40K Music Soundtrack Project

[D20 Music]

Hi all.

I just joined B&C. I'm Kade from London and I hope this is the right place to post this...

 

I'm a composer of ttrpg music and a long-time ttrpg player in other games. I'm just getting into the WH40K hobby and universe.

I never was much of a painter, but I have begun a new soundtrack album inspired by 40K. I'm just scratching the surface of the lore, factions, heroes and villains in my research -  I guess my first question would be 'what is an ideal research book (story or otherwise) to start me off, having already watched many videos on the various factions and histories?'

 

***

 

My music will consist of cinematic pieces, fairly serious and obviously with some dark aspects. I wanted to get some opinions on the direction of the album...

I have already had a suggestion to make some more Xenos/alien style music (in my 'introduce yourself' post)- basically not to just do the usual religious, choir/church organ stuff of the Imperium (much as I enjoy and am capable of this style).

 

What would your ideal Warhammer soundtrack sound like?

• An atmosphere and a battle track for each race?
• Pure atmosphere?
• Pure battles?
• More individual styles for the different Marine factions?
• Leaning more on the Imperium's soundtrack but with some extra tracks for the aliens?
• Something else?

 

I understand that there's a whole metal element to WH40K, but I wouldn't want to do an album like that - maybe one tho ;) 

 

I'm working on a little teaser video for tomorrow to give a small taste of what I'm working on. In the meantime, here's an example of my work for a ttrpg commission. It's an arena battle track against big robots :) - This is more of a "fun" track than I'd do for 40K but it was made to order and would fit well in the next Pacific Rim movie.

 

Thank you for reading/listening!

 

 

 

Edited February 20 by D20 Music
Added a tag

[D20 Music]

*Update*

As promised, here's my teaser trailer for my upcoming work. 

Feel free to give any honest feedback and I'm still looking for some help with what would work for you.

Thanks! 

 

[Primarch Betalio]

I picture Metallica- One for dreadnought guys ( Google the lyrics), Disposable Heroes ( Metallica) for the Astra Militarum. 

Symphony of Destruction- Megadeth for Black Legion

Angel of Death- by Anthrax for Fabius Bile.

The End- the doors for the Death Gaurd.

Lateralus by Tool for the Thousand Sons. Call of Cthulu by Metallica for Tzeentch demons

[ThePenitentOne]

I wanted to make a video for SoB using Nightwish's "I wish I had an Angel"

 

The battle would be priests and Missionaries and battle conclaves getting their butts kicked, but then when Marco sings the line "I wish I had an Angel,"  Celestine shows up with a bunch of Seraphim and Zephyrim and turns the battle.

 

And hot damn, is Sabaton ever good war metal.

 

Sly Marbo = Indestructible by Disturbed.

 

Facing Daemons? Dimmu Borgir. (Be the broken or the breaker! Be the giver or the undertaker!)

 

Sinead O'Connor's Troy doesn't fit as nicely... But I have never heard anger and condemnation in a woman's voice the way it comes through in that song, and there IS a Sister of battle in Sinead.

 

Or the longbeards can just dig out their Bolt Thrower on vinyl.

 

Having said all that, I realize that OP is looking for instumental/ score music. The Star Wars stuff is good (Duel of the Fates!) but it's SO Star Wars that it will always be Star Wars to anyone that hears it.

 

ANother instumental I really liked that has some interesting potential is Ace Frehley's Fractured Mirror of the original solo album (not Fractured Too of Frehley's Commet- it's too clean by comparrison). Metallica have some instrumentals too- Orion and Call of Ktulu (their spelling not mine). Once the lads got Bob rockified with the Black album, I stopped following as closely.

 

(Back to lyrics again, but Damn did I love Harvester of Sorrow)

[D20 Music]

On 3/20/2024 at 10:15 PM, Primarch Betalio said:

I picture Metallica- One for dreadnought guys ( Google the lyrics), Disposable Heroes ( Metallica) for the Astra Militarum. 

Symphony of Destruction- Megadeth for Black Legion

Angel of Death- by Anthrax for Fabius Bile.

The End- the doors for the Death Gaurd.

Lateralus by Tool for the Thousand Sons. Call of Cthulu by Metallica for Tzeentch demons

Hi @Primarch Betalio & @ThePenitentOne - I appreciate your suggestions, and I know a lot of that is very 40K :)
This will be more of an orchestral/hybrid project - completely composed by me!

Something new, dark with some high end battle tracks and lots of nightmarish atmospheres.

I'll likely do something metal for the Boyz though lol. But this is a big musical project, so I'm getting thoughts more on what is useful to you in your hobby. Do you want battle tracks, atmospheres, a combination? Something for each race? Something for each Chapter? That kind of thing. - Bare in mind I can only do so many in one go :)

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Lovely plans, @D20 Music!

 

This may be way too much to stomach, but since I listen to this vast playlist on repeat I'll propose it nevertheless:

 

I've compiled this 40k-inspiring playlist with music (most of it not 40k music, but relevant inspiration to 40k). Its range is vast.

 

If you would like to listen through it for inspiration and for hints at the breadth of moods and music that beats with 40k for my ears, then it's all yours for the listening. And I hope it provides inspiration.

 

Battle tracks and atmospheres are both lovely. Especially with something for the various factions out there. Leagues of Votann would be on my wishlist, for one.

 

But ultimately, do what you yourself like. That is the most important part. Follow your inner muse.

 

Cheers

 

PS. While I am personally most interested in soundtracks, do you happen to sing as well? Because I've been searching with light and hook for a willing 40k community musician who would be willing to turn my little song texts into music in a fun non-profit collaboration.

 

The few 40k song texts of mine are all based on existing, historical songs, and remade to various extent. The many Chaos Dwarf songs for WHFB (under Songs, everything marked "Admiral") that I have written from scratch are almost all completely original, but they also make for less catchy songs, unless some skilled musician figures out a way to make their rhythm work better than what I hummed and stomped out when writing the songs.

 

Since the 40k songs are so few at the moment, I might as well list them all now just in case you happen to see any worth at all in tackling them:

 

Cornered Struggle, partially based on this partisan song.

 

Where All the Roads Have Ended, closely based on the original, with a few 40k tweaks.

 

And then there are some short lines of poetry, just in case some cunning musician happen to see a way to make a short piece of song and music out of it:

 

Unhinged, Fading, Lifeless, Howl. And maybe even Futility, since it's a Swedish proverb translated into English (it rhymes with staccato quality in the original), and because it is relevant to a hobby with wargaming. It could possibly be thrown into something on an album, akin to the odd in-between bits that Blind Guardian did for their Nightfall Silmarillion album. Or borrowed as a soundtrack title if feeling bold.  DS.

Edited April 20 by Karak Norn Clansman

[Evil Eye]

I'll throw my hat in the ring and say the works of John Carpenter (of Escape from New York and The Thing fame) would work for a lot of scenarios, though I am biased as A: EFNY is one of my favourite films and B: I do love me some analogue synth.

 

Some other inspirations I'd suggest come from, would you believe it, anime. Specifically three examples. Puella Magi Madoka Magica has some really sinister and really weird tracks, such as Gradus Prohibitus (which literally translates as "forbidden ground")- that track in particular is very appropriate for 40K given its use in the witch barriers in the series, which are essentially localized pockets of warpspace inhabited by monsters that were once human. Akira has some tracks that I think could work- "Tetsuo" and "Shohmyoh" could both work as more unorthodox Ecclesiarchy-themed songs. And finally, Evangelion (especially End of Evangelion) has some very appropriate tracks. Escape to the Beginning sounds like an Imperial prayer, and a lot of the tracks are varieties of bombastic, religious-y sounding and absolutely terrifying.