Check Out Three Thrilling Tracks From ZREO: Second Quest’s “Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS”
Posted on March 23 2023 by Sean Gadus
Hoist the sails! ZREO: Second Quest is taking an exciting trip to the Great Sea with a new album focused on The Wind Waker titled Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS. This exciting album was developed during the worldwide pandemic, and it features live musical performances from a remote orchestra, along with the talented string quartet ATLYS. The album will include 12 tracks for a total of 52 minutes of music.
In advance of the April 7th release of Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS, ZREO: Second Quest has released three exciting track off the album including “Title Theme,” “The Great Sea,” and “Dragon Roost Island.”
These three tracks are a thrilling teaser for the full album. The first thing that I noticed about these songs is the rich sounds of the instruments. While the original score for The Wind Waker is one of my favorites from the Zelda series, there are some limitations to the MIDI sounds used during the GameCube era. The diverse set of instruments used for the album is on full display with “Dragon Roost Island.” This version of “Dragon Roost Island” uses strings, tin whistle, and percussion to built its rich sound before adding thunderous brass and a beautiful acoustic guitar to the second half of the song. At 6:17, “The Great Sea” is the longest of the three tracks made available to the audience. This opening of the song highlights the talents of the string quartet ATLYS, who play a key role in constructing the overall sound of the album. “The Great Sea” captures the excitement of sailing, which is a major part of why The Wind Waker is such a beloved game. The song does a great job transitioning back and forth between capturing the sea’s tranquility and the wildness of sailing through the vast unknown. The Wind Waker‘s title theme holds a special place in the hearts of many Zelda fans, and ZREO: Second Quest has crafted a stirring version of the song for this new album. My favorite element of the song is the addition of an accordion, which feels like a perfect fit for the track. “Title Theme” is the first track on the album, and it is such a joyful way to start the listener’s journey through Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS.
The album will be available digitally on Bandcamp on April 7th. Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS is available to preorder for CD in two forms: a standard CD and a deluxe CD. The standard CD includes a 20-page booklet and the full album (52 minute runtime). The deluxe version comes with 2 CDs and addtional bonus content. It includes a 40-page booklet (with detailed liner notes), the album, a bonus CD titled “ATLYS Sails Alone,” and a complimentary digital download code. The preorder window for both versions of the CD is April 7 to May 8, 2023.
If you are interested in Fair Winds & Following Seas, you should check out Zelda Dungeon’s previous coverage of the album’s announcement, or the coverage of their previous albums like Twilight Symphony Selections.
What do you think of the three songs released for ZREO: Second Quest’s Fair Winds & Following Seas feat. ATLYS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: ZREO: Second Quest
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
