(whoops I was supposed to submit this yesterday oh well) So next soundtrack rankings is on a megawad where you'll be hearing the music loop very, very often. Yep, Eternal DOOM. Interestingly, this is a WAD that is eventually going to have ANOTHER custom MIDI pack to it. Wonderful! But for this one, we are grading work entirely done by Rich Nagel, who used a Creative Wave Blaster with three AWE32s. Neat, but overall the songs all feel much louder than usual. Still, Eternal Doom was rife with weird atmosphere and its music tracks will show that.
37. Introduction To Death
Short, medieval-sounding yet suspenseful title track music. There's not much else to say.
36. Intermission From Death II
This is actually the text screen music. It's basically an excerpt from the track Death Jam (later on in this countdown). Maybe it'd work better if there was actually custom text screens for those who play the game more or less normally.
35. Intermission From Death
A brooding intermission music. Fairly decent, but it is intermission music.
34. Cyber Hunt
INCREDIBLY AMBIENT AND SPOOKY. Though of course it is in a bonus level. But it's still suspenseful, moreso than a track in this one called Suspense.
33. Eternal Medley
I haven't really played the bonus levels all that much, but a medley's a medley. Would actually be more fun if this track was in MAP30, but then again the track that's on MAP30 is already fun.
32. Instant Death! (MAP13)
A lot of melodies that Rich uses gets reused, either in reprises or otherwise. This takes the main melody of Suspense! more or less and just puts it in a transition level. Thus it's not all that great.
31. Searching! (MAP01)
This is an unpopular MIDI apparently. There's a number of reasons for that. The melody of it is awkward with the notes, just a scale going up and down more or less. Plus it loops wrong. That's pretty much all there is to this.
30. UAC 5-0 (MAP31)
An upbeat MIDI that fits the resort house gimmick of MAP31. That is, until you hear it loop a lot after banging your head trying to figure out the level's main puzzles. Yeah, I'm grading these based off of how well they are used for their levels. Jim Flynn's levels use a lot of upbeat MIDIs, which are fun until you wander around with not much to do. This certainly has the surfing feel in any case.
29. Death March Reprise (MAP02)
I'll spoil it, but yes, Death March is a legendary track. That being said, its reprise happens 10 levels before it, and although appropriately spooky, the reprise coming before it just feels weird. The melody is substantially different to make it feel less like a reprise too.
28. Death Assured Reprise (MAP29)
The horns make this one of the goofiest tracks ever, especially considering how long this level is in general too. Feels like I'm in a castle in a Dragon Quest game. At least the melody from Death Assured, which sounds super wholesome even in this reprise, gets to be reused in this reprise, but the horns try to drown it out.
27. Hellspawn (MAP09)
A medieval fortress must have a medieval-sounding MIDI, with brooding instrumentation that befits storming a castle and its many denizens. An interesting MIDI all things considered, but kinda goofy in hindsight, especially with the low horns.
26. DETH Bells (MAP15)
Atmospheric, feels like it belongs in Hexen (especially given level length). Bells are fantastic...
25. Hell's Bells (MAP24)
But it's Hell's Bells that wins out more in my opinion. Probably because it starts with the bells chiming? Certainly pulls you in with the atmosphere right away as opposed to the minor ambience DETH Bells held. Still, these two tracks are on really long levels and the bells will certainly make you feel strange things.
24. The Battle (MAP21)
I guess Rich wanted to give us a LOTR-sounding battle theme here. It works somewhat, but it's on a forgettable level so it's not the best overall.
23. Mission Possible (MAP03)
Thankfully it's not some movie soundtrack reprise or something. But it is a quirky track for...an actually quirky mishmash of a level. I'll take it! Melody will probably be a memorable one in any case, considering it's on one of the earlier levels, but you can feel the xylophone throughout.
22. Barabbas (MAP07)
Basically, it's like you take the melody of They're Going to Get You, make it orchestrated, then add some funky drums and a few new strings attached. It works, but I can't help but notice how much Rich really leaned into this melody with this, its reprise, and Death Assured as well.
21. Suspense! (MAP04)
This track actually doesn't feel suspenseful despite its title. It's got a bit of funk, with an interesting instrumentation for its main melody. I think it works alright for Nucleus, the level its on, which is a sewer/storage complex which with the sewer-like instrumentation, works out well enough. It's a strange track in any case though.
20. Suspense Reprise (MAP10)
Yeah, the reprise track beats it, but only slightly. To be frank, it might just be that mini-variation to the original melody of Suspense which I find much neater. Although the level its on isn't as fitting as the one Suspense! is on overall. It's still fun.
19. Barabbas Reprise (MAP27)
A more militaristic-sounding reprise makes this the best out of the reprises. This slows the instrumentation from Barabbas and makes it sound regal and ready for a powerful march. I dig it! Slow and steady wins the race.
18. Death Jam (MAP25)
Death Jam is a strange MIDI on a strange level. It's got a buttload of instrumentation which fits the bank environment as well as the other locations in Beginner's End. Very lively, very strange, but also very fun.
17. War Cry (MAP28)
Shouldn't this be War March? Cause it sure sounds like a medieval marching song to me. It gets into the groove quick, then gets out of the groove quick. Fun, but short. Then again, the level its on is also short by Eternal Doom standards.
16. DOOMin' (MAP26)
The most rocking track out of all of Rich's, this definitely gives you the rocking city vibes. Like the rest of the Flynn levels, it suffers when you're trying to find your way around things instead of battling monsters, but it's a fun track in any case.
15. Spectres (MAP08)
A nice, relaxing MIDI for a relatively decent level in Eternal Doom. Easygoing orchestra followed by decent horns and drums. Simple and it works well. If only there were more spectres in Woodhead though.
14. Fugue in A Minor (MAP14)
This is a personal favorite of mine. It's all classical music which is quite fun in the overall setting. And the setting in this case is a lot more mild due to different gameplay gimmicks and helps you relax a bit more. That is, if you don't suck with Tyson-style gameplay. Not many people appreciate this MIDI, and that's sad.
13. Simple Death (MAP20)
Bob Evans' Silures is a level you're going to spend nearly forever in, and this brooding, orchestrated, somewhat-classic-sounding MIDI will be one of the proofs of that. It's created very well, and usually won't be getting old considering how slow-paced it is.
12. Death Assured (MAP18)
A very wholesome way to incorporate They're Going to Get You's melody. It just feels far more wonderful and such. Shame the level its on is fairly short by ED standards but it's a very, very cute track to listen to. Beats out Barabbas and its reprise real easily.
11. Mysterious (MAP06)
Interesting instrumentation, using the xylophone and tenor strings to make a suspenseful track full of urgency. Works well, as short as it is, but one that manages to stick in my head easily.
10. InDIAn Song (MAP17)
Now this is a unique track! Of course, with its name, it was made to sound like traditional music that would fit the setting its name takes after. The level its on feels traditional enough to work. And boy howdy it does that with aplomb. And even Epic 2 uses this for one level, so it's a real knockout of a track. With this said, it MUST be used appropriately or it wouldn't be great.
9. Psychopathic Evil (MAP19)
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with a lot of percussion instruments outside drums, but those opening parts of percussion are super neat and drive the song as it gets to the more atmospheric parts. The orchestra is slow and needs to be, and it feels astounding. This is just a song to feel and you will feel it, given how long this particular level its on is.
8. Eternal DOOM (MAP05)
Of the absolute slowest of tracks, this is probably the winner. It captures the feeling of a true Doom song, just brooding tenor sound that feels sinister, yet you have that longing feeling to push through. Not sure about titling it after the entire megawad, but it's a song that basically defines the entire game and its majorly dark settings.
7. Cacophage (MAP32)
This feels like a mishmash of styles, but it quickly became a favorite of mine. Very interesting percussion work, a MIDI that sort of treads familiar Doom melodies (some parts remind me of the epic Demons on the Prey melody, and this goes for other tracks like the Death Marches and Psychopathic Evil). But these mishmashes work out. It's a lively one, but it fits a Doom setting well.
6. Death in D Minor (MAP22)
The woodwind melody here sells it, and it's quite unique compared to the other ones around it. A few variations and some added drums give it more flair, but it's a hummable tune for a lengthy level and is quite cute to listen to.
5. Impending Death (MAP16)
Now this is a MIDI that would fit a sinister, brooding, church-like setting. Given that Guardstation has one, it's honest and worthwhile. The pre-melody tenor is gorgeous. The horn melody is beautiful and lures you in, before having the strings and a few more percussion taking over the melody near the end. There's no way I'm leaving this out of the top 5.
4. Trooper Procession (MAP23)
I'm kind of a depressing individual given how many of the slow-paced tracks in Eternal Doom are closer to the top, but this track is all feels. Slow to start, but you'll be lured in instantly. It's a melancholy tune, heavily horn-driven. The only thing is that it's really loud on the horns and it leans on them, but this time you don't get a lot of backing percussion and for this track, that works out well.
3. The Lost Souls (MAP11)
This is a perfect example of using many great instruments together. Pre-melody checks out, leaving way for the strings to take over with tambourines and other percussion to drive us into the main melody. A few variations and bridges further sell this MIDI as a kickass way to lead us into the second third of Eternal DOOM. All this and the fact that this is Couleur's best map overall, and you have one legendary MIDI that fits a sinister setting.
2. Death March (MAP12)
Of course, I said it earlier, but this is another legendary MIDI. And yes, it's a very fitting march track. Very slow to start, not as much instrumentation as the previous track, but it doesn't need that much. All we need is the right amount of percussion and sinister-sounding strings to lead us to the main event, a melody that sort of sounds like Demons on the Prey but for a much more heavy setting. And by god is Darkdome the perfect level for it.
1. Death by the Sword (MAP30)
Well, I never thought the MAP30 track would be at the top, but think about it. This is the culmination of Eternal DOOM. We have to end it properly, and sure enough, a medieval sounding march not unlike War Cry, with a few melody parts from Cacophage, seem to be the way to go. Excalibur is the ultimate challenge of the WAD, and with it you have the track that would befit this ultimate challenge, one that won't get old as you stumble your way around it. And this matters most.
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