Summary
Heavy metal musicis a dead ringer for first-person shooters. Plenty of classic shooters from the 90s took a lot of inspiration from the world of rock and metal with their soundtracks, and it shows.DOOM’ssoundtrack, for example,was strongly inspired by artists like Metallica and Alice in Chains, at the request of the developers, and the theme song forDuke Nukem 3D, “Grabbag,” is nothing short of an iconic track covered by fans, and even thrash metal icons Megadeth.
What about the times when big-name bands and performers were featured in, or worked on, FPS titles? Be they old or new, metal artists have indeed stuck their feet deep into video game turf.
Guitarist guruSteve Vaicontributed his guitar-shredding prowess to the remixed main themefor the highly-anticipatedHalo 2. In the first game, the title theme shook gamers far and wide with its heroic orchestration, combined with looming Gregorian chants that forged one of the most iconic openings to a song in video game history.
To hear such an iconic, heroic track by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori be given a rock twist was a truly mind-blowing moment, and Vai reminded everyone how good orchestras and electric guitars can sound when blended together. According to the game’s behind-the-scenes documentary, the riffs he recorded and layered on top were almost entirely done in a single take.
With a shooter all aboutgothic and horror tropes mashed together, Monolith was going to need an equally-as-gothic artist to help advertise it. The iconic Brooklyn-based doom metal band Type O Negative had their lustful track “Love You To Death” featured in adverts forBlood,and the music video was bundled on CD alongside the game’s full release in 1997.
It was perfectly fitting, thematically. After all, the band managed to make a name for themselves with the acclaimed 1993 album “Bloody Kisses,” which touched upon strong themes of heartbreak, sex, and death (with plenty of dry humor). Similarly, its follow-up album “October Rust” went all-out with gloomy, luscious tunes that swept up goth girls by the millions. One can totally seeBlood’ssinging, sarcastic protagonist Caleb being a big fan of their discography.
Does anyone remember Midway’s FPSArea 51?To be perfectly honest, the odds are rather low. The title didn’t sell nearly as well as the developers and publishers hoped, and the development company eventually folded over time. In retrospect, it was a decent shooter that had players blasting aliens running amok in the titular top-secret location.
One of the aliens - the vengeful, morally gray Edgar - was portrayed by Marilyn Manson. Manson said in a behind-the-scenes interview that he could relate, as he had always felt like an alien as well. Edgar prompts the protagonist to get revenge on the US government for imprisoning him in an attempt to use him as a superweapon, and the shock rock artist’s gravelly, croaky delivery feels just perfect for the role.It’s a shame he had such little screen time.
Thefirst trio ofQuakegamesreally were metal to the core, and that goes double for the soundtrack.Trent Reznorof Nine Inch Nails composed nightmare material and recorded many sound effects for the first game without charging id Software a single penny, all because he was such a huge fan ofDOOM. The OST has received critical acclaim from critics, fans, and lovers of Reznor’s music ever since.
Rob Zombiecontributed a main theme forQuake II(withSonic Mayhemcomposing the rest of the OST). Meanwhile, members ofFront Line Assemblycomposed a combination of Industrial tracks and ambient soundscapes for the multiplayer-centricQuake III Arenaand its respective expansion pack. The sounds of distorted screams and chugging guitars have left a mark on shooter fans ever since.
Therhythm-based FPSMetal: Hellsingerbrought in a slew of guests to collaborate on its soundtrack, and the end result is nothing short of incredible. Composer duoTwo Featherswere the ones who worked on the tunes in question, all the while pulling in a small army of metal vocalists.
There wasCristina Scabbiaof Lacuna Coil,Serj Tankianfrom System of a Down, Lamb of God’sRandy Blythe, and so many more talented and beloved singers. While streaming a game that is all about shooting enemies to the rhythm of a song, the developers even went so far as to prevent copyright takedowns for anyone who uploads or streams the title. This was a clever and generous move on their part.
Avenged Sevenfoldmust’ve been adored by Treyarch, as they just keep coming back in theCall of Duty: Black Opsseries from the first title to the fourth. Headbangers like “Not Ready to Die” and “Mad Hatter” were written with the Zombies survival mode in mind, while other tracks appeared in the campaign, multiplayer, and trailers respectively. This was a combination of original tunes made specially for the game, and some pulled from their discography.
Unexpectedly, the protagonists ofCall of Duty: Black Ops IIappear in a non-canon ending where they perform alongside members of the band playing to a crowd of fans. It is, without a doubt, one of the most unexpected endings in the series, but a delightful one at that.
Some may knowMike Pattonas the vocalist from Faith No More from the third album onwards. Others may be more inclined to his numerous side projects, like the utterly bonkers Mr. Bungle. He’s also lent his voice to video games as well.
To date, he has voiced the screeching, growling, and completely feral Common Infected inLeft 4 Dead,ready to blast in almost every place. On top of that, Patton even voiced the sadistic Darkness companion inThe Darkness 2, and an official trailer was released filming him recording lines. Considering the vocalist’s impressive range, being able to hit exceptionally high notes that most singers struggle to reach, made him a perfect choice for such roles.
Mick Gordon has been praised as one of the most influential composers in recent times. After composing the 2016 reboot ofDOOM, it was clear that he would return tocreate the score forDOOM Eternal. This time, it wasn’t just about synthesizing whirring chainsaws. He wanted to get chants.
Who better to reach out to than metal vocalists?Linzey Rae(The Anchor),Sven de Caluwe(Aborted),Tony Campos(Static X and Ministry), andJames Rivera(Helstar) were only a selection of a crowd of vocalists who appeared in the “Soundtrack Behind the Scenes” trailer for the game. It’s no doubt impressive, though, considering the controversies surrounding Bethesda after damning accusations against the composer about the lack of an official soundtrack release, followed over a year later by Gordon firing back full force, with receipts on hand. It’s a bittersweet watch.
