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Novawurmson
2014-02-20, 01:04 PM
Hello! I'm GMing an Eberron/Golarion cross game with a lot of horror themes, and I'm looking for more music to play during sessions, as well as for general inspiration.

Themes

Secrets
John the Determinist (http://youtu.be/URSpG6leecI) by Jeremy Messersmith

War
Hell Broke Luce (http://youtu.be/0Fju9o8BVJ8) by Tom Waits
How Low (http://youtu.be/eGQDEFHYx0o) by Jason Gonzalez

Crime/Punishment
God's Away on Business (http://youtu.be/W9mhsW5aWJM) by Tom Waits
Shankill Butchers (http://youtu.be/cLY0HNds_tE) by The Decemberists
Ballad of a Politician (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnYDuKSzQpM) by Regina Spektor
Gone to Jericho (http://youtu.be/437i4fLbWjo) by The Peculiar Pretzelmen
Undertaker (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDoQtwIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DL5t K1dEQh0k&ei=NzwGU9OoOIO0kQfp0IHQBg&usg=AFQjCNHWtnDUp9wXNCgdOausTNjjmQzCUQ&sig2=g9BGCgWSo6bQfdxSUN-Arw&bvm=bv.61725948,d.eW0) by The Peculiar Pretzelmen

Obsession/Insanity
Soldier (http://youtu.be/hMBXCPpj_Bo) by Bitter Ruin (Couldn't find a non-live version, but this one is pretty good)
Rattlesnake (http://youtu.be/wwL6jdAkmSw) by Caravan of Thieves (Couldn't find a non-live version)
All Along the Way (http://youtu.be/_5Ffgj16ISM) by Chris Black (another live one)
Icarus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyN2c7XyQDU) by Jason Webley
How Do You Ruin Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOq4LoDW6Vk) by Black Prairie
Still by Jason Webley

Cold/Darkness/Apocalypse
Cold (https://myspace.com/yeltzi/music/song/cold-30870928-31264395) by Yeltzi
Last Song (http://youtu.be/l-PaUpZFScI) by Jason Webley

Characters
Aderyn ir'Bowen - A wealthy Cyran exile. Formerly a member of a theatrical group known as the "Nightingales."
Nightingales by The Real Tuesday Weld

General Classical Music
Tannhäuser Overture (http://youtu.be/SRmCEGHt-Qk) by Wagner
Trauermarsch (Funeral March) from Götterdämmerung, Act III (http://youtu.be/XPmldLR3bJw) by Wagner
Requiem in D Minor (http://youtu.be/sPlhKP0nZII) by Mozart
Four Seasons of Buenos Ares (http://youtu.be/DDmqmWf02GI) by Astor Piazzolla (all four seasons are great)
Glide (http://youtu.be/m_Ajg1G3vik) by Felix's Machines

- - - - - -

Hopefully, that should be enough to get people started. I'm realizing there are quite a few themes I hadn't delved into with music...

NightDM
2014-02-21, 04:35 PM
For horror style adventures I usually use Midnight Syndicate, they have some pretty sweet suspensful tracks. There's also music from movie or video game soundtracks (Dark Souls, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc.) and they can be really good as well, though they tend to be more recognizable.

AntiTrust
2014-02-21, 07:33 PM
I was always a fan of the Parasite Eve opening theme called Primal Eyes, but it may be a little too fast a tempo. Still a good listen if you haven't heard it yet.

http://mp3skull.com/mp3/parasite_eve_opening_theme.html

Novawurmson
2014-02-22, 11:56 AM
For horror style adventures I usually use Midnight Syndicate, they have some pretty sweet suspensful tracks. There's also music from movie or video game soundtracks (Dark Souls, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc.) and they can be really good as well, though they tend to be more recognizable.

Midnight Syndicate looks pretty promising. Any tracks in particular? They've got quite the discography on Spotify - though it looks like just about any of their albums could work.


I was always a fan of the Parasite Eve opening theme called Primal Eyes, but it may be a little too fast a tempo. Still a good listen if you haven't heard it yet.

http://mp3skull.com/mp3/parasite_eve_opening_theme.html

I like it! I think I'll use it for a boss fight - it's good energetic music for when the mood is supposed to be frantic :D

The full OST (http://youtu.be/AKBJ-WKQlEg) sounds pretty good, in fact (which goes in with NightDM's suggestion of using video game music).

NightDM
2014-02-22, 12:33 PM
Midnight Syndicate looks pretty promising. Any tracks in particular? They've got quite the discography on Spotify - though it looks like just about any of their albums could work.

I would personally suggest Darkness Descends, Halls of Insurrection, Vampyre, Ancient Tomes, Cathedral Ruins, and Born of Night.

Really as you mentioned most of their stuff is really usable though I believe there are a few rare tracks that have some speaking in it, so I usually give a quick listen to them before I plan on using them.

Another piece of music I like using, though it's from the video game Silent Hill, is "Never forgive me, never forget me". It's absolutely chilling and can create a really eerie atmosphere.

http://mp3skull.com/mp3/never_forgive_me_never_forget_me.html

On a side note, a cool trick I use for horror campaigns (sparingly of course) is to load up a few sound effects on my phone to use behind the screen (the music is played separately off my laptop).

For example, when the players are in some creepy ruin or dungeon, and are quietly discussing their next course of action in character, I'll just hit play on my phone for that lone whisper, or zombie moan, etc. and my players will just stop what they're doing and immediately look at me, waiting in character to find out what made that awful sound. The best is when only one or two players catch it and hush the others saying they heard something :smallamused:

Novawurmson
2014-02-22, 12:59 PM
Excellent suggestions :D

I've already used my cell phone once to good effect in the campaign. One of my players had picked up a haunted ring earlier in the campaign, and the party had finally gotten to a point where it mattered. They were looking at a haunting/illusion of a beautiful young noblewoman (whose ghost was possessing the ring), but the player was supposed so see her true current state (utterly decayed).

I texted him a pretty graphic description while the party was talking about something off topic. Gloriously, he didn't see my name on the text message, and had assumed it came from his girlfriend. When he finally told the rest of the party what his character was seeing, he was genuinely shaken, and his fear creeped the others out more.

Erasmas
2014-02-22, 02:38 PM
I tend to use a lot of movie and video game soundtracks as my background music, so that there aren't lyrics to distract the players and the builds in them are more inline with cinematic moments.

Some good ones for horror that I have are:
Frankenstein (the Kenneth Branaugh version)
Dracula (the Gary Oldman version)
Van Helsing
Angels & Demons
Constantine
Dreamcatcher
Game of Thrones
Signs
Reign of Fire
Interview with the Vampire
Batman (all of the Nolan films)
Inception