Classical Composer Reacts to DOOM: BFG DIVISION | The Daily Doug (Episode 656)

[@discostoo]

" I don't like guns, violence or horror" - God bless you Doug, haha. For putting yourself through the most violent, horrific action packed shooting franchise in history. Respect was earned today.

[@aaronjrpederson3283]

Doom Eternal ramps the violence to a million😂

[@garibaldiburymore6721]

always easier if the foes aren't human =)

[@Zabiru-]

​​@@garibaldiburymore6721Yeah I was about to comment that - You're literally fighting Demons from Hell in Doom so you dont feel any sympathy. Or at the very least - you're certainly not supposed to feel any hehe 😋

[@yeeminweemin5504]

postal 1 is crying rn

[@Hector-by6kc]

I always thought that doom you are the bad guy. And the demons are helpless. But since music rock…. Fuck those demons

[@michaelmaloskyjr]

It's okay Doug, Doom 2016 is a reverse horror shooter: YOU are what the Hellspawn demons try to control, because your character is older, more ancient than they are -- summoned for one purpose, to rip and tear until it's done.

[@Kumquat_Lord]

All of the music is YOUR boss music

[@ToyotaCorolla-en2mv]

Now I wanna redownload doom eternal and try to beat it on nightmare lol, I already finished it and the dlc on the HMP difficulty or whatever it's called

[@GimmeABReakd0wn]

@@ToyotaCorolla-en2mv I beat DOOM 2016 on Nightmare back in the day and somehow lost the passion for single player games between that and Eternal. I played a couple hours and stopped... Maybe I'll dive back in and give it a go!

[@MrBud1911]

The Doomslayer IS the Post-Traumatic Event associated with their Stress Disorders.

[@michaelmaloskyjr]

@@MrBud1911 Hah, that's some damn fine original wording right there, nice. Bookmarking.

[@renato360a]

"He's got that big guitar, but he basically just needs it for the low strings." He's been introduced.

[@gawura]

Welcome to djent, Doug!

[@PiousMoltar]

Djount

[@MrFuzzwuzzle]

That top E string is as fresh today as the day it came out of the packet

[@maxhowlett9661]

Fun Fact - Mick Gordon is one of the nicest and most humble dudes in the industry. I reached out to him on a whim just to send a message of support and he responded thanking me for the message and asking me ot keep him updated on my work as a produciton student. He's undobutedly a busy dude, so the fact he took the time to respond to just a random message from a fan was lovely. (Context- When DOOM:Eternal released, there were a bunch of issues that all got blamed onto Mick despite it beng completely out of his control. Not only did the industry kinda turn their back, the internet and community did too. It was only recently he was able to clear his name and make it clear he was essentially character assassinated by the higher ups to cover for their own incomptency and micro mangament. All throughout that time though, he remained extremely humble. Even during that shit storm, he made it clear it was the exception to the rule and ecnouraged people to follow their passions in the industry. That dude is a total gem in terms of both musical talent AND personality.)

[@TheDinofou]

but he's just the music guy no ? also doom eternal's ost is highly praised, wth did they want from him ?

[@maxhowlett9661]

@TheDinofou they were terrible at communicating and giving deadlines and treated him terribly. Mick would work for weeks and hear nothing back until the day before a deadline, forcing him to change parts last minute and work day and night. They also completely screwed the release of the OST, secretly working on a separate mix with mick and them blaming him when it got some initial backlash. In the wake of this they went to reddit branded as some kind of Diva calling him 'difficult' and 'unprofessional' to work with to cover for their own misgivings. They also never paid mick in full for his work, nor any of the extra hours he spent on revisions and fine tunings that never even made it into the game. Mick, being tied into an NDA couldn't say anything or clear his name until recently. He made a huge post with hundreds of receipts, screenshot etc disproving all the lies and highlight the devs utter incompetency, apathy and disrespect given to both Mick and the game as a whole. Its a genuinely an infuriating thing to read about, especially when MG is such a down to earth and talented dude.

[@TheDinofou]

damn that's sad to hear. Thx for the intel@@maxhowlett9661

[@mortisnoctu]

He’s a class act!

[@vagabondwastrel2361]

Mr Rodgers is the goat of sending reply letters. Vic Mignogna is probably second. Because of how celebrities are generally portrayed as egomaniacs when you find the humble ones they truly stand out. Much like Keanu Reeves.

[@CronicDemise]

This reaction/breakdown just made me realize Mick Gordan used a BFG (Big Fucking Guitar) to compose the BFG theme. What a God damn genius.

[@jericohellsangel594]

"i don´t like violence" starts punching the air while listening to the song XD. Thats the mood this music invoces which is perfect for the game that it´s made for.

[@Pipitarutor]

I was thinking the same thing. Here we have pacifist doing grimaces, soft headbanging and punching the air. The music is just that awesome.

[@daniel2361-o1l]

Fun fact: Mick was really nervous about the music being good, but he said when he saw the vids of the first few people playing the game and saw their heads begin to bob when the tracks came on he knew he'd done his job well. In that nobody stopped to say "man this is a banger track" but kept gaming through it. That their bodies subconsciously began "dancing" to it in a way meant that the song was doing its job right; it was fueling the game without overpowering it.

[@journeymanic9605]

You play the game, but the music plays you.

[@HappyMan0203]

If it gives you any comfort, in the Doom games you're fighting literal evil demons, so maybe that eases the thought of using violence against them lol.

[@mattigator600]

It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it

[@klbearsfan1254]

IMO Terry Pratchett said it best: "Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil... prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon."

[@nicolasjungblut7874]

@@klbearsfan1254 Terry said that? Wow, I've gotta search for it if it's recorded or ready it in its full context !! But it sounds like something he would have said.

[@lieutenantkleeia]

It's pretty christian game if I say so myself

[@PaulGuy]

They also killed his rabbit. They had it coming.

[@overdev1993]

Mick Gordons GDC talk is really interesting on how he created the sounds

[@tommysedin]

Oh yeah! Just adding a comment so Doug maybe sees this - think he would like checking it out!

[@Phireo]

Seconded.

[@memoryfoam2285]

Thirded.

[@kekohokko7213]

Yeah, his energy and enthusiasm as well as the insight into his process make that a wonderful talk.

[@TheAngryMoth104]

Absolutely a must watch

[@_gosoka]

The "note starts sharp" thing you're describing on the guitar is called pitch drift, and is a common phenomenon on extended range guitars. It's basically the string being thrown out of tune temporarily due to the strength of the picking, that's reinforced by there being less tension in the string. As a player, you can either embrace it (like Mick does here) or fight agains it by using guitars with longer scale lengths, thicker strings, or a thing called an evertune bridge, that's basically a mechanical system that uses springs to keep the tension of the string constant as best as it can.

[@KidCoyle]

Thank you for this information.

[@fishstix4209]

You should do "rip and tear" from the doom soundtracks for episode 666. Perfect opportunity coming up.

[@guerillagorilla4423]

Meathook is better tbh

[@opticFPV]

Nah, BFG 10K

[@quag311]

My vote is also for Rip and Tear.

[@luise.perezv.8702]

I vote for Kar en Tuk. He NEEDS to hear that hell metal choir!

[@fishstix4209]

I'm saying the 4min18sec version from the 'original'.

[@quag311]

The BFG is screen clear weapon. One pull and all the enemies are vaporized. You can imagine when that happens in the song.

[@llorulez]

well its literally a big effing gun

[@MrNeosantana]

​@@llorulezDoug is a gentle soul. Tell him it's the Big Friendly Giant

[@icipher6730]

@@MrNeosantanaIsn't it the same thing though?

[@metalloverben]

Hi, Doug! As a long-time metal listener, I wanted to say that I love your channel and reactions, and I have a few things to say from that perspective that may give you or others some insight into this song. I’m not sure if anyone else in the comments has mentioned these little facts, so apologies if I double-up. Firstly, Mick Gordon actually found a nine-string guitar so that he could make the sound even lower for some of the songs on the soundtrack. Mick also allegedly sampled an actual chainsaw to use on the synth tracks, although I am not sure if this is a rumor or not. There was also a very amusing moment in his making of video where he talked about finding a random old Soviet-era synthesizer from the eighties called a ‘Polivoks’ that he had no idea how to use because he couldn’t read Russian, and had to just figure out. The way he used old analog equipment in general to make the soundtrack was a fascinating. Mick also performed a melody of the soundtrack at the Video Game Awards in 2016 with members of the Djent metal band Periphery, who are a good ‘beginner’ level Djent band if anyone is interested in looking them up out of curiosity. Their dual album Juggernaut: Alpha and Omega are my suggested place to start for the curious. Finally, the Russian artist and vocalist of the death metal band Slaughter to Prevail did a cover of the song BFG Division with his own vocals added over top, which Mick himself was apparently very impressed with, considering his comment on the video only contained one word: ‘Glorious’. Also, as a metal-head, I thought it was the coolest thing I’d seen in years. Keep up the good work! Your content is great.

[@Doug.Helvering]

Many thanks for taking the time to write out this info!

[@pariah206]

"I'm not a fan of violence but for you guys I'll listen to a murder soundtrack" So sorry Doug lol thank you for listening

[@2centschange]

Something to consider here. This is the 'raw' song. The sound designer made essentially hundreds of versions of the songs in the game. Some songs are tied to specific actions, some to specific areas. So, if you get to an arena (basically, a large room with a lot of enemies, not necessarily a literal arena) this song would play. But it was also designed to repeat, or end, organically, based on what happened in the game. So, if you killed all the enemies in 30 seconds, the song would 'end' at 32 seconds before bleeding into the next song in the sound track. If you took 15 minutes to clear the arena, the song would loop parts to keep up the momentum naturally, and still end organically. You can actually seem some of this in the music video you watched, as it does show some of the path programming for the different audio parts during one of the montages.

[@sc00b4s7eve]

This is one of the most Important and amazing video game innovations for action games. I love this too.

[@iamded.]

This is important to note for the whole soundtrack. From what I recall Mick had to sort through all the variations and pieces in order to arrange them into a single track, and he had to do that for every track. There was controversy around Bethesda mixing the Doom Eternal soundtrack tracks without Mick's input (along with a slew of other things) that led to a schism between the two. I love Bethesda but I support Mick in this 100% and look forward to whatever he works on next, just sad it won't be more DOOM. Long story short, that's why the Doom Eternal soundtrack still isn't on streaming services etc.

[@fastwing3295]

@@sc00b4s7eve It's actually been around for a while. A notable example would be Need for Speed Most Wanted 2005, and most consecutive Need for Speed releases. Unless those games don't fall under action.

[@Rc3651]

I think you'd REALLY enjoy Mick Gordon's GDC (Game Developers Conference) talk where he spends like an hour deep diving into the technical aspects that you alluded to at the end. He also describes a lot of composing for games that you'd probably find interesting, since the music reacts dynamically to what the player is going

[@infamousgamer]

I LOVE how into the music you get. You say you don't like weapons and violence, but I can see in the video just how pumped the music makes you - like you're ready to come out swinging. Doom music is powerful.

[@sopcannon]

*picks up shotgun guitar

[@luise.perezv.8702]

Hey, Doug, don't worry. Doom (2016) is basically an amazing soundtrack that came with a free game with it. That's how brilliant Mick's music is! 😂

[@TayR0C]

I've listened to the soundtrack more than I've played the game.

[@TheLanceUppercut]

Can say the same about Doom Eternal.

[@slifek85]

Yes. The music is so good. I bought a version of the game with soundtrack... long before I had hardware to play the game :]

[@Johnytomm]

I really dont understand how someone can just listen to the soundtrack on its own, a select few songs, sure, but most of it is just random ambience

[@luise.perezv.8702]

I've listened to it while working and working out. It's good background music@@Johnytomm

[@jeroen1989]

You know the song did his job perfectly if it even gets the heart pumping of a true pacifist with a desire to play this game.

[@mattbrown5511]

It is refreshing to see a classical composer giving so respect to and finding joy in "gaming music". You are a class act.

[@MachGlacier]

BFG Division is like a cheat code... it's like turning on god mode in the middle of the fight.

[@howlettjames8860]

The best part of these games is that the music gets louder and more intense the more you fight

[@IGN_OFFClAL]

doug: I dislike the idea of violence also doug: 9:56 so amped that it's time to throw hands, hahaha doom music does that

[@BrandonBlume]

Love the research you put into everything you listen to, as always. I'm not sure if Mick is still doing interviews these days (given his more recently publicized and unfortunate legal bouts with Bethesda), but he's done interviews in the past and he's always been great. Be nice if you could get him on here sometime.

[@raspabico]

Best christian game ever

[@fishstix4209]

Amen 😂🤣😂

[@andyyellowhouse2108]

Peace be with you 😂

[@farsideunearthed1368]

100th like ur welcom

[@MightyJoeGotSomeSnow]

Amen 😂

[@DraugrVirduligr]

Canonically catholic specifically

[@Lougimbook]

You walk into a level in the game, and you know when you are getting a special area or a boss fight. The music just fits perfectly for that, yes it is a very violent game, but it is also an exquisitely crafted game.

[@Deiki.]

It isn't. Doom is the most pacifit game in the world, you are fighting against evil demons and they have fear of you. A very Catholic game in my opinion.

[@ChloeTrev]

When I did marching band years ago, our director told us we were doing a good job when the judges would just stop talking. It's great to just see your reactions to this and others. 👍

[@communications23]

"I'm not used to FPS and violence, the very thought of guns makes me uncomfortable, maybe I should try playing Doom." Yeah I'll throw my two cents out there and say maybe don't :D

[@Rhaethyn]

Ayo. Doug. First vid I've watched of yours. You have real musical skill when it comes to picking apart songs and meters and chords / chord progressions. Kudos.

[@Rhaethyn]

Also. For these really heavy songs with 7 or 8 string guitars or wild bass, the bass and low strings are basically percussion.

[@Rhaethyn]

Also also, lots of pitch bends here. Also also also, I feel ya on the guns thing. Personally I think guns are aesthetically and technologically cool, but actual real-world firearms really aren't for me. In games, they can be fun, but... yeah. Doom is kinda not the best franchise if you're squeamish about that stuff - _DOOM_ *IS* ultraviolence.

[@diegopeart]

Mick Gordon is the only person who could mix a chainsaw sound into his guitar timbre for this soundtrack. It does translate "RIP AND TEAR" better than anything else.

[@danjennings5068]

Mick did a talk at GDC (Game Developer's Conference) on how he developed the instruments he used in the DOOM soundtrack, sounds like you'd really enjoy sort of seeing into the mind of the mad scientist.

[@BramBergs]

The way it handles the playback of music is genius in this game. The music actually changes to whatever is happening on screen and it's working so well, triggering your emotions and heartbeat intensity.

[@TheHobatron]

From 2020 to 2022, three years running, BFG Division topped my Spotify Wrapped list. Year on year, it was my most listened to song. I think it may get knocked off this year to be honest, but even so...what a beast of a track which I clearly cannot get enough of. EDIT: Also, just so you know, standard tuning for 8-strings actually changes up the tuning a bit, with the second lowest being a B and the lowest being an F#. Mick may have tuned his even lower, however

[@Omarmohammedd]

I thought it wasnt on spotify!! Maybe a cover?

[@AlaisDahen]

10:45, I like that really subtle high pitched background chainsaw, let's be honest, I think it adds just that little extra push needed for the climax.

[@rasmachris94]

The one thing i adore in Mick's music is all the little textures and tension. The droning in the background before the drop, the pulling back of elements with little pops and clicks before jumping back in at full force. It's really a treat for the ears.

[@waynedahl3711]

I'm looking at that presentation of Lucky Man you have hanging on the wall on your right shoulder. Is that signed by Greg Lake? What a great catch if it is. ELP was and always has been one of my favorite bands growing up. They were my first real introduction to Progressive Rock. I'll never forget watching them at California Jam in the early 70s on TV, seeing Keith Emerson strap himself to a piano bench behind a grand piano, see the piano and Emerson lifted in the air with straps, then start rolling head over heels while he played. In my early-teens, I was hooked! I proceeded to obtain every ELP album I could find and would buy the newest one as soon as it came out. Anyway, love your channel and look forward to more. Also, since you're a composer, where can we find some of your music being played? I have always been into Classical music which explains my fascination with ELP. I'd love to some of your compositions. Thanks for doing what you do. God Bless, man.

[@Doug.Helvering]

Thanks! There’s a playlist of my original compositions on my channel. That is signed by Greg, and he did the calligraphy! A great treasure of mine.

[@jaquestraw1]

You're killing demons Doug! You can do it, we need you on our side!! 😄

[@arkgent8390]

And the reason why your avatar is so passionate about killing demons.....they killed his pet bunny Daisy.

[@captaindecounting8239]

This earned a sub. I love this reaction, you moved around just like every gamer while playing this. If you do play the game, it will be an experience. But they all deserve it, and it's you or them. CHEERS!

[@shadybrain3424]

doom is a really fun game to play, very much halloween in game form, and it just goes for it and has fun. one of the most fun gaming experiences ive ever had. you can really feel what mick said when he talked about matching the music to the pace, you can feel it in game.

[@CannedMan]

If it is any comfort, the game is about killing the hordes of Hell, so you’re saving the world! And I would highly recommend you buy the OST for _Doom_ 2016; there is a reason it won as many awards as it did. I would also recommend watching his GDC talk on the creation of the _Doom_ soundtrack; I think you will find it highly interesting and educational, even for someone of your scholarly level - or perhaps even more so. I know that I, also classically trained, learned a lot about music creation that I had never heard of from that talk. Unfortunately, the creation of the _Doom Eternal_ soundtrack was a very bad experience for him, with some nasty stuff going on from the execs, quite different from the 2016 experience.

[@Vekuyo]

Doug is a non-violent man and the BFG Divisions got him punching at the air. This music is chemical.

[@sampahr]

I'd never heard anyone put it as "sensitive to frequency" before and I'm glad you did because now I have another way of trying to explain it when I'm talking about hearing the super small changes in a note. I think explaining how I usually do doesn't really work because it's when I'm trying to point it out in a song & maybe not everyone can even pick up on where the sound is changing within the space of a single note. Hell yeah, I love acquiring useful phrases!

[@crazycarl00]

This is the most wholesome video I've ever seen on BFG Division. I love it.

[@nafereuskortex9055]

12:47 yeah, it very well might not be, I don't like violence in real life but i have been playing games a long time so the separation is easy for me, DOOM however, the design, music and gameplay come together to make it considerably more visceral even for someone who has been gaming a long time.

[@godblesstheinternet]

As a pacifistic German guy, who doesn't like the idea, that every person on the street can just carry a gun: Play this game! It's a BLAST! (but it's very hard, especially when you're not familiar with basic FPS-controls). This is not about real life. It's about a power fantasy, that you are the friggin' Doomslayer, who kicks ass and chews bubble gum! But he's all out of gum.... It's fantastic!

[@antivanti]

Speaking of having music as the motivation to keep going in a game. The only reason I got through all the stages of Super Hexagon was because I needed to hear the entire tracks of chiptune goodness by Chipzel

[@ImGoingSpace]

what you mention at 14:30, about getting to a certain level to get better music, look at the (custom) songs from Metal Hellsinger, again a violent game, but as your combo builds, the music layers up. its actually a rhythm combat game, you have to perform actions intime with the music. 1x - base line 4x - drums 6x - guitars 8x - vocals its VERY fun to build and hold combos. Serj from system of a down made the final boss song, Matt Heafy from trivium did a killer track on it too. very good overall soundtrack.

[@sc00b4s7eve]

Metal Hellsinger blew my mind so much that I had to watch an FPS pro play it. Watching IDDQD play it was perfect. Hardest mode and the guy loves metal… I wish I could get the game to play music like that 😮🎉

[@redarkhon482]

Greeting Doug, First of all, I wanted to say that I love your videos and the insight you give to us music enjoyers who doesn't have classical training, it makes us appreciate the content even more. Now as for the Metal X gaming, I would like to recommend the soundtrack of the old " Need For Speed " games. The sounds are designed specifically for the track you are racing, and changes depending on which section of the track you are in. I would personally recommend: - " Siwash Rock " from Need For Speed 2: It has a lot of fast and slow section and isolated bass & drums parts. - " Rear Flutterblast " from Need for Speed 3: it has so many things going on, i'm suer you will find it interesting.

[@limoverde9846]

I think it would be interesting to see you react to some Final Fantasy music from Nobuo Uematsu, one of the most reveered composers of VG music. It's main inspirations were classic symphonic pieces and progressive bands like King Crimson, Pink Floyd and ELP, so I think it would be right up your alley. "Dancing Mad" it's basically a symphonic prog epic, and it would be awesome to see you check out some old ost, to see how they composed constrained within the multiple limitations of 90s hardware.

[@buddy7136]

That drop at 9:50 of this video makes me smile every time I hear it.

[@AustinJSchaeffer]

4:21 I think the note starts sharp and moves because of how hard he's picking the string. Granted there's a lot of additional stuff going on so anything is possible but it's common with low tuned many-stringed guitars to get this effect where picking the lower strings hard enough and letting them ring out has them move into place like that. At the very least maybe it's emulating/enhancing that effect. I'm not well versed enough on music to speak with confidence but that's my best guess haha. Great reaction as always! Your insights into music are always appreciated.

[@Zecuto]

I'm glad to have you with us video game music enjoyers! Cheers!

[@patrick95d]

Mick Gordon also has done a collab with Motionless in White for a song called Scoring The End Of The World. It might also be worth checking out for a metal monday besided his gaming scores

[@1995tyler1]

Doug: “I don’t like violence or guns.” Doug after hearing BFG: “I want to play this game.”

[@brine1986]

I get goosebumps each time I hear this song

[@kingofheavymetal]

What Doom does to a guy "I don't like guns, violence or horror" and by the end of it he starts punching the air. My man.

[@soldierstrife7]

The DOOM Soundtracks are actually essential to the gameplay itself. You asked, in All They Fear Is You, "How do you concentrate while hearing this?". Doom is all about flow and reaction, it is not the atypical shooter of hide, shoot, move, repeat. It is a game of constant movement and split second reactions with little time for actually thinking. In comes the flow state. By creating the rhythmic flow that gets blood pumping and creates the same adrenaline rush that the character would be feeling helps to build the immersion and power through an impossible situation while letting second nature and instinct take over. You can see the same with athletes and others when they are training and in the gym. Takes the mind off the pain and peril ahead allowing the body/mind to power through in the moment.

[@largeuselessness]

that absolute pitch finding is astonishing. the note is so low that i though it will be hard even for absolute pitch people

[@the_bubble1036]

The awesome thing about that soundtrack in 2016, it wasn’t just a reward for reaching a certain level, but which bits of song played and when was tied to the player’s actions and performance in combat

[@JT-np1op]

i love that you did this, it was amazing content for me as a MASSIVE DOOM fan. thank you =D the stank face, the cringe/fear, the heart rate comment. just great thank you!

[@TrazynTheKleptomanichad]

I love how even for a guy like Doug, who doesn't play video games let alone intense action ones, who doesn't like guns, who doesn't like violence. this music still instills and envokes what it is meant to do. put you on edge and keep you there, make you focus on everything around you, drive you to (such as Doug) get you punching the air. and once you are well entrenched and into the heat of the gameplay, the entirety lends itself as a contuinally fast-dripping dopamine hit with each demon you send back to hell. rip and tear until it's done 🤘

[@魔王-c1e]

Keep going! This is very interesting to watch! I would recommend "Kings" from the Project Wingman OST.

[@Blaque_Frost]

It's easy to pass off all this is done just for a game, but keep in mind that it sold around 3.6 million copies. Quite an audience.

[@knightslegion1731]

This song is so bad ass--It's on my workout playlist. Doug, if you want to give Halo or Doom a test drive, find out if any friends or family have an Xbox that you play them on. Also, if you want a slight change of pace from guns and violence, but stay in the game genre, I would check out "Eno Cordova's Theme" from "Jedi: Fallen Order" I think it will be up your alley. :)

[@philmacdonald2087]

I just watched your video on the only thing they fear is you and I just kept thinking BFG division is the song you should be listening to. Amazing song and Mick Gordon is incredibly talented. Reminds me of Trent Reznor who composed the quake 2 soundtrack.

[@directorscarlett1932]

Doom's soundtracks have the same description as my dating profile: 'Heavy, but in a good way'

[@weevilsnitz]

The DOOM soundtrack while playing in the game is actually dynamic/adaptive to what is happening in the game, and Mick Gordon designed the songs into very specific small chunks that he could dynamically pick up and put down at a moments notice, and he recorded some transitions to go between the different sections of songs, all to ramp up and down the action in music based on how action-packed or not the game is going at any particular moment. In essence the official soundtrack is one particular song but the way you end up hearing the song while playing the game may be all miscombobulated form the soundtrack and even compared to the way your friends heard it (and I'm pretty sure there are little bits and pieces that were recorded that aren't in the official soundtrack).

[@Commanderthebarbarian]

I loved that drum fill in the second to last drop. I think you should either try looking at skull hacker and or flesh and metal next. Both have unique time signature changes.

[@iamded.]

What an adventure exploring a track so at odds to Mr Helvering's personality (at least that's how it seems from his comments here!) and yet still embraced and properly taken in and evaluated. I'm really enjoying these videos! I'm not sure where one might offer recommendations, but I might suggest music from the game Outer Wilds? It's a beloved little gem of a game and quite the polar opposite of Doom hahaha. The soundtrack is composed by Andrew Prahlow, "Main Theme" or "Travelers" would make for a lovely little Daily Doug.

[@matiasdelafuente3106]

I need to thank you for these, that kind of analysis is very welcome. If I may suggest some, but from other games: We all lift together (from Warframe) Act on Instinct (from Command & Conquer Tiberian Dawn) Soviet March (From Command & Conquer Red Alert 3) and/or any of the Terran Themes from Starcraft one (and maybe two)... Oh and Wings of Liberty main theme (from the first part of Starcraft 2)

[@brianparker5323]

Great reaction. As for you playing the game, I'm a bit torn. How the music is incorporated into the game is fascinating and really shows what the medium can do unlike anything else. It is part of the interactive experience. So as a showcase for that, its great. BUT. The game is unabashedly violent and filled with gore. Its a power trip, but I completely understand that many would not be comfortable with it or the themes. Maybe consider watching some in-game footage before deciding to jump in or not. I'm trying to think of other good examples of music in games that has been deliberately made interactive that swell, loop and respond to player actions. You've already touched on Devil May Cry 5, there's good examples there. Thanks for the content as always.

[@Jangocat]

The interesting thing about Doom 2016 and the latest one is the music is adaptable. The music auto changes depending on the action on screen. Coolest music technology I've ever seen. There are videos on KZbin about it.

[@zukazealanee]

"I'm not a fan of guns or violence." 6:52 Fast forward to 9:30 Mich makes sadists of us all lol.

[@Moribax85]

Fun Fact: that vibrating sound after every guitar phrase is no musical instrument, it's a chainsaw put through a lot of filters :D

[@Sinderwood]

The game Shadow Of The Colossus has an incredible score. Please listen to the first song "Prologue".

[@musicaluprising924]

It is so cool to see someone who is new to Doom and metal getting invested in Mick’s music!

[@centuryt91]

In most games youre locked in a room with the boss but in Doom youre the boss and everyone else is locked in a room with you

[@MadMontyMN]

"I don't like metal." Mick Gordon: "Yes you do." "Yes I do."

[@lemmy85pl]

He played on 8 string Mayones Regius - probably the best polish custom workshop guitar brand, made in Gdańsk since 1982. Oh and btw Doug, greetings from Poland as well :)

[@XGoldenx03]

Man out himself through stuff he dont like to understand the music and game and how it fits together to the best of his abilities. Thats GOATED

[@matin563]

That ad at 4:40 is cruel

[@CardboardBox13013]

The best way to treat music like this is to consider it as a set of indexed clips that are played when the game reaches certain states. "If nothing is lurking, play tracks 1-4 randomly. If something is lurking, play tracks 5-6. If an enemy spots the player and attacks, play track 7, then 8-10. If more than X are playing, play tracks 11-14" etc. That seems to be how it's done these days, or at least what my delving into System Shock 2's resources has misinformed me.

[@TetravaultActual]

DOOM has always had an odd knack of being that game where you watch it and it's like "Oh, no thank you that's too much." But when you hear the music, combined with the fact that you are just SLAYING all sorts of demons, your brain puts two and two together and you're like "Oh, I have the urge to rip and tear now."

[@dolan_plz]

Mad respect for someone to finally mention out loud he doesn't like violence, and even a thought of lethal weapons in his hands, and not wanting any part of it. Breath of fresh air after seeing all these gun nuts and weapons pushers. (I like DOOM Eternal and games in general, though) I'm not a native English speaker, so pardon my English 😅

[@darkman4811]

If Doug wants some more Mick Gordon goodness then he should check out the 2013 Killer Instinct soundtrack. More specifically Spinal's theme, because in that track Mick Gordon uses an ancient horn made out of a human femur in it. I think Doug could really analyze and sink his teeth into that track.

[@arnibacsi]

Also Polemos with the greek singing and the whole ambient is amazing

[@yurihendges4099]

The song Dancing Mad by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VI is one of the best songs in history, not just video games but in general. I will repost this in every game song react made by you Doug, until you react to this amazing song.

[@AriocKaichi]

[@jezclark4882]

Am I the only one that hears some oldschool Frank Klepacki influence in this? It's like the modern evolution of that Command & Conquer/Red Alert industrial sound. It's like The Hell March cranked up to 11.

[@GerBessa]

Klepacki is 100% one of Mick's inspirations. He mentions it on his PAX2023 panel.

[@Yuhhuh1]

Love the doom soundtrack! great vid. I know you did a vid on the halo theme, I think you'd love the Halo 2 version of the theme aswell!

[@heffatheanimal2200]

The board he's using is a vintage soviet one from the 70's/80's, and he wired up a stack of guitar effects pedals to it

[@Ouvii]

10:50 Great observation. You now understand the best subsection of modern metal.

[@chris8520]

Hi Doug, I've been watching you for years now and I don't do KZbin comments. However, I'm making an exception today. I discovered you through my love of Dream Theater (lifelong fan, seen 'em multiple times, etc) and seeing you slowly become a fan over time has been a great experience for me; the lifelong fan. Now I'm overjoyed to see you're discovering my second passion; video game music. Prog Metal such as Queensryche and Dream Theater inspired me greatly as a musician. However, video game composers such as Nobuo Uematsu influenced me just as much as any 'band' ever could. That's why I'm suggesting you check out some of Nobuo Uematsu's compositions. He mainly works with the Final Fantasy titles, Dancing Mad and One Winged Angel are both fan favorites. Thanks for the content and keep them coming!

[@RyTrapp0]

Gotta be one of the heaviest guitar riffs of all time - and it's for a video game! It's incredible what can be done with just a handful of notes. With some shooting games, like Doom, it's almost kind of a rhythm game as much as anything else. Which is a large part of why the music is written like it is, it cranks up when the action cranks up and you're just moving around fluidly. (...and I typed this right before I heard it more or less mentioned in the video lol)

[@Kreiger81]

As some others have said, the basic Doom lore is that you play as "Doom Guy"(unnamed) who was a marine on the moon Phobos when demons (literal demons, literal hell) attack. You fight back the hordes to win back the moon and arrive on Earth to find that that Earth itself is undersiege. You fight those tides back and instead of resting, you enter Hell itself and basically kill the physical embodiment of Satan (this is Doom 2 in 1994). in Doom 2016 you wake up on Mars to find that some idiot opened the portal again and you basically play it back.

[@Dark_Kevlarian]

I love Mick Gordon's music, but we all should remember that DOOM's music composition/inspiration wouldn't be the same had it not been for Sonic Mayhem aka Sascha Dikiciyan for bringing us the incredible soundtrack for Quake II. I also love watching you react to these compositions Doug because I watched a man say, "I don't like guns, or violence..." to only in the next 15 seconds be pushing air fists at the camera when the DOOM music started to really hit. LMAO. All joking aside, it's honestly a breath of fresh air to watch someone akin to my old school band directors not just listen and analyze the music I so enjoy, but also truly appreciate it for its rhythmic and signature changes. My last and final point to bring up in this comment though is: Mick and Sascha are amazing composers, but I have to say that by far the most impressive music work I've seen in a video game is honestly a subtle one that OFTEN gets overlooked. The music builds in the game Hardspace: Shipbreaker are short of nothing but absolute genius. The general composition is pretty straight forward and listening to the OST isn't all that much impressive or ear grabbing, but the accompaniment score that overlay within any situation that arises to a serious level is what is impressive. 2 completely different soundtracks, one that is only played when the player is in serious danger or in danger of becoming endangered and perfectly layers atop of the previous score. In a sense, this game had 2 scores written for it, but only one can be experienced outside of the game at all, the other must be experienced by playing it and by being in a less than ideal situation while playing it. It was seriously impressive on how they wrote 2 completely different soundtracks to accompany one another so seamlessly.

[@vladislavpopov2903]

Please listen to System of a down - Question! Formally, the song can be classified as math rock, as it uses four different time signatures (5/4, 9/8, 3/4 and 4/4), which makes it difficult to understand and perform.

[@Leo2309]

From what I remember, Mick plays his guitar in a double dropped D, that’s why the low string is so flexible

[@andrewsurowiec80]

Mick is a mastermind. Dude is just incredible with everything he does

[@jadedrakerider]

"I don't like guns, violence or horror" *listens to the soundtrack* "I have to play this game." Gold.

[@Macil2018]

Did you ever end up playing this game? I'd love to see you stream it! New to the channel and your videos do NOT disappoint! What insightful breakdowns of a wide range of music but the video game deep dives are amazing. Keep up the amazing work! Definitely a long time subscriber as of today!

[@The_Brainsturgeon]

One of the stories about this soundtrack is that he had a 9-string guital custom made for it. After the soundtrack was done, Mick sold the guitar to the lead guitarist of Meshuggah Fredrik Thordendal and even he "didn't know what to do with it."