Elden Ring - Song of Despair (Remix of Frenzied Flame Merchant)

I'm going to leave this pinned for a while so anyone coming by can get updated on what's happened to my channel recently: I was targeted by Bandai Namco and specifically had covers I made from Dark Souls 3 removed as a copyright takedown (even one of my originals can you believe it). As a response to this I made private all my covers and relevant videos that involve music owned by Bandai Namco, in order to stop getting three strikes as part of YouTube's rules and prevent an account termination. Despite this, it happened anyway and I was given the notification that I had seven days before I'd lose everything here on YouTube. Thankfully due to some good connections and support through social media I was able to get some of the strikes removed and some of my videos restored. I still believe what's happened isn't entirely legal and to be honest I'm not 100% sure why the representatives of Bandai Namco backed down on the videos they did. I'm in the process of potentially working with a group that will be able to give my music protection when necessary, however I am not out of the woods yet. I have had people ask about this song in particular. I've already seen it reuploaded once to YouTube and I'm not entirely comfortable about that, even if it is in the best interests to keep it alive. So I'm making it public again and taking a chance based on these things: Bandai Namco hasn't targeted any of my Elden Ring material yet, the original song wasn't released on the soundtrack and by that account I'm not entirely sure Bandai Namco has the right to say they own that song (especially now Fromsoft owns the Elden Ring IP, even if BN are still involved), and finally I can spare one copyright strike on my channel so I'm willing to take that chance. Also, in the video description is a link to the song available on Bandcamp. It's always been there and you can bookmark or download that song (for free if you wish, enter 0 when it asks for payment) to make sure you always have it. The reason why this song isn't on Spotify or other services is because the original violin piece was not released on the official Elden Ring soundtrack, with my current distributor who handles the licensing of my covers they cannot license a song that doesn't exist on the soundtrack. I hope I can find a way in the future to distribute the song to all platforms but for now I am limited on where I can release it. If you love the song though I highly suggest downloading the song for free. As it is a cover I am not asking for your money, but if you wish to support me it would be extremely appreciated and I have a large discount on my discography. I would release the covers on Bandcamp for free but for some reason they do now allow free songs to appear in someone's collection on their account, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. This has been quite a long message so I'll wrap it up with a big thank you for all the support I've received, it's been very stressful and hurts as a content creator for something like this to happen. We shall see if I have interest to cover music in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC coming in June, but I have plans to work on my albums and game soundtracks in the near future. And it's been amazing to see how much love there has been for this cover in particular, Fromsoft truly has some of the best fans in the world.

It’s basically criminal that Kale’s quest was cut from the game. There’s so much emotion and despair in it, probably one of the best written quests From Software had made, in my opinion.

Kale's questline made the Lord of Chaos ending feel justified.

"Did you see? What they did to my ancestors? The whole clan, buried alive. Sick... maddened... husks of themselves. ...Have you heard their moans? They're hardly human anymore!"

The song gives me the impression of a silent boiling anger. Not one born of hate, but compassion for those who are unable to rectify wrongdoings with their own hands. Simultaneously beautiful and frightening.

Part of what makes the merchant mass grave hit so hard is how depressingly grounded it is. A religious minority, with no state or army of their own to defend them, quietly disposed of with clinical brutality. All evidence of their existence buried to hide the crimes of the perpetrators, and the survivors scattered to the winds, clinging to whatever scraps of their old culture they can remember. There aren’t mutated, horn-covered ogres being oppressed in real life, but there are many stories like this one. It makes the howling pit of nihilistic depression at the core of the Frenzied Flame feel tantalizing, for a moment at least. Do we deserve to go on, when human beings do this to one another over and over throughout history? Is there really enough joy in life to counterbalance such horror, or is that just what the lucky and comfortable people tell themselves?

"If that is what they expect from us, THEN THAT IS WHAT THEY SHALL GET FROM US!" It's criminal how the best line in the game was cut

"All that there is came from the One Great. Then came fractures, and births, and souls. But the Greater Will made a mistake. Torment, despair, affliction... every sin, every curse. Every one, born of the mistake. And so, what was borrowed must be returned. Melt it all away, with the yellow chaos flame. Until all is One again." - The word of The Three Fingers

It does look like the three fingers are so happy to be freed It gave the main character a genuine hug

Beautiful soundtrack.

You absolutely killed it with this song, I was blown away on first listen when creating this scene. Masterful music makes my job so much easier bc I can just envision the scenes in my head when I hear such moving tracks.

One thing I really loved about this song is that it's stated that the lullaby the nomadics play was once a song of St.Trina (Miquella) in hopes to give them ease in their slumbers. The frenzied flame route that ends all their suffering really is the most impactful.

“Please, a Frenzied flame to melt away the curse’s suffering and despair. And the order entire. May chaos take the world. May chaos take the world.”

Personally, I don't see the Frenzied Flame as a hate-driven Chaos Lord, but a deeply aching deity who's sunken to despair in its own grief, its empathy turned madness. This song encapsulates that idea perfectly: a god of sadness that seeks to mend the world by burning it to ashes, hoping to destroy with this the roots of all pain

“Then that’s what they shall get from us!!!” Holy shit was that amazing. That was Vaati’s best one yet. The amount of emotions that came from that one line is heartbreaking. This song was beautiful as well. Honestly the best part of the video.

I felt defeated, when I found the sealed chamber deep in the catacombs, and of course, what was hidden inside. An entire people buried alive and forgotten, with some still clinging to life whilst playing this haunting melody. Great work, Alex, and thank you so much for giving us this rendition! 🙏

The moments in elden ring where you stop and listen to the music of the characters like the bats, the flute page, and the buried merchants are amazing. Amidst the violence and constant struggle for power there's these beautiful quiet moments of calm and it makes me love the games all the more.

Far away my people call Distant as the sky From the light of grace we did fall Never again to fly Tree of wisdom, tree of light Golden Order shine Left us reaching, living in plight The truth shall now be mine Tomb beneath the royal home Sealed away their screams Seeking answers, far did I roam Chase the light in my dreams Endless mem’ries left to rot Sent off long ago Search for truth, seems all was for naught Chasing that distant glow People spurned from hate and lies Shunned beyond reprieve Frenzied flame their only ally For their deaths none did grieve Now embrace the yellow fire These three fingers, furled Burn their mark, the tree’s our pyre May chaos take the world

At 0:53 I love this part because you hear other instruments seeping in and then a whole bunch of new ones when the player has the madness in his head and he can hear all the instruments of those who passed on.

Vaati did an amazing job on the whole video but this song is what made it for me. I always loved the music down there (kept me sane while failing the jumping puzzle) and hearing a full arrangement is amazing. Well fucking done!