Materia Collective has released Metal Trainer, a thrashin’ progressive rock and metal cover album featuring nine tracks from the original Pokémon Red and Blue
“Metal Trainer was started as a simpler, more traditional rock album that people could enjoy hearing live and playing on the go, or working out,” comments arranger Ro Panuganti. “I quickly got pulled in the nostalgia of those first Pokémon games, and realized that I had to keep things more progressive rock and metal to properly capture that epic journey. Some of my proudest arranging happened for ‘Lavender,’ where most of my ideas came when I just had my guitar in a room with no computer. I played with how that song should go in a story, and eventually wrote some of my proudest, spookiest music yet. I hope that listener’s feel that innocent charm of Pokémon’s city anthems, that fire in your belly from wanting to beat the intimidating gym leaders, and those ghostly chills that came from traversing Lavender Town.”
Key themes from across Pokémon Red and Blue are included. The track list for Metal Trainer is as follows:
- Pokémon Master
- Viridian
- A Wild Encounte
- Pokémon Hospital
- Mt. Moon
- Cerulean
- Lavender
- Pokémon Mansion
- Gym Battle
