Thoughts on Doom 2016's Soundtrack?

So after listening to it quite a bit I have to say I am mixed on it. At times it's amazingly thrashy and a old school flare that the original doom and doom 2 had rips it's way out to our ears but as soon as it has it's hooks in me a burst of electronica comes onto the table and really takes the feel away from it.

Now I am all for new things but considering the core music of doom was thrash based not industrial it just feels strange to have industrial with more electronica (think re manufacture by fear factory instead of De manufacture)Hell after my first play through I would mute the music and put on. Municipal waste or Kreator (hordes of chaos/phantom Antichrist) to get my blood pumping. But really what are your thoughts on Dooms soundtrack over all it's fun but at times it looses a bit of the originals soul?

The core music of OG Doom is electronic due to the nature of MIDI. Beyond that thrash is not its base because about half the tracks are ambient/symphonic. Just thought I'd point that out. My only issue with the soundtrack is that it had an opportunity to be melodic and instead frequently utilizes industrial/noise elements which I think is a bit less effective than a solid melody. It's decent, and sometimes kickass, but not super memorable.

It's good and I liked listening to it on my first playthrough. But now I just have it turned off, it's a bit too much.

Yeah it's a good soundtrack, but eh. Sometimes I just prefer listening to Morbid Angel, Slayer, or Testament (as I feel it'd fit better.) But then again that's just me...

Seriously though. Listen to Formulas Fatal to the Flesh while playing the new Doom, and tell me that ALBUM does not fit the new Doom!

It's fucking awesome! :D

That and thrash metal remixes by Andrew Hulshult! :D

I love both (all?) represented styles of music in the soundtrack, so it doesn't bother me. I don't imagine it's 100% as listenable a score outside of the game as other game soundtracks, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I'd still buy the soundtrack. It's simplistic, but that's ok. It's more geared to atmosphere. Except instead of ambient atmosphere with quiet pads and sound effects, it's in your face and visceral. I think it blends the various styles it uses very well.

I don't hate genres of music, I dislike certain expressions of music genres by certain people/groups. Especially from the artists/record companies that try to force a genre into a box and make you believe that that's how music should be perceived. So I don't hate DOOM's score because it has electronica or dubstep in it. I love it because it's very effective and sounds fantastic. It does what it does very well and it's pleasing to my ears and that's all I care about. I always recommend that people tear down their inner walls of prejudice against styles of music just because of its "name." Music is more than that and you might be pleasantly surprised.

/rant

On the other hand, to completely contradict myself, I despise country music and don't think I'll ever have room for it in my heart.

DoomzRules said:

That and thrash metal remixes by Andrew Hulshult! :D

I'd like more of Hulshult's stuff if he threw something other than guitars in his work. Like some synth. Sometimes chug chug chugs are boring on their own. Then again, what I've heard from him lately shows he seems to be stepping out in that direction so I'm intrigued to see what's in store for the score of 3DR's new Bombshell prequel game using the BUILD engine...

It isn't really the type of soundtrack that gets stuck in your head, but I think it does a tremendous job of making things atmospheric when wandering around and getting your blood pumping during combat.

It's good, the atmospheric soundtrack is good and the combat music is kickass.
Although it could have been better, but netherless i think Mick Gordon did a good job with the music.

It's more electronic than I was hoping for, but it's still aggressive when it needs to be.
The industrial / dark electro / dubstep vibe works quite well. I think if it were some crazed in your face Thrash album that keeps your heart rate beating rapidly until you turn it off I'd like it more, but pacing is a major factor. To be expository - telling a story you need to slow it down. Of course that could've been done differently, but it is what it is.

I don't care for the electronic dance sounding shit.

Some of you seem to be forgetting (or are just plain ignorant of) where metal has been over the past few decades. Metal is no stranger to eletronica or electronic synth instruments. Look at industrial metal. It's not dance-sounding. There are plenty of beefy death guitars featured here. I wouldn't call this electronica or "dance sounding" at all.

MusicallyInspired said:

On the other hand, to completely contradict myself, I despise country music and don't think I'll ever have room for it in my heart.

I thought the same way until I listened to Casualties of Cool. It's a Dark/Alternative Country side project from Devin Townsend, who you probably know for his Progressive Metal stuff. It's just one album, and it's fantastic.

I'd also recommend Sturgill Simpson. He's another new Alternative Country artist with some psychedelic elements. Solid stuff.

MusicallyInspired said:

I'd like more of Hulshult's stuff if he threw something other than guitars in his work. Like some synth. Sometimes chug chug chugs are boring on their own. Then again, what I've heard from him lately shows he seems to be stepping out in that direction so I'm intrigued to see what's in store for the score of 3DR's new Bombshell prequel game using the BUILD engine...

I actually like the guitars, drums, bass, all that. It sounds like an awesome thrash band.

I wouldn't mind synths or vocal choir aaahs or whatever, but I kinda like the whole metal thing he has going on. That's what I like about his work IMHO.

But then again just my opinion. ^_^

I really liked the quiet ambient stuff against the thumping bass lines. The metal + blastbeats were fitting for the arena fights and new monster encounters. The music in general was pretty cool but I think it was a little heavy on the Doom 1 music remixes. It would be nice if there were more original stuff to take away from it.

The soundtrack works for the kind of style Doom 2016 was going for.

40oz said:

I really liked the quiet ambient stuff against the thumping bass lines. The metal + blastbeats were fitting for the arena fights and new monster encounters. The music in general was pretty cool but I think it was a little heavy on the Doom 1 music remixes. It would be nice if there were more original stuff to take away from it.

Are there really that many? I recall a grand total of two Doom covers (going by the Youtube names, Trailer #1 and Hellshock)and a variation of the Doom 3 theme (Flesh and Metal). What are the others? Or have I just not heard the entire score?

I wonder if people know that the old doom music is 100% electronic - mick gordon at least recorded his guitar play :D

and yea, it fits perfectly into the game - but (for me) it's no music I'd listen outside of the game or I'd only do that if I'm really into the mood for it

Deatheye said:

and yea, it fits perfectly into the game - but (for me) it's no music I'd listen outside of the game or I'd only do that if I'm really into the mood for it

I thought that myself...yet I find myself listening to it a lot more than I thought while driving or at work. The more I listen the more I lament the absence of any real melodies because what's there is so good. It's like a soundtrack of breakdown sections almost.

Has anyone heard the BFG division song? That the kind of stuff that really gets you pumped.

MusicallyInspired said:

Are there really that many? I recall a grand total of two Doom covers (going by the Youtube names, Trailer #1 and Hellshock)and a variation of the Doom 3 theme (Flesh and Metal). What are the others? Or have I just not heard the entire score?

There's no blast beats in the soundtrack, are you sure you understand the terminology?

HellVain said:

Has anyone heard the BFG division song? That the kind of stuff that really gets you pumped.

That's one of the highlights for sure.

GoatLord said:

There's no blast beats in the soundtrack, are you sure you understand the terminology?

I think you quoted the wrong person. I never said anything about blast beats. I know there aren't any in the soundtrack.

Ah, the ambient track In Titan's Realm Is so... PSX DOOM/DOOM 64 worthy, I honestly wish there was more of that In the game.

Some of the soundtrack really gave me a Super Metroid/Metroid Prime vibe. The opening track for instance after you wake up and explore the surrounding area. Add to that the Metroid Prime-ish 3D map, it just makes me sort of wish that we could have a hub level design layout similar to Metroid/Arkham. Of course, the game is fine on its own.

I love it. If it's Industrial Ambience/Metal I'm hooked. And I get the Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor vibe from it which makes me hooked even more.

Though all in all I love Doom 2016's soundtrack. Really feels great to rip and tear demons to! :D

I think it's an awesome OST. Maybe not that listenable in its own right, but it's been a while since I listened to music while not doing something else.

Memorable? Time will tell I guess, but right now I can remember how a lot of those battle riffs go. It helps when you remember what was happening in the game at the time.

It works great within the game and the mix is really great. It gets a bit cheesy if viewed outside of it, and the electronic influences combined with metal makes for a sound that feels terribly dated save for the state of the art compression and synths but it really isn't my cup of tea anyway.

I love the hell out of Rip and Tear. That song is fucking amazing. Even though it is a E1M1 remix, it's still fucking awesome! :D

As a HUGE Fear Factory fan, I think it's absolutely wicked. It blends electronic and metal together very nicely.

GoatLord said:

There's no blast beats in the soundtrack, are you sure you understand the terminology?

My bad, I was thinking of double bass.