12 Things You Didn't Know About Video Game Soundtracks

6. Trent Reznor Makes Us Quake

Hot off the heels of the immensely successful Doom, id Software again decided to employ the talents of the heavy metal scene for their 1996 follow-up Quake - but they asked their permission this time around.

Best known as the vocalist and songwriter for industrial rock-band Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor long held desires to diversify his musical contribution to the world. A big fan of Doom - and one of the few key players in the metal biz who wasn't plagiarised by the game - Reznor jumped at the chance to write the score for Quake, though he created a sound entirely different to the screeching guitars of its predecessor.

Featuring little in the way of actual melody but plenty of mechanically foreboding samples, Reznor crafted a highly-ambient and oppressively sinister soundscape, demonstrating an immediate proclivity for evoking atmosphere within the medium. The sound may have been markedly different from his usual fare, though that didn't stop Quake's developers plastering NIN logo all over the game's ammo crates.

Quake was Reznor's first foray beyond his Nine Inch Nails niche, but it was far from his last. The Pennsylvania instrumentalist built on his video game work to forge a successful career as a film composers, providing scores for such high-profile flicks as The Social Network and Gone Girl. He still found the time to make another contribution to the game business though, writing the brooding main theme for 2011's Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.