Game Composer Breaks Down MANTIS LORDS from HOLLOW KNIGHT 

I think I didn't mention this in the video bit this might be my favorite Hollow Knight track yet. Btw, make sure to watch my other Hollow Knight music videos: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1uTcGHliPoc.html

The Mantis Lords are a good fight because they aren't attacking you out of madness or cruelty, they're testing you to judge if you're worthy of entering probably the most dangerous area of the underground. And after you beat them, the rest of the mantises in the village leave you alone out of respect.

"Sophisticated", "respect them", "you are suposed to dance with them" Man, you really nail exactly everything about these bosses without seeing the gameplay, just hearing the theme. I love these breakdowns and reactions. Please, keep on with them!!!

"The kind of boss you're meant to respect." Fun fact: The achievement you get for beating the Mantis Lords is called "Respect"!

One thing that's notable about the Mantis Lords fight is something that is only used one other time in the entire game: Before you fight, the character stands before them and draws their sword. You actually have to instigate the fight, instead of you basically walking into a room and a fight starting like all the other ones.

Mantis Lords was probably the moment I was completely hooked on Hollow Knight. This banger of a track certainly played no small part in that.

“Nosk” from Hollow Knight is not necessarily a complex piece but it sets the mood so perfectly. It makes the boss fight intense!

There's a variant of this theme called 'Sisters of Battle' that's also really good that you should check out!

"You're kinda supposed to dance with them." Prrfect way to describe the boss fight, its a tight and intricate dance of dodges and flourishes, every attack has a set rhythm to it, and you never feel like you're being taken off said rhythm with their attacks.

It still baffles me how you can just listen to these tracks and accurately describe everything without having played the game. The old sophisticated feel to the sound, they were there before the kingdom in the game was even created. You're supposed to be amazed by their skill and respect them, you have to actually initiate the battle by challenging them and defeating them earns you the achievement "Respect" and you get an entire reward that is specifically pointed out was given because the Lords respect you (in addition, they and their underlings bow to you every time you pass by after defeating them). You just nailed everything on the head. I am very impressed. Probably always will be. "Hornet" or "Soul Sanctum" would be nice to hear your thoughts on next, but any track from the game will do, of course.

I love how the fight feels like a dance, the music just makes it even better

Two hollow knight tracks I recommend are: Pure vessel: sealed vessel is the current final boss, as long as your not going for the radiance, and pure vessel is the vessel in its prime. Nightmare king Grimm: Nightmare king Grimm is a much more powerful version of troupe master Grimm.

There’s also the theme “Sisters of Battle” it’s essentially the same but a more “epic” version, as it’s used for a stronger version of the same boss

It’s crazy how accurate your predictions of the bosses are just by listening to the music!

“Hive Knight” is an interesting track because it uses instruments that feel different than the ones used for other tracks, but still manages to feel like it’s still in the same world as the other tracks.

I've always struggled to analyze music beyond "I like this" and "I don't like this", so listening to your breakdowns are an absolute joy. I learn a ton with every video!

There's a metallic quality to the harpsichord, as if this elegant dance music was formed from the clatter of weapons. _Travellers seaking death, welcome. May you find swift end upon our claws._

Aaahhh the mantis lords… Thats where the game became a masterpiece for me from a gameplay perspective and music perspective It truly is incredible but, for me, haunted foes will always be my top 1

I think the...what's it called? The harpsicord? The metallic sounding instrument? Anyway, I like what it adds to the music. It gives a sense of royalty, while also kind of giving scuttling vibes, like an insect crawling. Great job, Davi!

I'd like to hear your take on both "City of Tears" and "Soul Master". (also possibly soul sanctum.) The three themes have incredibly contrasting moods and styles, but are connected by a common motif.

Underrated channel, keep it up mate!

I recommend the " Soul Sanctum" from Hollow knight , which in my opinion is one of the best soundtracks of the game. It's a bit long but you will be surprised when you see the change :)

7:22 An awesome thing to note here is that, since this is late into the song, you're only going to hear it if you've survived the fight to hear it, and must doing well, aka, you're masterting the dance. It's like the song encorperating your own achievements into it

I will never get over how Davi, knowing absolutely nothing about the game, manages to almost perfectly describe the history and context behind the associated bosses from their music alone. It really speaks to Christopher Larkin's insane compositional ability, that he's able to communicate these thoughts and feelings so clearly through music. Here Davi says the baroque style befits a sophisticated and glorious past, something golden and worthy of respect. Is that not **exactly** the Mantis Lords, clinging to their intelligence while the world falls around them, still doing their duty to repel the beasts of Deepnest? "You are kinda supposed to dance with them," he says. I rest my case.

5:55 Respect us, dance with us, but remember that we're still trying to kill you. That's the vibe I get from this song! xD

Hey there, if you're looking for more indie game music I would strongly recommend either "Clock tower", "fractured shrines", or "Keep off the flowers" from Dead Cells :)

this is my personal favorite track from HK. it's awesome to see you do a video on it =D

i am scared of how accurate you describe the mantislord fight without even nowing the fight itself. all you say about them is so true!

You should really check out "Lace" from the Hollow Knight: Silksong OST sample, still composes by Christopher Larkin but it takes the music to a whole other level, the fact that the music for it is also played by a real orchestra instead of digitally created is really cool too!

The note about it feeling like a waltz is very on point, because of all the Hollow Knight bosses the Mantis Lords are the ones whose fight (when done right) feels more like a very sophisticated dance than it is a duel, with Grimm's fight as a runner up.

The mantis lords. What a beautiful deadly dance we shared. The regal and refined leaders of a warrior tribe. They absolutely lived up to their station.

I think it's amazing how you're able to tell what kind of boss is being fought just from the music :DD Speaks volumes of how fitting the soundtrack is, as well.

Amazing video as always! Mantis Lords, the fight, the arena and this brilliant theme are really elegant and super cool. I love them. Thank you for this, Davi!

As an aspiring game composer currently obsessed with hollow knight, it brings me so much joy seeing you *absolutely geek out* over these analyzations as much as I do.

Something with the Mantis Lords that I like is the fact that they're one of the few fights where the boss doesn't attack you. Instead you must challenge them. As for why? If you try to walk on past them then they'll just close a door in front of you until you defeat them. Also if you truly want to, or need to, they'll just let you leave and not pursue you.

Guys guys!! Davi put out another Hollow Knight video! (Much love you to Davi, I love your analysis on music and your willingness to teach/share why a song sounds the way it does)

Oooooo, this one was great!! I also do recommend Hornet from Hollow Knight because that is the first proper boss fight in the game

I was waiting for this one! And when i saw the title i felt like Christmas came earlier, thank you so much for your work!

Every main boss in Hollow Knight gives you a spell or something you need to progress in the game, but Mantis Lords is an optional boss and the main reward they give you is respect. After you defeat them, the entire Mantis Village will stop attacking you and when you pass near the village warriors they will bow to you. You are proving that you are stronger than the Lords of the village

oh, in hollow knight, this soundtrack makes me filled with adrenaline, i love it, its so good, and its so unique to all the other music, this is one of the reasons why hollow knight is the best, also i love how you break down why the song feels the way it does, and understands the entire boss without seeing gameplay

Truth Beauty and Hatred is an amazing, and also really interesting track from hollow knight, I highly recommend you give it a listen. :)

Very on point at 6 minutes in describing the bosses as respectable, its a battle of pride and mutual understanding, rather than some evil boss to beat.

As much as Christopher's high energy tracks are so epic and exhilarating I would have to say his slower tracks are where he truly shows his mastery. Those tracks in order of what I would recommend would have to be: City Of Tears - 2:58 Dirtmouth - 1:55 Reflection - 1:39 Greenpath - 3:37 Godhome - 1:59 Dreamers - 0:53 White Palace - 4:18 Pale Court - 3:52 The White Lady - 1:19 Fungal Wastes - 3:04 Soul Sanctum - 4:30 Crystal Peak - 4:08 Resting Grounds - 2:12 Queen's Gardens - 1:46 Kingdom's Edge - 2:21 Crossroads - 2:27 Dream - 2:01 Some are quite small so they could be paired together in one video and none of them are bad, all of them were really hard to place, I just settled on the listing using overall popularity, musical substance and in-game importance.

You literally said 'like you're supposed to dance with them' and I just jawdropped, I'm subscribing you heard the music and described the boss battle as well as some hollow knight experts

Love this track and your breakdown. You're pretty much spot on with how the bosses behave in-game, in regards to them not being something to be disgusted by, but respected. This is basically their entire philosophy: their whole tribe is based around the concept of earning your place there by challenging them in combat. And when you beat them, the first thing they do is bow, and an achievement pops up which is literally called "Respect"

I always like to see how the composition of a piece can relate back to the context in which it was used and give away the story of a game for those that know what to listen for, and knowing the story of Hollow Knight, I can say you really nailed it. The Mantis lords are not fighting out of malice, rather it's just a love of battle and a test for the character to pass before winning the respect of the mantis lords and their tribe. For most, this is among the first bosses encountered and until you realize the rhythm and, as you put it, learn to dance their dance, you're going to have a tough time. But it very much is like a dance more than a true battle. It has a tempo and set moves to follow for the best result. And when you make it to the end game, there's a sort of training arena for each boss in the game. Many of them receiving an upgrade and new name along with it. The Mantis Lords become the Sisters of Battle, and the tempo of the battle increases, and their theme takes on a new tone along with the change in the battle tactics. If you want to check it out sometime it really is a fantastic piece for a fantastic boss.

"You're supposed to dance with then" that perfectly sums up the fight

One of the things that hit me pretty quickly, back at about :45, was that if a player was used to 3/4 or 6/8 time, it wouldn't be TOO hard to get into the right swing of the rhythm to anticipate when it would be right to evade, and when it would be right to strike. Due to the baroque feel of the music, it's not just a familiar ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three waltz time. It's more like, ONE-two-three, one-TWO-three, ONE-two-three, one-TWO-three, (etc.) with the attacks pretty much landing on the heavy TWO beat. If you were to go into that battle just hearing the usual 3/4 rhythm and expecting the hits to come always on the first beat, you'd lose badly. Once you realize that the hits are going to either slam down or slide through on the 5th beat out of six (which if counted in six might be easier to time against the boss), I think a defeat would be pretty much a snap. You'd also have to pay attention WHICH attack is going to happen on that fateful beat, because you'd need a different defense mechanism kicking in. I would DEFINITELY say it's all about that element of surprise, in perfect, but unexpected rhythm. I went looking for music that would be similar (as always). Here it is. It's "Aram Khachaturian - Masquerade Suite - Waltz" (which makes sense, since it's meant to be mysterious and dangerous). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fPp3Qh-GRqs.htmlsi=E1dPzYPUYnT3eTbU ... I ran through a ton of waltzes of different types and settings, but that's the one that seems to be both beautiful and menacing, and really does show off that strange off-beat "attack." The whole time I was looking, I kept hearing my mom play her violin--so many memories! This is the type of music she LOVED to play. If she wasn't playing, she and my dad would have been dancing and TOTALLY showing off for either piece of music. I can see them doing it, and at the end, the whole crowd would be clapping and yelling for, "MORE!" They were SO good! 😀

I love how you describe it as 'needing to respect and dance with them' because that's exactly how the fight feels. Other fights in that game are a struggle for survival. The Mantis Lords fight is a dance where they lead and its on you to learn the steps.

One of the best tracks in Hollow Knight, I’m glad you made a video on it! Another track from Hollow Knight that’s like the Pale Court is the emotional and melancholy White Palace. And although it’s not out yet, the track Lace from Hollow Knight: Silksong is awesome, and is performed by a live string quartet!

We really need more baroque music to be implemented into todays music and game tracks.

Man Hollow Knight has my favourite video game OST of all time and it's a pleasure to watch you liking it so much aswell! Can't wait to watch more Hollow Knight stuff and on another note, I'm really hoping to see the Journey OST on your channel one day! I think you'd love it.

This is easily my favorite fight in all of Hollow Knight. Broken Vessel is a close second, mainly because of the music, but the Mantis Lords still top him. The setup for a three-stage fight against each Lord one-on-one with different patterns was there, but instead having the second and third attack at the same time with the same patterns as the first? *chef’s kiss* Beautiful.

I saw this and my first thought was "YES. HECKING YES."

Furthermore it speaks to your understanding of music “classically trained I’m assuming” as well as the original Composers.

When you Said "you're supposed to dance with them" I lost my mind- bc yes, that's exactly it It's wild to me how you're able to pick up these nuances in the story, but also, a MASSIVE testament to the composers - thank you for putting into words that everyone else can feel when us laymen can only say "man this track slaps"

chills all the way through! i love watching these reactions keep it up 😎

I love how you actually break down the songs and explain what they take influence from. Can't understand why you're not bigger.

Four recommendations for the next Hollow Knight song: 1. Dung Defender 2. Fungal Wastes 3. Dirmouth 4. Crossroads Dung Defender, Fungal Wastes, and Dirtmouth are my favorite tracks in the game and I would like to see what your interpretation of Crossroads is without having played the game. I have been enjoying your Hollow Knight music interpreting videos and you earned a subscriber after I realized you also like the Shadow of the Colossus music.

This soundtrack gives me goosebumps, best boss fight ever specially that's it's early game, and definitely best soundtrack it even rhymes with their pattern.

I really had been waiting for this video for a long time, good video David.

6:10 man you really hit the nail on the head with this one, The Mantis Lords fights is very much a dance, not a fight, and that's why it's such a fun and addicting boss

Man! I so can't wait for your break down of "Broken Vessel". Together with "Mantis Lords", "Daughter of Hallownest" and "Sealed Vessel" my favorite tracks (and bosses) of the whole game.

Now I understand why the fight felt so good, it was the waltz. Mechanically, you are actually just dancing with them, you wait for them to do their moves, dodge and get one attack in, before waiting for the next small movement. This battle is one of the few battles that actually felt fun in the game, because i was just doing the digital combat waltz with waltz music.

He really is very good at this. He said you have to respect them. At the end of the fight they literally kind of bow at you. Plus they give you very useful rewards when you defeat them. From that moment all of the mantises you find in the game don't attack you, they respect you, as you said. So yeah you nailed it

Seeing this... Makes me wanna see you analysis broken vessel and nosk, those two have SO MUCH emotion in them Or, hornet Also mantis Lords has a remixed version called "Sisters of battle" which you CAN check out too

Watching through all of the videos in the HK playlist has made me want to play it again. For the umpteenth time. 😭 Your breakdowns are very understandable and interesting, and I'm reeeally a sucker for any HK praise. This OST is so so good and deserves the attention. Thank you for these!

i hear all the time that the Mantis Lords fight feels like a dance and it makes so much more sense now

I love hollow knight and I watched all your videos about it! I'm impressed by how you guess so easily the essence of the game/bosses just by listening to the music. Bravo! Please do more! Love your stuff and your energy!

I loved the Mantis Lords fight, can't wait to unlock the pantheon.

you nailed it! the entire fight realy does become a lovely dance as you learn how to dodge and parry their attacks.

The thing I find really cool about this soundtrack is that I feel like it really enhances the experience of the boss fight in a way that I'm not sure many other games achieve. I think most people can relate to just feeling despair getting absolutely wrecked, but then there's this ascension in skill as you start getting used to their movement, and eventually you get to a point where the boss fight feels almost like a dance. It feels, as you say, sophisticated, and once you beat the fight once, it's like you can do it with your eyes closed because the player has developed this rhythmic feel and flow that makes the fight seem almost trivial once you piece together the elements of the fight and get the hang of it.

This is one of my favourite boss fights from the game, it feels like an elaborate dance with the Mantis Lords as you test each other's limits of speed and power, finishing the fight with a deep mutual respect. These are not the mad, broken husks who lash out at you out of instinct and fear. The Mantis Lords are intelligent and noble warriors.

Thank you so much for these videos talking about Hollow Knight, all the music in it is so underrated, it's a great game overall and the music often gets swept under all the other parts of the game when people praise it so I'm glad to see it get the recognition it deserves. If I may recommend the next track, Hornet is one of the most important bosses of the game and her theme music reflects her very well, also City of Tears for a background theme full of sadness just like the name suggests.

The Mantis lords are one of my favourite fights along with both Grimm fights. Those fights are very much like dancing and are more like tests than fights to the death. Most of the boss fights are great but these are in a league of their own and the music really hits home.

Nailed it down, We're supposed to dance with them. I love NIghtmare King Grimm, Mantis Lords, and Sisters of Battle(Upgraded Mastis Lords) fights, and they all share the same thing. It's a dance. You attack, they attack, you dodge, you attack, they attack, over and over and over. The various boss patterns and the speed of the fight create this amazing dance where you lose yourself into it, and the music makes it perfect.

One of my favorite parts of hollow knight music, nice to hear your take on it

"Something from a sophisticated golden past": that's something a lot of players doesn't know about them even playing the game; you got it while listening the soundtrack... It's crazy what music is capable of, and well done to you.

The mantis lords have their own unique style of music and resistance against the world and the mind controlling plaque since they have survived the radiances atack and there is a harmony in the music since they fight together in style and dance like and the music shows the importance of the lords to never let the pesty bugs from deepnest in through their grounds and shows a sign of heroism and loyalty like they had signed an armistice with the pale king to not let the infection through their ground even after he had died years ago and shows the absolute honor of the lords to have been the ones to not let the infection through in to the gates of city of tears and their regret to their brother becomeing a traitor and trying to use the infection for strength and fleeing with his people after failiure

Second favourite fight after the first Hornet fight, for me, and you nailed every single beat in the fight through the analysis!

Im really interested in seeing you listen to the theme "gods and glory", its a really good theme and it would be very cool to see you try to understand the situation in the game

this is what im waiting forrr :D thanks for doing this Mantis Lord

It's just wow, you describe their topic so accurately... (well, one person has already painted everything, I won't repeat it) It's really cool. Thank you for this review. We are waiting for even more topics on this game. Oh, and by the way, I would also like to suggest listening to the topic of the Broken Vessel (Lost Fellow), if you have not already done. And so, good luck to you and greetings from Russia 🇷🇺

5:58 YES, they are exactly that kind of boss! Awesome!

Honestly your ability to work out the themes of the boss just from the music continues to amaze me, well done. Probably my favorite part of the mantis lords fight is when you defeat the first of three mantis lords, you think "yeah just do this 2 more times, I got this" And then the last two get up at once and your brain just goes "Oh shit." in the fraction of a second before the stakes double. The mantis lords are an early boss, and dont give me any trouble anymore, but they are still one of my favorite bosses both mechanically and narratively. They are still behind Nightmare King Grimm though, he is easily the best boss in the game imo.

Absolutely love these videos dude! As a fellow musician I don’t really see much music content and it’s awesome understanding what you’re talking about. Plus hollow knight is such an outstanding beautiful looking game and has a banger soundtrack so it’s cool to see you reviewing it! Keep up the great work

I do like the pointing out the similarities with sealed vessel, not only are some of the attacks and design of sealed vessel the same as the mantis lords but the music too, team cherry really put in effort for their game

"You're kinda supposed to dance with them" Every time I start a new game in Hollow Knight and fight the Mantis Lords I say to myself "Alright Ladies, let's dance" - EVERY DAMN TIME ❤‍🔥 So glad btw that you finally did the Mantis Lords theme since it's one of the most popular boss fights and music pieces in the game. I can imagine people have been asking for this one a lot 😄 In all these videos I'm super impressed by both you and Christopher Larkin. It's very impressive how accurately you describe each character/boss/fight based on the music you hear, but I think it's just as impressive that CL wrote the pieces so on point.💯💯

First time seeing one of your in depth analysis videos for hollow knight. I have never played but after hearing some of their musical pieces I’m definitely considering checking it out. Keep up the fantastic vids this is by far my favorite music channel on RU-vid!

"youre kinda supposed to dance with them, right" fuck yeah you are... and its an amazing dance

Te quiero mucho Davi Vasc, me gustan mucho tus reacciones y análisis.

Would you consider doing a full album reaction for hollow knight ? Because every track is so good at setting the mood it's almost like reading a book when listening to the entire ost, it's so elegant and has both calm and more moving tracks. It would make a great video and i think you would appreciate the overall tone and writing of the entire ost.

The entire atmosphere in this fight is so amazing because it's a dialogue between you and the Lords. They are asking you "We have been guarding these grounds for years from the horrors inside this Nest for years and years, why should we let you through this door?" And the fight is you making your argument

6:04 "also: you're kinda supposed do dance with them right?" Yeah the Mantis Lords are one of my favorite bosses because of that. Their attacks, your dodges, and your counterattacks have a good rhythm to them that feels like a dance. There are only a few bosses that feel like that, and the Mantis Lords and Grimm are the best examples I can think of: Grimm explicitly refers to the fights as a dance. I suppose it's no coincidence that the reactions on this channel gravitated to Grimm's and the Mantis Lords' soundtracks because of that.

omg! i never made the connection to the sealed vessel staccato part! please continue this series its amazing and super insightful!!!

These videos are absolutely amazing!! You manage to completely understand the scene and atmosphere of each boss fight with even having to see them, it's so impressive!! Please if you get the chance have a look at 'city of tears' it's not a boss theme, but it's just a beautiful track on its own.

Every time you release another video analyizing hollow knight it makes me realize more and more how good of a job Christopher Larkin did with the soundtrack for this game. There is so much stuff that can be gleamed from just the music, pretty much everything you said is spot on for the mantis lords.

Your analysis is awesome!

These videos keep getting better! I'm so glad to see you react to my favorite track (and probably my favorite boss fight). I came to the game with no skills whatsoever, and this was the first fight that showed me the combat could be fun. It's only gotten better from there. I'm seconding the comments that mention Broken Vessel and Soul Sanctum, as well as Pure Vessel (would be very interested to see what emotional vibes you get from that one.) Keep it up!

Thx for covering this one, too!