Awesome Music pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.
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Cruel Angel's Thesis
- What would Neon Genesis Evangelion be without its iconic opening song, "Cruel Angel's Thesis"?
- acappella This version is absolutely beautiful and haunting; had it played during some of the more emotional moments later on, it could have enhanced the impact, which is saying a lot.
- When it's played in Hayate the Combat Butler it evokes the same memories it did for the show it was made for, and the visuals helped. Shizuka Itou's singing voice doesn't hurt either.
- Cruel Angel's Thesis N64 mix.
- For maximum awesome, Cruel Angel's Thesis Director's Edit II. It is sung by Rei, Asuka, and Misato! Rei even sings in a disjointed and slightly robotic manner - perfectly in character for her.
- The version of "Cruel Angel's Thesis" played in the final scenes of the series proper—"Good, Or Don't Be". Especially the string version that precedes it, "The Heady Feeling of Freedom". It's beautiful.
- The jazz version is gorgeous as well. It adds a whole other atmosphere to the original.
- A fandub for Cruel Angel's Thesis is surprisingly good. Be sure to sync it with the opening's animation. Watching Eva's opening in English is like a whole different experience.
- Speaking of English, here's another one.
- And here's a link to them synced up.
- "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" takes on new layers of awesome / heartbreaking when you realize just how much foreshadowing it contains. Masayuki's Test-Type Opening music video takes full advantage of this to create an impressive four-minute recap of the entire series (now available completely in English).
- And then there's the simple yet beautiful version played during Death & Rebirth's intermission.
- And now as played by the Japanese Coast Guard band.
- This heavy metal cover is simply epic.
- No less amazing is the Animetal USA version.
- This version by Ichiro Kageyama is an incredible 70's style remix that manages to capture the feeling of the story very well.
- Here's an orchestral version composed by Shiro Sagisu himself!
- And of course, what fits an anime with horrors from outer space better than a Moonbase Alpha text-to-speech version!
- The 8-bit version!
- Using the sound font from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.
- A live cover by the Glory Gospel Singers.
- Bike horn cover.
- The "lost" opening for the 4Kids Entertainment release. Apparently even adding Stylistic Suck elements can't ruin the song.
- This version with the Seinfeld bass.
- The Latin American version is pure dub gold.
- A calculator version!
Original Series
- "Komm, süsser Tod", dudes. Not only is it catchy as hell and surprisingly touching, but the dichotomy of the pleasant tune and painful lyrics also gives it an ambiguity that makes it a perfect match for the scene it plays in.
- TUMBLING DOWN TUMBLING DOWN TUMBLING DOOOOOOOWN
- For you who don't read German, it means "Come, Sweet Death". Knowing this makes the sequence even more heartwrenching.
- The version found on the VOX album is more melancholic than catchy. And someone mixed them together.
- "The Beast II". Ever heard a metal cover of that? It rocks!
- Hell if it is the Suspiciously Similar Song version of a track from another work, "Decisive Battle" is awesome. Equally awesome is the marching band version.
- Marking Time Waiting For Death begins as a chilling, suspenseful piece that plays during many tense moments, before suddenly launching into a bombastic, terror-inducing tune that plays during scenes where the viewers are on the edge of their seat.
- Nothing can ever top this particular sequence, The Beast especially considering the scene it was used in!... then again, from the End: Asuka kills loads of evil mechas while Hideaki Anno plays unfitting music.
- How about this little beauty that plays just before it, Harbinger of Tragedy? It just screams that a glorious ass-kicking is going to come.
- From Those Two Episodes, "Infantile Dependence, Adult Dependency", the official theme song of apocalyptic mental breakdowns.
- "I. Shinji". It sets the perfect mood for the scene it is used in, neatly capturing Shinji's inner turmoil as he is in denial over the fact it is his destiny to be Eva-01's pilot while driving home the point he cannot achieve anything by running away from his fate.
- "A Step Forward Into Terror", the "Launch EVA!" music.
- "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!", the wonderful piece that accompanies Shinji and Asuka's synchronized ass-kicking assault on the twin Angels in the namesake episode.
- Also from End: "Escape to the Beginning", the background music for apocalypses. (Yes, more so than "Komm, Susser Tod".) For bonus points, it doubles as Hell Is That Noise. And then there's the lyrics...Far in the distance
Is cast a shadow
Symbol of our freedom
Will bring our salvation
On the horizon
Hope for tomorrow
Sweeping across the land
To give us unity
Look to the heavens
With tears of triumph
To cherish a new life
And suffer not again
Lift up our spirit
From all destruction
Never shall we return
From conflict, we must learn - And for tear-jerking music, we have "Thanatos".
- The version at the credits, "If I Can't Be Yours", in which the lyrics really sum up particular characters.
- The stripped-down version of "Thanatos", which plays in End of Evangelion while Shinji is catatonically depressed and Misato sends him down the elevator just as she's dying is just as powerful, but not tear-jerking as much as just chilling, in an empty and depressing way.
- "Opening of Dream". Tear Jerker To The Max.
- The cover of "Fly Me to the Moon" from the ending, while not as action-oriented, is very beautiful. There were multiple versions recorded for the show to cycle through, and the Renewal DVD release even adds a couple more versions so each episode has one unique to it. Utada Hikaru recorded her own cover of the song for Rebuild.
- "The Passage of Emptiness". Beautiful, depressing, and horrifying if you're familiar with what specific scene this song is used in The End of Evangelion.
- The first "ANGEL ATTACK" theme. The menacing riff drones on and on, and the rest of the melody is incredibly dissonant and eerie. A classic evil song that must be heard.
- The tune that plays during Shinji's and Asuka's scene in the kitchen in End, "Kyomo he no, Izon"/"Reliance Leads to Falsehood" or "Honeymoon with Anxiety. The violin solo really hits home the pain and tragedy.
- "The Hedgehog's Dilemma". The relaxing, but melancholy jazz really captures the feelings of ambiguity that human relationships can create.
- The use of "Ode to Joy" in the last Angel battle on Episode 24 automatically makes it a Moment of Awesome. Note that most people are only familiar with the primary fanfare of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, but the music underlays the entire climax and plays nearly a full 8 minutes out of the 80+ minute long piece, letting many viewers hear it beyond the fanfare for what would quite likely be the first time. Even the oft-derided scene at the end where the screen remains frozen on Shinji holding Kaworu in Unit 01's fist where nothing happens except the music playing really gives you a chance to feel the true beauty and ominous power of Beethoven's masterpiece.
- Some might find the use of the "Hallelujah" Chorus from Handel's Messiah during the 15th Angel's mindbeam scene from Episode 22 to be a bit distasteful, but for dissonance value, it works very well. It becomes deeply meaningful once you realize you'll never hear it the same way again.
- "Tamashi no Refrain", from Evangelion Death/Rebirth.
- Any pieces that use the haunting and psychedelic "Anxiety" theme, but there are a few standouts:
- "Do you love me?" and "BORDERLINE CASE" are both very creepy and trippy versions of the theme, the latter having a somewhat tribal beat over it.
- "Separation Anxiety" would make for a very funky tune, if it weren't for the fact it was played over some of the most haunting parts of the anime
- "Rei I" is a really chilling and beautiful piano piece. "Rei III" puts the same melody to a fusion of orchestra and hard rock, making for a powerful mix.
- "Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude", because of the moment in End that it highlighted: the moment after Shinji kills the human race, he comes to realize that the reality he's been living in is one that he alone created for himself.
- NERV. When you hear this song play, you know things are gonna get serious.
- "She said, don't make others suffer for your own personal hatred" has quite a Western-ish feel.
- If there were ever a more perfect song to reject Human Instrumentality to and coming to terms with your depression while a giant naked alien falls apart in gory detail, "Heisoku no Kakudai / Expansion of Blockade" has got to be it. Shinji's What You Are in the Dark introspection saves all of humanity, and it's absolutely stunning. Bonus points for prominently featuring Rei's Leitmotif near the end, which fits in context.
- On the lighter side, Misato's theme is a pretty cheerful and upbeat tune, perfect for starting the day in a good mood.
- "A Moment When Tension Breaks" is a relaxing, amicable tune.
Rebuild Of Evangelion
- "Staggering Yet" is a re-orchestration of "Step Forward into Terror" from the original series, one which ramps up the intensity and sets the stage for a monumental first battle between Shinji and Sachiel.
- Rebuild takes Eva-01's theme and makes it perhaps even more horrifying. RUN. LIKE. HELL. The track of which it is an alternate version, from Rebuild 2.0: so awesome they pluralised it and made it French: Les Bêtes. Oh, and did we mention that "Hallelujah" is being slowly chanted over the soundtrack? Run harder.
- This extended version of The Beast, perfect for dishing out a savage No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on mankind's enemies.
- From 2.0, "The Final Decision We All Must Take", an epic song perfect for when girls wearing pink plug suits go apeshit.
- Rebuild 2.0 is chock-full of awesome songs: from the melancholic "At the Very Beginning" to the apocalyptic "Carnage".
- There are three little words that drive "Give Me Wings" from a great song into a full-blown Tear Jerker of Awesome; "Give Ayanami back!"
- Remember "The Beast II" from the original? 2.0’s version ups the ante.
- More songs to add to the pile: "Beautiful World", the song is sung by Utada Hikaru for the movies, available in both Standard (Movie 1) and Remixed (Movie 2) editions, the new song by Utada Hikaru, "Sakura Nagashi" (Movie 3), and "One Last Kiss" in Movie 4.
- In Rebuild 2.0, the chase to catch Sahaquiel and the struggle to destroy it are made even more urgent and dramatic with the tracks "Destiny" and "Fate" respectively.
- Also from Rebuild 2.0, there's "In My Spirit". If there's any song that says that the entire human race is completely, utterly, and absolutely screwed, it is this song.
- "The Longest Day" from 1.0. Sagisu managed to take the much-overused Spending Time in Preparation from the original series and turn it from Decisive Battle with the melody removed into a solid piece in its own right. Then he decided to add ominous choral chanting as well; the result is Serenity Amongst the Turmoil.
- "Today is the Time for Goodbye". It's from the scene where the dummy plug is activated against Bardiel.
- "Keep Your Head Above The Mayhem" is very, very awesome. Almost a sister piece to "At the Very Beginning" (see above), it contains a choir who appear to be singing in Ominous Latin Chanting, but are, in fact, singing in Gratuitous English. And it is awesomeness at its finest. One of the best battle themes seen for a long time.In the battle of the bravest souls, over evil shall the good prevail,If the universe is crashing down, heed the chaos and then drown it out,Showing flashes of bravado, in a torrent of destruction, keep your headabove the mayhem; clarity will be your weapon as the blinded falter and die.
- The soundtrack for 2.0 basically comes in two flavours: Super Robot and World Ending. All of it is awesome.
- The BGM of 3.0's final trailer, "The Wrath of God, In All Its Fury", has a Mind Screw beginning and an utterly epic... rest-part. Here's the full version.
- 3.0 has an utterly awesome piece called "God's Message" that plays during the six minute preview.
- From the 3.0 soundtrack, The Ultimate Soldier, a majestic orchestral song with epic lyrics. (Some fans speculate this song was originally written for Berserk's "Golden Age" movies.)
- Another Nadia remix is the Wunder's a jaw-droppingly awesome theme, The Anthem.
- Wunder's startup theme, "Dark Defender" rounds out the number of Nadia remixes.
- "God's Gift" simply oozes anticipation on a level no other piece of Evangelion soundtrack did before.
- 3.0 gives even the classic On the Next song the choir treatment.
- "It Will Mean Victory". Autobots, Rock Out! taken up to eleven thousand.
- From 3.0+1.0: "Euro Nerv", a short version of "Decisive Battle" played on guitar with a very Spanish or Greek sound — very similar to the classic melody Misirlou.
- Em10a Alterne and its variant, Em10a Alterne Bis — another reiteration of Decisive Battle, which plays as Wunder sets off to the Pole; even more triumphant than the original song.
- "This Is The Dream, Beyond Belief...," a rousing orchestral piece that plays when Asuka transforms into an Angel to try shut down Unit-13, adds immensely to what is already a visually stunning scene.
- "Voices In My Head", a orchestral metal track that plays during the the final battle between Shinji and Gendo, a fight several years in the making and one that fans have waited years for.
- "Voyager - Gravestone Without Date, a powerful love ballad that turns the post-climax of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 in a life-changing experience.
- "One Last Kiss" plays during Evangelion 3.0+1.0's credits as an emotional sendoff to the franchise itself.
Other
- There are several unused tracks on the various OSTs. Imagine the audience's faces when during the orchestral recording of Evangelion Symphony, the string quintet playing Pachelbel's Canon suddenly cuts into a rap version of the same tune without warning. Even better, it was actually put into the Evangelion VOX album. Shiro Sagisu has a strange sense of humor. And if someone actually bothers to listen to the lyrics, they go very well with Evangelion. "Too much hatred, too much grief" indeed.
- The Rebuild 1.0 OST has three bonus tracks sung by Misato's voice actress, Kotono Mitsuishi. Talk about Breaking the Fourth Wall... though this has been going on long before Rebuild, and not just with Misato's voice actress. Even Megumi Ogata (Shinji's VA) did a version of "Cruel Angel's Thesis".
- From the end of Mayumi's scenario in 2nd Impression is Kimi wa Kimi ni Umareta Wake, Not only is it sung by Mayumi's voice actress, Kyoko Hikami, but the lyrics also imply that it is actually Mayumi's Image Song. For added awesomeness factor, the song is actually performed by the characters in-universe! Specifically, Shinji is the cellist, Toji is the guitarist (taught by Aoba), Kensuke is the keyboardist and Mayumi is the singer.
- An unused track from the second OST is Yokan from Yoko Takahashi. What makes it especially notable is that it is played during the tearjerking ending of Girlfriend of Steel, when Shinji and Mana part ways for the last time.
... So basically all of it?