BEST METAL SOUNDTRACKS IN VIDEO GAMES

It goes without saying that music is a stress reliever and medicine to the soul. Some people enjoy having songs playing in the background while performing complex tasks or just normal chores. Some of us can’t survive a day without listening to fantastic music to calm us down, inspire us or help keep us going amidst challenging times. That's how powerful music is.

Soundtracks, though, have a way of coming in handy when it comes to gaming. Maybe you wonder what a soundtrack is; it is a musical recording, usually an accompaniment to a film. If you are a movie person or enjoy watching TV shows, you can attest that soundtracks make movies and TV shows worth watching. They help in storytelling in the movie scene. For instance, while watching a movie, you can tell if the next few seconds of the clip will contain scenes of something sad, exciting, surprising, or scary just based on the soundtrack.

Though having soundtracks in video games has not always been a thing, games with added soundtracks have secured a top spot in the gaming industry. At first, the soundtracks were not doing magic in helping build video games’ popularity and keeping gamers engaged, but that seems to have changed. The soundtracks have evolved phenomenally. Below are some of the best metal soundtracks in video games that can't go unmentioned.

1.  Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Metal Gear Rising left most fans astounded upon its release in 2013 due to its quality and the encapsulated touch of everything sweet to gamers' ears. The soundtrack is more than just normal noise in the background that gamers are primarily used to. Metal Gear Rising delivered a significantly enjoyable experience based on the style, narrative, and basically everything.

The Metal Gear Rising soundtrack is done in metal and somewhat rock style, including some bass and heavy drum features. Konami and Jamie Christopherson, who are the producer and composers of this metal soundtrack, respectively, didn't go a miss with the track. Irrespective of the game focusing on action, fans praised the sophisticated cutting system in the game, and the metal soundtrack was among the things that contributed to the game receiving a warm reception from fans. The soundtrack complimented the video game nicely.

2. Call of Duty

One of the most famous FPS games, Call of Duty, or just COD, features great soundtracks and some of the best metal songs in its franchise. A heavy metal band from Florida, Avenged Sevenfold, has multiple songs featured in the COD franchise. They also composed some original songs just for the game. It all started in 2010 when the band decided to compose “Not Ready to Die” for the zombie map in COD: Black Ops. The song “Nightmare” is also featured in that game, even though it is not originally composed for the game. In 2012, they composed “Carry On” for Black Ops 2 which later became a popular song that can be heard at their concerts. Black Ops 3 also couldn’t go without Avenged Sevenfold, so they composed “Jade Helm” just for the game. In 2018, they once again decided to go with the franchise and a song “Mad Hatter” was made, originally for Black Ops 4. This probably isn’t the end for Avenged Sevenfold and Call of Duty as we expect to hear some new songs in the upcoming games.  

3.  Brütal Legend

Brütal Legend features some of the outstanding voices of heavy metal artists, including Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford, and Rob Halford. The featuring of these stars has helped elevate Brütal Legend to its legendary status. The title wears the name "metal" on its sleeves, and if you are a metal die-hard fan, you can agree that the stars in Brutal Legend didn't come to play. Tim Schafer ensured that he brought on board his past musical experiences in the game, which led to having a massive catalog of metal songs in the video game.
Since there are not many video games featuring electric guitar stone sculptures, Brütal Legend is not on the list of such video games. With over seventy-five metal bands, Brutal Legend did the most in ensuring there was a metal track for every metalhead gamer out there. Some of the notable tracks featured in Brütal Legend include Mr. Crowley, Painkiller, Symptom of the Universe, and Goliaths Disarm Their Davids, among other metal tracks.

4.  Killing Floor 2

The Killing Floor 2 Soundtrack carries a mix of metal, industrial electronic, and rock music that help set the mood for gamers, giving them an exceptional gaming experience. Gamers tend to get more braced to slay their enemies in the game with the soundtrack, which contains some of the best metal tracks. The game relies on the metal genre to fuel the gaming feeling in players and have a good time with this action-packed first-person shooter game.
 
Besides, the soundtrack is a dream for every metalhead gamer since the metal bands featured in the soundtrack songs are all amazing. Notable tracks included are Bitter End by Fit For a King, Death by Demon Hunter, and Murderer by Impending Doom. With the original soundtrack featuring a distinct mixture of original compositions, that does not seem to change since the metal tracks featured still offer a perfect backdrop for slaying waves of Zeds in the game.

5.  Quake

The Quake, composed by Trent Reznor, was released in 1996 with a collaboration between Id Software and Nine Inch Nails. Quake has remained popular since it came up when video games went mainstream. Doom and Wolfenstein enlisted Trent Reznor to craft the soundtrack for Quake, which was one of their biggest projects back then. Reznor outdid himself in composing the soundtrack since it has not lost its taste since then.

Reznor describes this soundtrack as a mixture of textures and ambiances that brings a frightening, scary and depressive mood which is fun for the game. The Quake soundtrack received a warm reception from fans, with most gamers saying how the soundtrack builds the gaming atmosphere. We can say that for a computer game, Quake is the best soundtrack ever crafted.

6.  Guilty Gear

Guilty Gear has received positive critics since its release, and with the latest release, nothing seems to have changed as much regarding its reception. Guilty Gear, a Japanese fighting franchise, consists of heavy metal soundtracks on the top list of the greatest metal tracks of all time in video game history. The guilty gear game’s graphics prowess, the variety in combat, and the added soundtracks to the video game keep the gamers glued to their screens to date, all thanks to Daisuke Ishiwatari, the composer of the soundtrack.

Some other music composers have featured in the guilty Gear project, but Daisuke remains the star in the room due to his prowess in crafting the soundtrack. Other notable soundtracks featured in the Guilty Gear project include Still in the Dark, Sheep will sleep, Kill DOG as a sacrifice to DOG, and A solitude that asks nothing in return.

Final Thoughts

Video games are nowadays fun to play because of the added soundtracks that spice up the gaming atmosphere. Metalheads can now enjoy to the brim playing video games dedicated to them. Guilty Gear, Killing Floor 2, Quake, and Brutal Legend are some of the best metal soundtracks of all time in video games history, as discussed above.