Vergil's story is the easiest to grasp, but the most impactful imo. He throws away his humanity, both figuratively and literally, in search of the power he needs to protect himself and those around him. He grew up believing his mother abandoned him and became obsessed with his father's legend and the power he held. He will stop at nothing to surpass Sparda, his power will be so overwhelming not a single thing that exists will ever stand a chance against him. Nero's is more everyman and common, but still impactful. Unlike his father and uncle, Nero wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't hide his thoughts or emotions, he acts on them. His power is fueled by rage and the will to protect those around him. He has the same mindset as Vergil with the whole 'Might controls everything, and without it you can't protect anything, let alone yourself' (which is a line of Vergil's in DMC3 that Nero repeats almost verbatim in DMC5), but he hasn't been corrupted and blinded by loss and trauma like Vergil has. Nero wants power to protect what he loves, Vergil wants power because he couldn't protect what he loves, and needs to rectify that to maintain sanity. Now there's Dante. With very similar trauma to Vergil, Dante opts for a different route in coping. Vergil comes to favor the demonic strength of their father Sparda, idolizing him, but for a good chunk of his earlier life, Dante has no respect for Sparda or any other demons after the death of his parents (and presumed death of Vergil) when he was a kid. In DMC3, he even goes to renounce Sparda's name. "Why do you refuse to gain power? The power of our father, Sparda??" "I have no father. I just don't like you, that's all." But by the end of 3, Dante has come to see himself more as devil than human, a total contrast to how he felt earlier in the game. This is shown in his interaction with Lady at the end of the game. "Are you crying?" "Its only the rain." "...The rain already stopped." "Devils never cry." "...Maybe somewhere out there even a Devil May Cry when he looses a loved one, don't you think?" Dante doesn't answer her question and immediately reverts to his wacky wahoo pizza persona as demons start to surround them, using wackiness and comedy as a way to avoid emotional stress and confrontation with others. "This is what I live for...IM ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT IT!" While Vergil shuts off his emotions and goes full power frenzy in response to his family trauma, Dante does the opposite, and puts on a façade of happiness and goofiness to avoid his own emotions. What stories.
Devils Never Cry marked a generation in the DMC community to be the anthem of the saga (until Bury the Light was released). The full OST of Devil May Cry 3 is gold and hope you can listen to it as well. This song puts tears in my eyes everytime the final part of the song drops. Jackpot!
This was the song that pulled me into the series! Gods, always loved the latin (?) choir at the beginning, and it definitely shows that human side of dante in my eyes. The deep depression that he tends to hide, when it comes to his family. And everything after is his bluster and bravado. He's fearless, he hunts that which once hunted him.
@@__-fi6xg I mean dante is depressed, and he resulted to hedonism to try to cope with it and bury his feelings, not caring one way or another about his own life if he can keep riding the emotional high, it wasnt until he found his purpose in life he began to escape it
I love the intro to this song Also I love how you can see the exact moment he goes from “Wow, this isn’t what I expected at all” to “Nevermind, it’s exactly what I expected.” At 1:48
It's funny just how much you get right here. DMC3 is a tale truly of Dante's Awakening. Inside himself is his Father's blood, the blood of a demon. He's always thought that he accepted that, but it turns out he never did. He's always seen himself as "Human" because of his mother. So inside him is two voices. One an innocent human whom sees destruction and loss of life as the demons rise and kill other innocents. The other voice is also his, but he doesn't recognize it. It screams for justice, for revenge for those lost and the power to do so is inside him, but he doesn't want to take it as he won't see himself in the same light as before. So there's this struggle to either stay human or evolve as something else. Something unknown to him. And he's secretly afraid of that change. As the game goes on, not spoiling anything, but this fact is even brought up by Virgil who's already accepted his father's power and blood while Dante hasn't. And it goes to show that, while Dante seems happy go lucky and a badass he still has inner demons both literal and figurative to figure out. This song perfectly encapsulates that especially with it's two voices about "The Tree" which I take as "The Family Tree". Where one voice is almost praying while the other is screaming. One wants to stay, one wants change.
That's a really good description of this song , i always think that when i listen this song i think that the coro of the deep voice was a representation of dante and the coro of soft voice was vergil , and when the 2 voices sounds at teh same time it's like when vergil and dante fight , kinda weird but in my head this have more sense xd also i prefer your persepcion of this song , it makes more sense to me because i'm kinda dumb :3
You kind of nailed the thesis of the gams from the word go. The meat of the game is not only about Dante coming to terms with his dual heritage, but also literally fighting his twin brother about it who is going through essentially the same struggle but with the opposite outcome.
DMC3, w/ the subtitle Dante's Awakening is set the earliest in the timeline of the games, & thus shows Dante at his youngest. You've correctly identified that he is indeed struggling w/ the duality of his human & devil origins & the careful balance he has to establish to centre himself, so great! I hope you find the time to enjoy this, 4 & 5 (we don't talk about 2 or DmC).
@Etihw DmC actively insults fans of the series, hell Donte is the stylistic antitheses to Dante. It's a good starting point for the series/genre, but otherwise it's best ignored.
@@etihw4707 I mean there is a big problem when you take the franchise so many people grew up with and then just spit on their face, there is a reason why dante and vergil are as iconic as they are and people grew to adore those guys so then releasing a game basically ruining everything that made the others loves the characters is still a big problem in my opininon. DMC V did so well because it completely the story arc and gave a resolution to everyone in the series not just because the gameplay is incredible. I would argue the game would have been received very well if it wasn't called... devil may cry
@@etihw4707 Wait They fucked the history? I thought the point of a reboot is to try a different direction? And I don't agree with the hate DmC fans give. If these Versions didn't have Legacy names and title then No one would have been hating on it. "Donte" may be an ass sure. But If I had to give him a different name then I call him Tony and Vergil of that Game I'd call him Victor. And instead of DmC I'd rename it to "Nephilim's Revenge" or something... No one would have been as harsh to The reboot is that was the case.
@@d-man9643 Agreed…I only like Devil Trigger and Bury the light (Crimson cloud is ehh) but being completely honest there’s nothing else good but those 3…and I don’t even wanna mention Subhuman
@@dominoxbelovaxv177 For me 4 is the peak but 3 has also the best music of the series 5 has just generic electronic music And I don't like dantes, neros and vergils theme (in the game) But it's great that you can change the themes (at least the ones for the playable characters)
Hearing this in the trailer is what got me into the series. I think the song very much reflects the progression of Dante through the game. The initial chorus evokes the legend of his father Sparda and how he was simultaneously a demon but also chose to reject his nature and elevated himself to savior of humanity; an initially wicked being who became a noble hero out of myth and legend. This proceeds to second section showing Dante's initial character of disregard for his lineage and immature behavior, juxtaposed against Virgil who remains disciplined seeking the power of Sparda for himself as shown with the line "Father? I don't have a father. I just don't like you. That's all." wherein despite his bluster, Virgil immediately wipes the floor with Dante. In the third portion he has grown through fighting numerous demons and gaining their Styles and Devil Arms, manifestations of their demonic souls highlighting their acknowledgement of his prowess; Cerberus, Agni, Rudra and Nevan specifically state he has earned their blessings after he bests them. This combined with his interactions with Lady and her own family trauma, and now seeks to honor their father's legacy while Virgil only desires the physical embodiments of Sparda's strength, to increase his personal power. This culminates in Dante calling out Virgil "We are the sons of Sparda. Within each of us flows his blood. But more importantly HIS SOUL! And now my soul is saying it has to stop you!" Virgil began the game more powerful due to preferring his demonic heritage but Dante has surpassed him by embracing his humanity. The game even specifically highlights this by playing each portion at specific points in the game where part one plays during the prologue narrated by Lady, section two plays immediately after Dante's first confrontation with Virgil, and an orchestral version of part three as the final battle, and finally the full song in its entirety playing during the end credits. The song and the game are Dante's own Inferno; by descending through Hell he becomes closer to his Father, the divine.
this song and Bury The Light are such absolute masterpieces, each conveying the emotion and motivation behind the characters theyre made for with such perfection.
Everytime I hear this song, even though it never plays during the fights, all I hear is “schum”, “die”, and various grunting noises from Vergil during the fights against Dante. 😂
I adore this song. It's not hyper complex in its structure or the subtext it's trying to convey, but it works. I spent so many hours playing DMC3 in middle school, am being reminded of all of the fantastic experiences I had with the game.
Ah, Devils Never Cry. THE Devil May Cry song. As much as this is a the theme of a young Dante, it's still his de facto character theme even with other songs. As you said, the theme reflects Dante's inner turmoil and ultimately the symbiosis of these conflicting aspects. The half human half demon son of the dark knight Sparda, a demon who betrayed his own kind out of his love for humanity. Dante grew up more or less on the run after his fathers enemies attack his family after he died, with Dante and Vergils mother Eva being killed as she searched for Vergil. While the older twin blamed himself and the weakness of his humanity, Dante blamed his father and grew to hate demonkind, including his father and himself leading him to neglect his humanity, making him a selfish and arrogent young man who couldn't care less when innocent people were dying around him. He only hunted demons for revenge, and when Vergil entered his life he didn't fight him because of their ideologies, he just didn't like him. Enter Lady. A human whose father Arkham was working with Vergil and obtained demonic power by murdering his wife and is driven by her sense of familial responsibility for her fathers evil, even if she stands no chance. Seeing her taking responsibility for the actions of her family and Vergil bastardizing their fathers legacy ultimately drives Dante to confront himself and who Sparda really was; a hero who fought for the sake of human kind, and as the son of Sparda it is his responsibility to continue fighting for what is right. Eventually this leads Dante to fighting Vergil for their fathers power, and ultimately Dante has to kill his brother to uphold his responsibilities, but the only reason he can is because he regained his humanity and ability to care about others. If he didn't care then Vergil would have lived, but his ability to care for his family meant he had to cut his brother down. The title comes from a line used across the series. At first, it's used exactly how you'd expect, claiming devils don't have the weakness to cry, but at the end of DMC3 it becomes a condemnation. Devils don't care about anything enough to cry about, and that makes them weak. And Dante, who accepts that he is a devil, cries for his brother. The "chosen torture" in the song is just that, he chooses to care about other people even if it hurts him, and it makes him stronger than any full blooded demon. As DMC3 is a prequel, the Dante we see from here on is someone who has accepted both sides of himself. He helps protect humans even if it doesn't pay, but he's also merciful to demons because there are those like his father. He often gives demons a chance to run away or change, and though most of them don't there are a few that prove he's right, including a demon created by his fathers mortal enemy for the sole purpose of killing him, who ends up as his best friend and business partner. This is mainly why I feel Subhuman is a poor theme for Dante. It's an angry, aggressive song about how he struggles with the "monster" inside of him and how he hates demons, but he got over that in this game. He's far more forgiving to his demonic enemies then human ones, as at least demons never had humanity to give up. He might struggle with his lot in life, but he accepted it a canonically about 25 years beforehand in story. He sees himself as human and demon, as in both, not as subhuman. Lastly, there's a cool connection I've noticed. Both Dante and Vergils themes put a lot of emphasis on "light" in reference to their humanity, with Vergil burying and hiding it away while Dante's theme calls it a "gift", showing their varying perspectives. However, Nero's theme instead says "Embrace the darkness" obviously meaning his demonic side. While largely unintentional, I believe it shows how the twins are more concerned with the humanity and what it means to them, while Nero is more concerned with his demonic side and even then he's embracing. It shows a connection between the family and also how their ideals vary from one another and what puts them into conflict.
Huh.... I always thought Subhuman was about Dante at his peak. He IS subhuman, he is half human half demon after all. But it's also a bold declaration of "You cannot kill me, I am the ultimate" because of everything he's faced and overcame has led up to the old Dante, still as cynical and immature as he was back then but with a lot more skill and experience than he was at the start. Maybe I need to read the lyrics
Comment 2: Looking at the character development and the new transformation Dante gets (no further spoilers), Subhuman also works as like his human and devil sides deciding to work together, because there are some parts where the human side berates the demon side, and the demon side wants to get out, but then there is the last bit where there are several voices screaming "I am Subhuman" which suggests to me that they've decided to work together, or are forcibly in sync due to his new transformation melding human and devil, as opposed to what happened when Vergil ran himself through with Yamato. Okay enough story spoilers, point is that Subhuman works for Dante's theme in DMC 5 specifically. Devils Never Cry works as the theme of his character more, but Subhuman works in the context of what happened to Dante in DMC 5
The thing is, Dante got over his conflicted halves back in DMC3. He hated he was a demon and felt alienated from humanity so he lashed out at both. By the end of the prequel, he's grown to accept both sides as a part of himself and works to help both humans and demons. Sure he kills plenty of demons, but he doesn't hate them, otherwise why would he offer plenty of them mercy like Berial, the original Griffon, and Brad from the anime, the latter he was hired specifically to kill and instead went to a bar to see if he was a threat and later worked to free from his master. While he certainly feels alienated from other people like Patty but he doesn't resent his life like he did when he was younger. He might value his human side over his demon side a bit, but he doesn't see himself as one over the other, he's both at the same time. The idea of him being subhuman goes against the entire thesis statement of the series, that the human ability to love, care, and cry is more powerful than any demonic power, and that no matter if you were born one or not, the ability to feel these things makes you human. It's no mistake that "Devils never cry" is a condemnation, or that Dante never offers the mercy he did to Berial or Brad to humans that sacrifice their humanity. I don't see Dante as cynical or immature. Again, he got over that in DMC3. He ran away from his responsibilities as the son of Sparda and saw everyone else as worthless, only fighting demons out of petty revenge. Post DMC3, he works to protect humanity even though he knows it'll cause him pain and though he's probably depressed he still works to see the best in people. He chooses to see the best in people, hell the whole coin thing in 2 is him pretending to leave things up to chance when he's always going to help, and in 5 acts like he's brushing Nero off when in reality because he doesn't want Nero to know the pain of killing family. He pretends not to care when he cares too much. Subhuman is also just uncharacteristically angry. Like I hear people always going "At least it's cool when you hit SSS and hear 'you cannot kill me'" but that's not how Dante would react. It makes sense that when in the heat of the moment Nero would smirk and say "Bang, bang, bang! Pull my devil trigger!" before pile-driving a demon into next week, V is exactly the sort of person who would stand in the middle of a raging battlefield and start philosophizing about "Heaven on a landslide", and there's no way Vergil wouldn't let himself get surrounded and proclaim "I am the storm" before slaughtering them all, but I can't see Dante screaming "You cannot kill me! I am subhuman!" Dante isn't the sort of person that gives in to rage or has to suppress this violent, arrogant side to himself. When the fight heats up, Dante is the sort of person that would start laughing and egg his opponents on to try harder. He's cocky and loves to fight, not arrogant and bloodthirsty. In battle he doesn't need to worry about his toilet being broken or his debts or the fact his entire family is dead, he can just have fun. It would be far more in character if it said something like "You want to kill me? Then take your best shot!" In DMC5, I don't see Dante's arc as him struggling with this beast inside of him that he has to tame or unleash or whatever, it's about him fighting a war alone when he might not have to, protecting those around him from pain he knows all too well. If subhuman is about everything people praise it for, then that just means Dante has regressed to the state he found himself in the prequel that he got over, a petty child angry with his lot in life rather than the legendary protector who keeps smiling and fighting not matter how much he's suffered. Dante is driven by his love for others, be it for humanity, his mother, his father, his brother, and in DMC5, his nephew. But if you tried to understand is character from subhuman, you'd come to the conclusion he's an angry, resentful person that just wants to give in to his blood lust, looming over his enemies like a monster from a horror movie. And that's simply not who Dante is. He's not less than human or less than a demon, he's the son of Sparda and Eva, yet subhuman seems to forget them both.
To which I say, eh. Subhuman is also in a way just Dante flexing. Considering he literally dances over his enemies (read: Faust Hat) you can see why Subhuman has a chorus like "You cannot kill me, I am Omega". Personally I can see Dante rocking the heavy metal vibes in the song and according to a different reply it seems the song itself was meant for DmC Devil May Cry, so there was a clear inspiration for it. The producer didn't expect to be writing for DMC 5 and all that. Either way, I like the song as a metalhead. This is the kind of song I play when I'm hitting a new PR
Eh, there's nothing wrong with the genre, it's just that the song itself is horrible even after removing the child groomer. The composer did a theme for Dante in MvCI, and it was the worst version of Devils Never Cry ever. And if it really was made for the reboot Dante as it was initially advertised, then that's significantly worse. The main character's theme is written for an entirely different, completely hated version of the character, and that's not even mentioning Cody's lovely responses to the backlash. Also, Dante dancing around is, again, much more playful than screaming "You cannot kill me" suggests. The dancing implies he's treating the situation as a joke, and the other makes it look like he's taking it too seriously, or wants to be taken seriously. There's a difference between those lyrics and something like "Feel free to die when you've had enough" or "I see your might and it compares to something - that is if something is nothing" from Taste the Blood. One is shit talking, and the other is whinging. Ultimately, it's just not good. Armageddon by Blue Stahli, which was released six years for DMC5, is a better song and theme for Dante and his story in 5, while managing to do everything subhuman tried in a way that fits him as a character. I don't mean to say you can't enjoy the song, but as a character theme for Dante it's a disgrace made worse by how much love went in to Devil Trigger, Crimson Cloud, and Bury the Light.
You pretty much nailed it, with the duality of Dante's nature and his coming to terms with that, as well as the confrontation angle (this is the first game we met Vergil proper). One thing to add, there's a widely accepted canon that in between devil hunts, Dante gets very depressed, hence why he's so happy gunning down demons. So maybe he's contemplating his purpose as well? That might be a stretch. Great stuff as always, very interested to see this DMCV let's play!
Devil May Cry 3 is reminiscent of a storybook, and is about Dante coming to terms with his own demonic heritage and how his brother and their relationship facilitates that awakening. It comes with my personal recommendation.
Glad to see you covering this. It is not only a badass song, but the odd combination of chaos and harmony makes it a unique one, as well. Listening to it now especially resonates with myself with my current struggles. After finding out some things about myself, I've kind of went into a bit of an existential crisis. The struggle going on within myself and trying find who I am again. Not quite like Dante, but he too was trying to come to terms with who he was. Even if you want to be a certain way or want certain things to be, reality won't always let you and that is one hell of a tough pill to swallow.
I know this comment is over a year old, but even if you never see this I hope you've came to terms with whatever you discovered about yourself, and that you've become a happier person now
This guy is like the mathematicians of today and before who could see math in reality from just subtle observations. Music really is a universal language.
it says a lot. that after hearing some themes of some characters, you have a solid idea of what they are about. The music in this franchise is masterful.
The choir at the start is also heard in the Demon World. Superficially it sounds like something almost sacramental, but the vocals don't really mean anything: it's just noise, a derisive imitation of what we commonly regard as holy that doesn't care about being genuine enough to even include actual words of mockery or scorn of the thing it mocks. Much like how the Demon World itself is depicted as an uncanny heavenly realm of cold ethereal light and crumbling structures of pure white marble, the choir is the demonic equivalent of a westerner imitating an Asian by squinting their eyes and going "ching chang chong." And up against this mocking reflection of the divine and holy stands Dante, who's effectively represented by the rest of the song.
What I also like soo much about that song is this extreme genre clash between a classic hard rock guitar, an industrial metal vocalist, and a gothic electrical touch. And on top of that comes the angel like opera singing. What a crazy song.
For me Devils Never Cry is more like Young Dante where is more like he is still sad but he is bolling his sadness to a rage in his demon hunting and rivalry with his brother, because he will never cry again. Subhuman is him coming to terms against his inner demons and acceptance of his past.
As much as I like Subhuman, my mind goes to Devils Never Cry when I think of Dante. While he has long accepted what and who he is by DMC5, the duality and dissonance of Devil and Man is a core aspect of Dante's character
Subhuman NEVER felt like it fit Dante. As a character, he understands EXACTLY what Sparda valued in humanity, and recognizes that he possesses that human quality. Yes, he's depressed, but he never struck me a self-loathing over his own nature. Not only is the song not at all my favorite, I feel like it missed the mark on the character it's meant to embody. Bury the Light and Devil Trigger and Dark Clouds all nail the mood of the character, but the very line "I am subhuman" feels all kinds of wrong from the same Dante who told Agnus what he did.
One of the main gimmicks in the DMC series is the idea that there is no heaven. There are no angels. There is just humans and devils; and as the years have gone by, there have been humans far worse than any devil and on one occasion, a truly saint-like devil. I think your idea that the song's elements represent that balance in Dante is spot-on. However, one of the other main gimmicks in the series is the conflict between Dante and his brother, Virgil. They were both young kids when they realized they had freaky devil powers. Dante was terrified of them, Virgil loved them. Combine this with a wicked plot twist and the two of them became fierce rivals. And that rivalry ended up defining both of them.
You wouldn't know it from just this song alone, but the melody at the beginning sort of encapsulates the game as a whole: It's a motif that's repeated throughout the game, in the opening, several important cutscenes, but most predominantly at the DIVINITY STATUE, the recurring statue where you spend experience to buy items and moves, so you'll hear it many times over and over again. It's also the melody of the final fight against [SPOILER], which really highlights its importance.
This song was such an integral part of my childhood growing up, I didnt think much of it then but I resonate with it so much. I had a lot of anger issues and depression as a kid and at times i didnt fit in with others until i came to realize, grew up and learned that these are my emotion and I have to deal with it my own way. The loss of my dad filled me with so much anger and sadness and in a sense I had a devil inside me eating away at me until I learned to live with that side and face it head on. Turned 30 last year and did 2 years of therapy helped so much in easing that bad side, self reflecting on this is who I am but not all that I am. Its been a lot of fun seeing certain medias especially video games have such a big impact on my life throughout the years and how it shaped my mindset as to who I am today!!
You disected the song pretty much perfectly. Dante always tried to supress his demonic heritage (the angelic choir at the start), then his encounter with Vergil awakened his demonic self (demonic chorus), but only after embracing them both (the ending with both voices mixing) he is unbeatable.
The build up at the beginning of this song is a master class on building up tension and then giving an impactful payoff with release. You start with the haunting, beautiful choir, the organ. Give the faintest taste of the synths, and slowly layer in drums, bass and the other electronic elements. Then right as we can't take anymore, explode forth with the heavy metal. You can literally see Dante walk up, point one of his pistols at point blank, and then pull the trigger right at the openings climax. Gets me everytime.
A lesser appreciated detail about this song is that it's played three times: First in the prologue, the classical organ in the beginning of the game where Dante feels most his suffering and melancholy because of what he is, and how much he tries to mask it with his whacky behavior. Second, the rock section with the demonic voice, immediately after Dante's demonic power is awakened by getting stabbed with the Sparda sword, and he chooses to finally use his actual demon power (unlocking Devil Trigger). And third after the final mission, the full song is played as he finally comes to terms with both his demon and human self, resolving to defend the human world against demons like his father and fighting alongside Lady, a human.
Devil’s Never Cry definitely has a continuity because the choir and that little reverbing synth sound at 2:23 reminded me of Devil May Cry 2’s song Dance With Devils and Evil Tower that was used for its preview trailers.
Bless me with your gift of lights Righteous cause on judgment nighs Feel the sorrow the light has swallowed Feel the freedom like no tomorrow Stepping forth a cure for soul's demise Reap the tears of the victims cries Yearning more to hear the suffer (of a) Of a demon as I put it under Killed before, a time to kill them all Passed down the righteous law Serve a justice that dwells in me Lifeless corpse as far as the eye can see This verse is just so visceral gets me pumped up every time. So filthy and badass. My fav part for sure.
My god, I can’t wait for your Musical let’s play of 5… I just played through DMC 5 this summer and have been listening to "Bury the Light", "Subhuman" and "Devil Trigger" on repeat, while also finding many more songs in the industrial metal subgenre, that really suits my kind of taste. I’ve just been trying to string all different versions of Devil Trigger from the game OST together, so that it "builds up" to the actual Edit that was released later in the Vergil DLC
Right now my favorite order is: Devil Trigger (opening remix) -> Introduction -> Silver Bullet -> Garage -> Devil Trigger - Devil Shocker remix -> Special Music Outro (Nero) -> Devil Trigger (full)
This party's getting crazy! Let's rock! As great as Devil Trigger, Crimson Cloud, or Bury the Light were, Devil's Never Cry remains THE DMC song, full stop. I miss Shootie HG doing DMC songs.
"Steal a soul for a second chance... But you will never become a man " I always saw this as dante blaming himself for his mother's death. His mother sacrificed herself for her kids and dante wasnt enough to save her. So he has this hatred that is expressed through demon hunting. However part way though the song he tries to resolve the anger within him which is where the chant comes in expressing his grief and sorrow but strive for more than just revenge. In the end they sing originally against each other until the demon starts commenting on the chant. Dantes rage and self doubt are still there. The need for vengeance is still there but it's now tempered and guided by his better nature. In the end dante still views himself as less than human and less than his father's legacy but at the same time he has his resolve to be more.
This is the best song that has ever been created, especially that intro guys, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, without talking about the ending… oh gosh
Omggg! Thanks for covering this, Marco!! I have been listening to Devils Never Cry since DMC3 days and I still got goosebumps throughout the video while hearing you taking in the music. I am so glad you liked it! Can't wait for more DMC content!
i love that the last words are each voice kind of speaking of the other when the demon voice says ''steal a soul for a second chance, but you will never become a man'', and the human voice says ''black night, dark sky, the devils cry''. Like they are denouncing each other in a way, without realizing that together they made this beautiful synthesis of a musical duet. It speaks a lot to the drama of dante's and vergil's heritages, that amidst all the cacophony of these 2 warring sides, they find their best selves in that ambiguous space in between. And its telling that dante wins the duel accepting this noise as part of himself, while vergil who is obsessed in being a full demon, falls, and blocks himself off salvation at the end too
This junction of electro metal rhythm with classical or pastoral motifs are always things that scratch an itch for me musically. There's a band of Italo-Americans called "Ludovico Technique" that does this same thing with classical like Mozart's "Requiem" in a song of theirs called "Haunted". Great seeing you covering more DMC, Marco! Did you perchance get a listen to your "Seeds of Love" from the DMC 1 soundtrack?
This OST is kinda legendary for DMC fans, a lot of us thinks that thats a true Dante theme (He has a lot because he is original main character) Funny enough this song played only once in the end of the game, I always thought that this song showing us that Dante finaly understands himsefl and no longer he wish to trow everything demonic in him away. DMC 3 is a first game in chronological order where one of the main themes is that Dante wants to be a human while his brother wants to be a demon, but they both hafl breeds, the longer game goes the bigger a chance that you will notice how Dante and Vergil swiching places. In the firs few hourse Vegil looked calmed and like he knew what he wants while Dante was there just for fun, but in the last few hours you can see how Dante finally understends what means to be a human and have a huge motivation, where is still motiveted Vergil looks like he is lost in himself and tryes to fill hole inside him with power
I friggin' love this song. Brings back so many fond memories of playing DMC3. My absolute favourite in the series. Best bosses, best weapons and the fight choreography is just insane.
DMC3 is one of my favourite games, and one of the games I've 100%ed with both characters on every difficulty. It's insanely good, and the music is bangers all the way through. Would definitely recommend for a musical lets play. It's also chronologically the first game.
The duality of Dante between the savage warrior and damaged boy finding common ground and healing by facing a literal reflection of himself in Vergil. DMC would be an amazing story even without the guns and swords and all that. Maybe not as fun, but still amazing.
Man, the way they set up that church hymn leitmotif so that it can come back in the conflicting, softer-sung verse. There’s definitely an element of, ‘Don’t mess with me, I’m a killer,’ but I think it’s kind of begrudging. The metal vocal hates demons so much, it takes sadistic glee in ripping them apart, but it _is a demon._ That’s why it chooses torture and tells people not to follow, not to get close. It thinks it deserves to suffer as much as other demons do. The conflicting vocal tho, still asks to be purified. Wants to be a good church boy, get the approval of their (Heavenly? Hellish?) father. There’s something so proudly self-destructive here; maybe that’s why he’s always so nonchalant about getting stabbed. Throwing himself into battle is self-harm. I love songs like this: they play two genres completely straight at first, then mix them into a yin-yang bomb-ass final verse that makes you go, ‘WHY DOES THIS WORK? THIS SHOULDN’T WORK.’ Other examples include Octopus from No More Heroes 3 (by the band RED ORCA) and an unused track from Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos called Speak Loud (Rising Superstar Irie). DySys in general has some serious bangers.
Not knowing much about DMC and this song, I was stunned when the chior and calmness transitioned into the actual song. I did not think it was going to go that way 😂. A new track added to my playlists, I really love it when a video game soundtrack has lyrics, because they're there for a reason and they have meaning. (I also really like to try to memorize the lyrics so I can sing them in my head sometimes)
I absolutely love Bury the Light and Devil Trigger, but man, Devils Never Cry will always have a special place in my heart. It's the perfect example of form following function. Even if the lyrics were gibberish (think something like Nier/Nier Automata), you could still glean the intended meaning of this song just by how it's composed. Vergil Battle 2 from this game also does this well, and I highly recommend checking it out.
I love this game from the bottom of my heart and watching you explained the the song and the lyric so well.. makes me cry a little bit Lol. subscribed!
Love this song, I think this song plays during the opening cutscenes where Virgil and Dante are fighting, so when you mentioned something along the lines of a rival it was pretty accurate lol. Edit:It also plays during the end credits too.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time exactly because it's so unique, and it becomes even better if you've played the game. I'm impressed at how much you got right from just the song, the character development of Dante is all about accepting himself and his family, and his conflict in DMC3 is both against himself literally and against his twin brother, which is his other side of the coin in many ways.
I see this song as both the battle within Dante and as the termoil between the Sparda brothers and then Dante lamenting the death of his Brother Vergil. Which is also why at least to me the return of Vergil in DMC5 was such a huge deal.
You hit it, it is kind for both Dante coming to terms with whom her is and also for the constant battling between Dante and Vergil so you hit it on the money pretty much.
It's worth noting that this song is potentially classifiable as a madrigal. First, it opens with the main theme of the villains/plot (the organ you mentioned). Then, it gives us downright demonic heavy metal evocative of all of Dante's battle themes from earlier in the game. Finally, it gives us a peek into his human side via a much "holier" sound (in particular, the line "praise to my father" is noteworthy relative to Dante's character by that point in the story). Then, it blends them all together for the culmination of Dante's adventure.
Just started filming my Devil May Cry 5 musical let's play - really curious to play the older titles as well, especially if the music sounds like THIS.
DMC 3 is the best in my humble opinion.
DMC5 has amazing soundtrack and humor. For that alone game is worth it;)
Bayonetta 2 final boss soundtrack "Aesir" next please, it is as good as "The Greatest Jubilee" imo.
Can't wait!! Hope you enjoy it
I need to watch dmc lets play NOW
All rise for the DMC anthem
All rise!
Hell yeahhh
*puts hand on chest and removes hat*
Im motivated!
Jackpot
A lot of people dont really understand dantes story even after playing the games but u pretty much nailed it on the head just by listening to his theme. this was amazing.
I honestly expected people to easily understand Dante's character, but man I was really wrong when a friend of mine started saying random nonsense about Dante's entire story that made no sense at all??? Kinda sad now that I think about it
what's up BeeG
You took the words out of my mouth. Marco absolutely understood more about Dante as a character from this song alone than most people I have met in my life
@@Heroisback92192 Ong, and I really...really...REALLY hate how people say that Dante is just a goofy person, hmm...okay. Did he act goofy when he saw Vergil again for the first time in DMC5? Does he act goofy when he thinks of his literal dead mom? Didn't think so 😐
@@blukstar0653 Pure facts. I am excited to see what they do with him in DMC6.
the first two verses literally mock the player for using revive orbs, and i love it
Oh god damn it i just realise it.. god damn lmao 💀
"Fucking buy red orbs to make it through the game but youll always stay a fucking pussy" so deep
*Git gud or become a beesh~*
Very accurate interpretation. Exactly what I feel about golden orbs: "Nah, I died because I sucked, and I don't wanna suck. I'll try again"
Jokes on you, I didn't know what revive orbs where first time I finished dmc 3 so I finished the entire game without them.
Another aspect of the song, you could infer the angelic choir at the beginning as what you'd expect from Dante's demon hunting business. Righteous and just, fighting demons to protect the innocents of the human world.
But then the metal kicks in, and you realize Dante isn't doing this to be a hero or anything. He hunts demons as a form revenge for tearing apart his family. That's all it is, a personal vendetta against all of demonkind... at least at first. Then he realizes the scope of the sacrifice his father made to protect the human world. He realizes that there is more to life than his revenge, that he can genuinely help people with his career. And that's when the chanting kicks in. And then the chanting and metal vocals mix together. He can get his revenge, and he can protect the world his father and mother loved.
That is a nice interpretation, i myself thought of it as vergil and dantes duality, dante being the crazy and over the top (metal) vergil being the calm and calculated (chanting) and then they both play at the same time, symbolizing their rivalry
I think of it as the choir is the human side and the metal is the demon side. The separating of the two parts of the song symbolizes the clear divide Dante tries to maintain between his human and demon side, but the demon in him seems to want out. “Steal a soul for a second chance, but you will never become a man.” Is the first lyric of the metal section and that feels like the demon half basically saying Dante can keep trying to reject it but he’ll never be fully human no matter how much he tries to reject the demon. I believe the end of the game is the only time we here the full song, including the part where the choir (human) and metal (demon) sing at the same time. This to me shows that Dante has finally accepted both halves of himself equally and no longer rejects the demon side anymore.
@@toastwiththemoast954 just saying i think the wiki says the lyric is steel a soul for a second chance
@@misguidedlizardFullmetal
@@samfire3067 i dont understand what you’re trying to say
"Are you crying ?"
"Nah, it's only the rain"
"But the rain already stoped"
"Devils never cry..."
maybe, somewhere, even devils may cry...
When he loses a loved one, don't you think?
"Don't you think, even a devil may cry sometimes?"
Maybe~?
@@DianaProudmoore no
Nero: Embrace the darkness that's within me! / GOTTA LET IT OUT GOTTA LET IT OUT!
Dante: Bless me with your gift of light! / Bless me, with the, leaf off of the tree. On it, I see, the freedom reign.
Vergil: BURY THE LIGHT DEEP WITHIN /I AM RECLAIMER OF MY NAME~. BORN IN FLAMES, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED! MY FAMILY CREST IS A DEMON OF DEATH!
The three are so inherently different, yet similar all at once.
Vergil's story is the easiest to grasp, but the most impactful imo. He throws away his humanity, both figuratively and literally, in search of the power he needs to protect himself and those around him. He grew up believing his mother abandoned him and became obsessed with his father's legend and the power he held. He will stop at nothing to surpass Sparda, his power will be so overwhelming not a single thing that exists will ever stand a chance against him.
Nero's is more everyman and common, but still impactful. Unlike his father and uncle, Nero wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't hide his thoughts or emotions, he acts on them. His power is fueled by rage and the will to protect those around him. He has the same mindset as Vergil with the whole 'Might controls everything, and without it you can't protect anything, let alone yourself' (which is a line of Vergil's in DMC3 that Nero repeats almost verbatim in DMC5), but he hasn't been corrupted and blinded by loss and trauma like Vergil has. Nero wants power to protect what he loves, Vergil wants power because he couldn't protect what he loves, and needs to rectify that to maintain sanity.
Now there's Dante. With very similar trauma to Vergil, Dante opts for a different route in coping. Vergil comes to favor the demonic strength of their father Sparda, idolizing him, but for a good chunk of his earlier life, Dante has no respect for Sparda or any other demons after the death of his parents (and presumed death of Vergil) when he was a kid. In DMC3, he even goes to renounce Sparda's name. "Why do you refuse to gain power? The power of our father, Sparda??" "I have no father. I just don't like you, that's all." But by the end of 3, Dante has come to see himself more as devil than human, a total contrast to how he felt earlier in the game. This is shown in his interaction with Lady at the end of the game.
"Are you crying?"
"Its only the rain."
"...The rain already stopped."
"Devils never cry."
"...Maybe somewhere out there even a Devil May Cry when he looses a loved one, don't you think?"
Dante doesn't answer her question and immediately reverts to his wacky wahoo pizza persona as demons start to surround them, using wackiness and comedy as a way to avoid emotional stress and confrontation with others. "This is what I live for...IM ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT IT!"
While Vergil shuts off his emotions and goes full power frenzy in response to his family trauma, Dante does the opposite, and puts on a façade of happiness and goofiness to avoid his own emotions.
What stories.
I aint readin allat (I read all of it)
This comment needs way more likes
You captured three of them so well, i cried 😭
Worth noting “Beyond/the tree/fire/burning” compared to “Bless me/with the/leaf off of/the tree”
Perfect comment doesn't exist....
Devils Never Cry marked a generation in the DMC community to be the anthem of the saga (until Bury the Light was released). The full OST of Devil May Cry 3 is gold and hope you can listen to it as well.
This song puts tears in my eyes everytime the final part of the song drops. Jackpot!
Did power man 5000 help with Devils never cry?
@@frostfiredirewolf8517 Shootie HG from Hostile Groove. He did a few other games like FF13-2.
Devils Never Cry will *_ALWAYS_* be *_THE ANTHEM_* of DMC.
Bury The Light is a banger for real, but certainly not anthem material.
I'd say Bury The Light is more of a personal theme song for Vergil while Devils Never Cry acts as a general anthem for the whole franchise.
Funny enough, BTL has some moments that are definitely inspired by Devil's Never Cry, even some of the lyrics are similar
Imagine you hear the beginning of this and decide to use the song for someone's funeral.
I want this to play at my funeral
If you want create necromancy in this world do it
This was the song that pulled me into the series! Gods, always loved the latin (?) choir at the beginning, and it definitely shows that human side of dante in my eyes. The deep depression that he tends to hide, when it comes to his family. And everything after is his bluster and bravado. He's fearless, he hunts that which once hunted him.
Very good description.
About the choir at the beginning, it was revealed to be a gibberish language (in one of the interviews if I remember correctly)
Virgin Take of someone Not knowing what Depression is.
It's not latin, they made gibberish words that "sounded calming" to them a'la Nier
It's actually the same chanting heard in the Divinity Statue Theme
@@__-fi6xg I mean dante is depressed, and he resulted to hedonism to try to cope with it and bury his feelings, not caring one way or another about his own life if he can keep riding the emotional high, it wasnt until he found his purpose in life he began to escape it
Me when this song comes up: "I'M ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT IT!"
"THIS PARTYS GETTIN CRAZY!!!"
I love the intro to this song
Also I love how you can see the exact moment he goes from “Wow, this isn’t what I expected at all” to “Nevermind, it’s exactly what I expected.” At 1:48
It's funny just how much you get right here. DMC3 is a tale truly of Dante's Awakening. Inside himself is his Father's blood, the blood of a demon. He's always thought that he accepted that, but it turns out he never did. He's always seen himself as "Human" because of his mother. So inside him is two voices. One an innocent human whom sees destruction and loss of life as the demons rise and kill other innocents. The other voice is also his, but he doesn't recognize it. It screams for justice, for revenge for those lost and the power to do so is inside him, but he doesn't want to take it as he won't see himself in the same light as before. So there's this struggle to either stay human or evolve as something else. Something unknown to him. And he's secretly afraid of that change.
As the game goes on, not spoiling anything, but this fact is even brought up by Virgil who's already accepted his father's power and blood while Dante hasn't. And it goes to show that, while Dante seems happy go lucky and a badass he still has inner demons both literal and figurative to figure out.
This song perfectly encapsulates that especially with it's two voices about "The Tree" which I take as "The Family Tree". Where one voice is almost praying while the other is screaming. One wants to stay, one wants change.
He actually scorned his demon side and his father (saying he doesn't have one).
That's a really good description of this song , i always think that when i listen this song i think that the coro of the deep voice was a representation of dante and the coro of soft voice was vergil , and when the 2 voices sounds at teh same time it's like when vergil and dante fight , kinda weird but in my head this have more sense xd
also i prefer your persepcion of this song , it makes more sense to me because i'm kinda dumb :3
@@LecherousLizard he reverted that statement at the end of the same game
@@Teuwufel Well, yes, but OP said "he always accepted his demon side" or something to that effect, which is incorrect.
You kind of nailed the thesis of the gams from the word go. The meat of the game is not only about Dante coming to terms with his dual heritage, but also literally fighting his twin brother about it who is going through essentially the same struggle but with the opposite outcome.
DMC3, w/ the subtitle Dante's Awakening is set the earliest in the timeline of the games, & thus shows Dante at his youngest. You've correctly identified that he is indeed struggling w/ the duality of his human & devil origins & the careful balance he has to establish to centre himself, so great! I hope you find the time to enjoy this, 4 & 5 (we don't talk about 2 or DmC).
DmC gameplay is good. The history is bad so the game isnt that bad
@Etihw
DmC actively insults fans of the series, hell Donte is the stylistic antitheses to Dante.
It's a good starting point for the series/genre, but otherwise it's best ignored.
@@gingermcgingin4106 and? Its a fun game just because ninjatheory fucked up the history it dont deserve that much hate
@@etihw4707 I mean there is a big problem when you take the franchise so many people grew up with and then just spit on their face, there is a reason why dante and vergil are as iconic as they are and people grew to adore those guys so then releasing a game basically ruining everything that made the others loves the characters is still a big problem in my opininon.
DMC V did so well because it completely the story arc and gave a resolution to everyone in the series not just because the gameplay is incredible.
I would argue the game would have been received very well if it wasn't called... devil may cry
@@etihw4707 Wait They fucked the history? I thought the point of a reboot is to try a different direction? And I don't agree with the hate DmC fans give. If these Versions didn't have Legacy names and title then No one would have been hating on it. "Donte" may be an ass sure. But If I had to give him a different name then I call him Tony and Vergil of that Game I'd call him Victor. And instead of DmC I'd rename it to "Nephilim's Revenge" or something... No one would have been as harsh to The reboot is that was the case.
Devils Never Cry is the only dmc song that is better than Bury the Light in my opinion, thank you for hearing it, it's a banger
@@alpha-tomahawk532 Nevan Defeated is a remix of Taste the blood, pretty sure there is a fan made full version on youtube its pretty great
For me Lock and Load Blackened Angel mix beats the hell out of Bury the light
@@dominoxbelovaxv177 For me dmc5 has the worst soundtrack
It's great music but not for a hack n slash
@@d-man9643 Agreed…I only like Devil Trigger and Bury the light (Crimson cloud is ehh) but being completely honest there’s nothing else good but those 3…and I don’t even wanna mention Subhuman
@@dominoxbelovaxv177 For me 4 is the peak but 3 has also the best music of the series
5 has just generic electronic music
And I don't like dantes, neros and vergils theme (in the game)
But it's great that you can change the themes (at least the ones for the playable characters)
Hearing this in the trailer is what got me into the series.
I think the song very much reflects the progression of Dante through the game. The initial chorus evokes the legend of his father Sparda and how he was simultaneously a demon but also chose to reject his nature and elevated himself to savior of humanity; an initially wicked being who became a noble hero out of myth and legend.
This proceeds to second section showing Dante's initial character of disregard for his lineage and immature behavior, juxtaposed against Virgil who remains disciplined seeking the power of Sparda for himself as shown with the line "Father? I don't have a father. I just don't like you. That's all." wherein despite his bluster, Virgil immediately wipes the floor with Dante.
In the third portion he has grown through fighting numerous demons and gaining their Styles and Devil Arms, manifestations of their demonic souls highlighting their acknowledgement of his prowess; Cerberus, Agni, Rudra and Nevan specifically state he has earned their blessings after he bests them. This combined with his interactions with Lady and her own family trauma, and now seeks to honor their father's legacy while Virgil only desires the physical embodiments of Sparda's strength, to increase his personal power. This culminates in Dante calling out Virgil "We are the sons of Sparda. Within each of us flows his blood. But more importantly HIS SOUL! And now my soul is saying it has to stop you!" Virgil began the game more powerful due to preferring his demonic heritage but Dante has surpassed him by embracing his humanity.
The game even specifically highlights this by playing each portion at specific points in the game where part one plays during the prologue narrated by Lady, section two plays immediately after Dante's first confrontation with Virgil, and an orchestral version of part three as the final battle, and finally the full song in its entirety playing during the end credits. The song and the game are Dante's own Inferno; by descending through Hell he becomes closer to his Father, the divine.
Just now realizing this entire song is mostly lady’s, Dante’s , and Vergil’s perspectives of the games events…..
I love how this man is casually describing the plot of DMC 3 on Dante's theme alone
Bruh, yes! Devils Never Cry is truly one of the best songs in the series; much like Bury The Light, it carries so much meaning behind it. Fantastic.
You basically got the whole plot of DMC3 just from the theme song and that makes both this song and your interpretation of it all the more awesome!
this song and Bury The Light are such absolute masterpieces, each conveying the emotion and motivation behind the characters theyre made for with such perfection.
Everytime I hear this song, even though it never plays during the fights, all I hear is “schum”, “die”, and various grunting noises from Vergil during the fights against Dante. 😂
I adore this song. It's not hyper complex in its structure or the subtext it's trying to convey, but it works. I spent so many hours playing DMC3 in middle school, am being reminded of all of the fantastic experiences I had with the game.
Ah, Devils Never Cry. THE Devil May Cry song. As much as this is a the theme of a young Dante, it's still his de facto character theme even with other songs.
As you said, the theme reflects Dante's inner turmoil and ultimately the symbiosis of these conflicting aspects. The half human half demon son of the dark knight Sparda, a demon who betrayed his own kind out of his love for humanity. Dante grew up more or less on the run after his fathers enemies attack his family after he died, with Dante and Vergils mother Eva being killed as she searched for Vergil. While the older twin blamed himself and the weakness of his humanity, Dante blamed his father and grew to hate demonkind, including his father and himself leading him to neglect his humanity, making him a selfish and arrogent young man who couldn't care less when innocent people were dying around him. He only hunted demons for revenge, and when Vergil entered his life he didn't fight him because of their ideologies, he just didn't like him.
Enter Lady. A human whose father Arkham was working with Vergil and obtained demonic power by murdering his wife and is driven by her sense of familial responsibility for her fathers evil, even if she stands no chance. Seeing her taking responsibility for the actions of her family and Vergil bastardizing their fathers legacy ultimately drives Dante to confront himself and who Sparda really was; a hero who fought for the sake of human kind, and as the son of Sparda it is his responsibility to continue fighting for what is right. Eventually this leads Dante to fighting Vergil for their fathers power, and ultimately Dante has to kill his brother to uphold his responsibilities, but the only reason he can is because he regained his humanity and ability to care about others. If he didn't care then Vergil would have lived, but his ability to care for his family meant he had to cut his brother down.
The title comes from a line used across the series. At first, it's used exactly how you'd expect, claiming devils don't have the weakness to cry, but at the end of DMC3 it becomes a condemnation. Devils don't care about anything enough to cry about, and that makes them weak. And Dante, who accepts that he is a devil, cries for his brother. The "chosen torture" in the song is just that, he chooses to care about other people even if it hurts him, and it makes him stronger than any full blooded demon.
As DMC3 is a prequel, the Dante we see from here on is someone who has accepted both sides of himself. He helps protect humans even if it doesn't pay, but he's also merciful to demons because there are those like his father. He often gives demons a chance to run away or change, and though most of them don't there are a few that prove he's right, including a demon created by his fathers mortal enemy for the sole purpose of killing him, who ends up as his best friend and business partner.
This is mainly why I feel Subhuman is a poor theme for Dante. It's an angry, aggressive song about how he struggles with the "monster" inside of him and how he hates demons, but he got over that in this game. He's far more forgiving to his demonic enemies then human ones, as at least demons never had humanity to give up. He might struggle with his lot in life, but he accepted it a canonically about 25 years beforehand in story. He sees himself as human and demon, as in both, not as subhuman.
Lastly, there's a cool connection I've noticed. Both Dante and Vergils themes put a lot of emphasis on "light" in reference to their humanity, with Vergil burying and hiding it away while Dante's theme calls it a "gift", showing their varying perspectives. However, Nero's theme instead says "Embrace the darkness" obviously meaning his demonic side. While largely unintentional, I believe it shows how the twins are more concerned with the humanity and what it means to them, while Nero is more concerned with his demonic side and even then he's embracing. It shows a connection between the family and also how their ideals vary from one another and what puts them into conflict.
Huh.... I always thought Subhuman was about Dante at his peak. He IS subhuman, he is half human half demon after all. But it's also a bold declaration of "You cannot kill me, I am the ultimate" because of everything he's faced and overcame has led up to the old Dante, still as cynical and immature as he was back then but with a lot more skill and experience than he was at the start. Maybe I need to read the lyrics
Comment 2: Looking at the character development and the new transformation Dante gets (no further spoilers), Subhuman also works as like his human and devil sides deciding to work together, because there are some parts where the human side berates the demon side, and the demon side wants to get out, but then there is the last bit where there are several voices screaming "I am Subhuman" which suggests to me that they've decided to work together, or are forcibly in sync due to his new transformation melding human and devil, as opposed to what happened when Vergil ran himself through with Yamato. Okay enough story spoilers, point is that Subhuman works for Dante's theme in DMC 5 specifically. Devils Never Cry works as the theme of his character more, but Subhuman works in the context of what happened to Dante in DMC 5
The thing is, Dante got over his conflicted halves back in DMC3. He hated he was a demon and felt alienated from humanity so he lashed out at both. By the end of the prequel, he's grown to accept both sides as a part of himself and works to help both humans and demons. Sure he kills plenty of demons, but he doesn't hate them, otherwise why would he offer plenty of them mercy like Berial, the original Griffon, and Brad from the anime, the latter he was hired specifically to kill and instead went to a bar to see if he was a threat and later worked to free from his master. While he certainly feels alienated from other people like Patty but he doesn't resent his life like he did when he was younger. He might value his human side over his demon side a bit, but he doesn't see himself as one over the other, he's both at the same time. The idea of him being subhuman goes against the entire thesis statement of the series, that the human ability to love, care, and cry is more powerful than any demonic power, and that no matter if you were born one or not, the ability to feel these things makes you human. It's no mistake that "Devils never cry" is a condemnation, or that Dante never offers the mercy he did to Berial or Brad to humans that sacrifice their humanity.
I don't see Dante as cynical or immature. Again, he got over that in DMC3. He ran away from his responsibilities as the son of Sparda and saw everyone else as worthless, only fighting demons out of petty revenge. Post DMC3, he works to protect humanity even though he knows it'll cause him pain and though he's probably depressed he still works to see the best in people. He chooses to see the best in people, hell the whole coin thing in 2 is him pretending to leave things up to chance when he's always going to help, and in 5 acts like he's brushing Nero off when in reality because he doesn't want Nero to know the pain of killing family. He pretends not to care when he cares too much.
Subhuman is also just uncharacteristically angry. Like I hear people always going "At least it's cool when you hit SSS and hear 'you cannot kill me'" but that's not how Dante would react. It makes sense that when in the heat of the moment Nero would smirk and say "Bang, bang, bang! Pull my devil trigger!" before pile-driving a demon into next week, V is exactly the sort of person who would stand in the middle of a raging battlefield and start philosophizing about "Heaven on a landslide", and there's no way Vergil wouldn't let himself get surrounded and proclaim "I am the storm" before slaughtering them all, but I can't see Dante screaming "You cannot kill me! I am subhuman!" Dante isn't the sort of person that gives in to rage or has to suppress this violent, arrogant side to himself. When the fight heats up, Dante is the sort of person that would start laughing and egg his opponents on to try harder. He's cocky and loves to fight, not arrogant and bloodthirsty. In battle he doesn't need to worry about his toilet being broken or his debts or the fact his entire family is dead, he can just have fun. It would be far more in character if it said something like "You want to kill me? Then take your best shot!"
In DMC5, I don't see Dante's arc as him struggling with this beast inside of him that he has to tame or unleash or whatever, it's about him fighting a war alone when he might not have to, protecting those around him from pain he knows all too well. If subhuman is about everything people praise it for, then that just means Dante has regressed to the state he found himself in the prequel that he got over, a petty child angry with his lot in life rather than the legendary protector who keeps smiling and fighting not matter how much he's suffered. Dante is driven by his love for others, be it for humanity, his mother, his father, his brother, and in DMC5, his nephew. But if you tried to understand is character from subhuman, you'd come to the conclusion he's an angry, resentful person that just wants to give in to his blood lust, looming over his enemies like a monster from a horror movie. And that's simply not who Dante is. He's not less than human or less than a demon, he's the son of Sparda and Eva, yet subhuman seems to forget them both.
To which I say, eh. Subhuman is also in a way just Dante flexing. Considering he literally dances over his enemies (read: Faust Hat) you can see why Subhuman has a chorus like "You cannot kill me, I am Omega". Personally I can see Dante rocking the heavy metal vibes in the song and according to a different reply it seems the song itself was meant for DmC Devil May Cry, so there was a clear inspiration for it. The producer didn't expect to be writing for DMC 5 and all that. Either way, I like the song as a metalhead. This is the kind of song I play when I'm hitting a new PR
Eh, there's nothing wrong with the genre, it's just that the song itself is horrible even after removing the child groomer. The composer did a theme for Dante in MvCI, and it was the worst version of Devils Never Cry ever. And if it really was made for the reboot Dante as it was initially advertised, then that's significantly worse. The main character's theme is written for an entirely different, completely hated version of the character, and that's not even mentioning Cody's lovely responses to the backlash.
Also, Dante dancing around is, again, much more playful than screaming "You cannot kill me" suggests. The dancing implies he's treating the situation as a joke, and the other makes it look like he's taking it too seriously, or wants to be taken seriously. There's a difference between those lyrics and something like "Feel free to die when you've had enough" or "I see your might and it compares to something - that is if something is nothing" from Taste the Blood. One is shit talking, and the other is whinging.
Ultimately, it's just not good. Armageddon by Blue Stahli, which was released six years for DMC5, is a better song and theme for Dante and his story in 5, while managing to do everything subhuman tried in a way that fits him as a character. I don't mean to say you can't enjoy the song, but as a character theme for Dante it's a disgrace made worse by how much love went in to Devil Trigger, Crimson Cloud, and Bury the Light.
My favorite part of the song is when the two voices sing different songs at the same time.
You pretty much nailed it, with the duality of Dante's nature and his coming to terms with that, as well as the confrontation angle (this is the first game we met Vergil proper). One thing to add, there's a widely accepted canon that in between devil hunts, Dante gets very depressed, hence why he's so happy gunning down demons. So maybe he's contemplating his purpose as well? That might be a stretch. Great stuff as always, very interested to see this DMCV let's play!
It's clearly the consequence of being part demon or have one lurking inside you, you'll legit lose yourself.
i've never quite heard anything like this song either, it's so interestingly composed and interwoven!!
Devil May Cry 3 is reminiscent of a storybook, and is about Dante coming to terms with his own demonic heritage and how his brother and their relationship facilitates that awakening. It comes with my personal recommendation.
Glad to see you covering this. It is not only a badass song, but the odd combination of chaos and harmony makes it a unique one, as well. Listening to it now especially resonates with myself with my current struggles. After finding out some things about myself, I've kind of went into a bit of an existential crisis. The struggle going on within myself and trying find who I am again. Not quite like Dante, but he too was trying to come to terms with who he was. Even if you want to be a certain way or want certain things to be, reality won't always let you and that is one hell of a tough pill to swallow.
I know this comment is over a year old, but even if you never see this I hope you've came to terms with whatever you discovered about yourself, and that you've become a happier person now
I find it amazing that you understood the lyrics in your first time listening.
This guy is like the mathematicians of today and before who could see math in reality from just subtle observations. Music really is a universal language.
it says a lot. that after hearing some themes of some characters, you have a solid idea of what they are about.
The music in this franchise is masterful.
The choir at the start is also heard in the Demon World. Superficially it sounds like something almost sacramental, but the vocals don't really mean anything: it's just noise, a derisive imitation of what we commonly regard as holy that doesn't care about being genuine enough to even include actual words of mockery or scorn of the thing it mocks. Much like how the Demon World itself is depicted as an uncanny heavenly realm of cold ethereal light and crumbling structures of pure white marble, the choir is the demonic equivalent of a westerner imitating an Asian by squinting their eyes and going "ching chang chong." And up against this mocking reflection of the divine and holy stands Dante, who's effectively represented by the rest of the song.
My favourite part was when lady said maybe somewhere even a devil may cry 3: Dante’s awakening special edition when he looses a loved one
💀
What I also like soo much about that song is this extreme genre clash between a classic hard rock guitar, an industrial metal vocalist, and a gothic electrical touch. And on top of that comes the angel like opera singing. What a crazy song.
There's also "Subhuman" which is from DMC 5, which is Dante's battle theme. It's much more metal, but it fits the character perfectly
subtle nod to the fact he gets stabbed in every single game too
@@beo3828 True
For me Devils Never Cry is more like Young Dante where is more like he is still sad but he is bolling his sadness to a rage in his demon hunting and rivalry with his brother, because he will never cry again.
Subhuman is him coming to terms against his inner demons and acceptance of his past.
As much as I like Subhuman, my mind goes to Devils Never Cry when I think of Dante. While he has long accepted what and who he is by DMC5, the duality and dissonance of Devil and Man is a core aspect of Dante's character
Subhuman NEVER felt like it fit Dante.
As a character, he understands EXACTLY what Sparda valued in humanity, and recognizes that he possesses that human quality. Yes, he's depressed, but he never struck me a self-loathing over his own nature.
Not only is the song not at all my favorite, I feel like it missed the mark on the character it's meant to embody.
Bury the Light and Devil Trigger and Dark Clouds all nail the mood of the character, but the very line "I am subhuman" feels all kinds of wrong from the same Dante who told Agnus what he did.
One of the main gimmicks in the DMC series is the idea that there is no heaven. There are no angels. There is just humans and devils; and as the years have gone by, there have been humans far worse than any devil and on one occasion, a truly saint-like devil. I think your idea that the song's elements represent that balance in Dante is spot-on.
However, one of the other main gimmicks in the series is the conflict between Dante and his brother, Virgil. They were both young kids when they realized they had freaky devil powers.
Dante was terrified of them, Virgil loved them.
Combine this with a wicked plot twist and the two of them became fierce rivals. And that rivalry ended up defining both of them.
Song of my childhood. I remember sitting on the carpet while playing DMC 3 and just having fun, those were days...
You wouldn't know it from just this song alone, but the melody at the beginning sort of encapsulates the game as a whole: It's a motif that's repeated throughout the game, in the opening, several important cutscenes, but most predominantly at the DIVINITY STATUE, the recurring statue where you spend experience to buy items and moves, so you'll hear it many times over and over again. It's also the melody of the final fight against [SPOILER], which really highlights its importance.
This is one of my favourite video game songs of ALL TIME. HOW AM I JUST NOW DISCOVERING YOU REACTED TO IT?! I'M SO HAPPYYYYY😭😭💖💖
Not to mention your analysis of it is super on point, as usual!!
This song was such an integral part of my childhood growing up, I didnt think much of it then but I resonate with it so much. I had a lot of anger issues and depression as a kid and at times i didnt fit in with others until i came to realize, grew up and learned that these are my emotion and I have to deal with it my own way. The loss of my dad filled me with so much anger and sadness and in a sense I had a devil inside me eating away at me until I learned to live with that side and face it head on. Turned 30 last year and did 2 years of therapy helped so much in easing that bad side, self reflecting on this is who I am but not all that I am. Its been a lot of fun seeing certain medias especially video games have such a big impact on my life throughout the years and how it shaped my mindset as to who I am today!!
It is named after a thing Dante says/references multiple times throughout the series
You disected the song pretty much perfectly. Dante always tried to supress his demonic heritage (the angelic choir at the start), then his encounter with Vergil awakened his demonic self (demonic chorus), but only after embracing them both (the ending with both voices mixing) he is unbeatable.
The build up at the beginning of this song is a master class on building up tension and then giving an impactful payoff with release. You start with the haunting, beautiful choir, the organ. Give the faintest taste of the synths, and slowly layer in drums, bass and the other electronic elements. Then right as we can't take anymore, explode forth with the heavy metal. You can literally see Dante walk up, point one of his pistols at point blank, and then pull the trigger right at the openings climax. Gets me everytime.
A lesser appreciated detail about this song is that it's played three times: First in the prologue, the classical organ in the beginning of the game where Dante feels most his suffering and melancholy because of what he is, and how much he tries to mask it with his whacky behavior. Second, the rock section with the demonic voice, immediately after Dante's demonic power is awakened by getting stabbed with the Sparda sword, and he chooses to finally use his actual demon power (unlocking Devil Trigger). And third after the final mission, the full song is played as he finally comes to terms with both his demon and human self, resolving to defend the human world against demons like his father and fighting alongside Lady, a human.
The nostalgia and the tears that come to eyes from listening this song is WILDDD
Devils Never Cry has always been my favorite DMC song and this video just put into words all the things I love about it.
Devil’s Never Cry definitely has a continuity because the choir and that little reverbing synth sound at 2:23 reminded me of Devil May Cry 2’s song Dance With Devils and Evil Tower that was used for its preview trailers.
Bless me with your gift of lights
Righteous cause on judgment nighs
Feel the sorrow the light has swallowed
Feel the freedom like no tomorrow
Stepping forth a cure for soul's demise
Reap the tears of the victims cries
Yearning more to hear the suffer (of a)
Of a demon as I put it under
Killed before, a time to kill them all
Passed down the righteous law
Serve a justice that dwells in me
Lifeless corpse as far as the eye can see
This verse is just so visceral gets me pumped up every time. So filthy and badass. My fav part for sure.
My god, I can’t wait for your Musical let’s play of 5…
I just played through DMC 5 this summer and have been listening to "Bury the Light", "Subhuman" and "Devil Trigger" on repeat, while also finding many more songs in the industrial metal subgenre, that really suits my kind of taste. I’ve just been trying to string all different versions of Devil Trigger from the game OST together, so that it "builds up" to the actual Edit that was released later in the Vergil DLC
Right now my favorite order is:
Devil Trigger (opening remix) ->
Introduction ->
Silver Bullet ->
Garage ->
Devil Trigger - Devil Shocker remix ->
Special Music Outro (Nero) ->
Devil Trigger (full)
This party's getting crazy! Let's rock!
As great as Devil Trigger, Crimson Cloud, or Bury the Light were, Devil's Never Cry remains THE DMC song, full stop. I miss Shootie HG doing DMC songs.
"Steal a soul for a second chance... But you will never become a man "
I always saw this as dante blaming himself for his mother's death. His mother sacrificed herself for her kids and dante wasnt enough to save her. So he has this hatred that is expressed through demon hunting.
However part way though the song he tries to resolve the anger within him which is where the chant comes in expressing his grief and sorrow but strive for more than just revenge.
In the end they sing originally against each other until the demon starts commenting on the chant. Dantes rage and self doubt are still there. The need for vengeance is still there but it's now tempered and guided by his better nature.
In the end dante still views himself as less than human and less than his father's legacy but at the same time he has his resolve to be more.
it also mocks the player for using Gold orbs
Devil May Cry 3 is without question my favorite DMC game. Truly a masterpiece.
My favorite song of all time 🖤
Goosebumps seeing how you dug this.
This is the best song that has ever been created, especially that intro guys, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, without talking about the ending… oh gosh
Oh man. 1 song (devil trigger) brought me into these games and I kept finding even more bangers playing through them.
Omggg! Thanks for covering this, Marco!! I have been listening to Devils Never Cry since DMC3 days and I still got goosebumps throughout the video while hearing you taking in the music. I am so glad you liked it! Can't wait for more DMC content!
Would LOVE to see you stream 3, 4, and 5. Some of the most heartfelt emotional story moments in a series you’d never expect it from
i love that the last words are each voice kind of speaking of the other when the demon voice says ''steal a soul for a second chance, but you will never become a man'', and the human voice says ''black night, dark sky, the devils cry''. Like they are denouncing each other in a way, without realizing that together they made this beautiful synthesis of a musical duet.
It speaks a lot to the drama of dante's and vergil's heritages, that amidst all the cacophony of these 2 warring sides, they find their best selves in that ambiguous space in between. And its telling that dante wins the duel accepting this noise as part of himself, while vergil who is obsessed in being a full demon, falls, and blocks himself off salvation at the end too
I've always described this song as the amalgamation of heaven, hell and purgatory.
This junction of electro metal rhythm with classical or pastoral motifs are always things that scratch an itch for me musically. There's a band of Italo-Americans called "Ludovico Technique" that does this same thing with classical like Mozart's "Requiem" in a song of theirs called "Haunted".
Great seeing you covering more DMC, Marco! Did you perchance get a listen to your "Seeds of Love" from the DMC 1 soundtrack?
Not yet!
Ludovico Technique!
This OST is kinda legendary for DMC fans, a lot of us thinks that thats a true Dante theme (He has a lot because he is original main character)
Funny enough this song played only once in the end of the game, I always thought that this song showing us that Dante finaly understands himsefl and no longer he wish to trow everything demonic in him away.
DMC 3 is a first game in chronological order where one of the main themes is that Dante wants to be a human while his brother wants to be a demon, but they both hafl breeds, the longer game goes the bigger a chance that you will notice how Dante and Vergil swiching places. In the firs few hourse Vegil looked calmed and like he knew what he wants while Dante was there just for fun, but in the last few hours you can see how Dante finally understends what means to be a human and have a huge motivation, where is still motiveted Vergil looks like he is lost in himself and tryes to fill hole inside him with power
Me dio un escalofrio escuchar esto despues de tanto tiempo, me alegra haber conocido esta saga a una edad tan joven.
This is the best devil may cry song ever no other dmx song can top this
I friggin' love this song. Brings back so many fond memories of playing DMC3. My absolute favourite in the series. Best bosses, best weapons and the fight choreography is just insane.
"now this is one heck of a family reunion!"
This song bring me memories when I was 14 years old playing with my cousin DMC3 Special Edition, I got taken back to the good times with this song.
DMC3 is one of my favourite games, and one of the games I've 100%ed with both characters on every difficulty. It's insanely good, and the music is bangers all the way through. Would definitely recommend for a musical lets play. It's also chronologically the first game.
This music instantly had me glued to this game when I borrowed it from my neighbors. Epic and haunting, and all out SICK ASF 🤘
I remember the very first time I heard devils never cry I had chills, amazing theme. Great breakdown man.
The duality of Dante between the savage warrior and damaged boy finding common ground and healing by facing a literal reflection of himself in Vergil. DMC would be an amazing story even without the guns and swords and all that. Maybe not as fun, but still amazing.
First time listening to this, certified banger
The best analysis of the lyrics' meaning I have seen. And it's from someone who hasn't played the game.
I never realized how much of this song is like poetry
That's great you reacted to this song and you like it. :) It's my favourite song and favourite game from all Devil May Cry games.
This OST is awesome. I can listen to this without even playing the game, but when you play it and listen to this; it's definitely exhilarating.
When the songs started I got goosebumps bc its so unique and I had lot of nice memories when I was little ;D
The opening of 3 with this song. Perfection
Man, the way they set up that church hymn leitmotif so that it can come back in the conflicting, softer-sung verse.
There’s definitely an element of, ‘Don’t mess with me, I’m a killer,’ but I think it’s kind of begrudging. The metal vocal hates demons so much, it takes sadistic glee in ripping them apart, but it _is a demon._ That’s why it chooses torture and tells people not to follow, not to get close. It thinks it deserves to suffer as much as other demons do. The conflicting vocal tho, still asks to be purified. Wants to be a good church boy, get the approval of their (Heavenly? Hellish?) father. There’s something so proudly self-destructive here; maybe that’s why he’s always so nonchalant about getting stabbed. Throwing himself into battle is self-harm.
I love songs like this: they play two genres completely straight at first, then mix them into a yin-yang bomb-ass final verse that makes you go, ‘WHY DOES THIS WORK? THIS SHOULDN’T WORK.’
Other examples include Octopus from No More Heroes 3 (by the band RED ORCA)
and an unused track from Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos called Speak Loud (Rising Superstar Irie). DySys in general has some serious bangers.
Devils never cry and shall never surrender are two my favorite dmc songs
I like to think they’re making a truce when singing together and when the choir starts they’re in harmony
Now that I listened to it carefully I can hear Vergil's theme playing at the last bit of the song very cool 🔥
I love how this is the battle music too.
Not knowing much about DMC and this song, I was stunned when the chior and calmness transitioned into the actual song. I did not think it was going to go that way 😂. A new track added to my playlists, I really love it when a video game soundtrack has lyrics, because they're there for a reason and they have meaning. (I also really like to try to memorize the lyrics so I can sing them in my head sometimes)
I absolutely love Bury the Light and Devil Trigger, but man, Devils Never Cry will always have a special place in my heart. It's the perfect example of form following function. Even if the lyrics were gibberish (think something like Nier/Nier Automata), you could still glean the intended meaning of this song just by how it's composed. Vergil Battle 2 from this game also does this well, and I highly recommend checking it out.
I love this game from the bottom of my heart and watching you explained the the song and the lyric so well.. makes me cry a little bit Lol. subscribed!
"Regardless, it's a party you promised me and it's a party I'm getting"
"That's up to your skills"
I still listen to this shit up until today. One of my playlist.
Love this song, I think this song plays during the opening cutscenes where Virgil and Dante are fighting, so when you mentioned something along the lines of a rival it was pretty accurate lol.
Edit:It also plays during the end credits too.
I listen this and many other DMC songs while at the gym. Really helps lift the weight. It's interesting seeing someone enjoy this for the first time.
love the organ part
This is one of my favorite songs of all time exactly because it's so unique, and it becomes even better if you've played the game.
I'm impressed at how much you got right from just the song, the character development of Dante is all about accepting himself and his family, and his conflict in DMC3 is both against himself literally and against his twin brother, which is his other side of the coin in many ways.
Always get the goosebumps listening to DNC and We Shall Never Surrender
I see this song as both the battle within Dante and as the termoil between the Sparda brothers and then Dante lamenting the death of his Brother Vergil. Which is also why at least to me the return of Vergil in DMC5 was such a huge deal.
You hit it, it is kind for both Dante coming to terms with whom her is and also for the constant battling between Dante and Vergil so you hit it on the money pretty much.
THE BEST DEVIL MAY CRY SONG EVER
100%
THIS IS A CERTIFIED HOOD CLASSIC.
It's worth noting that this song is potentially classifiable as a madrigal. First, it opens with the main theme of the villains/plot (the organ you mentioned). Then, it gives us downright demonic heavy metal evocative of all of Dante's battle themes from earlier in the game. Finally, it gives us a peek into his human side via a much "holier" sound (in particular, the line "praise to my father" is noteworthy relative to Dante's character by that point in the story). Then, it blends them all together for the culmination of Dante's adventure.
this party's getting crazy