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Irrelevant quake

Quake Quake from id Software is generally regarded as the birth of the modern 3D egoshooter and for some even as one of the best games of all time. Not only did it make the genre of multiplayer deathmatch socially acceptable, but as the spiritual heir to DOOM, Wolfenstein and the like, it also let us shoot at all kinds of monsters and gothic creatures - provided you didn't want to play in Germany, where the game was temporarily indexed.

If you ignore this logistical hurdle, then for me it was the 1996 release date, four years after I was born, which is why I had no contact with Quake . Nevertheless, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to at least listen to the OST, which was composed by none other than Trent Reznor, the singer of the band Nine Inch Nails. Anyone hoping for industrial rock gold in the ten-track score though, will be disappointed.

Apparently, halfway through the recording of the DOOM like theme "Quake", the instruments' microphones were switched off. The result is nine repetitive dark-ambient pieces that create a steampunk atmosphere à la Thief with rhythmic, mechanical humming. It's not really exciting and is at best suitable as background music for engine room footage or the next sonography. So if you haven't just been invited below deck for an ultrasound scan on a cruise ship, you can catch up on this experience here ... or just leave it alone.

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Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Quake	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	3
02	Aftermath	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	2
03	The Hall of Souls	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	2
04	It Is Raped	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	1
05	Parallel Dimensions	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	2
06	Life	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	1
07	Damnation	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	1
08	Focus	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	2
09	Falling	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	1
10	The Reaction	Trent Reznor; Nine Inch Nails	2

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Scourge of Armagon

In the immortal words of Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth: 'Good news everyone! The reason being that the music for the two mission expansions Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity was not composed by musician Trent Reznor, as in the main game, but by Korean composer Jeehun Hwang. Thankfully, he produces something that can be classified as video game music with certainty - that's a step forward.

Unfortunately, that's about it when looking at the positive side, because the eight tracks of the OST (which, according to the fan wiki , are officially untitled, but some of them are buzzing around the airwaves with names) hardly get beyond a mere 'nice'. At least that's my conclusion after listening to the tracks from 1997.

For an uninspired shooter game from back then, the mix of C&C -esque rock (“Pandemonium”, “Back Into Action”, “Approaching Scourge”), orchestral borrowings (“Twisted Reality”) and thriller (“Abandon Hope”, “Demise of the Fiends”, “Cathedral of Blasphemy”) is certainly suitable. However, tracks like “Hell Fortress” or the beginning of “Approaching Scourge” seem to be borrowed from a fantasy game from the Might & Magic or Soul Reaver-series. It doesn't quite fit together for me, but it's still an improvement on the ambient mix of the main game.

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Pandemonium	Jeehun Hwang	3
02	Abandon Hope	Jeehun Hwang	2
03	Back Into Action	Jeehun Hwang	3
04	Twisted Reality	Jeehun Hwang	3
05	Demise of the Fiends	Jeehun Hwang	3
06	Hell Fortress	Jeehun Hwang	3
07	Approaching Scourge	Jeehun Hwang	3
08	Cathedral of Blasphemy	Jeehun Hwang	3

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Dissolution of Eternity

Same composer, same game ... same main game that is. Dissolution of Eternity is already another expansion and, like Scourge of Armagon, was also not programmed by id Software but by another developer. While the first add-on was created by Hipnotic Interactive (Star Trek: Elite Force II, Legacy of Kain: Defiance), Rogue Entertainment (Strife, American McGee’s Alice) is responsible for the second expansion.

Here, just like there, Jeehun Hwang has taken care of the music. He continues his style from the previous mission pack seamlessly, with no musical surprises or total failures. The score, which also consists of eight tracks, remains true to its mantra of mediocrity and swims happily in the waters of associations with other, better soundtracks. I do like it a little better because of “Tempus Fugit”, but that's about it.

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Dissolution of Eternity	Jeehun Hwang	3
02	Gateway to Eternity	Jeehun Hwang	3
03	Blood Sacrifice	Jeehun Hwang	3
04	Into Hell's Fortress	Jeehun Hwang	3
05	Tempus Fugit	Jeehun Hwang	4
06	Tower of Wrath	Jeehun Hwang	3
07	Overlord	Jeehun Hwang	3
08	Elemental Fury	Jeehun Hwang	3