RWBY Volume 9 Soundtrack Reaction
Added 2025-01-11 17:00:07 +0000 UTCEarly ad-free access for our reaction to the Soundtrack for RWBY Volume 9
Comments
i love the, i guess the word is wordplay, though theres no playing about it, of "I am a trapdoor" as a lyric, it is shorter and intentionally breaks the rhythmic pattern on the phrase, but it's the mental state Ruby was in, a Trapdoor, something hidden, unseen, that only exists to suddenly disappear under you and make you fall into danger, which is how she felt, like every struggle she had was unseen and every action just led to harm and danger
Encyclo Chemeleon
2025-01-13 04:46:12 +0000 UTCHe did a good job on the guitar. Knew it wasn't Jeff but he brought some of that vibe to songs when he was on the guitar.
Bethany and Ken
2025-01-12 15:33:02 +0000 UTCYeah I think the only other OST we react to is from the game Guilty Gear because again it gives so much information on the characters and has such a unique feel to it. Even if we don't always understand the lyrics in a song its fascinating to get breakdowns in the comments. 😊
Bethany and Ken
2025-01-12 15:31:30 +0000 UTCOh wow, you got into RWBY even later than we did. That's cool to hear about your RWBY journey and glad you have joined us on ours
Bethany and Ken
2025-01-12 15:28:56 +0000 UTCThat's an interesting observation about the parallels between Ruby and Casey for this volume 🤔
Bethany and Ken
2025-01-12 15:25:24 +0000 UTCyes we felt like her vocal range was being suppressed as well 🤔
Bethany and Ken
2025-01-12 15:23:30 +0000 UTCThanks for letting us know placement for these songs within the volume 😀
Bethany and Ken
2025-01-12 15:22:20 +0000 UTCIt definitely took on a different tone. Casey's reasoning being that it takes place in a much more whimsical and weird setting that Remnant hence the experimental stuff which you definitely noticed. It does make me curious as to how she'll approach V10 and anything after. By the way, Casey also mentioned that she cowrote this with Martin Gonzalez, her fellow bandmate in "Ok GoodNight." He also helped write the last half of the score in Volume 8. Also the one shredding on the guitar is Martin.
Mare
2025-01-12 11:26:54 +0000 UTCThe Yang & Blake song is about the only one I don’t absolutely love, but The Edge & Quiet resonated so deeply for me and instantly dominated my Spotify and were in my top 5 wrapped for the year they were on it lol
ChosenxShadow
2025-01-12 10:56:12 +0000 UTCIn "Guide my way (Red like roses part 3)" Ruby is actually talking about her mother "Your memory even-lasting at war with my foolish pride [..]I will be who you were and I'll be even more" and how she will look up to her but not with that obsession of being perfect anymore.
Moonas
2025-01-12 05:19:55 +0000 UTCSome decent songs but this volume ost is firmly in last place for me. The absence of Jeff Williams was quite apparent imo.
Bigbeejr55
2025-01-12 00:38:07 +0000 UTCI really like how the second song is Neo and the Cat having a conversation inside her mind. The one about Jaune has a strangely nostalgic vibe to it, like I had heard it a very long time ago, and if it's done on purpose then it's really well done given the theme of the song itself. I could not pick up most of the lyrics from the opening while watching the Volume, so seeing the lyrics here shows a lot of foreshadowing about what happens in the story. While my favorite song of this Volume is probably Checkmate, the first one, the biggest surprise was definitely Red Like Roses Part 3. Hearing a follow-up on a song first heard during the very first trailer for the show, and during the first Volume was absolutely not on my bingo card but was a very pleasant surprise because the original songs are in my top 10 RWBY OST. I need to find the album (it doesn't seem like it's on Spotify, or the algorithm is doing something weird), because I hope it has the reprise of "This Will Be The Day", the first Volume's opening, that we hear at the end of the last Chapter, after the team arrives in Vacuo. I do agree that it's not my favorite OST of the show, Volume 5 is still at the top for me, right above Volume 4 then Volume 7, but it fits the theme of the Volume really well, whether it's the fairy tale part or the whole "finding yourself" thing, especially since we have a few songs that are about Ruby finding herself, one about Yang and Blake finding themselves and each other, one about Jaune finding himself and even one about Neo. I do find it interesting that Weiss doesn't have a song, because even though she has already found herself when she went against her father, there wasn't much progression on the way she handles the loss of Atlas for the second half of the Volume. Which makes me think that, if we get our Volume 10 (haven't looked up any info about that, so I don't know the progression of the RWBY continuation), we'll probably get an arc about her finding a way to cope with that and reuniting with her family, and possibly a song about it. I really love how this is one of the few shows out there in which the songs tell as much story as the episodes themselves. Since the action moves fast and we don't get much time to focus on individual characters, we always get a glimpse of what goes on inside their head through the songs. And for that reason, most Youtube channels that do reactions to RWBY also do reactions to the OST for each Volume, which isn't really done for any other show aside from maybe Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (though reaction channels usually analyze the songs while watching the show for these, since they're at the forefront and not in the background of action scenes)
KeterLordFR
2025-01-12 00:18:06 +0000 UTCI'm actually surprised so many people had to warm up to this Volumes soundtrack. This one instantly broke into my top 2. I still cannot listen to Trapdoor without breaking into tears as I resonate so much with it. A lot of the slower songs I can agree weren't as good as previous but Worthy is up there for one of my favourite slow songs from RWBY. Guide My Way (Red Like Roses Part 3) is such a banger and The Edge is a total vibe.
Aiden Bannerman
2025-01-11 23:38:49 +0000 UTCI wanted to add that I started my RWBY journey in Summer 2023 when on vacation, watching your Seasons 1-3 reaction videos on YouTube. Since you barely had anything from Season 4 up, I scrambled to binge the series remainder in about two weeks via blu-rays and Crunchyroll. Now here I am, two RWBY cats later in my house, and you are finishing your watch. Since my (many times) viewing has pretty much been just me, it's been a joy to walk through it with you to the current end and see your responses as it unfolds. It's been a joy! :)
Jennywocky
2025-01-11 22:13:34 +0000 UTCCheckmate's my personal favorite. Not many songs get me dancing in my seat and this one had me grooving. Chatterbox is an interesting one as while this played during the market place where Jaune and the others fought that first Jabberwalker, it's actually a "conversation" between Neo and the Curious Cat when the latter is possessing her. Guide My Way is just freaking awesome and Trapdoor was just the best way to explain what was going on in Ruby's head.
Sasha
2025-01-11 21:25:20 +0000 UTCI didn’t really like this soundtrack as much at first either, but it really grew on me as I listened to it more. Now it may be one of my favorites.
SavvySpark
2025-01-11 20:58:00 +0000 UTCI did at first, but the song grew on me.
SavvySpark
2025-01-11 20:55:54 +0000 UTCI enjoy these songs but find many of them fall just short of what I want them to be. I think Inside is the only one that I love whole hog and would consider as good or better than a lot of previous tracks. Guide my way is so so good... except that (not sure the correct musical term) breakdown later on that really... smears the feeling of it all. Which could fit with the intention of the song if the breakdown had even a bit of distinction to it. But it sounds like what I've heard in a thousand other songs and so it makes me check out when I want to be doing the opposite. Little bugbears like that.
Jeff
2025-01-11 19:56:05 +0000 UTCThe Yang and Blake song is rough. I absolutely get cringe from the chanting too. 😭 But absolutely love Checkmate, Chatterbox and Trapdoor.
RyokoTheBeast
2025-01-11 19:42:23 +0000 UTCI love how we’ve gotten to hear Casey Lee William’s voice and style evolve over the years as she moved from pre-teen to adult. (Not sure how Martin Gonzalez’ leaving OK Goodnight will impact future RWBY music, but I trust Casey – she’s been there from the start!) I really enjoyed the progressive rock/metal approach this season. To me, RWBY S9 Soundtrack almost has the feel of a concept album vs songs designed for top 40 play. “Checkmate” (played during the Red Prince chess battle) highlights some great action moves by Weiss, Blake, and Yang. “Chatterbox” (the bazaar fight) had that cool opening with Jaune crashing into large Jabberwocker/Neo, finally making his appearance. Nice title pun, too, in light of Neo who cannot talk audibly. “Worthy” unfolds like the blossoming flowers around Blake and Yang in the punderstorm. Blake was aware of her feelings for some time but it was more a surprise for Yang – remember when at the auction in E2 she didn’t consciously know “what it was like to feel loved”? But she was loved and always has been. I always loved “Trapdoor” – especially that kickin’ guitar riff throughout, esp around the 2-minute mark. Most of the lyrics didn’t get into the episode (it’s the fight at the PP's where Ruby freezes while her friends fight off the Jabberwockers) but offer real insightful into Ruby’s mindset, and the song winds down just like Ruby is kind of winding down… “Quiet” – Jaune’s song – plays at the Genial Gems when Weiss reaffirms to Jaune that he is still brave… and good, maybe quelling some of the burden he’s felt over losing Pyrrha and Penny. “Guide My Way” has the best musical re-cue ever – the ethereal “Red like roses fills my dreams,” the very first series lyric (Red Trailer), infuses Ruby as she reclaims her weapon, embracing who she is after a season of losing her identity. Ruby is mainly talking to her mom here (you can picture her talking to the night sky) -- I love how losing her mom was a source of grief in the past, yet her memory of her mother’s total acceptance of her (“I love you just the way you are”) has restored her to become a new version of herself rather than feeling like a failure for not being her mom. The song reflects that – it starts with bits of the old RlR v1-2 and then morphs into this v3 this is totally Ruby’s. She is finally free to be something new that is still wholly herself. (Side note: I wonder if Casey feels some connection with Ruby, as she was also taking over the music chores from her dad this season -- and had to stop trying to be him and instead figure out and expand into who SHE was...) “The Edge” is the season credits song. I love how it feels -- so dreamy, so positive, so hopeful. And of course “Inside” highlighted how this season would be a new side of RWBY, reminiscent of the old, yet edgier and different. Curious to see how returning to Remnant might adjust the sound again, maybe a little back to the more familiar style? Dunno. I hope we’ll see!
Jennywocky
2025-01-11 18:48:01 +0000 UTCYea this soundtrack doesn't really do it for me either. I think its because its more progressive metal like Casey's band. And while I don't necessarily dislike prog metal, it doesn't really inspire the same emotions as Jeff's music did. An impression I've gotten from listening to OK Goodnight (Casey's band) is that their songs tend to almost suppress her vocal range? Like its a huskier, sometimes almost monotone voice, that fits the music, but just doesn't have the raw emotion. It might be a combo of this and prog metal just having a lot going on in the instrumentals. Then again I'm not a musician so I'm just talking out my ass about how it seems to me.
Alex Smith
2025-01-11 18:12:12 +0000 UTCMy top 3 Are The Edge, red like roses p3, and trap door.
Alex
2025-01-11 18:10:20 +0000 UTCSo: Checkmate: Played during Ruby’s match against the Red Prince in episode 3. Chatterbox: Played during the fight against the Jabberwalker in the marketplace when we met Jaune as the Rusted Knight in episode 5. Worthy: Self explanatory where this song played. It was during the Bumbleby kiss scene in episode 6. The color coded lyrics specify who is talking. Trapdoor: Ooh boy, the start of Ruby’s depression. This played during the fight against Neo’s Jabberwalkers at the Paper Pleasers village in episode 7. The artwork for that video really does a good job at showing how Ruby felt during that episode. Quiet: This played at the start of episode 9 as JWBY returned to the Paper Pleasers’ (now Genial Gems) village after the aftermath that was episode 8 (Ruby drinking the tea). Guide My Way (Red Like Roses Part 3): The most anticipated song since all of the other main girls all had 3 parts (or more) of their theme songs, while Ruby had only two parts of her theme, and they were all the way back in Volume 1! This is from Ruby’s perspective as at the start is talking to Summer, but then delves into saying she is different from her mother, her own person. Casey and Martin did an excellent job with this song. Even had the original motif of the first part and the iconic line “Red like roses fills my dreams.” The Edge: The ending song for the volume. I believe this is also from Ruby’s perspective as she is starting to understand that her mother isn’t/(maybe) wasn’t perfect as she believed her to be from the stories Yang, Tai and Qrow told her. Inside: The intro song for the volume. There is also a low-fi version of Wings, the ending song for Volume 1, in this soundtrack. The first song to get an updated vocals version (10 years later at that) of Casey. There is no influence from Jeff in this soundtrack. It’s all Casey and Martin’s (he’s the main instrumentalist) work. Jeff essentially retired from making the music at the end of Volume 8, giving the reins to Casey. Volumes 1-8 are available to stream once again (iTunes/Spotify/etc) as Jeff was able to get the rights to them again after the change of ownership of RWBY (RoosterTeeth to Viz Media). Volume 9’s on the other hand is still not available as Casey is trying to get the rights to release them again.
Shadow Drivver
2025-01-11 18:06:53 +0000 UTC
