In the realm of video games, OSTs have the power to elevate the player’s experience from mere interaction to an immersive journey. Developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks, Doom (2016) not only reinvigorated the franchise’s gameplay but showcased an auditory hellscape that became one of Mick Gordon‘s best pieces of work.
The soundtrack masterfully combined heavy metal, industrial, and electronic elements to create a gut-wrenching soundtrack that mirrored the visceral nature of the game. Gordon, a musician known for pushing boundaries, incorporated unconventional production techniques to achieve such a level of creativity. For example, his initial briefing with id Software entailed that guitars would NOT be used. Yet, he managed to get them in clever ways. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Doom is one of the most iconic IPs in gaming, with a history of amazing soundtracks.
Considering this, it was a given that people would be immediately captivated by the soundtrack of Doom. Just a few years earlier, we had experienced Mick Gordon’s composition in Wolfenstein: The New Order, leaving many of us eager for more of his work. However, the intensity of Gordon’s creation caught everyone off guard. This is all thanks to the audiophiles and basement dwellers, of course. Once they had access to the audio files, reactions were nothing short of amusing. The real kicker here is that Gordon didn’t tell anyone but his wife about his hidden messages.
Pledging allegiance to Satan through synths.
As Gordon was working on basses for Cyberdemon, he knew he needed to get creative. He decided to play around with the plugin called Hama. With Hama, you can load an image to the synthesizer, and it will generate characteristics from the image across the frequency spectrum. So, what does Gordon do? He imports an image of a six and puts it over the bass, forming “666.” Brilliant, right? It didn’t stop there, though. Since the bassline was a repeating form, the middle was empty and needed some spice. Gordon, being the cunning lad he is, slapped a pentagram in that space, giving us this beautiful image:
“Now, at this point, I’m giggling like a child. So much so that Jess, my wife, heard the giggling and came in and said, “What on earth are you doing?” and snapped me at this moment where I had this childish kind of look on my face.”
Mick Gordon during his panel at GDC
“Cyberdemon” is one of my favorite tracks from the OST. It hooks you in immediately. You can feel the suspense breathing on the back of your neck and whispering in your ears, asking if you’re ready to spill blood. You can feel Cyberdemon’s presence throughout the song, and every time I hear it, I’m amazed at how that feeling is captured flawlessly. The sound design is absolutely mad, and you can really hear the soul Gordon put into this one.
JESUS LOVES YOU!
Gordon couldn’t get enough of his antics, so he pushed his boundaries even more. What better way to do this than by giving our boy Jesus Christ a shout-out? I mean, the game is about killing demons, so I’m sure Jesus appreciates it. He did this with one of the drone sounds for IV. Doom. Played normally, it sounds like a possessed nun speaking in tongues. However, played backward in Mono, you get a wholesome message that says, “Jesus Loves You.”
“Now, do you know how many news websites wrote about that one? Freakin’ none!”
Mick Gordon during his GDC panel.
I was battling demons, not just in Doom but in my head, too.
Upon getting my hands on this game, I was going through some heavy emotions in my life. There was a lot of pent-up rage that I internalized and never handled appropriately. Looking back, playing Doom was a really good outlet to let my anger out. Here I am, lonely and drunk by myself, ripping these demons to oblivion while this intense soundtrack is screaming in my ear drums. I vividly remember how visceral the ending tutorial cutscene was. Dr. Hayden is blabbering on comms, while Doom Slayer is just ready to fuck shit up. The theme creeps in as Doom Slayer gets more aggravated until he finally punches the comms screen. I’m sitting there, like, holy fuck, this game is about to be mad. My heart is pumping, and I’m ready to jump into action. At Doom’s Gate has me wanting to fight God himself, and let me tell you, my dopamine receptors were having a field day. I wasn’t really the type to play shoot ’em ups at all, so this was all fresh and exciting for me. After getting hooked on the OST, I did notice my music taste start shifting into more dark and heavier themes and sounds. This was definitely one of the most pivotal points in my music journey.
Though the whole OST is flawless down to every minute detail, there’s one track that really awakens my inner Lilith:
Rust, Dust, and Guts is just…a massive fucking orgasm.
I said what I said. Put on some nice headphones and just feel it. The song gently caresses your body, then slowly starts teasing you. Your heart is beating; you’re getting close, buuuut you’re going to get edged first. Then there’s a slight pause, and boom- an unholy blaze exploding every single demon in its vicinity. I don’t know what Gordon put in this song to make it sound like that, but it hits in all the right ways. What can I say?
Doom‘s OST holds power. It has this pulse that’s hellish and irresistible. It keeps you on your toes, wanting more, feeding off your adrenaline. Mick Gordon created a beautifully unhinged piece of work that will forever get worship from me until the day I die.
Mick Gordon, thank you for your work and for being the gateway to my Slayer and Slipknot phase, which somehow got me into ICP. You’re a real one.
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