Video Game Music is LEGIT! First Time Reaction to Vergil's Theme (Bury the Light) - Devil May Cry 5

[@Tandervic]

Your hair now even looks like Vergil's. You're filled with motivation.

[@spacedementia1213]

Damn DMC memes are the best 😂 the 5th game is such a gift for all fans

[@Domihockeyrocky]

@@spacedementia1213 It is indeed! The special edition is on sale rn, I am so happy I finally bought it. Game looks SICK with this upgrade innit!

[@mr.lighnight7750]

Thats True 😂

[@Drago_012]

I bought this game last month, and now is my LIFE'S goal to play the other games

[@vergilated9829]

​@@Drago_012this man is MOTIVATED

[@nhule30751]

He instantly guessed the main point of Vergil's story just by the lyrics but never knew about the game, damn that's why I love this song ❤

[@ichiromigeru8532]

LEGENDARY SONG!!

[@blahblahgdp]

Dont the lyrics reflect vergils life

[@willisrose9756]

​@blahblahgdp yes, yes it does!

[@ichiromigeru8532]

@@blahblahgdp it reflects perfectly even in our lives..

[@vtnk7597]

at 4:00 he did even listened 30s and already started to chat up what the song is about

[@carlosnascimento9269]

I hope you do more videogame music. I can confidently say that there are literally thousands of tracks that will blow your mind.

[@chillwestmusic]

Yeah for sure! Love Doug to listen to Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3, The Last Of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring…

[@carlosnascimento9269]

@@chillwestmusic I really hope he checks out Nier. I'm sure he'd be really impressed. Would also love to see his reaction to Persona music. Both of these have amazing live versions that he could check out.

[@karloli9455]

Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) and Matt Uelemen (Diablo) are the first people to come to mind.

[@Hunterofyeets]

Ahh, watching people listen to the persona soundtrack for the first time is always nice. Even better if they went from P5 to Strikers.

[@Jose_Roberto77]

DOOM

[@sharzinlalebazri5673]

My man got the Vergil lore and characterization ON POINT based on the lyrics.

[@unou588]

Yeah, that's kind of the point.. it's Vergil's theme, what else would it be about?

[@PomadaGaming]

lmao

[@1Monsoon-_]

He even has the hair of vergil too, truly a music gigachad

[@thisgoddamusernamestoodamnlong]

my favorite lines in the whole dong were beyond the tree, fire burns. such a cool detail to include the imagery that vergil likely still associates with his need for power. And then it goes into the most powerful part of the song.

[@unou588]

the whole Dong?@@thisgoddamusernamestoodamnlong

[@CaseyEdwards]

So glad I found this video - incredible gut reactions with regards to digesting those lyrics, Doug! Especially for someone who is new to this franchise. It was nice to see a fellow composer react and follow along with all the twists and turns. This song certainly just sits on the tonic of D for almost 10 minutes, but I hope the brief parallel modulations/borrowed chords to D major, dorian and phrygian helped a bit with key fatigue. Also, did I catch that you do minor do solfege? Cheers! 🤘

[@JustinQuinn623]

ay it's the man of the hour. MAESTRO

[@randomtrigger1378]

The legend himself is here bois

[@henrikh3089]

Thank you for everything Casey ❤

[@wraxath]

The legendary CaseyEdwards himself, omg.

[@starseeker1620]

The solo at the end in my humble opinion is one of the greatest guitar solos I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. On par with Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird, Opeth's Burden and thats just those that came from the top of my mind, and this one is truly something special as well. Peerless...

[@1Synner]

You hit the nail right on the head. Vergil, for the longest time, saw his human side as weakness, and doubled down on his demonic heritage in his pursuit for power.

[@souleater4242564kodd]

Wow almost like exactly as the lyrics say! WOW we really needed this dudes analysis on a flat surface to determine it is indeed fucking flat

[@1Synner]

@@souleater4242564kodd WOW, you must be an incredibly witty person for using a dead meme. WOW, we need you in more conversations!

[@mikew1080]

I love the fact that your likes are sitting at 665 with regards to the comment. Perfect.

[@1Synner]

@@mikew1080 Lol

[@FerunaLutelou]

The music in DMC is dynamic. It changes according to how well you play. That's one of the best parts about music in video games, the fact that it can respond to your actions.

[@andraszodon]

Metal: Hellsinger is one of the best examples of this, unfortunately the music itself isn't **that** interesting

[@PrimeSniper7]

@@andraszodon The music is awesome though, I wish it was on Spotify.

[@CoffeCat400]

Doom too, it’s really amazing when games do that

[@ehrman9478]

@@PrimeSniper7 It is!

[@mr.stuffdoer8483]

Not just that, it's easier to set the rhythm of how the work is experienced to music. Crypt of the Necrodancer has everything happen on the beat, Nier's Simone boss attacks in sync with the music, Drakengard 3's final boss... just as a whole, not even mentioning rhythm games as a concept.

[@fatlahbazooka]

I'm quite impressed with your interpretation of Vergil considering you didn't read about the characters. It's spot on.

[@mikeclark7026]

Casey crafted a MASTERPIECE

[@emmanueldavis1872]

@@mikeclark7026 A masterpiece that you and most of the people who play this game, couldn't craft on your lives. 🤣

[@mikeclark7026]

@@emmanueldavis1872 Who is claiming we can? Yeah he’s a genius. That’s what masterpieces are.

[@emmanueldavis1872]

@@mikeclark7026 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I know!🤣 I was just messin with ya. 🤣🤣

[@mikeclark7026]

@@emmanueldavis1872 Okay. Cool

[@kuren1721]

That is terrifyingly accurate for the lyrics of the song. honestly the best reaction ive seen for any song

[@BeccaMoranguinho]

I agree

[@LordMalice6d9]

He is well versed in music theory so he can notice all of the chord progressions and key signatures of the song.

[@souleater4242564kodd]

Its accurate because the song in near ten minutes and tells you exactly what to take away from it you 2 braincell having slug

[@MultiDante333]

1) Yes, this song is a battle theme, it plays when you enter a battle as Vergil 2) the songs in DMC5 are dynamic, the games have a style ranking during a battle from D to SSS, the better you do the more song transforms until it kicks into chorus and thus insentivises to perform well during a fight. 3) You pretty much nailed Vergil as a character. He has been through *a lot* throughout the series. Him and Dante are half human half demon brothers, and they got attacked by demonic forces when they were like 7, which resulted in their human mother trying to save them both but she only made it to Dante and was killed on her way to Vergil. Vergil survived the attack on his own, assumed that his mother abandoned him, so he set off to seek ultimate power in order to never be hurt again while completely abandoning his humanity because he sees it as a weakness that lead to his family dying in the first place. 4) As far as Videogame Music, the classic one would be One-Winged Angel from Final Fantasy. There's also all of the boss themes of Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, all of which are absolute bangers that delve into character motivations. Guilty Gear Strive has its character themes in different genres that fit the character. Arknights and its Contingency Contract Lobby music,Operator themes and boss themes that wildly vary between different genres, from electronic to jazz to rock and heavy metal to even sea chanty. Yakuza games have absolutely banger music. If you feel more instrumental, then Payday 2 has you covered. Ace Combat series in general has amazing soundtrack with Zero from Ace Combat Zero being the composer's magnum opus imo.

[@relesfriquote9056]

Nice job

[@AngryKatie18]

The only thing I’d add to that is Keiichi Okabe’s music from Yoko Taro’s game universe from Drakengard to Nier:Automata. A Beautiful Song is brilliant

[@squishyslush1166]

Seconded on MGR, love that game and it's music

[@DawnOfDaybreak]

The Ace Combat Zero soundtrack was truly peak. Especially Mission 18- I really, really, really wish it would be redone and remastered with a new chorus and strings.

[@Celatra]

I'll add Souls games themes, particularily Bloodborne

[@thoma9410]

Video game music is its own rabbit hole in of itself. Nobuo Uematsu and Masayoshi Soken from the Final Fantasy series are my two favorite composers. Some favorites of Uematsu: One-Winged Angel Dancing Mad Answers - Soken has used this theme in some of his tracks. Liberi Fatali Some favorites of Soken: Footfalls Endcaller, Zodiark Theme Under the Weight Metal Brute Justice Mode There's too many from Soken. "To the Edge" is probably the most personal for the fanbase as he revealed he wrote that in the hospital while fighting cancer. The video of him revealing his cancer to everyone shows how top notch that development team is. I hope to see more of this in the future!

[@winterfall1021]

Yes! Dancing Mad is basically an entire symphony on it's own, and the live version is EPIC

[@sbarton275]

Uematsu's work is unparalleled. It's sad that his composing days seem to be behind him.

[@Volmire1]

Nobuo Uematsu is considered to be the John Williams of video game music. He's so prolific that it may be hard to choose a track. My favorites from Uematsu: - One Winged Angel - ("Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks" version) - Balamb GARDEN - (OST version is preferred) - JENOVA - (OST Version is dated, but still the best iteration) IMO a full listen through of FF VII OST is warranted -- a masterwork which is only matched by the works (Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross OST) of Yasunori Mitsuda. Happy listening!

[@juilescieg]

You forgot Akira Yamaoka

[@haakonht]

The only thing wrong with this is that To Zanarkand is not the Uematsu piece you chose.

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Video Game Music is not to be underestimated. It has been getting the short end of the stick for a long time, and only in recent years I'm seeing people take it seriously in the mainstream (at least online). Check out music from the games: Dark Souls, BloodBorn and Eldin Ring. AMAZING Symphonic pieces. I've heard a few people say "how is it possible that a video game from japan, can make better orchestral tracks then the country that crated them (referring to Europe)". The tracks from the Dark Souls Series and Bloodborn are so massive and over encompassing. HUGE walls of intense symphonic sound, it's crushing and it's amazing. As a classical guy, i think you will LOVE these Soundtracks.

[@tuskact4overheaven873]

as much as i love kitamura and company, they aren't better than european composers come on, and i hope they weren't making a comparison with the REAL classical composer

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

@@tuskact4overheaven873 I tend to agree somewhat. Although I am not well versed in classical music, from what I've heard there is a lot of syncopation and (imo) plain writing. And most tends to sound the same after a while, too. I still try and dive into classical from time to time, but I usually get more of the same u less I go out of my way to find some obscure Composer that isn't talked about much compared to others.

[@MetalGeek464]

My Son is hard into all three of these series and has been sharing with me. Some interesting pieces. I'll add the Darktide OST to the list.

[@DirranProductions]

Hard agree on the souls songs. The orchestral for sinking old sanctuary is also an amazing piece.

[@TheBroGamer14082]

I remember that's from a maxor video. Specifically about Bloodborne and referring to Ludwig's theme.

[@khalifabinhendi6107]

Out of all the video game songs you could have chosen for your first reaction in said genre, you chose this song: Bury the Light. Beautiful choice.

[@YourFavoriteBotGarethThompson]

Exceptional analysis. It's a breath of fresh air to have a reaction where the commentator not only knows what he's talking about but also talks while the music is playing so you can enjoy the music and take in the commentary without annoying pauses every couple seconds.

[@Neko.Ri0t]

11:51 you can see the wave of emotions he's feeling in this specific part of the song. 😂

[@Jmaul85]

Dude!! You figured out Vergil just by a few lines and the chorus of the song! That is impressive. I have seen other people's reaction to this song who don't know anything about the game and never have they figured it out like you have. 👏👏👏

[@GabrielPiazentin]

now, THAT'S a HUGE niche on youtube (games soundtracks). I'm waiting for Destiny, Halo, Skyrim, a lot of gold stuff from Super Nintendo, Pokémon, Zelda.... the list of great things is immense!

[@HollowGolem]

Given Doug's background working in choral sacred music, I feel like Baba Yetu from Civilization IV would be a great fit for this channel. It's a gorgeous arrangement of a sung Lord's Prayer in Swahili. Won a Grammy back in the day, too. I think he'd appreciate Uematsu's Bach pastiche in "Dancing Mad," as well. The Black Mages' rendition is probably a good one to use. Most work Shoji Meguro did would be interesting, since he jumps from pop to hip-hop to funk/acid jazz to straight rock, soundtrack to soundtrack. Lots of variety and creativity, with solid melodic hooks. Hidenori Shoji's written some great stuff for the RGG games. "Pledge of Demon/Oath of Enma," for example, would fit the idiom of the channel well.

[@HollowGolem]

Just realized I also forgot to shout out Yasunori Mitsuda, whose jazzy soundtrack for Chrono Trigger really transcends the SNES' sound card ("Secret of the Forest," "Corridors of Time," "Magus," "Wings of Time," "Schala's Theme," and on and on. He even rick-rolls us before that was a thing with "Robo's Theme." Then there are just bomb tracks from individual games, like "Bloody Tears" in all its incarnations throughout Castlevania, or "The Only Thing They Fear is You" from DOOM Eternal, or "Ikebukuro Underground" from Shin Megami Tensei IV (actually SMTIV's soundtrack is filled with gold; you know a game's soundtrack is good when TWO different shop tunes and two different world map themes are bangers), or pretty much half of the SNES Donkey Kong Country soundtracks.

[@MentalVideographer]

Baba Yetu goes *hard*

[@cotteredwards3498]

Game music is massively worth exploring, some recommendations off the top of my head: Martin O'Donnell's score for the Halo series, Jack Wall and Robyn Miller for the Myst games, Keiki Kobayashi on Ace Combat 5, Kow Otani's OST for Shadow of the Colossus, Kelly Bailey for the Half-Life and Portal series

[@sa1fbea]

Since you asked, this music does play while you're playing through the game, however it's instrumental UNTIL you start kicking ass in combat. The better you do, the heavier the music gets, and when you get to the max "score" the lyrics kick in.

[@jobbo_]

The opening is very reminiscent of Mick Gordon's soundtrack for Doom 2016. The lecture/presentation by him about how he made it is absolutely mind blowing.

[@ayushnegi7477]

Woah, him guessing the Vergil's character motivations just by the song lyrics is quite impressive! Really shows how good the song defines Vergil while being an amazing soundtrack.

[@finnkoeweit]

One of my favourite game composers is Christopher Tin, known for his work on the soundtrack of the civilization series. I think you might enjoy his work because it's music you might hear at a gospel choir or an opera that just happens to be in a game :) My recommendations would be Sogno di Volare (the theme song for Civilization 6) and baba yetu (the theme song for Civilization 4). IIRC he won grammy's for these songs so even in mainstream music he is quite well known. Anyways glad you're checking out part of the music industry some of my favourite songs are from game soundtracks!

[@jackgoff6215]

Such rich and insightful commentary. Greatly enjoyed!!

[@CaptainHatecrime]

You got Vergil's character exactly right. video game music can really teel a story all on it's own, as you just heard. This song slowly ramps up as you fight more and more and get your combos up until it goes full Bury the Light. Another video game that does something similar to this is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (a game that also has a very metal heavy soundtrack). The first half off the boss fight themes are instrumental only until you get the boss weak enough. Then, the lyrics kick in and the song goes full throttle. The Stains of Time is one of these boss themes that I would recommend. There are also a few video game soundtracks you should check out that whose songs don't (or rarely don't) have any lyrics at all. Undertale and it's successor "sister" game Deltarune are just a couple examples. But these soundtracks are especially incredible because the entire soundtracks were composed almost 100% by just one guy named Toby Fox.

[@Malam_NightYoru]

not only that he said about the violin trying to fight the drums and never coming back during the music, he even got the fact that the violins were vergil's humanity if you think about it.

[@spectre7095]

7:58 yes. the song itself is fragmented and plays specific parts depending on your style ranking (the more you dunk on them the higher your style) D-B rank is the vocals A rank is the buildup to the drop S-SSS rank is the drop

[@ManiacTobi]

Hell yes! So much brilliant VGM out there. Final Fantasy, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Ori and the Blind Forest…

[@Relyx]

Some suggestions for you here: 1) Jeremy Seoule's Skyrim theme - it is super epic, and that's all that needs to be said about it. Many players have sat at the games main menu just enjoying the song before jumping in. 2) Nobuo Uematsu's One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII - it is iconic, though you have to listen to the version made for the Advent Children movie, as the electric guitar elevates it so much imo. 3) Masayoshi Soken's To The Edge - it is an incredible song that incorporates themes from across Final Fantasy XIV's history and was written while he was in hospital battling cancer. Final Fantasy XIV actually won a Guinness World Record for the most original pieces of music in a video game. It's insane how much music the game has, and honestly most fans could easily name at least 20 tracks they absolutely love from its soundtrack. 4) Christopher Tin's Baba Yetu - it is a masterpiece that was created for Civilization IV, and feels so incredibly uplifting and encompassing of the human spirit. The songs lyrics are actually the Lord's Prayer sang in Swahili. 5) Martin O'Donnell's Halo theme - it is also one that is very very well known, and for good reason. It sounds religious, it sounds militaristic, it's brilliant. Its quality for the time (2002) was also significant I feel, as orchestrated soundtracks were still fairly new, as opposed to the sound chip generated tracks we had prior that were essentially programmed MIDI.

[@DirranProductions]

All good picks. I'm so hoping for Gwyn's theme, Nerevar rising from Morrowind, and It has to be this way from MGR

[@armas_ectos]

For something more mellow but full of emotion (also from FF VII), Aerith's Theme. Chokes me up every time. Maybe also Dancing Mad from FF VI.

[@theoneandonlymatthewholmes]

Nobuo Uematsu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any track!

[@c_brenon]

Masayoshi Soken and Nobuo Uematsu ♥

[@dan.vitale]

was listening to One Winged Angel just as I saw this comment :)

[@theonetrueravioli1043]

I just absolutely love how genuinely curious and open minded this sweet treasure of a man is

[@tr4cer_wh1te]

Risk of Rain - Coalescence by Chris Christodoulou Risk of Rain 2 - Con Lentidud Pederosa by Chris Christodoulou Risk of Rain 2 Survivors of the Void DLC - Once in a Lullaby by Chris Christodoulou These songs are absolutely beautiful and will blow your mind listening to how wel they are composed

[@hiiambarney4489]

Ah yes. The good ol Chris Chris toodooloo (I will never not name him that, may he forgive me) He did some WORK.

[@ruskituski6996]

doug's ability to read songs to the point of knowing every single drop, and on top of that guess with great accuracy what the song is about is astounding

[@sipenarekbecha7193]

I wished I had 1/10 his talents 😅

[@blueguitar4419]

He talks sorta like a religious scholar or a counselor, which if true means he brings some emotional intelligence along with his scholarly insight. Just a guess. No idea if true

[@yurihendges4099]

16:00 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.

[@hiiambarney4489]

People may not realize it. Uematsu is basically a modern day Mozart. He did the musical equivalent of painting the sistine chapel with a 1 haired paintbrush with that Song. To think he did that on a Computer with very limited hardware and sounds and while not even knowing about music theory is CRAAAAAAAAAZY.

[@bconfessor]

Great first game music choice! For other metal game music, I recommend Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's soundtrack. Particularly "The Only Thing I Know For Real", "It Has to Be This Way" and "Stains of Time" (this last one has a killer guitar track). All of these have themes in their lyrics that relate to their boss fights. For less metal but more epic soundtracks, I recommend Bravely Default's songs, particularly "Serpent Eating the Ground" and "That Person's Name Is".

[@unknownunknown317]

Just say mgrr all themes

[@mechajintsu]

.. and sprinkle some Killer Instinct 2013 and Guilty Gear Strive 😎

[@MannyNamiro]

I don't think I dislike any of the MGR boss songs. They're all so rad. But my favourite has to be Red Sun.

[@joshuasiebenhofer2452]

And Doom eternal.

[@waynerees9355]

Only just found this channel. The cool thing about the character tracks in Dmc5 is that they recorded multiple versions of each one with them getting progressively faster and adding lyrics and instruments. The reason for this is that there's a style based combat system and the more stylish you play the better the music becomes.

[@rocketbunny9347]

Awesome video Doug Since you greatly enjoyed bury the light you should listen to Vergil's son's them called "Devil Trigger" It's from the same game and the composer kept the same chord and note structure for both songs except since Vergil's son is more energetic and embraces who he his the song has a much more EDM fast pace than deep and steady like bury the light I'm sure you'll love it just as much as this one! Just to remind it's called "Devil Trigger" Thanks for the cool video! Can't wait for more

[@SinHurr]

Hot take but I think Devil Trigger is the best track from DMC5, if for no other reason than "pull my devil trigger" is a line that we should have thought of a decade ago.

[@natman2939]

15:36 “so how did I do?” Honestly it’s amazing to learn you didn’t read about the character before this considering how spot on you were. I mean you even somehow knew he was half human and half demon based almost entirely on the song (and that’s he’s worried the human side is a weakness) I mean you just couldn’t be more correct. That’s literally what it is.

[@albroiser]

Video game music is fascinating, I'm really glad that lately people are giving the chance to experience the talent of the composers of this kind of music. If I could give just one recommendation I would have to recommend: Azdaha battle theme (Ominous monolith prologue - Ode to Azdaha 1st phase - Rage Beneath the Mountains 2nd phase) from the game called Genshin Impact. It's truly a masterpiece and explore various elements from classic asian music.

[@KingMusicalMel]

I'd love to see you react to video game music! There are so many great stories to be told by them!

[@admiralcasperr]

How it works is that the game grades you on how awesome you play and the track reflects that. So when you fight epically and reach that highest rank you get a transition with the "I am the storm that is approaching" part to accentuate your performance. Very rewarding.

[@ghostofzanzibar]

Big respects to the guy who made this one. I can't imagine putting all these pieces together and still keeping it consistently epic and harmonious.

[@The_SARC_Knight]

Video game's really do have a vast repertoire of amazing music. A game that was crowned "Game of of the Year" a few years back named "Hades" has some phenomenal music by Darren Korb. In blood is a great track with some orchestral elements.

[@hingybingyplong]

at around 8:10 you ask if this song plays while you're in-game and fighting it out: not only does it play, but the song scales up with parts getting added, building up in direct correlation with how well you are doing in gameplay! So epic, to be pulling off the (frankly quite tricky) moves as the final part blasts to completion. First vid and shall be sticking around 👍

[@jackyvalencia77]

Video game music is amazing just because it’s a game doesn’t mean the producers and artists don’t put effort. There are so many pieces that are so beautiful.

[@魔王-c1e]

Perfect song to start exploring Video Game OSTs with! I am looking forward to seeing more! Also you are spot on with your reading of the character. Vergil is trying to, and have tried to suppress his humanity since the Devil May Cry series began. A song I think would be interesting for you to react to would be "Kings" from the game "Project Wingman". The composer is called Jose Pavli. Project Wingman is a plane game, and the song plays when you are having a dogfight against your main rival at the end of the game. That is really all you need to know for context. It is a great song!

[@MartinMaxFerdinand]

A great Composer of Video-Games-Music is Kamil Orman-Janowski. Not only is he a master of combining exotic and classical sounds to epic masterpieces. (Mostly known for his works on a game called "Path of Exile") He also has his own YT-Channel and would be a superb Interview-Guest. Best regards from the Black Forest, Germany

[@jim8123]

The character analysis you gave from just the lyrics alone is dead on. Im impressed

[@platinumconquest2365]

If you'd like to hear another fantastic metal song from the Devil May Cry series, try "Devils Never Cry". It's the main theme of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. If you want to try a metal song from another series, I'd suggest "Alone Infection" (Faust's Theme) from Guilty Gear StrIVe. Pretty much any track from Guilty Gear StrIVe is a good listen though.

[@Casquillo8520]

Guy just does de-compossition of the song and then figures out the character completately, respect

[@Zanethepure]

In case it's not been said sir, your initial read of the character through the lyrics is pretty spot on. A credit to the team behind the music if it can communicate so cleanly to a complete stranger to the source material. A lot of Video game music does a spectacular job at evoking the setting, something you're bound to experience should you pursue it further.

[@alaranarmstrong3718]

Not only does it play when you play the game, it gets more complex and intense the better you play.

[@MrInuhanyou123]

The video game music landscape is an entire landscape of music onto itself. I sure hope you get into more of it! Its even more enhanced with the games themselves and the stories character and gameplay. No different from movies, books, or other kinds of music proper

[@doubleexia8375]

100% spot on with your interpretation.

[@lucasnobre6654]

Holy crap! can't wait to watch reactions from The Witcher series!

[@chillwestmusic]

The Wolven Storm! Beautiful solo female vocalist, and that lute…

[@shadowmancy9183]

Worth noting that this is the song the composer left the series with- Capcom doesn't hire composers for consecutive games, so this was his swan song to the franchise. That guitar solo is an awesome farewell.

[@arkan5000]

This is a special character's battle theme. Every time he has an encounter the song kicks in. The game has a dynamic way to implement the music based on the combo ranking in the game. You are ranked D, C, B, A, S, SS and SSS. At first during D rank there are no lyrics, then C and B have the initial lyrics building up the higher the rank, A rank blasts the drums and makes the buildup even bigger, encouraging the player to push for the next ranks because when you reach S the chorus kicks in.

[@aghistorian763]

It's amazing how spot on you were with your interpretation. Also speaks to the talent of the composer

[@dahliablack6875]

If I have one suggestion, it would be Noboru Uematsu's magnum opus Dancing Mad. A 17-minute epic in five movements.

[@c_brenon]

This. May I suggest the Nobuo Uematsu rock prog band's version (The Black Mages)

[@maninatreeproductions9588]

@@c_brenonyea! The solo at the end is incredible

[@misterturkturkle]

5 movements and idk how many leitmotifs.

[@sleepofgc]

Love you finally visiting video game music. Guilty Gear is a fascinating series musically and would fit into metal Mondays just fine. The music is composed by the director who is also the character artist and the entire series is a long-running love letter to metal and, in particular, Queen.

[@CompleteProducer84]

My favorite OSTS ever: Symphony of the Night Final Fantasy 6, 7 & 10 Super Metroid Skyrim Mega Man 2, 3, 4 Shovel Knight The Messenger

[@jansennuralim6172]

I've waited for this video for so longg!! Thank you doug!

[@axelblyat7705]

As a classical composer you would definetly enjoy ULTRAKILL OST - The death of god's will

[@Rayalz]

Answering the 8:01 question, yes. This song is used when you enter in battle and depending on how frenetic and stilysh your combos are, the song plays different parts. It is evolving while you are hitting enemies and if you get to the best "combo ranks" and no get hit, the 5:43 segment starts to play in loop until battle is over or you drop the combo ranks. So yes, my brain just feel it and start swingin hits like crazy.

[@LinMaedros]

An amazing start for video game music, the DMC series is amazingly executed and had great production! If you do more of these, it would be great to hear your thoughts on some of the music from the NieR series, especially NieR: Automata. Automata is a game that really immerses the player very deeply into the game in many interesting ways, and music is a huge part of that. A nice example from that game is "A beautiful song", an operatic piece that is sung in a made up language, but the song still makes me tear up every time I hear it.

[@alegiddings]

YOOOO FINALLY

[@moisesfernandez5681]

Since you're doing videogames music, Dream Theater made an instrumental song for one of the God of War. It's called Raw Dog, and it's a great piece. Also, Mass Effect has some amazing compositions, specially ME 2 and 3. And finally, Ezio's Family from Assasins Creed 2, and the main them from L.A. Noire are two of the best music wrote for videogames, ever.

[@IGN_OFFClAL]

I adore that you catch on the details surrounding the sound as well as it's place in the world before a blind react. that is pretty unique, and I hope it continues

[@nickman287]

A personal favourite is the soundtrack from "Ori and the blind forest". It's just gorgeous.

[@SorooshMhs]

“Speaking of the band Yes, ah yes i’ve heard of them” i see what you did there 😁

[@prorookie1013]

It's dynamic, meaning as you play better, the music progresses to different portions The game is all about style so might aswell grant you MOTIVATION with badass music The combo system goes followed (ascending order) D- Dismal, C- Crazy, B- Badass, A-Apocalyptic, S- Savage, SS- Sick Skills, SSS- SMOKIN' SEXY STYLE!! No rank starts the music as normal, but only progresses with style, Lyrics only really kicking in at B, S has "I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING PORTION," SS Will be the buildup before that final chorus, and once it hits, the second that announcer yells "SMOKING SEXY STYLE" as you slash away demons with absolute style effortlessly, it kicks in, "BURY THE LIGHT DEEP WITHIIIIIIIIIIIIIN, CAST ASIDE THERE'S NO COMING HOME" (of course when you get hit you get knocked down a couple style levels, and in turn your music bounces down It also has character meanings, This music is played as you fight as Vergil, who (long story short) developed abandonment issues, and in turn, he develops this ideal that power is everything, following his Full demon fathers power, and after several loses, he tries to seek absolute power, and in the game this theme is used in, he quite literally cuts away his humanity, spot on analysis, using his fathers blade yamato, which can split demon from man, (oh yeah he's Half demon lol, human mom devil father, during a big war of humans vs. the underworld of demons his demonic warlord of a father actually sided with humanity and blah blah blah vergil and dante are born) It's only later in the game he reforms his human and demon self, luckily at the end of the game Dante and Nero make amends with him and the sibling rivalry went from "I'm gonna fucking kill you to prove I'm better than you" it went to a more friendly rivalry Now if you do Dante's theme "Subhuman" next, you'll notice these brothers are designed to be a ying and yang type deal, (I mean the game did have Dante's character development be him more embrace his demonic side when all his life he sort of resented himself for it) Other than that you were pretty much spot on in being able to understand the character off their song along without really seeing them and how they act or what the do in the games in general although it's alot easier to understands the songs meanings if you learn the characters

[@Sneften]

8:02 Yes the soundtrack plays during combat and it dynamically picks up and progresses the song as you fight and as your combat ranking changes during the battle, you can go from hearing the all of the song while whipping an enemy, to hearing a faint background version with less instruments and no lyrics after taking damage and having your score reset to. (I may have some details wrong but from memory its something like this)

[@garchompy_1561]

ooooh, video game music time? if you ever try genshin impacts music, im sure MarcoMeatball would be down to collab, and given the fact he was an opera singer and voiced a character in the game im sure hes qualified lmao. Praying for whirl and Symphony of the Boreal Wind, or taking a look at the first live concert they did for their 1 year anniversary in 2021.

[@markastyan]

true, I think Doug would certainly like some of the Genshin OSTs

[@stellar1016]

2nd this one

[@blaze_burn]

Doug would be so amazed by how classical Genshin music is

[@SinXPeace]

My man 15:10 you broke down Vergil's core ideal perfectly. For someone who's never played or even known the game I am very impressed!

[@LordTalos]

A great reaction and analysis of the song! Video games often are trying to push a sense of emotions through their songs. Gaming OSTs most commonly are situational, as the people developing those games want to give an emphasis on the situation around the player and make the player greatly immersed in the environment and events around them. I believe many games are successful in such an endeavour, and there are games that are not. I hope that you may delve into more video game music, especially from games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Metal Gear Solid, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Doom and Doom: Eternal, Bloodborne, Monster Hunter and finally, Warframe. The reason for these suggestions is that each of these has their own unique styles that put them way above and beyond other games, in my personal opinion. There are more games out there that I can offer off the top of my head with great soundtracks, but those ones are a lot more common and easier to find music that made them famous. Have a great day!

[@discostoo]

Great to see you dipping your toe in to the Video Game world. Since the advent of consoles and PC's using CD's in the 90's music has been getting more complex, full orchestral scores aren't uncommon. A musical treat awaits your ears.

[@abonham82]

How did I make it through so many comments without seeing DOOM 2016? Mick Gordon is a wizard

[@thomasdemharter2153]

No way! Just yesterday i was listening to some OSTs and thought "wouldn't it be great to have a reaction from Doug to this?". Halo 3, the last of us, Skyrim, just the medleys from World of warcraft alone, there's so much great stuff out there to try, you'll really enjoy it i'm sure. Looking forward to more

[@gickrimes6851]

I'd love to see a reaction to "Dragonsong" by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy XIV! Final Fantasy as a whole has some fantastic music but Dragonsong always has a special place in my heart.

[@Wuselol]

It's such a beautiful song for an incredible and touching story. It's definitely one of the best which is crazy considering the mountain of phenomenal music in that series.

[@blazethecat363]

for me Dragonsong is super relevant due to the situation in Ukraine

[@vtheman1850]

Hey Doug, loved your reaction. The reason it is Bass heavy is because Casey Edwards originally wanted to use electric guitar, but after feedback and input from the creators of the video game, opted to not use it at all since Vergil is an opposite to the protagonist of the series Dante, whom is often depicted with an electric guitar. Edwards then decided to completely forgo guitar and focus on the bass in order to contrast the two characters in their musical pieces.

[@CrazyGamingPsychos]

The Xenoblade Chronicles series has an incredible catalog of music. You Will Know Our Names is a banger and a half.

[@toddhisattva]

Here's my character (reprised from Ultima VII.5 The Serpent Isle) playing Xenoblade "Beyond the Sky" in Shroud of the Avatar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ24goV7i9SDZ6M

[@arikcuttle4995]

I dont usually comment, but I have to say you were very much on the right track for vergil. Honestly the closest ive seen to someone describing his character without further reading like you said. I also loved how you seemed to be in tune with the music as individual pieces and not a whole.

[@burosoko8717]

You're right, this song not only plays when you're in a fight but it is dynamic. If you play more stylishly it plays the heavier and fast paced part of the song.

[@kyuubi34800]

Oh boy you began a ride that may never end, you have so many song to hear. Quite pleased i woke up in the middle of the night to see you get in our boat :D

[@maxzero9647]

A few more gaming recommendations: Anything by Nobuo Uematsu, it's all good. "J.E.N.O.V.A.", "Dancing Mad", and "To Zanarkand" are some of my favorites, but all of the music from the Final Fantasy series is excellent. "It Has To Be This Way" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (no, that's not a typo.) "Bloody Tears" and "Vampire Killer" by the Naoto Shibata Project from the album "Dracula Battle Perfect Selection" are all time bangers. Castlevania is another one of those series that has stellar music throughout. Either way, for the absolute best metal gaming covers you'll ever hear, check out Jonny Atma at his KZbin channel GaMetal. All of his work is absolutely stellar.

[@sethmurray69]

I second the motion for more video game music! Good stuff!

[@11billioncrabz]

Alot off the community say that this is one off the best songs for gaming

[@ExtraordinAri_96]

Happy to see you diving into video game music! There's some great stuff out there that others have already suggested, I'd like to put forward "In The Blood" by Darren Korb from the game Hades, I think you'd have a great time digging into the details of that track.

[@DonGeritch]

Ultrakill, DOOM, Metal Gear Revengeance, Darktide, Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3 - those are some OST's to look out for (in order of relevance)

[@nmnm_]

To answer your question, yes it does play ingame and the music will match with the combos. And your description of Vergil is actually correct just by listening to it, that really just a proof how perfect this is for hist theme lol

[@JamJarsookLOL]

It'll be buried, but Guilty Gear Strive still has some great songs in it, most are rock/metal songs too. Either Heavy Day or Smell of the Game are great starting spots, both main themes for Xrd and Strive respectively

[@MadMakishimu]

Guilty Gear gang rises!

[@BoloJolo]

I mean to be fair every new Guilty Gear release is just a new soundtrack with a game attached

[@wahooman4348]

There it is!

[@S1N3R360]

i have played the hell out of this game and yes i can tell you the sonf does play during the game while you play as virgil. there is a system in the game where the music goes as crazy as you do. there is a style meter in the game and the higher it gets the more intense the music gets

[@grapeknutz]

You might like Jeremy Soule Skyrim It's epic, and I would say the 21st century classic!

[@htefragile]

Seconding this! Especially pieces like Secunda, The Streets of Whiterun, From Past To Present, Frostfall, etc.

[@steelkenshin]

Oblivion first, then Skyrim

[@christianclark9494]

found your channel because of this, that sums up vgm reactions, hope you do more

[@CrunchyF123]

The Skyrim soundtrack is a must listen, (dungeons, dragons, magic, roleplaying adventure game) its an epic, almost 4 hr album ! a mixture of old worldly folk, classical, choral and ambience.

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Some video game songs I personally love. Dark Souls: Gwyn Lord Of Cinder and Soul Of Cinder (connected songs that share motifs) Legend Of Zelda Twilight Princess: Midna's Lament Genshin Impact: Gilded Runner EarthBound: Good friends Bad Friends (Smiles and Tears is great too) Mario Kart 8: Title Screen Theme/Main Theme There is plenty more, but I'd be here all day. Side Note, it'd be great if you could one day get into Anime Soundtracks too. Made In Abyss has some amazing orchestral stuff. Old Stories is an amazing peice.

[@lightlezs7048]

You got the general idea of the character correct. I haven't played many of these games, so I don't know everything about Virgil, but he is indeed someone who surpresses his emotions in search of power, and technically, just like the main character Dante, he is not human, but a child of a demon and an angel (they do look, behave and feel emotions like humans). They are brothers who sailed on different and often conflicting paths in life after losing their parents in a tragedy, which of course results in fights to the death between them every now and then.

[@-antares_]

I think you're referring to the DmC reboot (non canon) where he is a child of a demon and an angel. While in the main original series (DMC 1-5) and canon he is a child of a demon and a human.

[@-antares_]

Dante and Vergil are twin brothers. Twin sons of a legendary demon named Sparda and a human named Eva. Dante and Vergil are like the opposite side of the coin. When they were children demons ambushed their home and killed their mother. Because of that Dante is hating his demon side and embracing his human side, while Vergil throws his humanity and pursues endless demonic power. In DMC 5 story Vergil throwing away his humanity side (Bury the Light) by splitting himself into two entities which is V (his human side) and Urizen (his demon side) to pursue power.

[@feircy]

That you got so close to vergil's actual character shows how well the song reflects him

[@koboldwizard]

i definitely recommend the metal gear rising: revengeance soundtrack if you plan to do more video game music reactions in the future, pretty much all of the songs are bangers and give insight into the characters their about if thats something youre interested in also you pretty much nailed the idea of vergil, empowering his demonic half and supressing his human half all for the sake of becoming more powerful

[@abonham82]

Holy damn, analysis of the lyric content is so bang on as always

[@venustas777]

Genshin Impact has iconic boss music, my suggestions are La Signora Battle Theme and "Polumnia Omnia" (Scaramouche boss theme), the composer mixes influences from different genres and somehow makes it work so well.

[@mydrillasanjay5397]

Cringe

[@Onyx1987]

I CANNOT believe you nailed Virgil THAT perfectly by just the lyrics alone. Casey is a genius, and so are you!