People my age who were into PC games back then should know what the game DOOM is, which was released in 1993. It is one of the first games in which you could see from the player’s perspective, walking around and killing all kinds of demons. Nowadays, many people think fondly about that game, and many games afterwards were influenced by it. When more than a decade ago, the reboot was announced, people were excited but also curious how successful the game would be in a world in which video games have advanced at a rapid rate. Fortunately, when DOOM (2016) was released, it was quite a success. The main reason is how they translated the silent protagonist, ’Doomguy,’ who was extremely effective in killing demons, to a silent protagonist, ‘Doom Slayer,’ who is still extremely effective in killing demons.
When the Doom Slayer is ripping and tearing through all these demons, music needs to be heard in the background to support this carnage, and the composer for DOOM (2016), Mick Gordon, understood that assignment perfectly well by writing pure . . , raw. ., and deafening metal music. Gordon’s music for the 2016 reboot was very well received, and he returned for the sequel DOOM Eternal. Unfortunately, during development, Gordon and the game studio got into a dispute, which can be read all over the internet if you Google for it. Their collaboration stopped, and the soundtrack for DOOM Eternal has never been officially released.
Recently, DOOM: The Dark Ages, has come out, officially a prequel to DOOM (2016), and this new game takes a different approach by giving the Doom Slayer a fur coat and a shield. However, something that did not change was the considerable arsenal of different weapons and the glorious loud metal music, which was now provided by the music company Finishing Move Inc.
You can hear what to expect from the score in the first two tracks of the album. “Invasion” showcases the more sound design aspect, setting the mood for the dark world in which DOOM: The Dark Ages takes place. That track also contains the first version of the main motif, which consists of four simple tones. This motif returns as the primary focus in “From the Ashes,” in which it is integrated into the other aspect of the score: metal music with raging guitars, distorted bass guitar, loud electronic sounds and a drum kit with a twin-pedaled bass drum. You can hear the metal music while the Doom Slayer uses his deadly talents.
The album is filled with this mix of sound design and metal tracks, and while sound design tracks like “Hebeth, ”Sentinel Barracks,“ “Last Bastion” and “The Prince” probably work perfectly well within the game, I do not really see a reason why they are on the album, since not much is happening in them music-wise. The metal tracks, however, are a pure delight for me. It showcases perfectly well that metal music is not just loud noise but can be very varied, with different rhythm patterns by the drums and guitars and unique melody lines layered over them. I would recommend listening to tracks like “Unchained Predator,” “Atlan Battleground” and “Unholy Siege,” which are outstanding examples in addition to the already-mentioned “From the Ashes.”
Listening to the soundtrack for DOOM: The Dark Ages made me wonder if there are metal soundtracks made for movies and TV shows. For the right genre of film, having a metal score could have great potential, as Mick Gordon and now Finishing Move Inc. have shown with their fantastic scores for the DOOM games. Many people will probably hate it, but since I listen to metal occasionally, I would like to hear more metal scores like the ones for these DOOM games.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack from Amazon or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Invasion (2:57)
- From the Ashes (6:11)
- When the Shadows First Lengthened (3:06)
- Unchained Predator (5:45)
- Hebeth (2:10)
- Atlan Battleground (5:35)
- Sentinel Barracks (2:00)
- Holy City (2:46)
- Blood Red (5:15)
- Last Bastion (3:05)
- Unholy Siege (4:43)
- Pursuit of Demons (3:22)
- Unyielding (2:34)
- Infernal Chasm (6:43)
- Hellspawn Rift (3:47)
- Titanic Prison (2:32)
- Ancestral Beast (3:25)
- Transdimensional (2:15)
- Cosmic Sea (3:32)
- Into the Void (5:37)
- What Lies Below (4:21)
- Battle on the Blackened Tide (6:08)
- Steel Beyond the Grave (3:44)
- Rebirth (2:01)
- Divine Retribution (5:03)
- Wither and Writhe (4:17)
- Rebuild (2:58)
- Colossus Unleashed (3:46)
- Onslaught of the Damned (3:21)
- Theomachy (3:20)
- Blood Spill (5:26)
- The Prince (2:13)
- Between Hex and Flame (3:34)
- Apotheosis (3:32)
- He Is Out There (3:31)
Total length: 2 hours and 14 minutes
Bethesda Softworks (2025)
