DOOM Eternal is phenomenal. The gameplay is incredible as is the soundtrack. It’s also a game that makes older gamers feel nostalgia for the good old days of DOOM on PC, shareware or otherwise. To celebrate DOOM Eternal’s release and all of those good memories, Bethesda and Happy Mag teamed up with some great Aussie musos and artists to create the very special Soundtrack to Slay vinyl.
Soundtrack to Slay is a special, one-off 7″ vinyl that reimagines classic DOOM music and artwork based on the artists’ personal connection with the game. Five artists were involved in the creation of Soundtrack to Slay and each one sat down to talk about what went into their creation.
You can check out short videos of each of the contributing artists in the playlist below.
DOOM Eternal Soundtrack to Slay
The A-Side of the vinyl was put together by Owen Penglis of Straight Arrows while the B-Side is by Zoe Catterall of The Bouys. These musicians have both played DOOM since the very beginning and have put their own distinct spins on music inspired by DOOM.
Penglis track, ‘Trapped on the Moon,’ is a reference to the ending of DOOM which sees Doomguy literally trapped on one of Mars’ moons. Catterall’s track is more of a mystery, though you do see her jamming out a version of the DOOM theme in her video.
Almost as important as the music on any vinyl is the cover art. For Soundtrack to Slay, Happy Mag and Bethesda commissions Sydney-based MS Paint artists Miranda Lorikeet. Lorikeet uses original 90s MS Paint for her artwork and says she mostly paints naked ladies and fruit. However, her art for Sountrack to Slay is next level.
Lorikeet explains;
I started drawing with Paint at the exact same time DOOM was around, and while I was watching DOOM, so there was definitely an influence there.
I used to draw DOOM mazes with pencil and paper – so now I’m wanting to sort of recreate that, but on MS Paint. History’s repeating itself
Penglis and Catterall share similar stories about their experiences with DOOM when they were young. Penglis remembers, “my friend Ben, his dad used to bring home his computer from work over the holidays. And then one year DOOM showed up.” Catterall said, “I first played DOOM… definitely at work, definitely pretending to do work.” She also relates gaming to music in that “it’s a form of escapism. You can really just let yourself go which I think is super valuable. If you want a hot second to chill out, I think gaming is so important in that regard.”
The insert for Soundtrack to Slay has been designed by artist Trent Pollard. Born the same year DOOM was released (1993), Pollard thinks his artwork and style have been heavily influenced by id’s shooter. He draws lots of demons and monsters. He described his aesthetic as “cranky stuff like demons and little skinny devil boys. I think a bunch of those come from DOOM.”
Finally, as a special icing on the demonic cake, Jodee Knowles and Gerard J. Cranney, from fashion label, Father Superior has designed and created a special DOOM jacket. Father Superior creates original, hand-painted artwork on vintage jackets. It’s a way to wear art in addition to the ethos that everyone has a monster on their back.
The DOOM jacket is the kind of jacket you’d wear to go out stomping demons. It’s got the logo on the back of a vintage military jacket and is flecked with red, black and yellow, it looks like it’s covered in dead monsters and plenty of battles.
DOOM Eternal’s Soundtrack to Slay is a pretty epic collaboration by Happy Mag, Bethesda and some awesome Aussie artists. It shows how deep the love and fandom for DOOM runs in Australia and just how talented our musicians and artists are.
DOOM Eternal is available now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. A Switch version will be released later in 2020.
