Across several genres of gaming, players want to infuse their own high-pace, instrumental, and impactful soundtrack to amp up the experience to another level. Metal has been a go-to genre for decades, with a certain first-person shooter from 1993 perfectly encapsulating how well the gaming and the genre can blend. Still, Metal’s an incredibly diverse genre, so here, we’re homing in on the best Metal sub-genres to listen to while gaming.
Heavy Metal For Gaming
The first port of call whenever exploring the Metal genre is Heavy Metal. The long legacy of the sub-genre offers an extensive library of legendary tracks leaning into mighty drum beats, plenty of electric guitar distortion, and powerful, rebellious vocals. The best place to start is with its pioneers, Black Sabbath. The British band laid the foundations of the sub-genre with tracks like War Pigs, Iron Man, and Paranoid, but there’s much more to explore.
While they trotted the rock and Metal scene, KISS also offer some must-add tracks for the playlist. Whether you prefer going heavy on the drums or guitar, check out the Creatures of the Night album and, more specifically, War Machine and the titular song. Following the band further, look into The Starchild’s other works. Paul Stanley’s Live to Win from his solo album of the same name was made legendary episode on WoW culture by South Park.
Keeping with the legendary bands, Judas Priest’s Screaming for Vengeance has several must-adds across the album, as do many albums from Megadeth, Rammstein, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Metallica, and Motörhead. Running further into more modern bands, Disturbed has become a go-to Heavy Metal band for these playlists, thanks to Down with the Sickness, as has Five Finger Death Punch.
Doom Metal For Gaming
Just as they were pioneers for Heavy Metal, arguably, Black Sabbath were even more influential in the eventual sub-genre of doom Metal. With the heavier sound and thicker instrumentals through a slower tempo, doom Metal tracks can make for a superb infusion of atmosphere in the low and building portions of any gameplay. From the progenitors of the sub-genre, the track Black Sabbath, Hand of Doom, and Into the Void remain the prototypes.
From them, several bands spawned in a similar image, working to refine it and create a distinct sub-genre. Among those builders, Trouble, Pentagram, and Saint Vitus built doom in English-speaking countries, while Candlemass spawned the Scandinavian doom Metal movement. So legendary are Candlemass that their work has already been infused into games that are popular beyond their native Sweden.
To this day, when you play casino games in the UK, you can find House of Doom and House of Doom 2: The Crypt online. The hit slot series was not only inspired by Candlemass, but the band worked with the developers to create the aesthetic and eerie soundtrack that booms into heavy riffs when the features get rolling. So, Candlemass are a proven must-add to your playlist, as are many new-age doom Metal tracks from the likes of Mantar and Amenra.
Progressive Metal For Gaming
Offering plenty of pace and some additional diversity to the playlist, progressive Metal tracks can work well as a bump to your gaming session. With lots of aggression akin to Heavy Metal while also mixing up the composition in a style similar to progressive rock, the best progressive Metal bands and tracks add more than enough adrenaline-surging guitar runs to take the playlist to another level. The sub-genre started to make waves in the 1990s, so its development has been quite recent.
Breakout albums from Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Watchtower built a strong blueprint for later bands to follow. Some like Watchtower even went on to also inspire sub-genres like thrash Metal – elements of which you can hear in their progressive tracks. As such, there are many new bands to explore, like the rising band from IS, Múr. Bundle in other popular bands like Periphery, Tool, and Mastodon, and it’s a diverse, hard-hitting sub-genre to get into the playlist.
There are plenty of superb Metal sub-genres that’re perfect for creating the kind of high-tempo and atmospheric experience that you want when gaming. To start with, you can’t go wrong with progressive, heavy, and doom Metal.
The post
Which Metal Sub-Genres Are The Best To Listen To While Gaming? first appeared on
MetalTalk - Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.
