The Backdoor of Reality

Ah, Invader Zim. God, what a cool show that was. Original, creative, funny. One of those rare "cartoons" that appeals to both kids and adults, like Rocky & Bullwinkle on acid. On the chance you're unfamiliar with the show, I'll leave it to you to go Google around and discover what you missed, but either way, keep reading, cuz I've got a special treat for ya.

Kevin Manthei was the man behind the music, and he did an extremely fun and impressive job on it. His film work includes items like Scream 2 and 3, Scary Movie 2, Dracula 2000, and Resident Evil, among others. His TV work, apart from Zim, includes Xiaolin Showdown, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, and a couple of others. The vast majority of his work, though, has been in the game department, ranging from Nancy Drew to Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption. I haven't heard much of these others, but if Invader Zim is anything to judge by, I'd bet many of them are worth tracking down.

(I should probably mention at this point that the main Invader Zim theme was composed by Mark Tortoric, and arranged/composed by Keven mathei.)

Check out what Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of Zim, has to say about Kevin's music:

"Kevin's music wasn't just an addition to the show, it was crucial for the show to be what it was. Without his intense sounds lending a sense of urgency and seriousness to the ridiculous proceedings within Zim, I could never have given the good little children of Earth as many nightmares as I did."

Heh heh heh. Once you hear it, you'll understand.

So, back in 2002, a "not for sale" promo CD was released. I don't really know any details about how, or in what numbers, but suffice to say, it's hard to find, and I don't think it can be had anywhere. Containing 69 tracks of doom, it'll keep you pleasantly grinning for many a moon.

Later on, AnimeStuff-R, a popular web-radio show, did a huge 5-hour broadcast devoted to Invader Zim. For Zim fans, this was a major "event," and they were lining up around the proverbial block (in a cyberpace sorta way), watching the days count down until the show. The broadcast, their thirteenth "session," was titled "The Kevin Manthei Invader Zim-phony Special," and it was a smash hit. It would later be dubbed simply "The Amazing Zim-phony" by fans (with no disrespect towards Kevin intended).

But then things got really frustrating. Everyone wanted their own copy of the broadcast, to listen to again and again, and AnimeStuff-R did release a CD. However, due to inherent problems and legalities (I forget the entire explanation at the moment, but you can probably find it online somewhere), only 100 copies were printed and released on a first-come, first-served basis. They were in the form of Mini-CDs, and contained the entire 5-hour broadcast spread over 325 MP3s. They also apparently had to encode everything at 64 kbps to make it fit, so the quality isn't anything to do cartwheels over. Still, it's a rare and coveted gem, and still a helluva lot of fun.

And now they can both be yours, and you don't have to wait in line or bribe anyone. Just follow the links below and make Zim a part of your horrid, Earthenoid existence.

Note: I screwed up. I accidentally put some of the cover art for one in the other's folder. In the Zim-phony folder, the Tracks.jpg should be moved to the Soundtrack folder, and the folder.jpg can be deleted, since it's an accidental dupe of the Soundtrack's. To recreate the proper Zim-phony folder.jpg, just crop and save the left-most segment of the Cover.jpg (or copy it from the posted image below). Sorry 'bout that.


(RAR/115 MB/MP3/VBR)
Invader Zim Promo Soundtrack


(RAR/153 MB/MP3/64 kbps)
The Amazing Zim-phony!





Enjoy!!!