» Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:45 pm
I am a huge fan of metal. Amon Amarth is but one of many bands I listen to, but I like stuff even most metal-heads haven't heard of.
Personally, I prefer music that is more atmospheric and drawn out. Music that is hypnotic at times, and mysterious and frightening at other times.
For example, Ahab is a funeral doom band from Germany that writes song based on Moby dike and ocean-faring lore. Excellent band to listen to while hanging out in Anvil.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAc_ uHmlvlg About 5 minutes in is my favorite part. One of the most enchanting guitar solos ever performed.
Thergothon is one of the first bands that played the genre of funeral doom, their album Streams from the Heavens is one that I enjoy playing while exploring the Shivering Isles.
There are a few bands that further developed the specific sound of Thergothon that I enjoy as well. Foetor, very underground and unknown with a two-song demo Fungi from Yuggoth, and Catacombs is a droning HEAVY masterpiece that can under certain conditions cause you to hallucinate about Cthulhu.
Mournful Congregation and similar bands are great while scaling the peaks of the Jerall Mountains while it is snowing. I'd imagine this would have a similar effect while playing Skyrim, however I doubt I'll be starting off listening to music right away since I want to experience the world in its own sonic atmosphere.
That's assuming I can even listen to music while playing. If Skyrim takes up enough resources, it may not be feasible unless I run an alternative input jack into my speakers and plug in my Zune and play from there...
Actually, that's not such a bad idea with Oblivion, then I can change the music to suit the mood, or mute it so I can hear certain spoken parts, or pause it when the videos during mods like Adash and Gates to Aesgaard play that ignore the sound settings entirely.
While we are on the topic of music, I find it awesome to play either Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas while listening to Reido, a funeral doom band with a cold, mechanical post-apocalyptic atmosphere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyFeSK0VCaI
Yes, a lot of funeral doom. Another genre I like to listen to is depressive black metal that has long and drawn out songs. Trist, from Czech republic, is a great example. There are also bands such as Nortt, Abyssmal Sorrow, Funeral Mourning, Dictator, The Austrasian Goat that fuse funeral doom and black metal.
Post-metal oriented bands, especially the bands that incorporate black metal into their sound, are good depending on the band. Alcest and Les Discrets are great for Oblivion, but Amesoeurs and Lantl?s would be better for Fallout 3 or games with a modern or futuristic setting. Actually, I first got into Amesoeurs when Mirror's Edge first came out - the band's sound fits the clean and bright atmosphere of Mirror's Edge, and both the lead singer of Amesoeurs and the main characters of Mirror's Edge are attractive women.
Amesoeurs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnIpYNiSRjs
Alcest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm7S6eGDPvY
Back to doom metal... on the near opposite side of the spectrum from Funeral Doom are bands that play a much older style that has roots to the late 60s. Black Sabbath was the progenitor of proto-doom, but in recent times there have been a couple of bands such as Orchid and Witchcraft that create a retro-doom metal style sound that is absolutely awesome to listen too. Especially when on lots of skooma. In game skooma, that is.
In general, I'll listen to anything while playing Oblivion and I'd imagine so for Skyrim as well if I ever tire of the same voices and sound effects, or just want to play the game for a bit with music instead. I've even played Oblivion while listening to Weather Report and Miles Davis.
