Music for Zombie Gaming - Part 8

No Zombie Gaming playlist would be complete without the Resident Evil Soundtracks.

The score form the first Resident Evil movie features an awesome blend of orchestral work and industrial techno and Metal, a theme that continues through all of the Resident Evil movies.

However you feel about the transfer of Alice from video game to the big screen, the film's soundtracks stand alone as an epic background to any Zombie Gaming night.

Music for Zombie Gaming - Part 7

Bear McCreary is a name that has popped up quite a bit in recently years, if you're a bit of a nerd. The American born composer and musician lives in Los Angeles California. Not only does he have an awesomely manly name, he is also responsible for the soundtracks for the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead and Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. among other things.

He also composed the theatrical film score to Step Up 3D... which is actually rather good... but less talked about, certainly by most Walking Dead fans.

Although he studied under the legendary Elmer Bernstein he has undoubtedly created his own sound which, whilst clearly versatile, shows a superb understanding of pace and timing and is quite distinctive.

Bear McCreary normally works with a limited pool of musicians, typically around 10, often using less traditional instruments, with a considerable emphasis on percussion and the deliberate inclusion of discordant counter harmonies, his themes are subtle and build into considerable crescendos.

Bear McCreary's instantly recognisable opening theme to The Walking Dead is a great example of how this works and is a perfect mood-enhancer for any Zombie Board Game, Card Game or  Zombie Miniatures game.

Music for Zombie Gaming - Part 6

The video game itself was kinda Marmite, some loved it, and some really couldn't get along with it.

I was in the former camp and from a score perspective it set the scene perfectly.

The Walking Dead Video Game's score is full on small town America gone sour, slow lilting melodies, minor key strings with hints of mournful bluegrass guitar reminiscent of Ennio Moricone's spaghetti western years.

Jarred Emmerson-Johnson's accompaniment to the game is a slow burner and is far less dramatic than many other zombie themes but it's great for game build up and those character driven moments where you're just not sure if one of your favourite characters is going to make it. I've painted to is numerous times, just don't expect it to leave you feeling happy, hopeful or in any way good about surviving the apocalypse.

Music for Zombie Gaming - Part 5

So here's where the purists go mental, sorry guys. 28 Days Later... yeah, I said it. Whilst upon release it was never touted as a zombie movie and even now we recognise it as an 'Infected' movie, even director Danny Boyle went on record years later to say "I kinda wanted to make a zombie movie, but I had to do things differently to get away with it.'

So whilst the movie threw a 'runners' spin on genre, John Murphy's soundtrack on the other hand really hits the spot.

Slow building, haunting and and subtly discordant, the Original Soundtrack makes a superb backdrop to any zombie game.

Personally, I would mark this as the first of the 'modern' Zombie scores, heralding in a new era of themes specifically for the genre as we know it today. As a stand alone soundtrack it is not specifically innovative. It relies upon the standards of the horror genre in building tension and conflict, music box style melodies with contrasting resonance in the strong section but I'm pretty sure it has influenced composers of the genre since it's release. For example, as it is hard not to hear its influence in Bear McCreary's work.

Music for Zombie Gaming - Part 3

There seems to me to be, for the most part, three typical styles of music when it comes to zombie movies or games in recent years.

Techno/Industrial, Rock/Metal and creepy sinister and often discordant orchestral

He's something from the first category from two rather clever chaps... Tomandandy that finds a firm place in my zombie gaming playlist.

I wasn't so exactly sold on Resident Evil when it I first encountered it, it was the sci-fi element that kinda put me off.

It's certainly not that I don't like sci-fi, I love it, I just prefer my zombies in the more classic sense, even if I don't mind the running 'infected'.

Now... the whole franchise has really grown on me and despite the purist roots, for me the likes of Resident Evil, Left4Dead and Zombicide have created a firm place for 'mutant' undead.

Here's a track from Resident Evil: Afterlife



Music for Zombie Gaming - Part 2

Video games do a pretty nifty job of mixing visual with audio and whilst graphically games have come a long way, I think it is the soundtracks that have improved more than anything over the years.

Arguably, some of the worlds finest up-and-coming-composers have cut their teeth on video games, Steve Jablonsky comes to mind, responsible for the first three Gears of War games and all three Transformers movies among others.

Left 4 Dead was a pretty decent game, setting aside the creeping horror for pure unadulterated action and whilst it missed the mark for many purists, it's a popular franchise for good reason, you get to shoot lots and lots of zombies... make that gazillions of zombies!

Mike Morasky's themes are dark, sinister and there's some wonderful use of piano and bluegrass guitar that gives it a small-town American feel form time to time. Pretty much all of the tunes are worth adding. I even like in game recordings from Left4Dead 2 from the Midnight Riders. Last seen somewhere near the whispering oaks fairground. Check out their website for more info.

To finish off, here's another track from me back in 97. Entropy - Machine.