Opera Singer Reacts: Altars of Apostasy || Ultrakill OST 

Local opera singer who has never played Ultrakill continues to be nigh spot on with the musical analysis in reference to the story, it's god damn incredible and uncanny

As a wise man once said “This is YOUR boss theme”

One thing that elevates this song even more, is how it is presented ingame, you're going trough very dark corridors with only the red light coming trough the windows and the song that plays there is hardlly a song, it's more like a Shepard tone of a chainsaw getting louder and louder, leading to a special moment, that is until when you drop down a hole and suddenly the area around you goes from very dark hard to see corridors, to a bright red abyss with a few massive columns in the distance, only then the song starts with the high pitched note, and it's amazing, it's like a turning point in the game where it goes to "welcome to hell, hope you have fun" to "welcome to hell's hell, the city of Dis, hope you suffer"

I find it ironic that Marco sees the Glory motif as upbeat and enthusiastic. Obviously he doesn't know much of ULTRAKILL's lore, but context completely flips the music's vibe on its head. This is the theme of Heresy, the sixth layer of Hell. It's at this point where Hell's punishments go from regular suffering (such as strong winds and pushing a boulder uphill) to outright torturing its denizens. Heresy in particular has sinners buried alive in ablaze coffins, having their flesh burnt for all eternity. It also has importance to the main characters V1 and Gabriel, as well as the player. For us, it's where we realize that we really are in *Hell.* The previous layers haven't really felt like Hell, and this level makes sure you remember where you are. For V1, it's the knowledge that it will soon run out of fresh blood. V1 is *desperate* to reach the lowest layers of Hell and possibly even step below it, so it can survive for as long as possible. For Gabriel, heresy is the sin that he was accused of committing, resulting in God's light being removed from him and being given 24 hours left to live. Just like V1, he is desperate. Only his desperation is coupled with rage as he seeks to kill V1 and reclaim his mantle of The Will Of God.

This track literally describes the saying "No words, only emotions"

Hakita has actually said in a commentary for the game that the robot (V1) isn't the focus of the story, they're just the driving force for the plot. So when you take that into consideration and figure that Gabriel is the focus, the themes described of the song actually speak of Gabriel's journey. This track plays for the last level before the second fight with Gabriel, and after the fight he goes through apostasy in exactly how the themes of this track play out. Hakita is such a genius. If after Ultrakill is all finish and he decides not to go further into game design (as he has expressed he may do in the commentary), Hakita will have a great future in composing music for video games.

This song plays during V1's entrance into the City of Dis, which in Dante's Inferno, is where the circles of Hell start to be about sins that arise from actively harming those around you instead of simply being self-serving or indirectly harmful to others. The level proper actually starts in the walls around the city, with a constant droning sound for the music as you make your way into the city proper. The combination of the droning and Altars of Apostasy leads to the best beat drop I've ever heard, as you literally drop into the city as Altars of Apostasy starts up.

Just got here and I already know I'm bout to have my vocabulary expanded Also, in the context of the level, in my opinion, the music represents Gabriel's unbridled rage and sadness. That track at the end played after he acknowledged your presence.

"Machine, I know you're here. I can smell the insolent stench of your bloodstained hands. I await you down below." Also the 2nd part is extra awesome because of how fucked up it makes the castle vein motif sound(the one that sounds more upbeat like you're an action hero). There's no doubting from now on that you're the villain.

You're very correct that this song is full of enthusiasm. This is the song of V1, the robot, diving headfirst into the layer of Heresy and slaughtering the toughest hordes of enemies seen so far in the main campaign. This is the player's boss theme.

2:39 That's actually the leitmotif from Glory. This song as a whole is meant to remind you of all the places you've been and all the places you've travelled, and this level as a whole is meant to be this kind of reality check of "oh crap, I am in Hell" (especially so with how the song starts only once you've broken out of the spawning area and got flashbanged with the red of the lakes of boiling blood).

I love how the description about being happy to abandon a believe does not relate to V1, as it is a soulless machine, but instead perfectly describes Gabriel's character arc

What I like about Ultrakill's story, is that the main character (V1) is not exactly the protagonist. The story actually revolves around Gabriel. V1 is more of an unstoppable force of nature, a cataclysm that swipes across Hell doing what it was meant to do as a perfect war machine. And The Altars of Apostasy is an ode to that. That last Castle Vein piece that plays during the Boss Gauntlet just screams "I am not trapped in here with you. You're trapped in here with me"

Something that really intrigues me that your commentary brought to attention is that the section at 5:33 you sing aloud is almost beat-for-beat the same chord progression as is in the track Sealed Vessel, from Hollow Knight. It’s interesting how two tracks from two games that both have such radically different themes and soundscapes can still use the same musical progressions to communicate similar ideas and feelings. That’s the beauty of music, I guess!

Ah yes, the hymn of V1, after the angry air conditioner that is the Choir of Crooked Saints in the RED layer of Heresy, this feels like a dark celebration of V1's journey, your journey. It repeats leit motifs from previous tracks, most notably taking even Castle Vein straight up. Edit: Oh my god, the notes you started singing have the same beginning as the Ode of Joy even, wow!

Well, V1's current purpose is to get dinner (because he LITERALLY eats blood) The one with apostasy is probably Gabriel . Also that next bit is way cooler with the context of castle vein.

When it ‘descends’ Gabriel speaks to you and says, “Machine, I know your there! COME TO ME!” And then EVERY boss you’ve fought up to this point spawns twice. THEN you get into The Death Of Gods Will

5:35 I don't know about a classical music piece but it sure sounds like the track Sealed Vessel from Hollow Knight!

at this point we just need the full OST

This is my absolute favourite song on the entire soundtrack. I was watching my friend play ACT2 the night it dropped over discord and we both when silent when this started playing.

The way hakita managed to encompass Gabriel’s conflict in this song is mind blowing. Just like Marco says, you can really feel his conflict and his refusal of gods disappearance. And with the ‘upbeat’ part, it can really make you feel like he already decided to do what he did before he even lost to you (that made more sense in my head). I just love this song.

Can’t wait for a full ost reaction to all of the ultrakill songs *I mean I can wait of course but still my excitement is the same*

5:41 "that's from a classical music piece" (is singing the sealed vessel theme from hollow knight)

When the part hits, it hits HARD

Before the Wait Of The World update this was my most favorite song in all of Ultrakill, really happy to see a reaction of it.

To me, this song represents how far you've gone as a player. This song plays in the level 6-1, which is the 2nd last level in Act 2. The 2nd last level in each act is a gauntlet level where everything you've learned before is put to the test. That's all well and fine, but at the very end of the level, you reach the hardest arena at that point in the game. 2 Hideous Masses, which was the mid boss of Limbo, while the leitmotif of Castle Vein (the song that plays in 1-3, the Hideous Mass level) is blaring in the background. Once you kill one Hideous Mass, a bunch of enemies spawn, including a Swordsmachine. The Swordsmachine is the mid boss of the Prelude, and you don't see one again until this very level. 6-1 is full of call backs to the earlier levels. Levels where you were struggling and getting constant D ranks. But now you're much better, and can handle what Hakita throws at you (you still get a D rank though, this level is hard). It's a perfect moment of glory and adrenaline right before your 2nd fight with Gabriel which flips the whole story on it's head. I bet none of that made any sense, but I'm sure some of my fellow ultrakill fans who have the mental capacity of a crackhead can understand.

this level specifically was easily my favourite ultrakill memory, and it's like 90% because of the music. chord of the crooked saint was such a humongous punch to the face, paired with that red ass hallway when you walk out the door into 6-1. then,... altars of apostasy. that level is so sick, and then the GLORY piano arpeggio very feintly shows up in the back and OH MY GOD. what a sick thing to hear first time. and then the castle vein remix??? that whole level was easily the most memorable experience i've had with ultrakill, and it'll probably remain my favourite level (and altar's of apostasy will always remain one of my favourite songs from the game) unless act 3's got something REALLY REALLY cool around the corner. altars of apostasy is also such a strange song because of that major chorus section. there is nothing happy or hopeful about that level at all, if anything, heresy is the darkest layer of hell we've seen so far, and yet... it just fits. it just fits that moment in the game so perfectly well. maybe it's jumping between those platforms over the bottomless red void, maybe it's because we're at the climax of act 2, i GENUINELY have zero idea why it works so perfectly, but it just does.

This is the perfect song for the lead up to "The Death of Gods Will" (AKA final Act 2 Boss).

Yesss!!!! I’ve been requesting this on every vid (sorry btw. Music student here and I’m obsessed with your content.) thank you so much for reacting!!!

Hakita quite literally dropped you along that riff on that level and it was one of the best moment ins game so far. Metal, pure metal

The enthusiastic part is a motif from the song glory which play exactly one act prior. It’s more of a classical song so to hear it with guitars was awesome

Another important part of this song that I feel is kind of hard to get unless you play through the game or at least heard the previous tracks Is that this track is a call back to guts and glory from gluttony

The first bit of analysis fit Gabriel's character so much... wow

Thing with ULTRAKILL is, you know the motive of the game, you always have as it's shoved right in your face the second you boot up the game the first time. Mankind is dead Blood is fuel Hell is full The question that you start to ask yourself more and more as you progress isn't what you're doing there, it's are you SUPPOSED to be there? This is best seen in Pandemonium in my opinion, where the beat sounds like an alarm going off, as you're essentially breaking into hell's equivalent of a maximum security prison. It gives a "Oh, I am *so* not supposed to be here right now." thought to the player.

I think this is more from the point of view of Gabriel(who is one of the antagonists, but not really ,in the story) who is feeling joy to have someone to actually struggle against and it has reignited the doubt in his mind he's been harboring for who knows how long.

The 6:08 and later literally sounds like a person reaching for a trophy on a pile of corpses if the scene itself could be transferred into sound.

GOTTA DO THE "DEEP BLUE". THAT WHY HE IS THE GOAT🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥

These songs have so many connections! I wish you reacted to the whole ost!

To me the part that you interpret as "unbridled enthusiasm" sounds more like melancholic determination, I guess is how I'd put it. As other have said - this track is played at the moment we land at the entrance to Dis, and is the moment we realize that we truly are in Hell, and the only way is forward. V1 has left nothing behind it, consuming blood so that it remains alive, able to go further and deeper into the circles of Hell itself in search of more blood, more fuel. And for Gabriel's section, the part after the descent which plays in the arena after he acknowledges your presence, it's fury. He was beaten by a machine and as such had the Holy Light ripped from his body, which if not returned will leave him dead in 24 hours. He is frustrated, infuriated, and is left with only hatred in his heart. The only way forward for him, or so he thinks, is to put an end to V1's rampage through Hell - a task he is more than willing to perform.

After the distorted slow down transition, it plays a separate but very short track called 'halls of sacrilegious remains' which plays in the next room. It is like a remix of castle vein, which plays on the level 1-3. At the end of 1-3 you fight a hideous mass, and in 6-1, when halls of sacrilegious plays, you fight two hideous masses at once with a bunch if other enemies

This song is so interesting to me, cause I simultaneously hear that joy Marco talks about, from V1's perspective, but also a real sense of *desperation*. The drawn out notes of this feel just like the hands reaching up to V1 on the song's cover. It really feels to me like hell desperately struggling with everything it has to stave off this relentless threat to its existence

I think your interpretation of this being representative of the enthusiasm of the robot player character is pretty spot on, this song plays in the climax of act 2 and the musical motif that made you comment that is also present in the music for the climax of act 1

Wow, what an analysis! Now I can really hear the enthusiasm in this track, that's appropriate considering the stage this plays in is, so far, the peak of ultrakillness (excluding p-2)

When act 2 first came out, this was my favorite track in the game due the mood it sets for the Heresy Layer. However, that was until Tenebre Rosso Sangue came. It’s still my second favorite Ultrakill song though

god that bassline is everywhere descending chromaticism until an ascending last note it just works so well

Honestly, I feel that this song is a lot more of like... humanity seeking the answer of a question. A constant turmoil that constantly progresses. And then, there's a clarity in that happy moment. Maybe in finding a pleasing answer (likely in this case, religion). And then, just as it came, it was tarnished, making it sound a lot more menacing and disastrous before returning to the start.

Been greatly looking forwards to this one the most. Its probably my favorite track in the game, which just basically screams the point of no return or an absolute victory lap of Act 2. Wonderful video and analysis, cheers on that!

Please do more. Your observations of these tracks are so interesting.

The fact that you can draw this much emotion with an electric gituar, snare, and a piano is actually insane. This one is easily one of my favorites, especially when it switches to the next portion Hakita is a phenomenal musician, and he hasnt failed to disappoint yet with his music

the man continues ignoring the V2 fight themes. either way thank you for paying attention to this game and its ost, i think the ost definitely deserves way more recognition.

i tell myself that a game's soundtrack is good when someone who has never played said game can make spot-on inferences on a song's importance

This is one of the few ultrakill songs where i prefer the calm version over the combat version

Finally, thank you for covering one of my top 3 ultrakill songs, and maybe just top 3 of all time!

5:46 maybe something like this was in The World Looks Red because many people have heard many leitmotifs in TWLR including this one

I just love the start of the song i imagine it has an epic intro or sum like that

5:46 I could be tripping but the melody you’re singing sounds like the main battle theme for the Hollow Knight final boss

V1 is the current apex predator of all. He has defeated Gods champion, and slaughtered half of hell itself. The high pitched wailing, it shows a few things, the desperation of the denizens of hell trying to keep their existence, and Gabriel’s hopelessness. There is a deep soul sucking sadness, there is no hope, all that remains is a ticking timer. If V1 succeeds all of hell will go down. Not only will all life cease, but so will V1’s “life”. You aren’t a machine, you are extinction, an angel of death. The angel of death imagery I think is further exemplified with V1’s wings, his speed and lithe body poised to kill. If the palace of death can’t withhold you, it is no longer death, you are.

That Castle Vein Leitmotif is GODLY And please i beg of you to listen to V2's themes Versus and Duel

Thank you for reading and doing my request : )

YESSS, THE BEST ONE, IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

Best ultrakill track imo

I recommend listening/reacting to Castle Vein from Ultrakill. The part at 7:35 in this video till the end uses the main motif from Castle Vein.

I highly recommend checking out the soundtrack of Team Fortress 2. It is easily my favorite game of all time and it shares a lot of its fan base with Ultrakill. Most of the tracks are orchestral or jazz pieces and I listen to them all the time. They are so fun to have playing while I'm working on something or just relaxing.

Another thing I like about this channel ( and some other music react channels) is how expressive they are with the music. It really shows their thoughts even without words and their understanding of music.

Love this interpretation. I think when you also consider the cover art for Tenebre Rosso Sangue with our character (both playing throughout the Heresy layer), this enthusiasm in the music could also be that from the enemies’ perspective, we’re bringing them salvation from hell itself through death. That said, they’re still trying to kill you tho

LETS GO MORE ULTRAKILL!! fun fact this song plays in the layer of heresy, and this level is just before the 2nd Gabriel fight. the same one that has the song "the death of gods will"

This song I believe is actually Gabriel’s song. The feelings fit perfectly for what happens in the next level when you fight him

It's interesting to see your take on this. Personally, I always saw this as hell itself being entertained at v1's bloodshed, before realizing that it's going to die. I see the last part as it desperately fighting back with all it has, only for it all to fail, as everything is too far gone. (Hell itself is alive in ultrakill and is entertained by the machines)

In acknowledgement of the last part of this track, would love to see a reaction video for castle vein, which is what the entire last part is based on. Its a very fun song to listen to, and from what I've seen to be a community favorite.

The anthemic enthusiastic part sounds almost exactly like Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, which makes it even more great

The final section you listened to is a different song that plays at the end of the level that ‘Altars of Apostasy’ is featured in. The piece is called ‘Halls of Sacrilegious Remains’

the adrenaline rush i got when i saw you reacted to this lmfao

I just noticed that in the background of the second part, it playes a sped up version of the music from the stage the bosses you fight during that second part first came from.

I wish you the best through out your journey :D

7:35 This part onward is a remix of another track called "Castle Vein" from one of the ealier parts of the game

between the second part and the third part, in game, theres a silent part where you walk through a corridor and gabriel has dialogue

6:24 that moment the song hits you right in the face with deep emotion. i personally find this song to be bittersweet, where on one hand it seems to display a newfound freedom from abandoning one's previous beliefs, while on the other there is this hint of horror of what that freedom implies, what terrifying things one can do without the chains of morality imposed on them by both themselves and by those around them. it sinks in that slowly all life is going extinct in all of existence and you are the cause of it. the end of the song is the chaos that ensues because of this newfound horrifying and beautiful freedom it also relates heavily to Gabriel as at this point in the story he has according to the divine counsel, which took the place of God after he vanished completely, committed heresy against them and God after being beaten by the war machine you play as, V1. Gabriel begins to change from this noble figure to unbound from his previous morals, hence the apostasy

Holy shit, Marco reacts to one of my favorite tracks in the game!!

In terms of lore, it seems nobody really talked about the "hell is sentient" thing, so let me do it there is an interpretation of ultrakill saying that hell isn't a place, but a living super-organism “toying” with V1 out of pure enjoyment because it's bored. Sending it waves of enemies to see V1 fight and struggle, and as time passes, hell send more and more enemies that are stronger and stronger, when reaching 6-1 (the level where altar of apostasy plays), it's where I personally interpreted it as hell understanding it has made a mistake by letting V1 live, because now hell knows full well V1 is a machine that will cause everyone's downfall, hell keep sending the strongest demons, machines, and heavenly being it has… but V1 is unstoppable, it's currently in a murder spree and nobody is able to stop him, not heaven the strongest angels from heaven, not even the stronger versions of him, not even the soul of an old king at it's peak, and not even the leviathan that has been growing stronger and stronger since the end of mankind, and soon V1 will be the cause of even more troubles like a rebellion in heaven for example, it's only the start, because hell is full.

when i hear this song, i like to think that v1 has now realized the true weight of the situation, v1 comes to realize just how many innocent people it has slaughtered in a thirst for fuel (blood) the raw tragedy this song conveys is incredibly impactful and it is easily one of my top 5 favorite songs in ultrakill

I like that the last bit is a remix of castle vein which is a reference to the hideous mass fight because in the level you hear this song you have to fight 2 of them

The feeling the Glory motif at 2:39 conveys to me is one of a tragic high, one that cannot last forever due to the fact that the actions that you're taking to sustain it are totally destructive to everything around you. It feels like the theme of someone in the throes of utter nirvana while everything around them falls apart due to their own actions. Which is damn fitting considering that whole "omniciding Hell" thing you're in the middle of. The overall mood of this track feels like the fact that you're one of the bad guys and a participant in *omnicide*, as well as the ravenous consumption of every single living thing in existence purely to fuel your own, is starting to set in.

I've been thinking for a bit about what this song implies and after a while of consideration, I really do think that the song really is meant to be a combo the unrelenting nature of both V1 and the level, coupled by the equally unrelenting joy there can be found playing this game. For clarity, this level is arguably the hardest of the standard levels up until this point, beaten only by P-1, P-2, and maybe the second Gabriel fight. This whole game is about mastery of it and its systems, being far more about styling on enemies rather than just their raw obliteration, so a challenge like this is as one that very quickly becomes thrilling as you fight ever increasingly difficult encounters. This level and the music also serve as call backs to both old bosses and motifs from the first stages of the game, essentially turning this level into throwback to these levels; only now you are so much better at handling them and the game makes it all the more difficult; as what I'd argue is not merely balancing but as a reward for getting this far. All in all, I truly think this song far more exemplifies Ultrakill as a game, rather than merely the story. At its core, it is a tryhard game akin to the stuff like the soulsborne games, where your reward for beating the prior challenges is, more than loot and levels ups, is even greater challenges to beat there-after. Its a game that is constantly ramping up what it throws at you with the full confidence that you'll figure not just how to beat it, but that you'll beat it with such style and speed that you as the player can't help but feel good about it. It is the epitome of "Git gud and revel in triumph". For the above reasons, I especially think that that final phase of the song, which is more or less a remix of the prior 'Castle Vein' song, is a celebration that we're so close to getting to experience the game at its hardest. The song literally sounds like a happy descent, and with it we're descending into the final levels of Hell itself, knowing full well it's going to be an absolute blast taking them head on! This is what I love about Ultrakill. Despite the weight of some of its themes and story; the game truly does revels in its own existence. It has an unbridled confidence that I seldom find in other games. Oh, also, someone mentioned that this level feels nostalgic even for those that went through the game in a single session. I can completely agree. It truly feels like home coming to meet us.

FAVOURITE SONG

idk if anyone has pointed this out but the final bit is a remixed/modified version of an earlier song called "castlevein" (on the nose reference lol), that plays almost at the beginning of the game.

i really hope he listens to glory after this, hearing that motif in this song shook me the first time i was playing through it

id just like to add that the end part is called Hall of Sacrilegious Remains which adds so much more to the emotionally-fueled musical story telling of Altars of Apostasy.

no way he's THIS spot on with the plot are we sure he's not actually playing through the entire game and p ranks everything??

Please do the abyss and the serpent or "he is the light in my darkness"!they're so good!

The stage this plays on is followed by a cutscene of the Angel Gabriel renouncing his faith in the holy council (who has taken control in gods mysterious disappearance) he then proceeds to do what you can expect the lords hand (with two cool swords) to do.

I would absolutely love for you to have a conversation with Hakita, from what info I can remember from the pods I've listened to he never really had professional musical training/studies and managed to break standards for indie games music

You've also heard this part at 5:33 in Hollow Knight's song called The Sealed Vessel, towards the end of it.

Thank you

I've never really realized how Hall of Sacrilegious Remains - the end part - mirrored the Allegretto piece used in Gabriel's story piece when he kills the Council. Both have a singular "main character" instrument that is mainly rising through the whole thing to show that Gabriel is doing something drastic or desperate. In 6-1, it's almost egging the machine on, whereas after 6-2, it's when he turns on the people who defined his faith for so long

I feel that more Altars Of Apostasy are the screams and despair of hell (because yes, hell has a conscience) to finish us off, not to eliminate what remains through the nine layers even screaming at us with hate with every drop of his being, but in the end those efforts are in vain because, we have come so far, so far that there is no return, now we are a force unstoppable in search of the last drop of blood there is, it does not matter if the full force of hell falls between us, because we have the will and power to

YESS THIS SONG IS SO GOOD

Pls, there's no way he is getting more lore from the songs alone than me who plays it, how?!?! This guy is incredible 😭

This is definitely one of my favorite ULTRAKILL tracks with Tenebre Rosso Sanguine. For those familiar with the game. I think it is interesting to point out the portions of the song that feel upbeat and enthusiastic to Marco. When you look at the song in context to Gabriel knowing that he feels a sense of relief and clarity after his second defeat to V1 and ultimately commits entirely to abandoning God and those who represent Him and fully embraces becoming a heretic.

Aaay! He did my request!!!!

My favourite ost from ultrakill. Also I really want you to listen aldia's theme from dark souls 2. Its so dark, thats awesome