Yesterday, I was telling you about a childhood game for my generation, Rayman. Today, we're going back even further in time with games that shaped the imaginations and tastes of our older siblings, or even our parents: Doom.
The father of the FPS—a genre once literally dubbed "Doom-likes"—is entering the modern era: the soundtracks for the first 1993 installment and its sequel, Doom II, are now available on Spotify and all streaming platforms.
Twenty-three years before Mick Gordon revolutionized video game music with the score for DOOM (2016), a young Bobby Prince was laying the groundwork for heavy metal applied to the gaming medium. Raised on a diet of Pantera and Alice in Chains, Robert Caskin Prince III (his real name) received a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to VGM from his peers in 2006.
Since the release of the game Wrack in 2014, the musician—who has been independent for decades—has kept a low profile. The last update on his official website dates back to 2018. According to fan posts from earlier this year, the American composer has been battling cancer for many years.
While this surprise release from id Software and Bethesda is excellent news, we hope the studios don't stop there. Aside from the DOOM (2016) OST and last year's DOOM: The Dark Ages, the franchise's catalog on streaming platforms remains quite thin. That said, there is very little chance we will ever see the DOOM Eternal soundtrack arrive. As a reminder, Mick Gordon and id Software have been at odds for many years over this score, with both sides having severed ties after accusing each other of failing to honor their end of the contract.
Find all listening links for DOOM 1993 (Original Game Soundtrack) and DOOM II by Bobby Prince on their dedicated pages:
→ https://nwpl.ing/doom-93
→ https://nwpl.ing/doom-ii
