Title
 Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (Perfect Collection 6)
International Title
 Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Music By: Kow Otani
Record Label: Toho Music
 
Running Time: 75:48 Discs: 1
Release: April 2010 CD Number: G-025 (Set)
Comments
Anthony Romero
Aside from the wealth of content found for Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), this disc is the most improved over its previous CD release from this box set. All of the original music from Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is present along with a few unreleased themes to expand the runtime greatly. As for the music, while not the best the franchise has to offer, Kow Otani does give a memorable score for this 25th outing in the series.

Now Otani's work here is very synthesizer heavy, following in the footsteps of his soundtrack for Pyrokinesis (2000). This means the score isn't for everyone, and seems to be the polar opposite of the giant orchestra work that Michiru Oshima would create for Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) the following year. That said, Otani still does a remarkable job and crafts a score that is fondly remembered by a number of fans. That's not surprising either as the soundtrack does contain a number of highlights, including the wonderful "Main Title" that is very energetic in its pacing. "God of the Sea: Mothra", which is done with a female chorus, and "The Sleeping Three-Headed Dragon", which is done with a male chorus, are some other great themes from this score. The best track from the CD, though, has to be "Godzilla's Rage". The theme starts with the 2001 Godzilla theme before covering the death of Mothra and the subsequent rebirth of King Ghidorah. It weaves from concept to concept perfectly, and the track makes for an excellent standalone experience.

As for new material, this CD does contain a bit compared with the previous release by Tokuma (TKCA-72279). The previously unreleased tracks from the score include: Village Spirits (M3), Protection: The Legendary Sacred Beasts (M6), Premonition (M8), Cries of Sorrow (M11), The Arcane Stone (M12), Cruiser Aizu (M14), Revived Legend (M16), Signs of Revival (M23), The Giant Cocoon (M24) and D-03 Missile Salvo (M31). These themes are all pretty short, the longest one is a little over a minute, and many play off other theme motifs. The more noteworthy of these is probably "The Arcane Stone", as its unique compared to other themes on the CD and also fairly ominous. None of these themes could be considered the best the soundtrack has to offer, but are still nice to have.

In terms of bonus content, which also has not been released before, this disc has several edits of the existing themes by Otani. Sadly, all of these "edits" are pretty dreadful in terms of their presentation here. They contain volume levels that awkwardly dip, probably to accommodate onscreen action, while they painfully stretch or shorten the existing material. Audio quality itself is also low, which in the end make it obvious that Toho Music actually created these from a film source rather than any kind of masters for the music. The edits aren't even that interesting compared with the already present themes, and because the quality is so low it would have been for the better had they not be included at all... but alas, Toho Music probably wanted to beef up the runtime and therefore felt compelled to keep them in.

The disc ends with three demos from Otani, which aren't great to listen to but do offer an early taste of what the composer had intended for the soundtrack. It should be noted, though, that this release no longer includes the isolated Akira Ifukube themes. They are still part of the "End Roll", but do not appear by themselves anymore. They can be found in the previous two box sets in this line, though, so their absence is no great loss unless one is only interested in this box from the line.

Overall, while not night and day from its previous release, this CD does benefit from the unreleased material. Otani's work on the series is still unique compared to other composers while he also delivers an enjoyable soundtrack. It may not be on the same level as his Gamera work, but many should enjoy the theme motifs present here.
Rating: Star Rating
Tracks
  1. Call to Arms (M1)
  2. Main Title (M2)
  3. Village Spirits (M3)
  4. The Huge Fang (M4)
  5. The Menacing Claw Mark (M5)
  6. Protection: The Legendary Sacred Beasts (M6)
  7. Incident at the Lake Shore (M7)
  8. Premonition (M8)
  9. The Mysterious Old Man (M9)
  10. The Giant Foot (M10)
  11. Cries of Sorrow (M11)
  12. The Arcane Stone (M12)
  13. The Sleeping Three-Headed Dragon (M13)
  14. Cruiser Aizu (M14)
  15. Dark Vision (M15)
  16. Revived Legend (M16)
  17. God of the Earth: Baragon (M17)
  18. The God of Destruction Appears (M18)
  19. Terrifying Landing (M19)
  20. The Forgotten Horror (M20)
  21. Confrontation of the Two Giant Monsters (M21)
  22. The Sacred Beast's Ambush (M22)
  23. Signs of Revival (M23)
  24. The Giant Cocoon (M24)
  25. God of the Sea: Mothra (M25)
  26. Unleashed Spirits of the War Dead (M26)
  27. Attack Preparation (M27)
  28. A Tense Moment (M28)
  29. God of the Sky: King Ghidorah (M29)
  30. GMK (M30)
  31. D-03 Missile Salvo (M31)
  32. Godzilla's Rage (M32)
  33. Determined to Protect the Future (M33)
  34. Mysterious Power (M34)
  35. The Miracle of the Three Sacred Beasts (M35)
  36. A Desperate Crisis (M36)
  37. Escape from Godzilla (M37)
  38. A Salute to the Spirits of the War Dead (M38)
  39. End Roll: Godzilla Theme - Great Monster War March - Main Title (M-End)

    Bonus Tracks
  40. The Giant Foot (M10 Edit)
  41. God of the Earth: Baragon (M17 Edit)
  42. The Forgotten Horror (M20 Edit)
  43. The Forgotten Horror (M20A Edit)
  44. Confrontation of the Two Giant Monsters (M21 Edit)
  45. The Sacred Beast's Ambush (M22)
  46. God of the Sky: King Ghidorah (M29)
  47. GMK (M30)
  48. God of the Sky: King Ghidorah (M34A)
  49. Demo I
  50. Demo II
  51. Demo III