NieR’s Shadowlord in F minor is a cathedral chant reminiscent of traditional church music. The piece is reserved for the final boss fight of the game, in which a the tragic and harrowing conclusion unfolds. Okabe weaves the game’s main theme from Ashes of Dreams into this darker piece’s chorus, exemplifying the very nature of the game’s story. While I won’t go into details so as to not spoil the game, the thematic relationship between Shadowlord and Ashes of Dreams is akin to that of the relationship between the antagonist and protagonist, Shadowlord and Nier himself. The piece’s structure is built upon the framework shown above, of which a simple form can be deduced.

        In blue we see the introduction phrase of the piece. Shadowlord asserts its F minor tonality through a weak dominant resolution in the second measure, moving on to a more structurally supported half cadence to end the phrase. Looking at the first measure, we see the tonic note hold while the 3rd and 5th move to unstable scale degrees 4 and 6, creating a dissonant iv ⁶  ₄  chord. These notes are neighbor-tones, pulling back toward 3 and 5 with a gravitation that only grows stronger when the bass lowers to #7, forming a diminished chord. While a vii° is certainly strong in dominant function, it is important to recognize the reticent movement of the voices; every voice of the original tonic triad has only structurally traversed a one note range beyond its starting point. This makes it a weak movement that is really simply an extension of the tonic harmony.
         It is not until the third measure where we meet our first divergence from home. After passing through v⁶    to arrive at the structurally subdominant VI⁷   , the voices continue through to iv and accentuate their final movement to V through its secondary dominant. The V is initially realized as a V ^6-5  _4-3  suspension, subsequently resolving to the standard V. The classification of VI⁷    as sub-dominant in function may seem contrary to the typical idea of VI as a tonic extension, but through a more structurally and temporally inclined analysis, its function as sub-dominant is quite clear. The phrase is divided between the three traditional harmonic functions (Tonic, Sub-dominant, and Dominant) as seen below.

        If you forget the analysis and trust your ear during this phrase, you’ll find yourself within each of these unique places. The first is the tonic, the place of home and resolution. Tonic harmony is the structural framework of the first two measures as supported by the outlining of notes F, Ab, and C. Structural function is a product of time and conviction, so the brief escapade to the seemingly dominant harmony of vii° cannot alone bring your mind away from the tonic. Rather than leaving tonic harmony in the midst of these neighbor-chords, we are actually ebbing and flowing within it (formally named Prolongation in academic literature).
        When we meet the VI⁷    chord in the third measure through our largest movement yet, it is clear something has changed. We feel movement, as if we’re heading somewhere that we were previously unaware of; we are now in sub-dominant harmony on our way to dominant harmony. This lasts for the whole measure before reaching the cadence, a very structurally supported V chord. Preparing in measure three and finalizing in measure four, the bass moves 6-5-4-#4-5, while the soprano moves 5-4-3-2-1-#7. In the bass, the dominant’s root is enclosed by 6 and #4, while in the soprano its root and third are outlined by the melodic 5-#7. This doesn’t directly happen in the soprano, as the simpler form of the V chord is delayed by its jump back up to 3 before falling again to #7, but it is really the overall contour that is of structural significance here.

         This is a reduced form of the structural movement that happens throughout measures three and four. As you can see, the voices move in a convicted manner to outline dominant harmony in a way that is not recognizable just from looking at the notes of the V chord. It serves as a great reminder to the fact that we must consider music as an organic and evolving specimen in order to understand it. Through the use of time and voice leading, Okabe creates a very compelling conclusion to the first phrase.

        The next phrase, in pink, begins almost identically to the first one, but rather than moving to neighbor-tone #7, the bass utilizes the natural 7 to create a V⁷ /III resolving strongly to the relative major III. The composer has changed the quality of just one note in the same contour as the original phrase to completely redirect our ear to Ab major. There’s something special about the soprano’s resolution to the third of Ab, however. This C was previously used in phrase 1 to outline the V chord in F minor, and our brain remembers this. The Ab chord feels like a resolution, but it doesn’t feel like a place to stop. When the soprano navigates an upward neighbor-tone before moving through that same exact dominant outline we heard in phrase 1, we know with certainty we’re back in F minor and headed for the dominant cadence.
        The introduction of the relative major offers a pleasant diversion from the dark tones of minor and foreshadows the modulation to come in the next section. On a structural level, the movement resonates with our ears because it follows the same path of Tonic-Sub-dominant-Dominant function, albeit using a different tonic. It’s also worth noting that the basses miss their leap from Eb to Ab by just a bit before correcting, undermining the strength of the relative major’s cadence. This contributes to the perception of this III chord as a means to an end rather than a place of structural resolution. After entering Sub-dominant harmony in accordance with the form established in the previous phrase, the cadence is realized as a diminution of its previous self in order to fit its conclusion within the section. Okabe maintains the same contour of the first phrase, providing a sense of cohesion, while also allowing the listener to experience a contrast to the minor theme.

        The chorus, in red, begins on ii of the relative major and spans two phrases. Each phrase of the chorus is a circle-of-fifths sequence that moves through both relative tonics with the bassline Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-G-C-F. To reach the starting point of the chorus, ii of the relative major, a secondary dominant to the chord Bb Db F is employed on the last beat of the previous phrase. Before its resolution, this chord is perceived as a V⁶ /iv in F minor. Upon its resolution in the new phrase, we actually experience a modulation from F minor to Ab which causes this chord to actually be retroactively reclassified by the brain as V⁶ /ii. We expected to meet a chord that functioned as the sub-dominant to F’s dominant, but instead met a chord that functioned as the sub-dominant to Ab’s dominant. The ingenuity of this movement is that it completes the circle of fifths; F to Bb is the beginning and end of the Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-G-C-F root movement. As the modulation completes, the choir increases in dynamic and is joined by organ and tubular bells. This excitement along with the the completion of four introductory phrases is what cued this section of most importance, the chorus.
        This section is Shadowlord ‘s greatest relation to NieR ‘s main theme, which is heard in its main form of vi-ii-V-I-IV-bII/vi-V/vi in the Ab major Ashes of Dreams. Take a look at these chords, then take a look at the score above. It’s nearly the exact same progression, only it has been shifted exactly one chord: ii-V-I-IV-ii/vi-V/vi-i/vi. If that looks over-complicated, it’s because this theme oscillates between relative major and minor and is hard to properly analyze with roman numerals. In this case it may be more fruitful to compare using chord names, which are as follows when transposed to the same key of C major:

• Dm – G  – C – F – Bm – E  – Am — Shadowlord
• Am – Dm – G – C – F  – Bb – E  — Ashes of Dreams

Now, were we to rearrange the sequences to initiate them on the same chord, the connection is obvious:

• Dm – G – C – F – Bm – E – Am — Shadowlord
• Dm – G – C – F – Bb – E – Am — Ashes of Dreams (Shifted by one chord)

For those inclined to roman numerals, here is the sequence in minor:

• iv – VII – III – VI –  ii – V – i — Shadowlord
• iv – VII – III – VI – bII – V – i — Ashes of Dreams (Shifted by one chord)

Shadowlord ‘s version deviates from the relative minor’s Neapolitan, opting for a (still chromatic) ii chord instead. Okabe crafts a new melody above the offset thematic progression to fully transform it from the wistful anthem to the dramatic boss-fight theme. This musical act reflects the entire plot of the game’s story; again, I won’t get into details so as to not spoil things, but the way this progression is offset in time is certainly of significance.
         The melody and imitation of the chorus grant it the unique and compelling sound that makes it more than just another fifths progression. The soprano line begins with this simple theme:

         It begins on the fifth of a chord and its lower target is the fifth of the subsequent chord. You may have noticed that there’s a whole lot of fifths going on; the sequence even spans a fifth from Bb to F! The fifth is the motif through which this entire passage is constructed. In measure two, the sequence repeats a step down in accordance with the harmonic movement. In measure three, the soprano resolves to the third of the chord rather than the fifth and pauses on a half note to allow the listener to rest. The alto takes this opportunity to retrograde and slightly alter both halves of the sequence:

         The melody is reversed here, with the leap of a third occuring at the start, followed by stepwise motion. The second half of the sequence is isolated and reversed as well. While it appears to have a different pitch contour than the original sequence, a look at the score reveals the soprano taking on the G one would usually expect here. The soprano then finds its way to an A that it then encloses (thus emphasizing structurally), completing a full retrograde of the original sequence. The bass offers its own recital of the sequence as well in the fourth measure by reversing the pitch contour rather than the actual sequence. These melodic movements are all intrinsically linked and complement each other to beautiful effect.
         The soprano revisits the sequence once more in the second iteration of the fifths progression, this time employing its 8th note portion a third lower. The time comes to cadence, however and the melody slows down while finding its way to 1 that it heavily supports and ornaments before suspending over V. Giving way to #7, it finalizes the formation of a half cadence identical to that seen in the transition from Phrase 1 to Phrase 2; the final section has arrived.

        To wrap things up, Shadowlord hearkens back to its opening statement. The harmonic content is mostly the same, with the bassline a bit more stagnant. The soprano begins on a high 1 and slowly falls a full octave on its way to suspend itself into a #7. Resolving back to 1, it then runs back up the octave, engaging in one final performance of the aforementioned 8th note theme before falling step-wise down to 2 of V to conclude the form. The harmony can be analyzed similarly to how it was analyzed in section 1 and 2. This revisiting of the introductory framework with a descant like melody atop it cements the form and thrills our ears. We’ve travelled the sonic spectrum, developed a theme, and returned home.

        Shadowlord is a wonderful example of the power in simplicity. The music is diatonic save for some brief indulging in the very closely related keys of iv and v, yet it perfectly accompanies the exigent and fantastical crisis thrust unto Nier. Okabe has used very intuitive and accessible harmonic language to both provide a more intimate connection with his audience and maintain a high degree of solemnity. This is not even to mention its impeccable relationship to Ashes of Dreams as a reflection of the game’s story. Shadowlord deftly captures the catastrophic collision of unyielding conviction.