You see lots of performance videos, but I can never find a ton of behind the scenes and practice stuff. So this practice session of the Legend of Zelda and Castlevania themes was a pretty cool find.

You’ve heard Nobuo Uematsu’s compositions, but have you ever heard the man himself play? The Black Mages is the name of Uematsu-san’s instrumental rock band. They play all sorts of Final Fantasy arrangements done in a progressive metal style. There are currently two disks released by this fun loving band.

The first, titled The Black Mages, was released in 2003. The second was released a year later, and is called The Skies Above. They have also made appearances on several other albums. Unfortunately, live performances are rare for this group - with just two to herald each of the two album releases.

They have taken part in a few other Final Fantasy concerts, such as Voices and More Friends. It is said that they are going to release a third album soon - of course, what is soon to us might not be the same soon to The Black Mages. You can’t rush genius, though.

Cool behind the scenes video about the Play! concert series.