I like Black Metal. The darkness of the genre really captivates me and the aggressive growls and snarls are perfect for writing fight scenes or playing video games.
What I also like is Mythology. Rotting Christ, a Greek Black Metal Band that mixes metal with mythology. There themes dive deep into religion and mythology from around the world, with chants that sound like they are from an Orthodox church choir to one song that has lyrics chanted in Sanskrit (by guest singer Kathir of Vedic Black Metal band Rudra). The song in question, Devadevam (God of Gods) is inspired by an Ode to Lord Shiva of Hindu Mythology. The song sounds amazing as the more Western influence of Black Metal meets the more Eastern influence of the culture the song is about.
But Rotting Christ also have some other gems that take influence from European religion and myth. They did a cover of the old ode now associated with death called ‘Dies irae’. This tune has been dubbed by some as the theme song of death itself. The sequence has been used in countless films for dark scenes that involve death of foreshadowing doom. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining used this tune for its theme song as well. The Rotting Christ cover of the song is aggressive and angry and sounds like it is more about the death of mankind than a single individual.
If you are feeling adventurous, I highly recommend throwing on some Rotting Christ. Their themes of mythology and religion have gotten me to ponder some things and it just mixes well with the Black Metal genre as a whole. Or, if you are inclined to listen to music while gaming, the entire Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy Album goes great with some good ol’ dungeon crawling with some gravelly chanting and some groovy guitar riffs.
You have been warned, this band is crazy!
