For their second album as a group, Nobuo Uematsu's Black Mages re-recorded a number of tracks composed for the Final Fantasy series of video games. Placed into something of a progressive rock setting akin to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the album allowed the group to present an array of grandiose rock pieces as well as lighter balladry, all accompanied by either Kazco Hamano or Tomoaki Watanabe on vocals. Though the vocal accompaniment was largely written off by the listening public, the mere association of the music with Final Fantasy provided enough of a boost to move the album onto the digital sales charts after its release.
The Black Mages II: The Skies Above
1 The Rocking Grounds 3:56 2 Zeromus 3:51 3 Vamo' Alla Flamenco 4:25 4 Hunter's Chance 4:44 5 Otherworld 3:14 6 Matoya's Cave 4:43 7 The Man with the Machine Gun 4:16 8 Maybe I'm a Lion 5:34 9 Battle with the Four Fiends 3:58 10 The Skies Above 7:18 11 Blue Blast - Winning the Rainbow 4:49