System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian Talks His Contribution To Metal Hellsinger

Metal Hellsinger may seem to take many conventions from games such as Doom. It even has the heavy metal soundtrack that is associated with this demon-slaying franchise. Metal Hellsinger, however, looks beyond the title of spiritual successor to create something entirely new with its clever use of metal music.

Metal Hellsinger is a unique game that combines fast-paced first-person shooting with rhythm-based mechanics which reward shooting in tune with the music. Although the gameplay mechanics are what make the game stand out, the most striking feature is its original soundtrack. While you battle the Metal Hellsinger’s demons, listen to some original tracks by metal’s greatest names. You’ll hear all new vocals from Matt Heafy of Trivium and Randy Blythe of Lamb of God. Alissa Whitegluz of Arch Enemy and Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer also contribute to the soundtrack. 

Serj Tankian (best known for being the lead singer of System of a Down), is now the most recent addition. Tankian spoke to us about how he recorded the song and what it was like making music for films and games. We also asked him why he isn’t playing too many games nowadays.

You were able to sing a Metal Hellsinger song. How do you know this?
It seems that my manager was emailed by Sweden about this project. I checked it out. This project is over the top. Anything else in the world creatively or musically was always welcomed. I remember going and seeing some of the other tracks by other artists – Randy Blythe, Matt Heafy, Alissa White-Gluz, et cetera – and they were really cool, like really awesome heavy death metal tracks. And then a small snippet of game – it wasn’t ready or anything – but they were showing like a small snippet of it and then the track that they would want me to collaborate on. The track is seven minutes long and I am like, “Whoa!” It’s an absolute rollercoaster track, and it’s the thing that got me. Then I thought, “Uh-oh! It’s all around the place, and you can get creative and make something amazing out of it. That piqued our interest.

One thing that creative director David Goldfarb praised about your performance is that you took what they gave you and you really made it your own. How did you approach the task of recording the track that they requested?
The composers? Two Feathers, is what they refer to themselves. Elvira [Björkman]She is also one of the Feathers. A track she had submitted contained some sort of vocal idea. The track had two types: one was harder and one was easier, but I think the one with more melody was better. First, I listened the the instrumental and then I went on to listen to the vocals. It’s a lot like when I score a movie, how do I listen temp music? I first listen and then I put it aside so I can create something. Points was my desire to hear their thoughts, but I also wanted to… what original melody would emerge from me. This is because I can really sing to whatever it comes out. 

This is what I did. We went back several times to fix things, make them better and do some edits. The track is very melodic and has beautiful singing. There’s even a moment of gothic moments. You can get all kinds of cool vibes. This was something I enjoyed immensely. It was also a time when I was trying to score two streaming series with a classic vocal track and was working on another one. I found it very enjoyable.

What was the cross-pollination process between this track and other projects? Are there any classical elements that were used in the Metal Hellsinger?
Although it may not be conscious, I believe that when you are working simultaneously on multiple things, your brain is constantly influenced. You can hear everything, whether it be the music or other choral pieces. One of my projects is operatic. I may have added it to the game as that choral was singing inside my head. It’s hard to say. Although it is difficult to identify it it can be quite cool.

Have you received any immediate feedback from developers after you have provided the track?
They loved it. It was just a collection of notes that they had for me to see. There were a couple I dealt with, and others I explained why it wouldn’t work. This is a specific method of working, and that’s great. Working with people who have specific inputs is a great way to save time and avoid misinterpretation. The track was given to me by them, and they were able to let me explore the area. It was a great combination.

Is it different to create music for a movie or video game than for a System of a Down record?
First, I have to say that both the song and its music were composed by others. Although I sang the lyrics, I also composed it for the game. I’ve also done some film and series compositions. This is different because it forces you to work within constraints. With your own content, however, there is no limit on what you can do. You are limited only by your skills and your imagination. The challenge lies in being creative with those constraints. Each visual project is set up by the directors or producers. They have an idea of the sound tone and instrumentation they are looking for. All of this is really valuable to me. It allows me to create better and more efficient videos that work for everybody.

Yet, I can do something new that I have never attempted before. You can do this in an extremely creative manner within these elements. That’s what I find interesting. Since I was a child, my aim as an artist has been to make new things every day. Because each project is different, I make completely new records with soundtracks and films, as well as video games. If I do something organically orchestral on one project and then something else comes along, that would make it sound amazing in analog-synth, I’d say, “What do your thoughts about analog synth just taking over this particular project?” If the director is enthusiastic about it, then I will go. This all helps to diversify the projects.

This track seems to really play into your strengths. You’re able to channel the same hard-rock or metal sound that has inspired so many of you biggest songs. What was it like to let them run with the familiar vibe?
Funny because I wrote about the track and it received an incredible response. Then I will post a poem track with cinematic music, which doesn’t receive that reaction. However, a great chef will make both cordon bleu and pizza knowing the vast majority of people will be eating it. Because it is what I am known for, it’s great to have that reaction. My voice also goes there. As I was looking through the Google Alert pickups I receive every day I realized that there were a lot of them. This has a lot more pickups than I thought! People gravitate towards it and it’s great!

Metal is funny, because although I don’t want to be influenced by it in any collaborations I am involved with, repetitive material comes my way for those collaborations. It’s like I’ve done it all. It doesn’t matter if it is a classic project, a cellist, or an electronic one. I will choose something completely different. This case was different, because it was complete metal. This was heavy, crazy, and a lot of fun. This was not only within my realm of expertise, it went above and beyond in certain ways.

You’ve probably seen the trailer for your track. What did you think of the way that the gameplay flows to the beats of your track?
This is what I consider unique about the game. The whole concept of Guitar Hero, or any other similar game in terms of rhythmic syncopation and the playing of music has been taken by the developers of this game. This makes the game unique, at least from my understanding. While I don’t know the full story, I do enjoy it and I look forward to playing more of the game. It’s pretty cool. Some people said it was a videogame for musicians. But it isn’t! You basically test your rhythm. It’s really cool. Everybody is looking for something new in their creative lives. I find that I enjoy this because so many arts have the same repetitive elements.

Even though you don’t have this particular game yet, how many other games do you own?
Since so long, I haven’t played videogames in so many decades. My addiction to video games was strong when I played them. My thumbs started to get smashed by the sticks on my controllers. I said, “I shouldn’t”. This is why I quit full-body basketball because it caused me to hurt my knees, hands and other things. I’m like, “I’ve gotta play music! These are the things I require! [Laughs]It’s like I can’t! My thumbs were worn out, I can recall.

It happens every year: A videogame company will contact me and send me a new game. I’ll say, “I don’t have a box!” The company will send me a box and the games. I then get hooked and have to throw them out. Years ago, it was NBA Jam in the ’90s and then in the 2000s it was Call of Duty because I was doing this thing for this one company and some songs for this one video game, and they had sent me a PlayStation and all these games. After that it was nighttime, and then I would go crazy. To get the job done, I now stay clear of video games. [Laughs]

NBA Jam is a very dear and important part of my life. It was something I loved growing up and I still have the original arcade cabinets from Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and NBA Jam.
OMG! This is old school. [Laughs]Both of those are amazing. Those were the games I enjoyed. I don’t consider myself a huge videogamer and have never been. However, I was able to play enough. They can drive you crazy. My friends and I spend so much time playing games. It’s important to set aside time and be able to recognize when you need to go.

Guitar Hero was mentioned earlier in the article as an example. You may have noticed children coming up to you, claiming that they heard your solo music and System of a Down from games like Guitar Hero.
I believe there was, however I cannot recall the exact details right now. It did. It’s not common for people to get so into the music that they see the video and become excited. However, I believe this is the first time System of a Down was introduced to young children. Similar with other artists, I’m certain. It’s a great idea, too.

There’s lots of music, a lot rock and a lot metal, when it comes to video games. I’m wondering if there are certain types – and now you have my creative mind going – if there’s music that hasn’t really been in video games that could be an interesting game to develop around that atmosphere and environment. There is ambient music in some ambient games. But I’m not sure what it would sound like. Do you know of any goth games that feature gothic music. Maybe.

Many games have interesting ways of incorporating music. I’m sure you’ve played Tetris before. Tetris Effect is a puzzle game where music changes as you solve the puzzle. Then, by the end, the song has lyrics and music. It is always fascinating to see what developers are able to accomplish by using unique methods of bringing music into an experience.
It’s absolutely true. The whole architecture of music is in the games. You can go in any direction, it will play this, or it can go in another direction, it will play this plus this. It’s all so fascinating. It’s like a f—ing science project trying to figure out how the music really works best within the game, minus static moments where it’s just static music. That’s what I love about the actual gameplay. I can’t get my head around it. It’s just music that I create and then give to my students a lot of stems. They can use them all for their own purposes, such as creating layers or plugging it into other programs.

I hope you find this helpful.
Yes, I would create one if somebody gave me the shot! [Laughs]It would be awesome! 

Metal Hellsinger is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S as well as PC, this year.