Is Slave Knight Gael the Best song from any FromSoft Game!? Pro Opera Singer Finds out...

Fun fact, the main woman you hear in the vocals singing is actually the composer Yuka Kitamura herself!

The real beauty of this piece is seeing it in action. They choreographed the fight to match with the phase changes. When Gael gains the will to fight you after the first phase, and he jumps out at you with all his fury and might cloaking him in a swirling mass of red skulls... It's incredible to behold.

7:55 This is so accurate, in his 3rd phase he actually starts going crazy and starts screaming and slowly losing his sanity completely.

Alrighty "quick" Gael lore dump for context Residing inside a world stuck in an endless cycle once existed a glorious painting that itself hid the painted world of Ariendel. However as all things eventually come to a fitting end, all that remains of the painting is a pathetic rotting scrap guarded by an old man bound by promise to fulfill the destiny of his niece, who within the cold and diseased lands of Ariandel continues to paint a new world that will exist as a refuge. However with Gael's assistance you clear the guardian of the church and continue into the Ringed City, a place at the end of time where everyone everything has forgotten its purpose and gone hollow or been reduced to pitiful ash, all except Gael. Somehow lasting until the end of time itself he leaves torn off pieces of his red cloak to guide you through this horrid wasteland until you can find him, however he is not the same man. Gael himself upon finally finding the pygmy lords gouges them as he finally goes Hollow in your battle within him, as at this point you, the embodiment of the first flame, battle against the embodiment of the Dark Soul itself and after he is dead it is revealed that this was his plan all along, raising you to become a champion strong enough to kill him so his promise could be fulfilled long after driven mad. So harvesting the blood from your once friend, you take it back to the painter in Ariendel, who even in the burning attic of a church continues vigilantly to use this new bloody pigment to conceive a new world, where perhaps someone may finally find refuge from the cruel cycle of this world.

This track hits different when you’re acfually fighting the boss, specially the 2nd and 3rd phases. Gael is one of the best, most climactic and visually epic fights in the franchise.

For those who had read Berserk, this is the song i´ve always imagine that Guts and Griffith would have in a final fight.

"What, still here? Hand it over. That thing, your dark soul. For my lady's painting." Fun fact: He's one of the few bosses that has 3 phases.

i love how yuka kitamura strung the melody for the gorgeous piece “for the dark soul” into the third phase of this song. it blew me away

5:50 You're right on the complete loss of control for Gael, but it's because he has consumed nearly every shred of humanity in the world at this point; except yours. This swirling chaos in front of you isn't a lack of humanity, it's the very pinnacle of what humanity can be. Such a tragic character, and a fun fight. I'd recommend Champion's Gravetender next, wild track that I think you'll like.

I'm glad to see you're listening to the released album version XD. It's the best version of the song wih all 3 phases and no repetition or awkward fading out. Just a complete suite of epicness.

Hand it over... that thing.... your musical review

Slave Knight Gael is without a doubt my most listened song from FromSoft games, if not all of gaming OST. It never fails to invokve the feeling of absolute awe and tragedy. Some of my favourite moments are the strings in the background for the first part, that sound like a steadily growing wind; the completely insane brass lines throughout the entire piece; and most importantly, the female voice serenading us with a desperate, mourning aria. I love every single second and I can recite it from memory at this point.

It's incredible what Marco can make out of just the song without having played the game.

Gael was the perfect boss to end the Dark Souls trilogy

"The red-hooded, wandering slave knight Gael sought the blood of the dark soul as pigment for the Painted World. But Gael knew he was no Champion, that the dark soul would likely ruin him and that he had little hope of a safe return." "Used as pigment by his lady in Ariandel to depict a painted world. When Gael came upon the pygmy lords, he discovered that their blood had long ago dried, and so consumed the dark soul." From the Soul of Slave Knight Gael and Blood of the Dark Soul lore tab

Midir, Malenia, even Manus unprepared might be harder. But Gael is just... something else. Music synchs up perfectly with his phases and choreograpy, never felt that "I" was fighting enemy so much, you and him at end of the world and time, he is not even evil, he is just man of duty, that went a little mad. And its still noteworthy he HELPED you before you broke Fillianore sphere, on Demon princes, showed you how to jump... This is probably one of best boss battles EVER, not only in fromsoft games. Also how you two, standing there, differ - Ashen one - literally awoken zombie without any reason to live or kindling fire, just being pushed by fate, vs man who sacrificed everything for his lady, duty - himselft, world, future and everyone else. He wasn't any choosen one, ashen one, god - just man with some luck that become stronger and stronger and made it to end of the world.

"It feels like there's an absolute loss of control here, whatever sort of humanity was being held onto is now completely reverted" Gael goes hollow in the second part of the fight. It would be inaccurate to say you hit the nail on the head. You perfectly intuited the point at which the nail should be placed and hammered it all the way in, with almost zero context. Nice. (Also would you consider doing Pontiff Sulyvahn at some point in the future? That would be absolutely pogadelic)

Dear god...the fight with this man, if you can even call him that, hit me like a truck. His whole arc was told over two DLC's and I completely forgot he was the one that sent you on that journey in the first place. I hadn't seen him since the first time we met and the fight was foreshadowed so subtlety. So when I found him at the end of a wasteland pointing a sword at me, I was completely thrown off, then I realized-"oh damn, this is how it's got to be, isn't it?"

As good as this song is, it’s not one that I’d typically listen to outside of the game. It works incredibly during an electrifying fight with Slave Knight Gael, but I’d rather listen to the music of Vordt, Soul of Cinder, or Nameless King on their own when it comes to DS3. Maybe I’m just subconsciously making sure the song stays fresh so I can always enjoy the boss fight to the fullest?

Finally! Probably the best OST from Souls games. You should try Sister Friede and Pontiff Sullyvahn themes next! :)