If someone were to ask me which decade has had the strongest influence on my taste in pop culture, I wouldn’t hesitate for a single moment before launching into an enthusiastic rhapsody about the 1980s. I find the otherworldly neon aesthetic incredibly appealing, I proudly wear a magnetic Communicator Badge on my shirt to show my devotion to the Starship Enterprise, The Neverending Story is unironically one of my favorite movies of all time, and I absolutely love all the awesome music. Whether it’s the smooth, robust synth beats of Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” or the hauntingly powerful vocals of Queen’s “Who Wants to Love Forever,” I can’t help but gasp with delight whenever one of these amazing songs explodes from the speakers of my car radio. And as you can probably imagine, I’m also crazy about the terrifically creative sci-fi horror series Stranger Things, as it writes a witty and affectionate love letter to all the charming tropes of that candy-colored decade.
So what better way for a lover of both the ’80s and The Legend of Zelda to celebrate than listening to an epic piece of music that elegantly mashes the two worlds together? Fair warning, though: Where we’re headed, you will need more than an umbrella to protect you from the storm.
The YouTuber simply known as BLAV specializes in synth-wave remixes of popular pieces from the 21st century, most notably those by Canadian musician The Weeknd, but they also occasionally compose ’80s-style arrangements for songs from video games like Ocarina of Time and the unreleased Metroid 64 beta. I stumbled across their electrifying remix of the iconic “Song of Storms” a few months ago, and I was immediately swept away by the thunderous rhythm into the heart of a raging tempest, where the screeching wind and bone-breaking hail are only the tip of the iceberg.
As the energetic music ricochets across your eardrums, allow yourself to be transported to Upside Down Hyrule, an exceedingly strange and surreal realm where ordinary mortals dare not dwell. Though the environment seems familiar, with the quaint Kakariko Village and spirited Castle Town Market framed against the horizon, a ghostly silence dominates the landscape, punctuated by a few ominous tremors in the dark, garnet-colored clouds above. Ashy particles drift along the cold gusts of wind, and every once in a while, you feel a tiny dagger slice through your lungs as the swollen, toxic air slowly seeps into your body. Something truly wicked is brewing in the atmosphere.
Suddenly, a cacophonous explosion of lightning illuminates the sky, finally revealing the monstrous silhouette that has been silently looming overhead. As the heavens rip open, dropping sheets upon sheets of rain that shimmer with fiery red light, the demon begins to slowly approach you. Its beastly, boar-like body is supported by several spidery legs that seem to extend into eternity. A terrifying roar escapes its cavernous mouth lined with dozens of serrated teeth as the Triforce emblem briefly flashes behind him in the sky. You have come face-to-face with Ganon the Mind Flayer, a deadly entity who only wishes to assimilate you into his twisted world of darkness and chaos. And with the Triforce of Power in his grasp, who can stop him from transforming all of Hyrule into a nightmarish wasteland like this one?
But while your terrified mind and body may be screaming for you to flee, you instead take a deep breath and plant your feet firmly on the rough, uneven ground. Drenched with rain and battered by the wind, your hand closes around the hilt of the Master Sword and slowly unsheathes it, the gentle white glow a beacon of hope for the bright, beautiful world awaiting your return on the flip side.
Their fate rests entirely in your hands. The storm has only just begun.
