TOP Tracks #31 - "The Decisive Battle"

• Track: "The Decisive Battle"
• Composer: Uematsu Nobuo
• Game: Final Fantasy VI
• System: Super Nintendo
• Release: October, 1994 (NA)

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I've got to be honest with you, I originally rated this song as rather average. Over the last couple of weeks, deciding upon our finalists, I had to listen to this song several times. It's simply not one of my favorite Uematsu Nobuo songs. I tried to clear my mind and focus simply on the music, pushing aside all that I know about "Final Fantasy" or Uematsu Nobuo. It was my best attempt at objectivity and as a result I decided it was quite an excellent piece on its own merit. I rated it above average, and due to our complex algorithm beyond the understanding of most men, it managed to secure the final spot in the TOP 31 Tracks of Music May. 

My brother and I decided years ago that the one thing Uematsu does exceptionally well is battle theme music and "The Decisive Battle" is a real example of how he uses beat and tempo to create such a dramatic, emotional, and tense sensation. The song itself takes me back to fighting the boss, Ultros, for the very first time. Ultros would end up becoming a recurring joke character, not only in Final Fantasy VI, but in several subsequent entries in the franchise - often as an optional, humorous side-quest or download content. I must attest to you here, though, that the first fight with Ultros was no laughing matter for me at the young age of fourteen. It was that winter of 1994 that I was bundled up at my dad's house - a temporary housing arrangement in the center of Pepperell, MA, due to an unfortunate house fire earlier that year - with my brother and best friend beside me. Final Fantasy VI was like a dream come true after how much I had enjoyed Final Fantasy IV. It really pushed the Super Nintendo to the limit and as a result, it blew my mind.

- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog

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This is my JAM! Between the years of 2005 and 2009, "The Decisive Battle" was my favorite song. Those were my college years, and it was during those years I developed an odd habit. As college kids are known to do, my friends and I would get really, really drunk. If I wasn't with a girl at the end of the night (read: almost every night), I would be unwilling to go to bed. All my roommates would pass out, but I'd be up at 4am ready to roll. What was an inebriated college kid to do? The answer, of course, is RAGE!

I'd grab my iPod, throw on a hoodie, and wander around town raging through the wee hours of the night. Of course, I'd be head banging as I stumbled through the quiet streets, but every once in a while a song would come on that really kicked the adrenaline up a notch. "The Decisive Battle" was one of those songs. I had no choice but to fight the shadows with my kung fu as the sun began to rise on the horizon. This playlist on my iPod was titled "FIGHT!" 

"The Decisive Battle" is one of my favorite tracks from composer, Uematsu Nobuo. It has his iconic introduction: a heart pounding beat that builds up into the rocking melody. I think music has immeasurable power. It can bring you down, or it can raise you up. This track is one of the latter. It's a "death throes" song. It plays when the cards are stacked against you. All you can say to the situation is, "This is it, boys. It's us or them." 

- Deez
@Deezer509

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