MMC1: Power Up the Chips, full album released by Multi-Memory Controller on 10.10.2020.

This is the waking call of the MMC project, awakened after the 10-year period of experimentation known as the Chipforge Years, rising from the grave of my former 8-Bit Metal project (active 2005-2010 on...MySpace!).

These original compositions pay homage to classic video games: Mega Man 2, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, F-Zero, Final Fantasy IV, and the arcade era.

Mixing & mastering by Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Cover art by Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts)
Generously funded in part by the OICRM (Observatoire interdisciplinaire de création et de recherche en musique)

All game titles, artwork, scenarios and characters are the property of their respective owners:

Mega Man © Capcom Co., Ltd.
Contra © Konami Holdings Corporation
Ninja Gaiden © Tecmo Co., Ltd.
F-Zero © Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Final Fantasy © Square enix Co, Ltd. 

https://themmcproject.bandcamp.com for the album in digital and physical copies
https://linktr.ee/themmcproject for everything @ Multi-Memory Controller

Buy digital + physical

MMC1: Power Up the Chips

Track #9 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

A free-form journey through the arcade era, a pastoral land of luxurious wilderness from which the cosmos was born.

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

Sound effects from : Robotron: 2084 and Defender © Warner Bros. Entertainment; Pac-man © Bandai Namco Holdings inc.; Missile Command © Atari SA; Donkey Kong © Nintendo Co., Ltd.

MMC1: Power up the Chips

The Age of Classics (Fantasia: Cosmogonia in Arcadia)

Track #8 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

Part 3 of the Lunarian Trilogy. A homage to Final Fantasy IV. Ends the story with Zemus' motivations and hatred giving rise to Zeromus.

lyrics
Hatred
Hatred eternal

Trapped inside the moon’s core, for centuries I’ve grown so bitter
I tried to command other minds to claim a new land
My kin’s hope is gone and the Blue Planet shined so bright
I said we should take the humans’ earth and seal their fate

(Light guide my hand, for darkness consumes all)
(Piercing the black, I’ll make the madman pay)

Born from the chaos, the dark of the void
Is all mine to doom and destroy
I’ll feed on the light ‘till galaxies die
And flare into life with bangs of pure
Hatred
Hatred Eternal

So it ends for me in the darkness of space
Redemption can be far but never out of reach

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 
Homage respectfully paid to Nobuo Uematsu's compositions "Golbez, Clad in Darkness" and "The Red Wings ".

Final Fantasy IV (C) Square enix Co, Ltd. for game title, artwork, characters, scenario & sound effects.

Hatred Eternal

Track #7 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

Part 2 of the Lunarian Trilogy. A homage to Final Fantasy IV. Chronicles the inner struggles of Golbez, under Zemus' control.

lyrics
One to be born from a dragon
Hoisting the light and the dark
Rises high up in the sky to the still land above

Am I the chosen, the savior of my race?
The crystals are shedding their light silently
They’re calling, they’re holding the key
To my people’s fate
(Rise up my friend and do as I tell
Your deeds will be sung for centuries to come)

Sometimes at night, I hear someone fight
Like a voice trapped inside that is trying to bring back the light
I’m garbed all in black but there’s light left in me
How I wish you could see beyond the mask

(The crystals will open the way to the moon)
The crystals will open the way to the moon

He’s just a dark knight, shadows clouding his sight
He gave up the fight and has forever forsaken the light
His soul is consumed, in darkness entombed
Now he’s helpless to see beyond the mask

Who has been causing these evils before?
Have I lost my mind or was I bound to obey?
Was I not speaking through my own voice?
Was someone behind, or even leading the way?

I wish I could say someone else
made me do all these things against my own will
But I think that I may have resisted
If not for a dark side in me
I’m guilty

Brothers we are, born from the moon
Hoisting the light and the dark
We’ll be rising, beyond the skies
And beyond our masks

The madman will pay for all he took away
My conscience, my free will, my existence itself
Were stolen from me to further his goals
But revenge will be mine

One for myself,
Two for my king,
Three for our planet
And four for the sake of your kin

Hate, fear, regrets and the darkness they bring
Form a mask on ourselves we must break
Sometimes in life we aren’t given a choice
But we can always strive to see the world
Beyond the mask

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

Final Fantasy IV (C) Square enix Co, Ltd. for game title, artwork, characters, scenario & sound effects.

Beyond the Mask

Track #6 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

Part 1 of the Lunarian Trilogy. A homage to Final Fantasy IV. This is Cecil's journey from Dark Knight to Paladin.

lyrics
…veiling the moon with the Light of Eternity
It brings another promise
To Mother Earth
With a bounty and mercy

High in the sky, I’m facing alone
My darkness inside, so far from home
Could this be the chance for me to atone?
For the sins of my past

I hear the wind, it’s whispering (in my ear)
A servant of doom is guarding the tomb

Climbing the steps, I’m facing the test
To break from my past and be free at last
And as darkness recedes, all becomes clear
Still I will go on

I see the Light, it shines so bright (feel the fear)
Piercing the black, tearing down my mask

As I’m staring at myself, in the mirror someone else
Stands alone facing me, this is who I’ve come to be
There’s so much he wants to say, but he silently obeys
The orders he was given by a Dark Sword shunned by heaven

I’m searching for my soul
Can I fill the hole? (You can’t)
Doubt takes its toll (Again)
Heart and mind alike, so many have tried (and failed)
To walk that fine line (Beyond death and life)
Facing the darkness, I’ll conquer myself
And bring out my best

As I’m staring at myself, in the mirror someone else
Stands alone facing me, this is who I’ve come to be
There’s so much he wants to say, but he silently obeys
The orders that he received from a father-king long buried

The Holy Light shines down on me,
It revealed the face hidden behind the mask
The spineless man I was before is no more

credits
credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

Final Fantasy IV (C) Square enix Co, Ltd. for game title, artwork, characters, scenario & sound effects.

Behind the Mask

Track #5 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

A homage to F-Zero and the political economy of racing in a 26th century dystopia. Featuring a duel on the race tracks between Captain Falcon and Pico the alien.

lyrics
The roar of the engines is lagging behind
As we all go over the 500 miles per hour
The landscape’s a blur, colors are melting away in a haze

Ever faster
No time to blink when the walls come crashing at you
Ride on fire
My friend, that’s 26th century racing for you

F-Zero Racing, a sports for the rich
Their money is buying out our will to resist
Capitalism on a cosmic scale
Where under the race tracks the poor slave away

Profit’s the logic, I’m a modern man
A bounty hunter with the most primitive code of honor
A hero today, which is to say a mercenary yesterday
Show me money
I’ll show you whole galaxies where the blind’s leading the blind
Get back on track
(Follow my tail lights or you’ll crash and burn)

F-Zero Racing, a high-risk escape
From worlds sterilized and where all life is chained
We pilots have something the rich cannot buy
Up on the race tracks we’re living today

(You’re going to break down!
Stay put behind or you’ll find
There’s nowhere you can hide from my ride
I’ll crush you in between the curved lines)

Straight to the sky, come and fly
You must be willing to die
At breakneck speed
Like we live our lives
(Like we live and die)

F-Zero Racing, collective revenge
On a system that rules us and where no one decides
What do we do with our lives ‘till we die?
Out on the race tracks we’re leading the way

Ever faster, ride on fire forever
There’s only one way to find out what you’re worth
In this day and age : F-Zero Racing

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

F-Zero (C) Nintendo Co., Ltd. for game title, artwork, characters, scenario & sound effects.

F-Zero Racing

Track #4 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

A homage to Ninja Gaiden.

lyrics
A flash of the blade, the sad twisting of fate
Blood spilled and dyed by the moon’s light
Your legacy makes no sense to me
Oh Father I must understand
Why you died

The day after he disappeared, in father’s room,
I found a letter adressed to me.
I read it. Nothing seemed real.
The ancient sword, the way of the Dragon…
Whoever did this won’t get away.
I will get my revenge!

Where are you? I am here
Still searching for the final clue
I will fight ‘till I find
All the answers that I seek

In shadows I’m running, in my hands I’m holding
These mystic statues with power imbued
I’m starting to realize I’m now on the inside
Of a secret race for the future of mankind

Another death, another puzzle piece
Yet another unsolved mystery
These cryptic words echo through my ears :
"When the Black Moon shines,
Light and Dark break apart,
The King of Darkness howls…"

Here I stand, in my hand
The Dragon Sword of my bloodline
I will fight ‘till I find
The temple’s evil mastermind

Look in my eyes, see the child that has died
The Ghost of my Father will be my guide
You won’t escape the edge of my blade
Nothing will save you from my fiery rage

Who is he? This can’t be!
Father, you must snap out of it
I will fight for your mind
I won’t let the demon rise

Concentrate / without haste / swiftly strike / when time is right
Plan your move / catch your breath / for the Black Moon / brings creeping death…

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

Ninja Gaiden (C) Tecmo Co., Ltd. incl. game title, artwork, characters, scenario & sound effects.

The Ghost of My Father

Track #3 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

A homage to Contra.

lyrics
A meteor falling, aliens invading
The future is darkened and dreary
A threat is emerging, Red Falcon looming
Send out a Contra force

Waist-deep in water we’re wading along
To the heart of the island to strike at the core
(Soon you’ll know fear)
The enemy’s here, this is our war
The world’s fate rests on our bare shoulders

Contra Force is rising
Throughout the jungle machine guns are sounding the fight
Their bullets are speaking, defending our homes
They’re fighting for a better future for all
For blue skies to shine again

Jump! (Jump!)
Avoid the falling rocks!
Jump! (Jump!)
To the top of the waterfall!

The Red Falcon bleeds and falls to the ground
As we defeat all their soldiers around
Into their base, gate after gate,
Shooting machines, blown down to smithereens

Contra Force is blazing
Throughout the snowy peaks and high-tech factories beyond
They’re reaching the end of their struggle at last
The alien heart is the last thing to blast
Soon we’ll be free again

(Through fighting and bravery, freedom has been won back
And now the Earth is at peace, at last)

Their battle was yours, friends you must understand
These wars for your God or for riches, for land
Hurt us all in the end.

Contra Force returning
Throughout the nations, celebrations resound
The lesson’s been learned and united we stand
The future is bright and the skies blue again
The world’s fate is ours to make

Five years later, the alien invaders
Have come back repeating our history
Their spaceship is firing, civilians are dying
The Alien Wars begin!

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

Contra, (C) Konami Holdings Corporation for game title, artwork, characters, scenario & sound effects.

Saving the World Barechested

Track #2 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/multimemorycontroller/mmc1-power-up-the-chips) 

A homage to Mega Man 2.

lyrics
Out in the night atop a skyscraper high
The city lights are shining on and I know they’re worth fighting for

I try my best to justify the meaning of my quest
I long for peace and that is why ironically I have to fight

In 200X when the world’s in decay
And the heroes of yersterday passed away
A new man will rise and for makind he’ll fight
In the Year 200X

Running through the halls of a maze of crystal and ice
The Master waits beyond the gates with the power to freeze time

When you face your demise your weapon will be mine
I can take on anything as long as I keep trying

There can be life from bones and steel
A metal heart can start to beat
Man and machine
And nothing in between

Oh, when will I see it? Peace everlasting
Man and machine and nothing in between.

In 200X
Fire spreads out, the oceans are swelling
And storms shake the ground
When science has failed my heart and soul still prevail
I will save the world

In 200X
In the Year 200X

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts) 

Mega Man (C) Capcom Co., Ltd. for game title, characters, artwork, scenario & sound effects.

In the Year 200X

Track #1 from album MMC1: Power up the Chips

As I turn on the Multi-Memory Controller, we travel back to the origins...this is the genesis of the world of chipmetal, and an overture to the MMC1 album. Get dem chips powered up!

lyrics
First came the Word
A prime voice in the dark of the Void
The One became Many
A Legion of waves, sharpened like blades…
On the 6th day
Of the 6th month
In the 6th hour
The Beast had come
To Power up the Chips
In the Flames of Metal

credits
Composition, lyrics, guitar, vocals & chip instruments: Dominic Arsenault
Mixing & Mastering: Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Artwork: Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts)

Chipmetal 101 (Overture: Mythopoeia)

A one-mind band fusing power / prog metal with unholy chiptunes, writing original music on classic video games. Welcome to the world of chipmetal.