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It was late 1973 when NSI Games (an indie game developer) released the first ever first-person shooter game, Maze Wars. But, this game was quite limited in terms of gameplay, especially considering that it was made up of rudimentary lines. It wasn't until the early 90s that a small group of game developers introduced the gaming community to the first "true" FPS game, Wolfenstein 3-D. And that was the spark that ignited the development of classic FPS like DOOM, Quake, and GoldenEye 007.
The FPS genre has drastically evolved from those days and now features dozens of sub-genres previously unheard of. One great example of a unique FPS sub-genre is Rythm-based, which incorporates elements from rhythm games with that of intense FPS combat. Metal: Hellsinger is one-such Rythm-based FPS that features dozens of unique Metal songs that will have gamers and Metalheads headbanging their way into victory. But fans may not be familiar with the songs featured in the game (since they were made exclusively for the game), but they may recognize some of the artists who perform them.
Two Feathers Studio
Song:
- The Hellsinger
Metal: Hellsinger's main theme song is "The Hellsinger," composed by one of the best game song composers in the business, Two Feathers Studio. They excel at developing organic-style music recordings that allow players to experience a game without distracting them. Elvira Björkman and Nicklas Hjertberg (founders of Two Feathers Studio) own a studio in Stockholm, Sweden, where they compose, record, and edit their music.
Players may recognize their work in games like Warhammer: Vemintide 2 or League of Legends: Wild Rift cinematic trailer, "Rise from the Deep." They also composed some songs heard in Aragami and Aragami 2, which is an indie game series developed by Lince Works. All the songs featured in Metal: Hellsinger were composed by the duo accompanied by several Heavy Metal vocalists.
Mikael Stanne
Songs:
- Through You
- This Is the End
- Blood and Law
- Internal Invocation I: Hopes and Fears
- Internal Invocation II: Defiance
- Internal Invocation III: Dreaming in Distortion
Out of all the artists featured in Metal: Hellsinger, Mikael Stanne is the one that players can hear the most since he has six songs with his vocals. Stanne began his Metal career in a band he formed with his colleague, Niklas Sundin, called Dark Tranquillity. But, at the time, he only performed backing vocals, and it wasn't until Anders Fridén (lead vocalist) left that Mikael Stanne began to sing as the lead vocalist.
Stanne's vocals are among the most iconic in the game, especially the Internal Invocation songs. Players who want to increase their damage must ensure they shoot at the rhythm of these songs (similar to the BPM: Bullets Per Minute) as it'll boost their damage multiplier.
Alissa White-Gluz
Song:
- Stygia
Alissa White-Gluz started her singing career in the Canadian metalcore band "the Agonist," where she was the lead vocalist and founding member. But, she's best known by her fans for being the lead vocalist of the Melodic Death Metal band Arch Enemy. And that's because fans can hear this Swedish band on several popular games like Guitar Hero: Warriors Rock and Guitar Hero 4.
Alissa has also sung with Babymetal, a Japanese "Kawaimetal" band that 2K Games featured in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. In Metal: Hellsinger, players can enjoy hearing her vocal in the song "Stygia," referring to the famous river Styx that leads to the underworld.
Tatiana Shmayluk
Song:
- Burial at Night
Fans who enjoy listening to Metalcore will be happy to know that Tatiana Shmayluk performs the song "Burial at Night" in Metal: Hellsinger. In this song, players can enjoy Tatiana Shmaylyuk's distinctive vocals as they build up their abilities by mowing down the enemies that plague the land.
Tatiana Shmayluk is now part of a Ukrainian-based Metalcore band called Jinjer, a band heavily influenced by Guano Apes and Twelve Foot Ninja. So, players who enjoy playing retro-style FPS like DOOM or Dusk can add this band to their gaming playlist as their music fits perfectly with the theme.
Matt Heafy
Song:
- This Devastation
Matt is a Heavy Metal vocalist and guitarist known for his melodic singing and hardcore screams, which players can appreciate in the song "This Devastation" in Metal: Hellsinger. Matt Heafy's band "Trivium" has been featured in several video games like Sims 2 and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown.
God of War fans may also recognize his unique vocals in God of War III's ultimate edition soundtrack, "Shattering the Skies Above." Moreover, Sleeping Dogs features one of Trivium's most famous songs, "Anthem (We Are The Fire)." Matt is also an avid gamer that streams on Twitch daily, so players who want to "meet" the man behind the song "This Devastation" can do so by searching for him on Twitch.
James Dorton
Song:
- Poetry of Cinder
James Dorton is the founder of the extreme metal band, Black Crown Initiate, where he continues to be a lead vocalist. Their first four-track EP, "Song of the Bull," significantly impacted underground metal blogs and newsletters, leading them to join the Metal Alliance Tour in 2014, featuring 1349, Behemoth, and other extreme metal bands.
The song "Poetry of Cinder" features James Dorton's powerful vocals that fit well with the entire "hellish" environment of Metal: Hellsinger (and perhaps older PS1 games like Descent or Quake 2).
Björn Strid
Song:
- Dissolution
Melodic death metal fans should be able to recognize Björn's guttural growls yet harmonious vocals in the exclusive song for Metal: Hellsinger, "Dissolution," which heavily features his vocals. Björn has been a continuous member of the Swedish Melodic death metal band Soilwork which has released over ten studio albums.
Soilwork has been featured in numerous video games like Guitar Hero II (the DLC) and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown. Furthermore, Björn Strid has provided vocals to several other popular metal songs like Heart Bled Dry (from Bewized) and Song for the Lost (from Thrown into Exile).
Randy Blythe
Song:
- Acheron
Randy Blythe is perhaps one of the most famous vocalists in the heavy metal community, not only because he is the lead singer of Lamb of God but because he tried running for president in 2012 with a controversial campaign slogan. Lamb of God has also been nominated for Best Metal Performance at the Grammy Award show several times.
Players can hear Randy Blythe perform the song "Acheron" in Metal Hellsinger. And players that can't get enough of Lamb of God can hear more of their songs in Tony Hawk's Underground 2 and Saints Row 2 (too bad the recent Saints Row doesn't feature a mission with one of their songs).
Dennis Lyxzén
Song:
- Silent No More
It's not the first time the gaming industry has used Dennis Lyxzén's band Refused to create exclusive songs for a game. In fact, Dennis Lyxzén made five songs for the game Cyberpunk 2077, which gave Night City a more hardcore punk atmosphere. Need for Speed (2015) also included the song Elektra from Dennis Lyxzén's album Freedom.
In Metal: Hellsinger, players can hear the song "Silent No More" (sung by Dennis Lyxzén) in the level Sheol which features an intense boss fight that players will need to pass without missing a beat.
Serj Tankian
Song:
- No Tomorrow
System of the Down is one of the world's most successful heavy metal bands and has won over eight awards from various international Award Ceremonies. And that's thanks to one of the best heavy metal vocalists, Serj Tankian, due to his distinctive and wide vocal range.
And The Outsiders (Metal: Hellsinger developers) didn't hold back when creating the music for the game as they also had Serj Tankian perform the song "No Tomorrow." Aside from Metal: Hellsinger, Serj Tankia has released several solo albums and even participated in the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience.
Metal: Hellsinger is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Microsoft Windows.