I don't understand the hate for the music

[David's Bottom]

One of my favorite parts of the game was going into some of the mobs or boss fights and the music kicking in, of course I love Mick Gordon's tracks ( and the other guy who worked on them with him ) I listen to them a lot. This soundtrack is not half as bad as people are making it out to be.

[Lippeth]

I think the overall sound fits pretty well when focusing on the game, there are plenty of cool riffs and grooves, the ambient sections are atmospheric, the tension building synth rhythms do their job and I like the four-note motif that plays in the cosmic realm.

For me, the main two elements that this soundtrack is sorely lacking are countermelodies and some kind of vocalization. There's nothing for the brain to latch on to once it hears the 20th iteration of the same thing; it all starts to blend together and feels like a riff salad with no identity. Many of the heavier sections feel forced, uninspired or largely uneventful. It's background music, which isn't a bad thing, it's just not that interesting to listen to on its own.

It strongly evokes melodic death metal like Arch Enemy and Dethklok, but without being melodic or death metal, and with the Dark Ages having large Tolkienesque 300 type medieval battles, it's begging for some kind of extreme vocals or chanting, at least. SOMETHING. ANYTHING.

All that said, I think the issue most people have with it has less to do with the music and is more about the falling out id had with Mick Gordon, with Finishing Move being caught in the middle. Neither here nor there, but I think Andrew Hulshult's music is just as uneventful as Finishing Move's, but people seem to like it just fine, so I don't know.

[Berserk Slayer]

Originally posted by David's Bottom:

One of my favorite parts of the game was going into some of the mobs or boss fights and the music kicking in, of course I love Mick Gordon's tracks ( and the other guy who worked on them with him ) I listen to them a lot. This soundtrack is not half as bad as people are making it out to be.

Yeah, it gets the job done. No less than 2016.

The other games' music would not be a good fit in this game, either. Tonally this is a tiny bit more like some of the music for 300. Which is a perfect fit tbh

[60mph gorilla]

It has grown on me, especially when you go in and crack the slider up a bit higher and everything else a bit lower. Still isn't as memorable as Eternal or 2016 tracks, but it is serviceable.

[SH41TAN]

1. No mixing.
2. Generic guitar riffs
3. No unique tracks for every mission
TDA OST sounds like AI generated garbage.

[DM]

There are a few good moments when the score kicks in, but only a few, and nowhere near enough.

The score is overall pretty generic and repetitive, and pales in comparison to 2016 and Eternal. Personally I felt the score for Eternal was a bit of a step down from 2016, so Dark Ages feels like a big letdown.

I wasn't expecting Mick Gordon levels of genius here, the guy has massive talent, but I feel what we got here is what they wanted to avoid when they gave Mick Gordon the original brief for 2016 e.g. generic heavy guitars.

The 2016 score had crazy dynamics, unique sounds and spawned a new genre, and there was none of that focus or inventiveness here. There doesn't even feel like much Dark Ages inspired music or instrumentation that I can tell.

At least Mick channelled the whole "hell energy" vibe with his equipment. Maybe I'm being a bit unfair, but I've not seen anywhere showcasing the music here at all, and that seems for good reason.

[Masoterian]

Originally posted by H4NS:

1. No mixing.
2. Generic guitar riffs
3. No unique tracks for every mission
TDA OST sounds like AI generated garbage.

I wouldn't be as harsh, lol. but yeah, not only it doesnt stand out as it used to, but there are like 3 combat tracks playing on loop, not counting the boss fights or unique encounters. that one breakdown heavy song is pretty cool tho.

[Boomer Click Bait]

They are hating it because they can't play the game and are just looking for something to hate on. The music is fine.

[useofextremeforce]

Sounds like a band that's never played metal (More like lame nu metal) and they just learned how. The track during the Komodo fight had some potential but just fizzled out. There's no weight/heaviness. Lacks any sort of primal brutality. The ambient sounding tracks are decent but yeah.. If you want good background music for this. Throw on Incantations- Onward To Golgotha or Diabolical Conquest.
EDIT. I've even went on Spotify to listen to the soundtrack and it's just weak. It really doesn't fit the game.

[Swamp Fox]

A lot of people don't really deeply engage with music and surface feeling is ok for that crowd of people. Other people engage with music more deeply.

Mick Gordon wasn't that great other kind of 1 trick, but the stuff in this game sounds AI generated

[MrSlow]

Eternal Ost was half-dead, killed by bad mixing, but it had strong core. Dark Ages Ost is just generic background music. I'll never buy Eternal or Dark Ages Vinyl, but I do have the 2016 set.

[EmpathyandEntropy]

Originally posted by useofextremeforce:

Sounds like a band that's never played metal (More like lame nu metal) and they just learned how.

This. It really seems like they hired someone who lied on their resume. Or someone who studies music and understands music theory, but doesn't listen to metal so they read up on the genre one night and wrote the sound track over the next few days. It's generic and soulless.

[mistahbungle]

It's a bit mid....? As I said in another thread, it's not bad. It's OK.

[nabbed]

There are official polls on popularity of heavy metal music in the US.
Only 17% of population like heavy metal (Google it.)

The first two games had amazing music enjoyed by all. This one has generic slop.

[Connor]

It's serviceable, with no Mick Gordon it was always going to be a far step down from the other two games, but it's fine it works.

[OkbVinyl]

Originally posted by nabbed:

There are official polls on popularity of heavy metal music in the US.
Only 17% of population like heavy metal (Google it.)

The first two games had amazing music enjoyed by all. This one has generic slop.

The longer I read the forums, the more stupid the posts get. Do you even realize what are you saying? Only 17% like heavy metal, so I understand that this game has heavy metal which is liked only by 17% players, and basically 83% question it. That's not true, and I don't see how general population statistics correlate to Doom players. The first two games had amazing music enjoyed by all, which IF i knew nothing about doom series would tell me that first two games used universally enjoyable not-slop, so maybe pop/hip-hop music? That is false. And first of all, "The first two games" had Bobby Prince doing black magic with MIDI synths while being inspired by Metallica and ACDC (where are those 17% again?), but you are not talking about that, you are talking about reboots and Mick Gordon who made extremely unusual metal/synth, heavily electronic music with bits of industrial here and there. Hate to break it to you, far from "all" did enjoy the music of Doom 2016. I've heard plenty of criticism of it not being really music at all. This, Finishing Move Inc music? It's fine, they were obviously going for metal and blockbuster movie orchestral soundtracks, and did it fine. Sure, it sounds different to 2016, but not that different to the entirety of Doom series music, both in-game and fan made. I mean, at least 3 tracks from this ost will be added to my agressively motivational playlist, with other games' best tracks.