The Ultimate Dark Souls III playlist
Dark Souls III is, in all regards, a triumph for the franchise. having perfected Dark Souls' trademark brutal gameplay. By punishing even the smallest combat mistake, Dark Souls III infuriates players, by making them realise they're much, much shitter at games than they thought. The ultimate gratification when you finally topple that fuck-off sized boss, however, is undeniably one of the best feelings gaming can provide.
Dark Souls III's sparse music suits the game's dark and desolate world, but should you wish for some music to soundtrack your epic hacking and slashing, here's a playlist of 20 songs guaranteed to enhance your Dark Souls III playthrough.
Slayer - Raining Blood
Dark Souls is brutal, 'Raining Blood' is brutal. This one is pretty self explanatory. The speedy riffing has always been perfect for envisioning spouts of blood spewing from fresh cuts, and with Dark Souls' beautiful graphics, you don't even need to imagine it!
Death - Painkiller
Death's cover of the Judas Priest epic steps up the original track in terms of brutality, which is undoubtedly fitting for the violent nature of Dark Souls' gameplay. Luckily, in stepping up said brutality, Death sacrifice none of the original's monumentally epic sound. which is perfect for those big boss battles.
Amon Amarth - Blood Eagle
As a song that starts with the squelch of blood and a cry in pain, 'Blood Eagle' is exactly the sort of anger-fuelled song that you may expect on this list. Amon Amarth's Viking theme naturally brings swords, blood and death to the table, and this goes hand in hand with a game like Dark Souls.
Arch Enemy - Leader Of The Rats
Unlike 'Blood Eagle', 'Leader Of The Rats' doesn't exactly go with Dark Souls theme-wise. Nevertheless, its guttural growls, aggressive riffs and generally gritty vibe make it the sort of song that'd be perfect to see your character get crushed to death to.
Austin Wintory - Atonement
Austin Wintory's Journey soundtrack is a masterpiece that was executed to perfection. It replicated the beauty of the game, so much so, that sections of it could be transferred to a game as vastly different to Journey as Dark Souls III. It's about time that this list noted that there's more to Dark Souls than gore and death - there's also a desolate beauty in its landscape. Every once in a while (when you get the chance), it's worth stopping and taking a moment of tranquillity as you look upon the fascinatingly detailed world around you. As you stand atop a grand castle wall, this is the song you want playing whilst you gaze at the horizon.
Behemoth - O Father O Satan O Sun!
Okay, back to the bloody violence. 'O Father O Satan O Sun!' is perfect for a boss battle. Ignoring the spoken word section, its colossal riffs will make you feel as big as your opponent, and give you the confidence to take it on without fear. You'll probably still die, but at least it'll seem more epic.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
'Black Sabbath', the song that introduced the world to well, Black Sabbath. From its thunderstorm intro to Ozzy Osbourne's uniquely eerie vocals, it's a horror-themed song that conjures the sort of dark imagery that the Dark Souls universe thrives on. Also important are Tony Iommi's sinister riffs, which hold a constant sense of foreboding that could not be more perfect for Dark Souls' harsh gameplay.
Cancer Bats - Doomed To Fail
It's as if Cancer Bats came up with this one whilst playing a Dark Souls game. It may not be the best song to inspire you to "git gud", but at least you'll feel like the band are being honest about your chances as you play.
Conan - Throne Of Fire
Conan are masters of creating monolithic soundscapes that could soundtrack a blood-filled medieval conquest. The clobbering riffs are the perfect accompaniment to the primal combat of Dark Souls, and the reverb of Jon Davis' yells creates the same sort of doom-fuelled atmosphere Dark Souls does.
Dimmu Borgir - Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse
Extravagant and infinitely grand, there's a reason 'Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse' was the soundtrack of a battle in the metal-themed video game Brutal Legend. It can be used for the same purpose here, with its tremendous atmosphere suiting a game of Dark Souls III's magnitude well.
Ensiferum - Heathen Horde
'Heathen Horde' may be a tad less dark than what you'd expect for Dark Souls, but One Man Army's gang vocals may just provide the rallying cry you need to take on the game's infuriatingly hard opponents.
Heaven & Hell - Bible Black
Sections of this epic from the ex-Sabbath line-up may be a bit soft for Dark Souls action-focused gameplay, but its dark nature is exactly what you want whilst traversing the unforgiving world of Dark Souls. Besides, Dio always was a master when it came to fantasy-themed lyrics, and a Dark Souls playlist would be sorely lacking without an appearance from him.
King 810 - Fat Around The Heart
Whilst Dark Souls delivers a solemn but enthralling experience in a fantastical world, King 810's gloomy nature comes from a real world anger. Having them on this playlist may help Dark Souls' murky landscape come to life, or it could just be a quality slab of metal to nod your head to as you play.
King Goat - Conduit
The prog-filled, doomy experience that King Goat's Conduit delivers is one of the most exciting things to happen to doom metal so far this year, and the album's title-track is undoubtedly one of its strongest. 'Conduit' is the atmospheric soundtrack that the ruthless environment of Dark Souls
never knew it needed.
Sepultura - Propaganda
The sinister swirling riff that starts 'Propaganda' essentially recreates the way you feel as you descend a ladder that you know will lead you to your next big boss fight, while the mayhem that follows embodies the violent nature of that boss fight. Time this song right and it'll enhance your play-through for sure.
Slipknot - Wait And Bleed
Now and then in Dark Souls you'll get hit a couple of times by the same enemy, and immediately feel the need to decapitate the AI bastard asap. When you finally drive your sword through his guts, the feeling is a fun and cathartic release. Headbanging to 'Wait And Bleed' at home in your underwear whilst you should be getting shit done is a similar release.
Tenacious D - Beezleboss (The Final Showdown)
This one may surprise you, but think about it. Regardless of your feelings towards comedy rock/metal, this song is a classic. The tale of a battle between a rock duo and Satan himself, the killer riffs and epic narrative moments in this song are undeniably fun, and hey, what's video gaming if not fun?
Visigoth - Dungeon Master
This one will really make you feel like you're on an epic quest. You'll feel like much more than another Dark Souls player taking out fearsome foes, but rather like a master knight whose skill knows no bounds. It can't guarantee the same effect on your actual performance in-game, mind.
3 Inches Of Blood - Destroy The Orcs
With an album title like Advance And Vanquish and a song title like 'Destroy The Orcs', this song was simply made for good hacking and slashing fun. The driving riffs may make you wish you were cutting through enemies quicker and easier, but it's still an appropriate song for the occasion.
Metallica - Broken, Beat & Scarred
Throughout your Dark Souls III playthrough, your character will undoubtedly find themselves 'Broken, Beat & Scarred', and this powerful Metallica track is definitely the song you need to pick your digital self back up again. Sure, its lyrics are unforgivably cringe-worthy ("what don't kill ya make ya more strong"), but embrace the cringe and go full-throttle on the assault to this track and you're sure to make it to that next bonfire.
