Recording a heavy metal choir.

Publisher Bethesda Softworks has shared a behind-the-scenes video that takes a look at the heavy metal soundtrack to its upcoming first-person shooter DOOM Eternal.

The video features series composer Mick Gordon and an ensemble of vocalists from various heavy metal bands during a recording session at the Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre as they give their take on the game’s soundtrack.

“It’s a continuation of DOOM ’16 but this really needs its own unique approach,” Gordon explained.

“We’d already discussed some chants that hearkens back to the [protagonist] Slayer’s origins,” said DOOM Eternal’s lead audio designer Chad Mossholder. “The idea of taking a heavy metal choir and having them do the chant for the Slayer was amazing.”

Vocalists were invited via an open call to be a part of this collaboration, one which includes Linzey Rae from The Anchor, James Dorton from Black Crown Initiate, Wesley Merritt from The World I Knew, Natalie Kahan from Wildspeaker, Sven de Caluwé from Aborted, Tony Campos from Static X and Ministry, Nature Ganganbaigal from Tengger Cavalry, and James Rivera from Helstar.

“Part of the game is this ancient chant that’s in this other language,” Mossholder said. “We want the whole game to feel like a heavy metal album experience.”

Gordon added: “The group we ended up putting together is really diverse. There’s so many different types of metal singers there.”

“So there’s a guy that does Mongolian metal (Ganganbaigal) and I was just impressed with what he can do,” Merritt said.

“Everything works together: sound effects, music, gameplay, and all these things come together not as separate elements but as one cohesive unit,” Mossholder added.

DOOM Eternal is developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks with a scheduled release date of 20th March when it will be available for Nintendo Switch (ported by Panic Button), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Stadia.

Editor’s note: Back in June 2019 it was reported that Nature Ganganbaigal had died aged 29.