The real beauty of this piece is seeing it in action. They choreographed the fight to match with the phase changes. When Gael gains the will to fight you after the first phase, and he jumps out at you with all his fury and might cloaking him in a swirling mass of red skulls... It's incredible to behold.
This exactly. I don't believe this is the best standalone composition in Fromsoft's games, nor even in just Dark Souls 3. However, hearing it in tandem with Gael's fight, an all-out battle between the last 2 living beings at the end of the world over the Dark Soul of Man itself, a chaotic (and incredibly well choreographed!) fight that is as unwanted as it is inevitable, created such a spectacle that made an impression on me I will never forget.
@@sheepy403 it's not even that the song needs the fight to work. Just having experienced it leaves an inprint that allows the song to maintain that quality on its own
Actually Gael dies after phase one and becomes a hollow. He has fulfilled his purpose and entrusts everything to you. Problem is that he gets a lot stronger and his cape fucks people up
Third phase is even Gael anymore, he went hollow in the second phase cutscene as he completed his duty, all there is left is for you to put him down and give the blood of the Dark Soul to the painter as he knows he wouldn't make it back to her, but you're his last hope.
Actually is totally the opposite, if you see on the gameplay as well he starts attacking you like an animal, then he progressively becomes more human, he uses crossbow, spells and takes a more human posture
@@dekkan_0771 bit of a reverse ludwig situation; once he takes to two legs he becomes hollow, and even becomes weak to attacks from the hollowslayer sword in-game. loses his sanity but vigorous with the blood of the dark soul which is why his posture improves
This track hits different when you’re acfually fighting the boss, specially the 2nd and 3rd phases. Gael is one of the best, most climactic and visually epic fights in the franchise.
I'd say that he is, no boss has reached his level of perfection, not isshin, not ludwig and not any of elden rings bosses, in my opinion the fight is literally perfect, it has no bullshit, is challenging but fair, and is visually awesome and has great music
@@shred0164 honestly no idea. im pretty sure it was released with the ringed city dlc but i could be wrong. i just enjoy listening to the soundtrack and have beat ds3 like 5 times
5:50 You're right on the complete loss of control for Gael, but it's because he has consumed nearly every shred of humanity in the world at this point; except yours. This swirling chaos in front of you isn't a lack of humanity, it's the very pinnacle of what humanity can be. Such a tragic character, and a fun fight. I'd recommend Champion's Gravetender next, wild track that I think you'll like.
It's actually the opposite though, right? The first phase is where he lost all control, crawling on the ground like a beast and swinging his sword wildly. The second phase is where Gael temporarily REGAINS control and actually starts fighting like the human he used to be, using his miracles and crossbow.
@@Taiakami777 No, I get that he saw that his blood already became the perfect ink for the Lady, he realized his purpose was done, and then became the most hollowed hollow to ever hollow, with so much dark in him he could attract lighting. I don't know what I was talking about, I think I was so focused on discussing the actual physical language of his attack patterns that I forgot he turned hollow even if he acted more human.
Alrighty "quick" Gael lore dump for context Residing inside a world stuck in an endless cycle once existed a glorious painting that itself hid the painted world of Ariendel. However as all things eventually come to a fitting end, all that remains of the painting is a pathetic rotting scrap guarded by an old man bound by promise to fulfill the destiny of his niece, who within the cold and diseased lands of Ariandel continues to paint a new world that will exist as a refuge. However with Gael's assistance you clear the guardian of the church and continue into the Ringed City, a place at the end of time where everyone everything has forgotten its purpose and gone hollow or been reduced to pitiful ash, all except Gael. Somehow lasting until the end of time itself he leaves torn off pieces of his red cloak to guide you through this horrid wasteland until you can find him, however he is not the same man. Gael himself upon finally finding the pygmy lords gouges them as he finally goes Hollow in your battle within him, as at this point you, the embodiment of the first flame, battle against the embodiment of the Dark Soul itself and after he is dead it is revealed that this was his plan all along, raising you to become a champion strong enough to kill him so his promise could be fulfilled long after driven mad. So harvesting the blood from your once friend, you take it back to the painter in Ariendel, who even in the burning attic of a church continues vigilantly to use this new bloody pigment to conceive a new world, where perhaps someone may finally find refuge from the cruel cycle of this world.
Small correction: The painter is likely not Gael's actual niece. The word used by the Painter in the Japanese version implies that Gael is a "trustworthy old man", not her actual uncle.
@@kameronjohnson3888 Miura's close friend Kouji Mouri (author of Holyland) is taking the lead. Chapter 365 and 366 are already out by now. Go read it, pretty interesting visuals
I'm glad to see you're listening to the released album version XD. It's the best version of the song wih all 3 phases and no repetition or awkward fading out. Just a complete suite of epicness.
th-cam.com/video/-mq6W1FfJwM/w-d-xo.html What do you think about this version? The Latin version haha Also this style of music is Latin and the name of the game itself now behold
Slave Knight Gael is without a doubt my most listened song from FromSoft games, if not all of gaming OST. It never fails to invokve the feeling of absolute awe and tragedy. Some of my favourite moments are the strings in the background for the first part, that sound like a steadily growing wind; the completely *insane* brass lines throughout the entire piece; and most importantly, the female voice serenading us with a desperate, mourning aria. I love every single second and I can recite it from memory at this point.
Its the complete package, feelings of awe, gracefulness, despair, rage, excitement, etc. Idk, its the best song in all of fromsofts games in my opinion, the only one that gets close is ludwig's
"The red-hooded, wandering slave knight Gael sought the blood of the dark soul as pigment for the Painted World. But Gael knew he was no Champion, that the dark soul would likely ruin him and that he had little hope of a safe return." "Used as pigment by his lady in Ariandel to depict a painted world. When Gael came upon the pygmy lords, he discovered that their blood had long ago dried, and so consumed the dark soul." From the Soul of Slave Knight Gael and Blood of the Dark Soul lore tab
Dear god...the fight with this man, if you can even call him that, hit me like a truck. His whole arc was told over two DLC's and I completely forgot he was the one that sent you on that journey in the first place. I hadn't seen him since the first time we met and the fight was foreshadowed so subtlety. So when I found him at the end of a wasteland pointing a sword at me, I was completely thrown off, then I realized-"oh damn, this is how it's got to be, isn't it?"
@@ImWhyMortalsCry No worries. He's said in other vids on DS3 and Bloodborne tracks that he tends to not remember the music even though he's played them.
Yuka Kitamura and team did an outstanding job with the Souls/Born music... I haven't played Elden Ring yet, but I'm pretty sure that the OST will be dope too
when it comes to "Best Fromsoft music", Im particularly a fan of Ludwig The Holy Blade the way the music was revealed to me in the accompanying cinematic and then gameplay was the most glorious, haunting moments I ever experienced
I love how this song escalates. It's constantly growing stronger, more complex and more severe. Just like the fight itself (which unusally for souls bosses has three phases) and in the environment. In the first phase Gael is almost bestial running on all fours, leaping and bounding, wildly flailing with his sword. The battle takes place in the largest battlefield yet, a vast almost empty landscape filled with dunes of ash. Then in second phase which has taken the battle to the ruins of a court that still remains in the fields of ashes, Gael rises up and for the first time grabs his sword with both hands and now he fights you like a human while in the environment the wind begins to rise as the storm is approaching. And then in final phase, Gael brings out the big guns, escalates his attacks and uses all the tools he has at his disposal to take you down and at this point the raging storm has arrived with thunder roaring and lightning striking the ground all around you. It's an epic battle in the grandest sense. And it's just two last remaining dudes duking it out for hardly any reason at all, one driven mad by his long quest, the other simply trying to defend himself. And when it ends... no fanfare or anything. The storm passes and you are left all alone in a dead world. No ending cutscene, no nothing. Your reward: a mcguffin that you can take back to someone in the distant past to get a vague promise of a happy ending.
Midir, Malenia, even Manus unprepared might be harder. But Gael is just... something else. Music synchs up perfectly with his phases and choreograpy, never felt that "I" was fighting enemy so much, you and him at end of the world and time, he is not even evil, he is just man of duty, that went a little mad. And its still noteworthy he HELPED you before you broke Fillianore sphere, on Demon princes, showed you how to jump... This is probably one of best boss battles EVER, not only in fromsoft games. Also how you two, standing there, differ - Ashen one - literally awoken zombie without any reason to live or kindling fire, just being pushed by fate, vs man who sacrificed everything for his lady, duty - himselft, world, future and everyone else. He wasn't any choosen one, ashen one, god - just man with some luck that become stronger and stronger and made it to end of the world.
DUDE, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE. LETS GOOOO! And still knocking it out with the boss fight descriptions through the feelings of the music! Great video as always!
The feminine voice at 1:11 represent his duty to a little girl who wants to create a paint which can be a sweet home to all the lost souls in the the game lore
I really love your reactions to the Souls music so much. Seeing the expressions on your face, hearing your analysis. It brings me joy. Thank you so much. Subscribed.
DS3 has some insane tracks. This, Midir is another badass song, Vordt which goes so unnecessarily hard in the 2nd half, and my personal favorite Yhorm.
A battle in the end of the world, The world you're fighting on is doomed..and you and Gael and the last "living" thing on it before the end. A battle were no one will emerge victorious, It's the end. What an epic battle and setting for the ultimate boss of the Dark souls series, what a conclusion.
What love is you and Gael are no different two meaningless hollows fighting yourself, the embodiment of the chosen undead, bearer of the curse and ashen one
As good as this song is, it’s not one that I’d typically listen to outside of the game. It works incredibly during an electrifying fight with Slave Knight Gael, but I’d rather listen to the music of Vordt, Soul of Cinder, or Nameless King on their own when it comes to DS3. Maybe I’m just subconsciously making sure the song stays fresh so I can always enjoy the boss fight to the fullest?
Try going to a public park and swinging on the swingings very aggressively while blasting this through headphones and suddenly you’ll be electrified, I promise 🤣 Ok, but in all seriousness, I did that once during ash fall because of some nearby brushfires, so I was coughing my lungs out and my eyes were watering badly, but the adrenaline of swinging so quickly through that while playing this song on repeat was kind of awesome. The sun was blood red and everything. I was in DS3 for a day!
Yea I can't listen to this song as a whole outside of the game either. I listen to an extended version of the first phase fairly often outside of the game though as that's my favourite part of the song.
@@abandon4 I think they got too much on their hands. The issue with ER is that you can't just insert a souls game into a gigantic map and make it work by adding two new terrain traversal mechanics. The main focus should always be the main content, improving upon previous titles, which wasn't the case save for a few bosses... The game suffered from filler, they prioritized size over innovation (jumping was a thing on the sega genesis ffs)
I absolutely love this song. I've been playing specifically DS3 for over 4 years now and have almost 3k hours on the game. And you know what? Every fight with Gael, I cry. His song is filled with regret, saturated with such pain that every time I hear this song, I cry. I sincerely feel sorry for him, and for 4 years I still cannot overcome myself. Every time it feels like I'm killing my best friend with my own hands. It hurt a lot more when someone did a translation of his song and my God, I wish I didn't know. Even if I'm in a great mood, but I hear Gael's song, that's it, bring a bunch of handkerchiefs, because there will be a lot of tears. No song made me feel so strong feelings like this one. Thank you madam, Yuka Kitamura.
4:10 this piano, imo it represents the player and their place in this fight, the volume is too low in comparison to the other instruments and yet is trying to show off, carefully dodging and attacking, doing their best, I think it's the only song that has this moment to represent the player, that's because Gael questline is indeed about the player too, traveling, getting powerful, seeking and consuming Dark Souls, being a slave...
It's also quite a sad theme considering Gael willingly corrupted himself all for the sake of delivering the Dark Soul to his lady. And in the end, your character can't tell her that her Uncle Gael will never return cause you could tell that the painter viewed Gael with affection and love like a paternal figure and wouldn't want him to bring harm upon himself if she knew the lengths he went to retrieve the Dark Soul for her.
8:00 absolutely spot on lol. Down to the description of the poses and body language. Even though he's actually in his most berserk state in the first phase of the fight, his 2nd phase is where he regains his conscience and the minor 3rd phase (which is the transition and part of the piece you were referring to) is when he becomes just as aggressive as he was in his 1st phase but now with the same grace and composure as he regained in his 2nd phase.
Slave Knight Gael is one of the only pieces of music that make me emotional, can't even hum along to it without getting teary eyed lol. the fight, the music, the visuals and the story implications of the fight make one of the most beautiful set pieces I've ever seen in any form of art, absolutely brilliant way to end the Souls saga
Its scary how many details you always get about the situation the music is depicting. This is a testament both to fromsoft for having such great composers but also to your well trained ear for dissecting the song so well.
Still my favourite theme honestly it's just so good, love your perspective and how you explain what it makes you think of, it's very fitting to Gael's story.
It sounds incomplete without his angered grunts and screams, the slamming of his broken sword against us and the ground and the strikes of lightning in the last phase which all synced up perfectly with the music like they were instruments on their own.
the part at 8:23 is also a throwback to the main theme of dark souls 3 (the main menu theme) and its there to tie up the game in a satisfying way I'd say. The last part of the song from the last battle of the last game was hinted from the beginning.
What I love most about the beginning of this song is there's a duality of the meaning, like it is expressing Gael and him being sworn to his duty, but it can be interpreted as also being about the player at that point. We've reached the end of time, we've destroyed everything in our path to get here and now it is our duty to put Gael down after he's consumed so much Dark he's gone mad. There's that solemn feeling when that music hits entering the boss room and everything is ash and decay around you and you have to run across this nothingness to fight someone that's helped you fight along your journey, who has been irrevocably corrupted trying to achieve his mission. This music is just amplified if it does along with the actual fight I can definitely tell you that. I died the first time I got to the final phase because the music had stunned me so much I lost focus on the actual attacks going on.
The lyrics in this track is also a masterpiece, telling us the story of the Red hood knight and his painter. I would highly recommend listening to Orphan of Kos too.
@@bbbbKeJodddd There are sooo many "lyric videos" for Elden Ring tracks out there, but everytime you click on the video, it's just some guy who has transcribed utter gibberish and a comment field full of pitiable people clamouring for a translation for something that can't be translated since they think it has to be Latin.
I'm just so happy music brings people together like this. Whether you were a professional or know nothing about theory, everyone enjoys their own music. Pieces like these and so many others really just bring out the best in many communities. Makes me happy that even as such a young channel thay you are reaching out to people like me. Love you man even though I'm just another viewer to everyone
I've commented many times before but I just love how you also never talk when the music is on, and pause it when you wanna talk. So we (you and the community, us) just vibe together and then we can enjoy you talking about the music. It's really one of the best Music Reaction format I've seen on TH-cam !
your descriptions were insanely accurate, lol. love how well you're able to read the contents of the fight purely through the implication the music gives, very impressive
the contrast of a man. Gael was a slave while Gwyn was born a god, yet they contrast each other. Gael was nothing but a worthless undead slave, yet he outlived every god, killed countless creatures, died millions of times, and consumed the Pygmy's for their Dark Soul. Gael never failed in his mission, and nobody but you- a lowly piece of unkindled ash- will remember him. 2 warriors- the last 2 living things- at the end of time doing what they do best: fighting "For the Dark Soul". Gael was the one who got me out of my depressive funk, and i owe it to him for still sticking around. it's my duty to never forget such a memorable man who reminds me of another man i knew in life- both having similar stories with similar endings. it may sound pathetic to say a random boss in an optional dlc inside a virtual world made me get better, but it's something that helped me nonetheless. we could all be a lot more like Gael- in the sense we stay determined to see our goals through to the end no matter how long it takes. the soundtrack itself is beautiful. 3 main pieces of perfection to reflect each stage of the fight: a soldier duty desperation Gael is nothing but *a soldier* until he goes Hollow and goes back on his *duty* to fight until he takes too much damage, and the he fights with the Dark Soul inside him. he becomes *desperate* to kill you, like an animal backed into a corner. he does everything in his power to kill you. the last 2 people on the planet- the 2 most powerful beings- duke it out in the ashen remains of the world at the end of time all for a weapon that's utterly useless when there is no world left.
The entire track is amazing from start to finish but something about 8:25 is just awe-inspiring. Like you said it’s berserk and specifically at 7:15 it just sounds unholy? Like darkness and foreboding. But at 8:25 it feels so angelic and serene such a nice contrast. Also a big fan of how aggressively those strings in the back are played at 8:44. I love the shimmer to close this song out as well calming things down. I could literally go on about this track it’s so good. Your assessment of the character was very accurate too! These songs tell a story. If you’re gonna do DS3 again. I’d definitely recommend Twin Princes. Since people are already asking for Darkeater Midir.
To me this piece is so magical. I remember fighting Gael so vividly. I had just gotten through my first Dark Souls game; I had beaten every boss, done the best sidequests, and traveled to the literal ends of the earth. All on my first playthrough too! It was such a journey, I got so attached to the characters, the story, and the locations. I got attached to MY character, I wore the iconic elite knight armour the whole way through, and fully upgraded my flask. But man the build up to this last fight was just spectacular, it's what made the game for me. I'd saved so many people, killed so many monsters, killed the last lord of cinder, and then decided to finish the dlc first before choosing an ending. I was told that we needed blood from the Dark Soul to create a painting of a new world that would live peacefully. Somewhere better than the dying world of Lords and Cinder. I'd watched the Vaati video about Gael, and saw how he'd sacrificed his body for the sake of the painting. It felt like a hail mary last ditch attempt to save humanity! So I travelled to the future, he'd consumed the Dark Soul, and he asked me to strike him down for his blood. The fight is pretty tame at the start too, it's fairly easy, but then he starts to lose his sanity, and the music started blasting! The best part was the image of two powerful humans fighting in the dust and rubble of the end of time, I was covered in ember, and Gaels long ass cape had flowed in red skulls. In that third phase it was insane lol. Right when the music reaches it's huge climax Gael's moves we're actually tying into the music! He jumps up, summons lightning from the storm of clouds, and blasts it at you. So badass! And after I'd beaten him (first try btw 😎), taken the blood, and given it to the painter, she decided to name the painting after me! I told her I had no name, so she gave me one: Ash. I'll forever remember Dark Souls 3 as the biggest climactic end to a game ever; the journey of Ash, the era of The Lords of Cinder, and how the First Flame finally died out
One of my absolute favourite boss and soundtrack especially 5:31 when you fight him this lines up perfectly with a certain attack (won’t say which attack just incase)
This song fits so many roles. The triumphant end of a mans quest, the end of the world, the last hurrah of a franchise. All rolled into an elegant, brutal, and mind numbingly enchanting package. And what you said about the end of the song, when it suddenly ends, like the characters have put down their weapons is absolutely right and fitting. Its not just the end of their fight, the end of their world, the end of the franchise, its the end for us, the players. This is the last experience we will ever have of dark souls, at least the last unique one. This is the final moment the series has been building up to, and the silence after that. A warrior, alone in a world burned by the ambition of an old man afraid of the dark, clutching the power that had been usurped long ago. Even now, the dark will not get what it was owed, and instead will be used to try and make something new. Goodbye, dark souls. You will be missed, but never forgotten.
Triumph is the main thing I take away from this piece. Once phase 2 hits we get this fanfare because Gael has finally won and he knows it. But it's not just his triumph it's the triumph of the player and the whole series because this is the very end of dark souls and instead of it ending with the meaningless continuation of the fire or the world going into the unknown of another age of dark, it's ending with the creation of a new world to be better than the last. It's ending with meaning in a franchise defined by hopelessness and futility.
It's honestly a testament to how much attention to detail FromSoft pays to their games, when someone can literally only listen to the music of a boss and tell you exactly who they are, how they fight and how the battle ends. Just with the part about the second phase where Marco talks about the Slave Knight and his will to fight, you see from that point forward, Slave Knight is now for all intents and purposes *insane* and is not trying to kill you out of a sense of duty but rather survival instinct. Everything else is spot on.
Gael is definitely in the top twenty best Soulsborne tracks, in my opinion…and well, according to the community, it seems like that’s been pretty backed up. Dark Souls 3 is one of those soundtracks where almost every song is just stellar. I’ve been listening for so long and it never gets old, honestly. But to be fair, I think you also have to appreciate music with less melody and more story-telling/atmosphere to really enjoy it, which clearly you do! Also fun fact! This is another Kitamura song, so that solo soprano voice that rises above the heavy male chanting is her own once again. I have no idea if she has operatic training, but I really wondered if she did after first hearing this song. Either way, I love her voice!
>I have no idea if she has operatic training, but I really wondered if she did after first hearing this song. I don't recall exactly but there might've been a mention of that? I can't remember but I do remember hearing about it. Anyway Gael's OST and bossfight is one of the best in the entirety of soulsborne. You basically fight someone a lot like yourself, and in the second and third phase you're fighting the titular dark soul that the franchise is named after. Its so cool. :)
@@adikavita436 Agreed! I was enamored with the idea of Gael’s fight and the musical accompaniment when I first came across it, and honestly…I still am :)
Now imagine - JUST IMAGINE! - a co-stream of Marco and Vaati working on lore from all possible perspectives :D That would be grand Thanks for the awesome video!)
your analysis was quite amazing. I love that these songs are composed with such thought and care to make them most fit the character(s) whose theme it is. I especially love this song for that, and also there's a slight bias there due to how Gael is probably the best boss fromsoft has created. your description about flailing around and spinning seriously sums up his phase 2 transition, where his attacks become more delayed and incredibly weighted, to the point where with every swing it looks like he's going to fall over. and phase 3 really does begin with him clawing at his face. I'm surprised with how well you described the actual fight through the song lol. + I just have to say it, he has this attack where he jumps into the air and shoots a repeating crossbow at you. so cool.
This fight is the best fight FromSoft had made to this day, by miles. No fights in Elden Ring (this is written pre-Shadow of the Erdtree release) even comes close.
It's interesting how the reception to both Gael and his theme have changed since Ringed City first released. At first, people felt like Gael was a weird choice for what was essentially the final boss of the series (because it was some guy we essentially just met who wasn't originally all that notable - he was just some guy who took you into Ariandel and provided weak help against Friede) and that his song was "messy" (I never really got this, honestly). Now he is (I think rightly) a well-liked boss and his story is equally appreciated. He's not just some guy, he's a mighty but tired warrior - much like you - determined to the point of striving for an eternity to help a person who could actually save humanity from the endless cycle of Light and Dark, battling with you at the end of time over the very Dark Soul itself and, at the end, finally letting go because he finally finished his task. His theme song is, as the demand for this video illustrates, as well-regarded too. It is a great piece of music that illustrates Gael's story very well.
I'm sure you're subconsciously remembering some pieces of the game, but this is pretty well on point. Good interpretation and thanks for your insight as always, Marco!
Gael, a man with hopelessness as birthright, found in a hopeless world, hope... A man, whose existence never meant to comprehend anything else besides being a exchangeable tool for the most ruthless battles in war, developed consciousness with values worth fighting for. A nobody, with no particular strengths and skills, willing to give everything he's got for a new world, believing that humanity deserves its place with unshakable faith. Fighting endlessly for his cause to the point he completely loses himself till the bitter end, still fulfilling his duty, even when long gone. Gods, Warriors, Demons, Dragons.... In the end, the so called nobody survived them all. In a world of gods, denying a place for humanity by all means, he became the champion not backing off. Slave Knight Gael is the endless rage of humanity, always for willing to exist.
Its kinda hard how to describe how I feel about this song. I think it has a finality to it though, Gael and the player fight at the end of time in dunes of ash over pretty much nothing, and that pointlessness to me really influences how I hear it. Its really just an epic theme, with some heroicism and even bittersweetness to it. Just two dudes who lived through it all brawling it out, a sendoff to the Souls trilogy.
I appreciate your insight to the song, but rather than this being directly about Gael, it's actually more of a grand farewell to Dark Souls as an entire series; so referring to the beginning of the video rather than Gael wanting to be set free, it's more about Dark Souls' last hurrah, and the significance that accompanies that. Surely Gael was taken into account when writing the song, and it is definitely tailored to his fight, but this was the last fight in the entire Dark Souls series, with no intent to return to the IP, and when viewed from that light, I think you can see how well all three of these peices really lend themselves to that.
It's so cool to listen to someone interpret the story of this Fromsoftware games just by listening to the game's music and to see how close you are to the truth. Very impressive! Well done!
i find it insane just how accurately people who understand music can interpret the meaning and reactions and phases and such of bosses based on just the music, it really shows me how much depth is truly packed into the notes of songs as for Gael, you are more or less spot on, except for his servitude, his former slavers now long gone he is in service of a lady who has given him meaning in the search for the dark soul no longer a slave per se, but still branded with the name i suppose. my favorite description of gael though, and what makes him my favorite fromsoft boss, is that you and gael are simply "Two nobodies, at the end of time, fighting over nothing." and what a poetic end for dark souls as a series, great video [despite me being two years late]
Oh my god he made it the madman! Jokes aside, I loved that your reactions hit exactly when mine tends to hit as well, that first female chorus drop is just bone chilling! Thanks Marco, I loved it!
Oh, I've been looking forward to this so very much. This song gripped me when I first experienced it in game, captivated me further when I sat down to listen to it on its own, and absolutely blew me away when I started looking up translations and transcriptions of the lyrics. The different parts of the choir are singing as Gael, trying desperately to keep his singular focus on his mission to gather the Dark Soul in his blood for the painting, and The Painter, crying out for him and wishing only for his return. A masterpiece.
The duty you mention it's to his granddaughter she wants to paint a world and she needs a special shade of paint which is the blood of the dark soul which is Gael's blood after he devours countless souls and becomes mad.The fight is very chaotic in a world after everything was destroyed,a wasteland.I think there is some humanity left in him which is reflected by those strings because he is with you on your journey in both dlcs and maybe he does not want to kill you but he can't contol himself.Also 7:50 that is not inaccurate at all that is an attack that he has,he grabs his head and explodes.
I thought you would love this one. It's a definite favorite that compliments an equivalently great boss! Darkeater Midir's theme is similar. I like a lot of the music from Dark Souls III, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring (even a few from Sekiro), so I actually listen to them regularly. With high-end headphones it's great to feel like I'm in the arena and listening to the orchestra and choir go all out. It's such powerful music, yet so niche.
Aye ive been waiting for this one, its truly an amazing song. Loved your reaction, pretty spot on with how i felt hearing it. 10/10 recommend Dark eater Midir if ya havent done that one yet
The fun part is, your descriptions are pretty spot on for what you suggest is going on at certain points. Like when the strings are playing and you say he's grabbed his face and freaks out, thats pretty much what actually happens, only more explosive.
*makes a prediction of the emotion behind the boss off the music* *proceeds to be correct* Damn bruh this is exceptional music reading. I’m in. Sub well earned
Please react to Darkeater Midir from DS3 eventually, it’s one of the best Fromsoft songs and by the same composer of Gael’s, Lady Maria’s and Malenia’s themes.
I know I am late - but this is an awesome idea for a channel and I'm going to check out more of your videos. It's very interesting to see what you take away from the music without knowing the lore, and honestly how close you have managed to get without knowing. Very impressive.
Fun fact, the main woman you hear in the vocals singing is actually the composer Yuka Kitamura herself!
she's got some good singing skills then
I'm shocked....
WAIT REALLY? Holy shit I never knew, jesus, makes it even cooler
@@Driemma0 yes also great profile picture
@@Ashley-the-fox thanks
The real beauty of this piece is seeing it in action. They choreographed the fight to match with the phase changes. When Gael gains the will to fight you after the first phase, and he jumps out at you with all his fury and might cloaking him in a swirling mass of red skulls... It's incredible to behold.
This exactly. I don't believe this is the best standalone composition in Fromsoft's games, nor even in just Dark Souls 3. However, hearing it in tandem with Gael's fight, an all-out battle between the last 2 living beings at the end of the world over the Dark Soul of Man itself, a chaotic (and incredibly well choreographed!) fight that is as unwanted as it is inevitable, created such a spectacle that made an impression on me I will never forget.
@@sheepy403 it's not even that the song needs the fight to work. Just having experienced it leaves an inprint that allows the song to maintain that quality on its own
Gael goes hollow in second phase, it isn't him anymore but the pure Dark Soul
Actually Gael dies after phase one and becomes a hollow. He has fulfilled his purpose and entrusts everything to you.
Problem is that he gets a lot stronger and his cape fucks people up
My jaw dropped when i first entered the second phase of the fight. Then i was grinning how incredible it was.
7:55 This is so accurate, in his 3rd phase he actually starts going crazy and starts screaming and slowly losing his sanity completely.
Third phase is even Gael anymore, he went hollow in the second phase cutscene as he completed his duty, all there is left is for you to put him down and give the blood of the Dark Soul to the painter as he knows he wouldn't make it back to her, but you're his last hope.
slowly?
@@emperorpalpatine373 I've heard it explained that the third phase is the Dark Soul itself, yearning to survive, outright clawing at life itself.
Actually is totally the opposite, if you see on the gameplay as well he starts attacking you like an animal, then he progressively becomes more human, he uses crossbow, spells and takes a more human posture
@@dekkan_0771 bit of a reverse ludwig situation; once he takes to two legs he becomes hollow, and even becomes weak to attacks from the hollowslayer sword in-game. loses his sanity but vigorous with the blood of the dark soul which is why his posture improves
This track hits different when you’re acfually fighting the boss, specially the 2nd and 3rd phases. Gael is one of the best, most climactic and visually epic fights in the franchise.
It's the theme of two nobodies fighting over nothing in the dusty carcass of the world. It's brilliant.
@@GrayderFox it’s literally two gods, but ok
@@lewispooper3138 If barely anyone knows of your existence, you are a nobody
@@lewispooper3138 I wouldn't call the unkindled a god.
I'd say that he is, no boss has reached his level of perfection, not isshin, not ludwig and not any of elden rings bosses, in my opinion the fight is literally perfect, it has no bullshit, is challenging but fair, and is visually awesome and has great music
i love how yuka kitamura strung the melody for the gorgeous piece “for the dark soul” into the third phase of this song. it blew me away
Yuka is a god
so you knew "for the dark soul" before fighting gael? i discovered it like a month ago, when did it release?
@@shred0164 honestly no idea. im pretty sure it was released with the ringed city dlc but i could be wrong. i just enjoy listening to the soundtrack and have beat ds3 like 5 times
@@shred0164 It came with the game as the display music for the playstation but it never actually plays in the game itself
It came in a ps4 dynamic theme
"What, still here? Hand it over. That thing, your dark soul. For my lady's painting."
Fun fact: He's one of the few bosses that has 3 phases.
Luckily not 3 health bars
@@DaisyBee11he's got enough health for other bosses to have 3 health bars and not have as much lol
I really loved this boss but hated that sister friede had 3 seperate health bars, that's why I struggled alot with that boss
5:50 You're right on the complete loss of control for Gael, but it's because he has consumed nearly every shred of humanity in the world at this point; except yours. This swirling chaos in front of you isn't a lack of humanity, it's the very pinnacle of what humanity can be. Such a tragic character, and a fun fight.
I'd recommend Champion's Gravetender next, wild track that I think you'll like.
It's actually the opposite though, right? The first phase is where he lost all control, crawling on the ground like a beast and swinging his sword wildly. The second phase is where Gael temporarily REGAINS control and actually starts fighting like the human he used to be, using his miracles and crossbow.
@@qaasi95 uh, no?? He literally hollows mid fight, that's the transition into phase 2. How on earth did you miss that??
@@Taiakami777 No, I get that he saw that his blood already became the perfect ink for the Lady, he realized his purpose was done, and then became the most hollowed hollow to ever hollow, with so much dark in him he could attract lighting. I don't know what I was talking about, I think I was so focused on discussing the actual physical language of his attack patterns that I forgot he turned hollow even if he acted more human.
@@qaasi95 fair fair :3
I’m hoping he does champions Gravetender next, it’s an underwhelming fight but it’s music is one of the best in the game
Alrighty "quick" Gael lore dump for context
Residing inside a world stuck in an endless cycle once existed a glorious painting that itself hid the painted world of Ariendel. However as all things eventually come to a fitting end, all that remains of the painting is a pathetic rotting scrap guarded by an old man bound by promise to fulfill the destiny of his niece, who within the cold and diseased lands of Ariandel continues to paint a new world that will exist as a refuge. However with Gael's assistance you clear the guardian of the church and continue into the Ringed City, a place at the end of time where everyone everything has forgotten its purpose and gone hollow or been reduced to pitiful ash, all except Gael. Somehow lasting until the end of time itself he leaves torn off pieces of his red cloak to guide you through this horrid wasteland until you can find him, however he is not the same man. Gael himself upon finally finding the pygmy lords gouges them as he finally goes Hollow in your battle within him, as at this point you, the embodiment of the first flame, battle against the embodiment of the Dark Soul itself and after he is dead it is revealed that this was his plan all along, raising you to become a champion strong enough to kill him so his promise could be fulfilled long after driven mad. So harvesting the blood from your once friend, you take it back to the painter in Ariendel, who even in the burning attic of a church continues vigilantly to use this new bloody pigment to conceive a new world, where perhaps someone may finally find refuge from the cruel cycle of this world.
so your painting name was "Ash" . I see. We are much alike
Small correction: The painter is likely not Gael's actual niece. The word used by the Painter in the Japanese version implies that Gael is a "trustworthy old man", not her actual uncle.
I suppose that makes him more of a Godfather figure then, but I didn't know that so thanks for letting me know!
She's not his niece, she's his lady.
@@AnonymousInternetUserLaine Uncle is an Honorific in Japanese, not a title.
For those who had read Berserk, this is the song i´ve always imagine that Guts and Griffith would have in a final fight.
oh fuck this aged very good, berserk is back
@@zacatrg WAIT WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW?!
@@kameronjohnson3888 Miura's close friend Kouji Mouri (author of Holyland) is taking the lead. Chapter 365 and 366 are already out by now. Go read it, pretty interesting visuals
It's a good analogy. Who will win? The man who sold everything for power, or the man who gains power because he lost everything.
Fun fact: the souls series is heavily inspired from beserk
I'm glad to see you're listening to the released album version XD. It's the best version of the song wih all 3 phases and no repetition or awkward fading out. Just a complete suite of epicness.
th-cam.com/video/-mq6W1FfJwM/w-d-xo.html
What do you think about this version? The Latin version haha
Also this style of music is Latin and the name of the game itself now behold
Slave Knight Gael is without a doubt my most listened song from FromSoft games, if not all of gaming OST. It never fails to invokve the feeling of absolute awe and tragedy. Some of my favourite moments are the strings in the background for the first part, that sound like a steadily growing wind; the completely *insane* brass lines throughout the entire piece; and most importantly, the female voice serenading us with a desperate, mourning aria. I love every single second and I can recite it from memory at this point.
Agreed I can't get enough of this song, it's pure perfection to me.
Its the complete package, feelings of awe, gracefulness, despair, rage, excitement, etc.
Idk, its the best song in all of fromsofts games in my opinion, the only one that gets close is ludwig's
Same bro
Personally for me it would be "For the dark souls", but they're still connected.
"The red-hooded, wandering slave knight Gael sought the blood of the dark soul as pigment for the Painted World. But Gael knew he was no Champion, that the dark soul would likely ruin him and that he had little hope of a safe return."
"Used as pigment by his lady in Ariandel to depict a painted world.
When Gael came upon the pygmy lords, he discovered that their blood had long ago dried, and so consumed the dark soul."
From the Soul of Slave Knight Gael and Blood of the Dark Soul lore tab
8:24 This bit always sends a shiver down my spine
Dear god...the fight with this man, if you can even call him that, hit me like a truck. His whole arc was told over two DLC's and I completely forgot he was the one that sent you on that journey in the first place. I hadn't seen him since the first time we met and the fight was foreshadowed so subtlety. So when I found him at the end of a wasteland pointing a sword at me, I was completely thrown off, then I realized-"oh damn, this is how it's got to be, isn't it?"
Hand it over... that thing.... your musical review
🤣🤣🤣
Kos, or some would say Kosm. Reviews, grant us Reviews…
Twas nobly fought...
It's incredible what Marco can make out of just the song without having played the game.
He said he has played it, but he tends to not remember the music because he's concentrating on the fight.
@@SolaScientia You're right he said he did play it but couldn't remember this theme
My bad
@@ImWhyMortalsCry No worries. He's said in other vids on DS3 and Bloodborne tracks that he tends to not remember the music even though he's played them.
It's how Opera works actually, you can literally HEAR the scenes... it's awesome.
Yuka Kitamura and team did an outstanding job with the Souls/Born music... I haven't played Elden Ring yet, but I'm pretty sure that the OST will be dope too
Gael was the perfect boss to end the Dark Souls trilogy
perfect in every was tbh best boss oat
when it comes to "Best Fromsoft music", Im particularly a fan of Ludwig The Holy Blade
the way the music was revealed to me in the accompanying cinematic and then gameplay was the most glorious, haunting moments I ever experienced
ludwig's ost is amazing but the boss fight itself is meh
I love how this song escalates. It's constantly growing stronger, more complex and more severe. Just like the fight itself (which unusally for souls bosses has three phases) and in the environment.
In the first phase Gael is almost bestial running on all fours, leaping and bounding, wildly flailing with his sword. The battle takes place in the largest battlefield yet, a vast almost empty landscape filled with dunes of ash. Then in second phase which has taken the battle to the ruins of a court that still remains in the fields of ashes, Gael rises up and for the first time grabs his sword with both hands and now he fights you like a human while in the environment the wind begins to rise as the storm is approaching. And then in final phase, Gael brings out the big guns, escalates his attacks and uses all the tools he has at his disposal to take you down and at this point the raging storm has arrived with thunder roaring and lightning striking the ground all around you.
It's an epic battle in the grandest sense. And it's just two last remaining dudes duking it out for hardly any reason at all, one driven mad by his long quest, the other simply trying to defend himself. And when it ends... no fanfare or anything. The storm passes and you are left all alone in a dead world. No ending cutscene, no nothing. Your reward: a mcguffin that you can take back to someone in the distant past to get a vague promise of a happy ending.
Midir, Malenia, even Manus unprepared might be harder. But Gael is just... something else. Music synchs up perfectly with his phases and choreograpy, never felt that "I" was fighting enemy so much, you and him at end of the world and time, he is not even evil, he is just man of duty, that went a little mad. And its still noteworthy he HELPED you before you broke Fillianore sphere, on Demon princes, showed you how to jump... This is probably one of best boss battles EVER, not only in fromsoft games. Also how you two, standing there, differ - Ashen one - literally awoken zombie without any reason to live or kindling fire, just being pushed by fate, vs man who sacrificed everything for his lady, duty - himselft, world, future and everyone else. He wasn't any choosen one, ashen one, god - just man with some luck that become stronger and stronger and made it to end of the world.
DUDE, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE. LETS GOOOO! And still knocking it out with the boss fight descriptions through the feelings of the music! Great video as always!
The feminine voice at 1:11 represent his duty to a little girl who wants to create a paint which can be a sweet home to all the lost souls in the the game lore
An yes, in this world you can paint anything and transform it into an actual place (you have to pass through the paint )
Finally! Probably the best OST from Souls games.
You should try Sister Friede and Pontiff Sullyvahn themes next! :)
Sorry but this spot its owned by Sinh theme in my mind
Oh yes Pontiff and Sister Friede themes are good especially because they come coupled with nightmares.
@@AmritZoad ah yes, Ole' Three Phase Friede
Hopefully Nashandra's theme too
Up vote
I really love your reactions to the Souls music so much. Seeing the expressions on your face, hearing your analysis. It brings me joy. Thank you so much. Subscribed.
Thank you so much!
I couldn't even remember his theme until the song started
Then it all came back
I must replay DS3 man
here 2 years later to express that i just had the same experience. what a production
DS3 has some insane tracks. This, Midir is another badass song, Vordt which goes so unnecessarily hard in the 2nd half, and my personal favorite Yhorm.
A battle in the end of the world, The world you're fighting on is doomed..and you and Gael and the last "living" thing on it before the end.
A battle were no one will emerge victorious, It's the end.
What an epic battle and setting for the ultimate boss of the Dark souls series, what a conclusion.
What love is you and Gael are no different two meaningless hollows fighting yourself, the embodiment of the chosen undead, bearer of the curse and ashen one
As good as this song is, it’s not one that I’d typically listen to outside of the game. It works incredibly during an electrifying fight with Slave Knight Gael, but I’d rather listen to the music of Vordt, Soul of Cinder, or Nameless King on their own when it comes to DS3. Maybe I’m just subconsciously making sure the song stays fresh so I can always enjoy the boss fight to the fullest?
Try going to a public park and swinging on the swingings very aggressively while blasting this through headphones and suddenly you’ll be electrified, I promise 🤣
Ok, but in all seriousness, I did that once during ash fall because of some nearby brushfires, so I was coughing my lungs out and my eyes were watering badly, but the adrenaline of swinging so quickly through that while playing this song on repeat was kind of awesome. The sun was blood red and everything. I was in DS3 for a day!
Yea I can't listen to this song as a whole outside of the game either. I listen to an extended version of the first phase fairly often outside of the game though as that's my favourite part of the song.
Always a Banger IMO 🔥
**me listening to this song religiously outside the game**
I have the same feeling with Ebrieta's soundtrack, the last minute of her theme doesn't hit the same without her Call Beyond attack
2 nobodies fighting in a middle of nowhere for nothing. Gosh i love this fight so much
The best in the game imo, probably my favorite Yuka Kitamura piece. Gael is still at the top of my list, including Elden Ring bosses.
@@abandon4 another Gael enjoyer here
Definitely a more fulfilling, fair, difficult and spectacular fight than anything in elden ring
@@abandon4 I think they got too much on their hands. The issue with ER is that you can't just insert a souls game into a gigantic map and make it work by adding two new terrain traversal mechanics. The main focus should always be the main content, improving upon previous titles, which wasn't the case save for a few bosses... The game suffered from filler, they prioritized size over innovation (jumping was a thing on the sega genesis ffs)
Coming from your second ludwig video as you said in the vid I watched. Your channel deserves a lot of support
I absolutely love this song. I've been playing specifically DS3 for over 4 years now and have almost 3k hours on the game. And you know what? Every fight with Gael, I cry. His song is filled with regret, saturated with such pain that every time I hear this song, I cry. I sincerely feel sorry for him, and for 4 years I still cannot overcome myself. Every time it feels like I'm killing my best friend with my own hands. It hurt a lot more when someone did a translation of his song and my God, I wish I didn't know. Even if I'm in a great mood, but I hear Gael's song, that's it, bring a bunch of handkerchiefs, because there will be a lot of tears.
No song made me feel so strong feelings like this one.
Thank you madam, Yuka Kitamura.
4:10 this piano, imo it represents the player and their place in this fight, the volume is too low in comparison to the other instruments and yet is trying to show off, carefully dodging and attacking, doing their best, I think it's the only song that has this moment to represent the player, that's because Gael questline is indeed about the player too, traveling, getting powerful, seeking and consuming Dark Souls, being a slave...
It's also quite a sad theme considering Gael willingly corrupted himself all for the sake of delivering the Dark Soul to his lady. And in the end, your character can't tell her that her Uncle Gael will never return cause you could tell that the painter viewed Gael with affection and love like a paternal figure and wouldn't want him to bring harm upon himself if she knew the lengths he went to retrieve the Dark Soul for her.
8:00 absolutely spot on lol. Down to the description of the poses and body language. Even though he's actually in his most berserk state in the first phase of the fight, his 2nd phase is where he regains his conscience and the minor 3rd phase (which is the transition and part of the piece you were referring to) is when he becomes just as aggressive as he was in his 1st phase but now with the same grace and composure as he regained in his 2nd phase.
Slave Knight Gael is one of the only pieces of music that make me emotional, can't even hum along to it without getting teary eyed lol. the fight, the music, the visuals and the story implications of the fight make one of the most beautiful set pieces I've ever seen in any form of art, absolutely brilliant way to end the Souls saga
Its scary how many details you always get about the situation the music is depicting. This is a testament both to fromsoft for having such great composers but also to your well trained ear for dissecting the song so well.
Still my favourite theme honestly it's just so good, love your perspective and how you explain what it makes you think of, it's very fitting to Gael's story.
It sounds incomplete without his angered grunts and screams, the slamming of his broken sword against us and the ground and the strikes of lightning in the last phase which all synced up perfectly with the music like they were instruments on their own.
100%
Had to click as soon as i saw the title. Hope you had a blast with the OST you should check out Dark Souls 1 music, since not many people do.
the part at 8:23 is also a throwback to the main theme of dark souls 3 (the main menu theme) and its there to tie up the game in a satisfying way I'd say. The last part of the song from the last battle of the last game was hinted from the beginning.
What I love most about the beginning of this song is there's a duality of the meaning, like it is expressing Gael and him being sworn to his duty, but it can be interpreted as also being about the player at that point. We've reached the end of time, we've destroyed everything in our path to get here and now it is our duty to put Gael down after he's consumed so much Dark he's gone mad. There's that solemn feeling when that music hits entering the boss room and everything is ash and decay around you and you have to run across this nothingness to fight someone that's helped you fight along your journey, who has been irrevocably corrupted trying to achieve his mission.
This music is just amplified if it does along with the actual fight I can definitely tell you that. I died the first time I got to the final phase because the music had stunned me so much I lost focus on the actual attacks going on.
The lyrics in this track is also a masterpiece, telling us the story of the Red hood knight and his painter.
I would highly recommend listening to Orphan of Kos too.
I can't find the lyrics, can you share the link?
@@il2110 just search on TH-cam and one of the first two videos shows the lyrics in English and Latin.
Seconded, a link to the lyrics would be dope
It doesn't have lyrics.
It's aaaahs and ooooohs generated by a synthesizer.
Only game with actual lyrics is Bloodborne
@@bbbbKeJodddd There are sooo many "lyric videos" for Elden Ring tracks out there, but everytime you click on the video, it's just some guy who has transcribed utter gibberish and a comment field full of pitiable people clamouring for a translation for something that can't be translated since they think it has to be Latin.
I'm just so happy music brings people together like this. Whether you were a professional or know nothing about theory, everyone enjoys their own music. Pieces like these and so many others really just bring out the best in many communities. Makes me happy that even as such a young channel thay you are reaching out to people like me. Love you man even though I'm just another viewer to everyone
Of course :)
He somehow learned Gael’s whole character by listening to Gael’s theme…
I've commented many times before but I just love how you also never talk when the music is on, and pause it when you wanna talk.
So we (you and the community, us) just vibe together and then we can enjoy you talking about the music. It's really one of the best Music Reaction format I've seen on TH-cam !
Aw thank you! I believe the pauses are essential. The music is the star. :)
I always love your reactions to fromsoftware music
Its alwyas so crazy to me how u make these observations from just the music and you are always spot on.
your descriptions were insanely accurate, lol. love how well you're able to read the contents of the fight purely through the implication the music gives, very impressive
Incredible video dude, looking forward to other reactions.
100% goosebumps. This sits on top of the video game soundtracks for me.
Slave knight Gael was the perfect send off for the dark souls series the music and the fight is amazing
the contrast of a man. Gael was a slave while Gwyn was born a god, yet they contrast each other. Gael was nothing but a worthless undead slave, yet he outlived every god, killed countless creatures, died millions of times, and consumed the Pygmy's for their Dark Soul. Gael never failed in his mission, and nobody but you- a lowly piece of unkindled ash- will remember him. 2 warriors- the last 2 living things- at the end of time doing what they do best: fighting "For the Dark Soul".
Gael was the one who got me out of my depressive funk, and i owe it to him for still sticking around. it's my duty to never forget such a memorable man who reminds me of another man i knew in life- both having similar stories with similar endings. it may sound pathetic to say a random boss in an optional dlc inside a virtual world made me get better, but it's something that helped me nonetheless. we could all be a lot more like Gael- in the sense we stay determined to see our goals through to the end no matter how long it takes.
the soundtrack itself is beautiful. 3 main pieces of perfection to reflect each stage of the fight:
a soldier
duty
desperation
Gael is nothing but *a soldier* until he goes Hollow and goes back on his *duty* to fight until he takes too much damage, and the he fights with the Dark Soul inside him. he becomes *desperate* to kill you, like an animal backed into a corner. he does everything in his power to kill you. the last 2 people on the planet- the 2 most powerful beings- duke it out in the ashen remains of the world at the end of time all for a weapon that's utterly useless when there is no world left.
The entire track is amazing from start to finish but something about 8:25 is just awe-inspiring. Like you said it’s berserk and specifically at 7:15 it just sounds unholy? Like darkness and foreboding. But at 8:25 it feels so angelic and serene such a nice contrast.
Also a big fan of how aggressively those strings in the back are played at 8:44. I love the shimmer to close this song out as well calming things down. I could literally go on about this track it’s so good.
Your assessment of the character was very accurate too! These songs tell a story. If you’re gonna do DS3 again. I’d definitely recommend Twin Princes. Since people are already asking for Darkeater Midir.
Twin princes is a contender for top track
To me this piece is so magical. I remember fighting Gael so vividly. I had just gotten through my first Dark Souls game; I had beaten every boss, done the best sidequests, and traveled to the literal ends of the earth. All on my first playthrough too! It was such a journey, I got so attached to the characters, the story, and the locations. I got attached to MY character, I wore the iconic elite knight armour the whole way through, and fully upgraded my flask. But man the build up to this last fight was just spectacular, it's what made the game for me.
I'd saved so many people, killed so many monsters, killed the last lord of cinder, and then decided to finish the dlc first before choosing an ending. I was told that we needed blood from the Dark Soul to create a painting of a new world that would live peacefully. Somewhere better than the dying world of Lords and Cinder. I'd watched the Vaati video about Gael, and saw how he'd sacrificed his body for the sake of the painting. It felt like a hail mary last ditch attempt to save humanity! So I travelled to the future, he'd consumed the Dark Soul, and he asked me to strike him down for his blood. The fight is pretty tame at the start too, it's fairly easy, but then he starts to lose his sanity, and the music started blasting! The best part was the image of two powerful humans fighting in the dust and rubble of the end of time, I was covered in ember, and Gaels long ass cape had flowed in red skulls. In that third phase it was insane lol. Right when the music reaches it's huge climax Gael's moves we're actually tying into the music! He jumps up, summons lightning from the storm of clouds, and blasts it at you. So badass! And after I'd beaten him (first try btw 😎), taken the blood, and given it to the painter, she decided to name the painting after me! I told her I had no name, so she gave me one: Ash.
I'll forever remember Dark Souls 3 as the biggest climactic end to a game ever; the journey of Ash, the era of The Lords of Cinder, and how the First Flame finally died out
I am always so impressed by your ability to dissect a soundtrack and so accurately muse on it's meaning without any contextual knowledge.
its crazy how accurate you are at interperating the fight threw the music.
One of my absolute favourite boss and soundtrack especially 5:31 when you fight him this lines up perfectly with a certain attack (won’t say which attack just incase)
i hope u were talking about the jumping machine gun move. i get chills thinking about that with the music. absolutely too good.
@@manman-fq4zw yep that’s the one it’s just brilliant it can’t get anymore better than that XD.
This song fits so many roles. The triumphant end of a mans quest, the end of the world, the last hurrah of a franchise. All rolled into an elegant, brutal, and mind numbingly enchanting package.
And what you said about the end of the song, when it suddenly ends, like the characters have put down their weapons is absolutely right and fitting.
Its not just the end of their fight, the end of their world, the end of the franchise, its the end for us, the players. This is the last experience we will ever have of dark souls, at least the last unique one. This is the final moment the series has been building up to, and the silence after that.
A warrior, alone in a world burned by the ambition of an old man afraid of the dark, clutching the power that had been usurped long ago. Even now, the dark will not get what it was owed, and instead will be used to try and make something new.
Goodbye, dark souls. You will be missed, but never forgotten.
Triumph is the main thing I take away from this piece. Once phase 2 hits we get this fanfare because Gael has finally won and he knows it. But it's not just his triumph it's the triumph of the player and the whole series because this is the very end of dark souls and instead of it ending with the meaningless continuation of the fire or the world going into the unknown of another age of dark, it's ending with the creation of a new world to be better than the last. It's ending with meaning in a franchise defined by hopelessness and futility.
It's honestly a testament to how much attention to detail FromSoft pays to their games, when someone can literally only listen to the music of a boss and tell you exactly who they are, how they fight and how the battle ends. Just with the part about the second phase where Marco talks about the Slave Knight and his will to fight, you see from that point forward, Slave Knight is now for all intents and purposes *insane* and is not trying to kill you out of a sense of duty but rather survival instinct. Everything else is spot on.
Gael is definitely in the top twenty best Soulsborne tracks, in my opinion…and well, according to the community, it seems like that’s been pretty backed up. Dark Souls 3 is one of those soundtracks where almost every song is just stellar. I’ve been listening for so long and it never gets old, honestly. But to be fair, I think you also have to appreciate music with less melody and more story-telling/atmosphere to really enjoy it, which clearly you do!
Also fun fact! This is another Kitamura song, so that solo soprano voice that rises above the heavy male chanting is her own once again. I have no idea if she has operatic training, but I really wondered if she did after first hearing this song. Either way, I love her voice!
>I have no idea if she has operatic training, but I really wondered if she did after first hearing this song.
I don't recall exactly but there might've been a mention of that? I can't remember but I do remember hearing about it. Anyway Gael's OST and bossfight is one of the best in the entirety of soulsborne. You basically fight someone a lot like yourself, and in the second and third phase you're fighting the titular dark soul that the franchise is named after. Its so cool. :)
@@adikavita436 Agreed! I was enamored with the idea of Gael’s fight and the musical accompaniment when I first came across it, and honestly…I still am :)
Arguably the best boss fight in the entire fromsoft catalog.
He's not even in my personal top 10 but he's great
Now imagine - JUST IMAGINE! - a co-stream of Marco and Vaati working on lore from all possible perspectives :D
That would be grand
Thanks for the awesome video!)
i love how this guy see how the fight is just to listening to the ost, love your vids greets from Spain!
Hola!
your analysis was quite amazing. I love that these songs are composed with such thought and care to make them most fit the character(s) whose theme it is. I especially love this song for that, and also there's a slight bias there due to how Gael is probably the best boss fromsoft has created. your description about flailing around and spinning seriously sums up his phase 2 transition, where his attacks become more delayed and incredibly weighted, to the point where with every swing it looks like he's going to fall over. and phase 3 really does begin with him clawing at his face. I'm surprised with how well you described the actual fight through the song lol.
+ I just have to say it, he has this attack where he jumps into the air and shoots a repeating crossbow at you. so cool.
Ooh I love Gael's theme, especially the transition from 2nd to 3rd phase.
This fight is the best fight FromSoft had made to this day, by miles. No fights in Elden Ring (this is written pre-Shadow of the Erdtree release) even comes close.
It's interesting how the reception to both Gael and his theme have changed since Ringed City first released.
At first, people felt like Gael was a weird choice for what was essentially the final boss of the series (because it was some guy we essentially just met who wasn't originally all that notable - he was just some guy who took you into Ariandel and provided weak help against Friede) and that his song was "messy" (I never really got this, honestly).
Now he is (I think rightly) a well-liked boss and his story is equally appreciated. He's not just some guy, he's a mighty but tired warrior - much like you - determined to the point of striving for an eternity to help a person who could actually save humanity from the endless cycle of Light and Dark, battling with you at the end of time over the very Dark Soul itself and, at the end, finally letting go because he finally finished his task.
His theme song is, as the demand for this video illustrates, as well-regarded too. It is a great piece of music that illustrates Gael's story very well.
i think the fact that he's a nobody lends itself...because that's what you are in dark souls when you start
a nobody
I'm sure you're subconsciously remembering some pieces of the game, but this is pretty well on point. Good interpretation and thanks for your insight as always, Marco!
Hey Marco, I appreciate your analysis of this song and of the Fromsoft OST's. Much appreciated man
Gael, a man with hopelessness as birthright, found in a hopeless world, hope... A man, whose existence never meant to comprehend anything else besides being a exchangeable tool for the most ruthless battles in war, developed consciousness with values worth fighting for.
A nobody, with no particular strengths and skills, willing to give everything he's got for a new world, believing that humanity deserves its place with unshakable faith.
Fighting endlessly for his cause to the point he completely loses himself till the bitter end, still fulfilling his duty, even when long gone.
Gods, Warriors, Demons, Dragons.... In the end, the so called nobody survived them all.
In a world of gods, denying a place for humanity by all means, he became the champion not backing off.
Slave Knight Gael is the endless rage of humanity, always for willing to exist.
'there is a...flailing, with great violence' yeah...yeah that sums up gaels fighting style pretty damn well. mans is a dang blender
I hope you always keep making reactions for fromsoftware games, they are amazing, but your reactions are completely on spot.
Its kinda hard how to describe how I feel about this song. I think it has a finality to it though, Gael and the player fight at the end of time in dunes of ash over pretty much nothing, and that pointlessness to me really influences how I hear it. Its really just an epic theme, with some heroicism and even bittersweetness to it. Just two dudes who lived through it all brawling it out, a sendoff to the Souls trilogy.
I appreciate your insight to the song, but rather than this being directly about Gael, it's actually more of a grand farewell to Dark Souls as an entire series; so referring to the beginning of the video rather than Gael wanting to be set free, it's more about Dark Souls' last hurrah, and the significance that accompanies that. Surely Gael was taken into account when writing the song, and it is definitely tailored to his fight, but this was the last fight in the entire Dark Souls series, with no intent to return to the IP, and when viewed from that light, I think you can see how well all three of these peices really lend themselves to that.
Marco, your face is so expressive when you listen to these tracks!
It's so cool to listen to someone interpret the story of this Fromsoftware games just by listening to the game's music and to see how close you are to the truth. Very impressive! Well done!
i find it insane just how accurately people who understand music can interpret the meaning and reactions and phases and such of bosses based on just the music, it really shows me how much depth is truly packed into the notes of songs
as for Gael, you are more or less spot on, except for his servitude, his former slavers now long gone he is in service of a lady who has given him meaning in the search for the dark soul no longer a slave per se, but still branded with the name i suppose.
my favorite description of gael though, and what makes him my favorite fromsoft boss, is that you and gael are simply "Two nobodies, at the end of time, fighting over nothing."
and what a poetic end for dark souls as a series, great video [despite me being two years late]
i wonder why? wink wink ;)
7:10 you can sense the madness
Oh my god he made it the madman! Jokes aside, I loved that your reactions hit exactly when mine tends to hit as well, that first female chorus drop is just bone chilling! Thanks Marco, I loved it!
Oh, I've been looking forward to this so very much. This song gripped me when I first experienced it in game, captivated me further when I sat down to listen to it on its own, and absolutely blew me away when I started looking up translations and transcriptions of the lyrics. The different parts of the choir are singing as Gael, trying desperately to keep his singular focus on his mission to gather the Dark Soul in his blood for the painting, and The Painter, crying out for him and wishing only for his return. A masterpiece.
The duty you mention it's to his granddaughter she wants to paint a world and she needs a special shade of paint which is the blood of the dark soul which is Gael's blood after he devours countless souls and becomes mad.The fight is very chaotic in a world after everything was destroyed,a wasteland.I think there is some humanity left in him which is reflected by those strings because he is with you on your journey in both dlcs and maybe he does not want to kill you but he can't contol himself.Also 7:50 that is not inaccurate at all that is an attack that he has,he grabs his head and explodes.
Not granddaughter, his adopted niece
The final punch in the gut is when she wondered when uncle Gael would come home.
3:50 is this the blood of the dark soul?
2:50 bro guessed the entire lore of gael from his ost, genius
That says how good was created the osts for ds3 good and enjoyable bossfights
I was so excited to see you listen to this one and im so glad you like it
"Give it to me.... that thing.... your dark soul.... for my ladies painting."
I thought you would love this one. It's a definite favorite that compliments an equivalently great boss! Darkeater Midir's theme is similar. I like a lot of the music from Dark Souls III, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring (even a few from Sekiro), so I actually listen to them regularly. With high-end headphones it's great to feel like I'm in the arena and listening to the orchestra and choir go all out. It's such powerful music, yet so niche.
My absolute favorite fromsoftware OST! I'm so glad it finally made it to the channel, I think it fits very well here 😁👍
It doesn't sound right without the smashing of his sword that somehow matches up with the song
Aye ive been waiting for this one, its truly an amazing song. Loved your reaction, pretty spot on with how i felt hearing it. 10/10 recommend Dark eater Midir if ya havent done that one yet
The fun part is, your descriptions are pretty spot on for what you suggest is going on at certain points. Like when the strings are playing and you say he's grabbed his face and freaks out, thats pretty much what actually happens, only more explosive.
It's like you were watching this boss fight when you were describing the actions behind the music which ( your description) is spot on BTW
On the money matey really good analysis.
I was been waiting for this reaction :)
*makes a prediction of the emotion behind the boss off the music*
*proceeds to be correct*
Damn bruh this is exceptional music reading. I’m in. Sub well earned
Such a good piece for the boss! Absolutely love it. Thanks for the analysis!
Please react to Darkeater Midir from DS3 eventually, it’s one of the best Fromsoft songs and by the same composer of Gael’s, Lady Maria’s and Malenia’s themes.
and also how gael lifts a small section of midir's theme in phase 2..
God bless YUKA KITAMURA
this track beats anything in demon's, ds1, 2, sekiro, bloodborne, or elden ring for me. thanks for covering this one marco :)
I know I am late - but this is an awesome idea for a channel and I'm going to check out more of your videos. It's very interesting to see what you take away from the music without knowing the lore, and honestly how close you have managed to get without knowing. Very impressive.
8:26 absolute cinema🙌