Man, I'm really so darn busy these days, doing all sorts of stuff. Regardless, I tough it out and continue trekking on to higher pastures as much as possible. And so we look at a more modern megawad and its soundtrack in Unholy Realms. It's all PRIMEVAL, baby! And it's all original stuff too.
35. Into the Void (title track)
"One of these days!" I really will do it. I will make the title track great again.
34. Everybody told me about id (MAP18)
Yeah I still think many remix versions of tracks just feel a lot like the original that I kinda don't care that much about them. This is on an odd level that isn't Go 2 It inspired or anything but really doesn't feel like it could fit in most other areas.
33. Smell of Death (text music)
Fairly pedestrian yet foreboding for text music. I dig it, but many other tracks are better as usual.
32. Rip & Tear (MAP05)
To my surprise, this track despite sounding like Let's Rock (MAP01 of Reverie) was actually made first. Real strange! I somehow prefer the riff in Let's Rock though, despite the pitch being slightly lower and this one having a lot more variation. Them riffs are cute regardless of my viewpoints.
31. The Night Beckons (intermission music)
The night beckons indeed. While other intermissions feel pedestrian or are too rocky, PRIMEVAL cuts loose with a relatively calm yet foreboding intermission track. Adding some flair is the levels saying "survived" as if you have survived, yet the night beckons you to play more. Intriguing!
30. Lucifer's Throne (MAP30)
I feel like I've heard this riff numerous times before in other MIDIs, but I can't quite figure it out yet. It's perfect for a frantic MAP30 but I usually pass on this level so I kinda pass on this particular track too.
29. The Ungodly Truth (MAP11)
Hey there's nothing really wrong with this track. It's true that PRIMEVAL can go well with atmosphere and this level's music will prove me right. Still though, I tend to give more attention to neat riffage more.
28. Eerie Inhabitants (MAP26)
Certainly fitting for an eerie map! Lots of action though for a track that sort of befits the Waiting for Romero to Play melody, but those shallow and slow guitar notes would fit into a classical slaughter. Was MAP26 actually a classical slaughter? It sometimes felt like one when I played, so it's the thought that counts.
27. Pestilence (MAP24)
Plenty of hard rockers here in Unholy Realms. This one had a weird start, and fitted a level that actually had a weird start for that matter. It doesn't let up with the Doom-sounding metal one bit afterwards though. Given the nonstop action of this level, it works great.
26. Requiem in Dm (MAP08)
A slow track for a relatively slow Unholy Realms level. The early levels are a lot less in action as you might expect from early game, so this symphony-sounding track fits great. Main melody may put some people to sleep, and I hate the fact that this isn't some homage to a Requiem track. Still like it in a way.
25. On A Mission (MAP01)
Gotta say, it's really difficult to rank a soundtrack that is 100% great. But I have to choose which ones are just better. Is On A Mission bad? No, it has the Imp's Song vibe, but IMO does it way better than any other tracks that took the Imp's Song vibe. Sinister and grungy just how I like it.
24. Alien World (MAP04)
And just like the last track was a homage to the Imp's Song, this one is a homage to another classic Doom track, that being Infinite. Brooding, but with better instrumentation than the original and feeling far more sinister. Those drums make things cuter.
23. Godsend Death (MAP32)
Shrilling beginning goes into the hard rocking riff right afterwards. It sort of feels like that one song from Quake 2 Descent into Cereberon with the beginning going into the heavy riff. The bass of course predates the guitar and does it great.
22. Memento Mori (Remember Death (MAP10)
Memento Mori for those who forgot means "Remember you will die". I'm not mad at the title, but I was once again hoping for some Mark Klem homages with a title like that. Then again, the somewhat serene scaling up and down of the melody is brilliant.
21. Hoedown from Hell (MAP06)
Probably the heaviest track on all of Unholy Realms, Hoedown from Hell definitely is a title worth pining. It's a lot like Godsend Death, with the beginning giving you a taste before the big riffs come in. And it feels very speed metal-esque, as it climbs the notes it rushes back down and up again. Fun!
20. The Pinky Shuffle (MAP02)
Again, it's really hard for me to grade a nearly flawless soundtrack as such. This is a personal favorite of mine, excellent drums, and a truly catchy guitar riff that just screams fun. In other words, it's going to be fun no matter how it is spinned.
19. Out of Darkness (MAP28)
Parts of Getting Too Tense exist in the opening, but here is where PRIMEVAL basically goes for the full medieval outlook in sound. The guitars are no longer prominent, focus is on the strings and the choir and befits a level straight from hell itself.
18. Blood, Brain, Massacre (MAP14)
Three words, one Doom-sounding rock track coming up! A decent riff that prevails around the playing field of MAP14, a few speed metal rushes, and a couple of small variations to the riff knock this one out of the park.
17. Cloak and Dagger (MAP31)
Speed metal full throttle! Those triplets are just super fun for frantic MAP31, but here's the fun part. You hear the background? I just realized this recently but the entire track is actually a remix of Suspense! From Doom of course. But this was quite a fun fact to behold.
16. Sinister Contact (MAP25)
Bonus points for the Heretic feel. More bonus points because the level is a dark castle. It's amazing how diverse PRIMEVAL is, with his rocking tracks often being standouts and the slower mellower tracks also being memorable, these medieval tracks honestly feel quite underrated.
15. Castle Royale (MAP27)
Oh yeah, speaking of, Castle Royale. There's definitely a "JRPG boss battle" feel to this entire track, with fast orchestration, mixing guitar work, this is a top-tier PRIMEVAL track. It's got stiff competition here of course, but I consider it top-tier.
14. Chaos (MAP23)
Gritty and grungy just like how I would imaging PRIMEVAL's rock tracks. PRIMEVAL's definitely loving either remixing riffs or coming up with unique-sounding ones like this. Add to that the breakdowns and you have a classic rocker.
13. Maelstrom (MAP22)
Drums carry this track through as much as possible. The second major Hell level in UR definitely goes for the rock/Hellish hybrid in soundtrack and it shows with the guitar toned down for more instrumentation elsewhere. Honestly this is a hidden gem for the soundtrack.
12. Death & Decay (MAP15)
MAP14 was a hectic level, but the hecticness doesn't let up in both level and soundtrack when you enter MAP15. Death & Decay features more of that metal riffage that PRIMEVAL goes well with, settling down the sound a bit for your bearings. Bonus points for the Dredge-sounding part near the end. Funny enough, PRIMEVAL never even heard of Dredge (for those that forgot it's MM2 MAP21's track) when I pointed it out to him.
11. Guardians of Acheron (MAP29)
This is full-on Doom metal, literally. Very brooding and grungy guitar sound prevails throughout the track, with sinister orchestration. This would be like a JRPG final boss theme too, whereas MAP27's track fits a JRPG boss theme, this is more in line with a JRPG demonic final boss. Maybe not Deatheven from BoF2 but still.
10. A Step into Hell (MAP21)
A perfect track to start off the third episode of Unholy Realms. All orchestration, feels like a JRPG final level, which befits the Hellish mood we're going to be seeing. Very eerie whistling plus the predominant organ throughout the whole thing. I can't help but dig it each time. Even if the level it is on is quite short.
9. Congo (MAP13)
For a track named Congo, PRIMEVAL went out with the congo beat. All that percussion makes this one of the most unique PRIMEVAL tracks ever and a personal favorite of mine. It's action-packed, just like the level it is in, and fits any jungle-style level full of baddies without a fuss.
8. World Underground (MAP07)
Picture this, it's a green sewer level. Now put this track in. Boom, you've got a near-perfect sewer atmosphere with this brooding track. It's Aubrey Hodges-ish with this brooding atmosphere for all the brooding edgy atmosphere kids like me who like this stuff. Oh who am I kidding the whole soundtrack is great.
7. Heretica (MAP16)
This one remixes E1M2 of Heretic, which also has some sort of weird jungle beat to it. This one furthers that and given the very seafaring sound makes this a true favorite of mine! Lots of water in MAP16 to further this love of Heretica. This is easily one of PRIMEVAL's better remixes and it's not even close to any of the other ones. More Heretic sounds!
6. Underearth (MAP12)
For this one I can't help but think of Descent. This certainly feels like Descent's title track, with techno and lots of bass driving it. Descent had surprisingly Hellish music for some scifi robot shooting, which is why a lot of mapsets tend to have its music. PRIMEVAL definitely must have taken notice and made one of the better remixes here just like with Heretica.
5. Descent (Into Hell) v.2 (MAP09)
Where's version 1? What's with the Descent name? Why Into Hell? The name has an identity crisis, but the track is the best of the slow tracks in Unholy Realms. You gotta start out small with the percussion, then follow it with sinister chimes. This drives the song perfectly, along with the drums. Nothing but respect, and helping matters is the level itself of course.
4. Magic (MAP17)
One of the busiest tracks PRIMEVAL has made. Fun bass riff leads to scaling chimes and I just enjoy those so much. Mixing in the guitar licks and a few synths and you have an ensemble of interest in my book. Though the chimes really do steal the show in more ways than one. I'm not sure if Magic is the best title, but there is some might AND some magic going about this one. Bonus points as MAP17 is one of my favorites in Unholy Realms.
3. Frag Fest (MAP03)
Many tracks come to mind when I play Unholy Realms and this is a top 3 because of that. Bass, then guitars, add drums, interesting usage of synth, we've got ourselves a PRIMEVAL track that will continue to thrive with Frag Fest. It's sort of the MO for Unholy Realms as a whole too, as the set is nothing but a frag fest throughout. But this track's here to remind you of it, rocking, techno, it's got multiple feels for multiple frag fests.
2. Your Move, Cybie (MAP19)
That glorious, glorious bass riff. It's speedy and gorgeous, and then it segues into the rest of the track, with guitar taking over that riff, adding interesting Doom-sounding variation, and the synth making it give that sense of urgency as you run around the fields and buildings of MAP19. Clearly all this action may actually make you forget there will be a cyberdemon in the wad, right? Better not forget, this track fits whether or not the cyber is present.
1. The Relic (Unholy Realms Mix) (MAP20)
My number one track right now for Unholy Realms is The Relic. Of course, I don't know the original track or if it's called Unholy Realms Mix but it would be cool to know the origin. Anyways, here we have another track befitting of the JRPG (final) boss theme, and a perfect way to end episode 2 and start episode 3 of Unholy Realms, certainly. Those strings that drive the main melody with a medieval sound kick boatloads of ass in the MAP20 arena, and this is accompanied by a few guitar breakdowns and the general Doom sound. What isn't to love about The Relic?
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