Oh my God you guys are my HEROES! you absolutely made this game and thank you for the live performance, it was like a dream come true. And Dark Ocean Summoning was the best. Take Control was awesome too now that I think of it.
Not just the dancing, the whole acting of especially Ilkka and David (including their facial expressions during the talking parts) adds *a lot* to the experience imo. Still an awesome song, though.
Its funny for multiple reasons, not least of which was the over leveled players on Control who flew past the music section of that game and was disappointed when they cut the song off. multiple times. This games just breaks the meta and says "WAIT!"
One of my favourite parts of the musical scenes of the game is that Bob Baldur (the character who plays the main guitar) has passed away in the game, but he's clearly performing in these songs. Like his spirit comes back to rock with his friends when they need him the most.
I loved Herald of Darkness but man not enough people talk enough about Dark Ocean Summoning. A stunningly brutal song, we getting out of the dark place with this one boys!
Also Angers Remorse, without a doubt, it's a song that evokes fake memories of being in a porche in the early 90's just gazing at the view while blasting it softly on a boom box. A beer might be or might not be needed.
Their Alexandre Theatre sessions are just pure gold. Precision, sensitivity and control of Marko's voice and Olli's guitar is amazing. I'm a pure rock guy but that acoustic performance is SO good...Of course they can rock it out too!
The real band behind OGOA is called 'Poets of the Fall' a 6 piece band of Lead Guitarist Olli Tukiainen and second guitarist Jaska Makinen. They have been making music for 20 years, their first song for Remedy games is called Late Goodbye for Max Payne 2.
Mäkinen is not a founder. He didn't even join the band officially till 2008, 5 years after the official formation of the band. Marko Saaresto (vocals) is the other founder of the band alongside Tukiainen.
For the record: “Herald of Darkness” is the music for an entire musical section of the game where you’re progressing through a maze-like area fighting enemies and solving simple puzzles, and the music progresses when you progress and has looping sections for when you are moving too slow and/or stalling. Also it’s kind of a catch-up on the plot of Alan Wake 1 plus a VERY out of place section to shake the game up😂👍🏻
Alan Wake 2 is very much more than just a videogame, its a expiremental cross-media work. Its a written story, its a videogame, its sometimes a movie, or why we are here, a powermetal album with a musical mixed in. Only by playing the game can you truly appreciate how they all come together. Iam not usually someone who enjoy Meta Commentary or stories revolving around the concept but here it just all fits.
I'm glad other people can enjoy and have time like this. I rarely have time to play games nowadays except for the ones I really like, Alan Wake 2 is not on that list.
@@LionmightOfficial You could also react to the gameplay with the songs! Playing ofc makes a huge difference, but watching the song in the context of the gameplay will impress you!
What people don't seem to talk about, is the prnouncation of the lyrics in Dark Ocean Summoning. Remedy loves their name puns. Max Payne, Alex Casey (A. Case) Alan Wake (A wake) Dark ocean summoning is trying to summon Alan Wake back from the dark place and into reality. People say "By name I summon him" but they don't say the name. Except they do. The lyrics read as "So alike a land awake" "land" has an extemely soft 'D' sound, so it sounds like "Alan Awake" Then followed imemdiately by "Come save your soul awake new and whole" A. Wake. So no, the name is said, it is just embedded in the lyrics. Man so many layers to this game I love it.
Agreed, I bang this tune in my car and love it just as much as watching it be performed. It is the song itself that makes it special at the end of the day.
Agreed, I heard the song before I saw the dance moves (as I bought the remedy games album, still not got that far into the game yet, so only saw it through the game awards video) but god damn OGOA just get better with every remedy title they're in. This song is an absolute banger, as is dark ocean summoning
It baffles me that people say that. While the theatrics add to the song it very much can stand on its own like any good song specially from a video game. It can stand by its own and makes the game better.
Your DEAD on, Alan wake is trapped in some sort of dark alternative dimention, he has been stuck there for 13 years after the events of the first game, its always looping and his memory is always fading, so he wrote this musical to remember his life and the events of alan wake 1. This song is a whole chapter in the game and you play through it with the song, and at the end wake is addressing the player to help him stop the song so the game can progress
The Hareld of Darkness segment in the game is a very genius way of telling the Story of Alan Wake 1, Matthew Porretta (Alan Wake's VA) is a very good singer
Spoiler ahead: I also think Mr Door tries to tell Alan about Scratch being inside him the whole time. The line "the darkness WITHIN HIM held her hostage" kinda suggests it, but what led me to this theory was the chorus "show me the champion of light (obviously Alan) I'll show you the herald of darkness (once again Alan)" it's as if they say that if you showed them Alan the champion of light, you'll also be seeing the herald of darkness, Scratch inside Alan
Old Gods of Asgard(in Alan Wake Universe) = Poets of the Fall(in real life) Marko has a really soothing voice and they make great music Also, Herald of Darkness is nothing without the dance moves.
So, an interesting note about the vocal tracks (released as Chapter Songs) in Alan Wake 2: they're not licensed; they're commissions. Alan Wake 1 has a lot of licensed music in it from bands like The Black Angels, Poe, David Bowie, Tom Waits, etc. And ten years ago, the licenses expired and needed to be re-upped, causing Alan Wake to get delisted for a time. So for Alan Wake 2, they commissioned these songs from a collection of artists, giving Remedy's head writer (and the face of Max Payne) Sam Lake writing credits in the songs and Remedy as a studio producing credit, thus avoiding future delisting problems. Which, honestly, I think is a neat way to go about it.
Since every one is already talking about 'Harald of Darkness' I'll give some love to 'Anger's Remorse' and the awesome 'Dark Ocean Summoning'. While Harald is very clearly a big rock opera musical number. Anger's Remorse has an interesting in universe backstory and significance. It's canonically an unreleased single writen as an apology by Tor Anderson, the drummer for Old God's of Asgard and the protagonist Saga Anderson's long lost grandfather, to his now deceased daughter (Saga's mother Freya) for being a terrible dad and driving away Saga's father. Locating the record and playing it acts as a key in game to progress the story. Dark Ocean Summoning is played while the elderly Anderson brothers channel the spirit of their younger selves and deceased band mate while performing on top of a bus/makeshift stage on the shore of Cauldron Lake. Saga fights waves of enemies as the song plays in the background. Oh, they're also setting off concert pyro throughout. The song and performance is a literal ritual to summon Alan Wake back to reality from the dark dimension accesesed via the lake. All the lyrics very specifically referrence Alan, his circumstances, and has very deep layers of narrative meaning.
I already saw them live twice and yes i must admit, seeing guitarist live is a treat indeed. Theres even a section during concert when they just let him play for like 3 minutes ^^
I can just imagine how fun for Poets of the fall, who are more modern rock band with, predominantly, more chill and mellow stile of music, to play those old school hard rockers, which they were probably listened from their early days, and go absolutely crazy with that. I mean with this soundtrack they made such a tasty and awesome hard rock album.
Its so awesome to hear musical analysis on the old gods of asgard! As many of the commenters have said, the Old Gods are a fictional band in the Alan Wake universe, with their IRL personas being the Poets of the Fall. However, all of the lyrics are written by Sam Lake, the video game Director (you saw him accept the awards for AW2 during the game awards!) And as such the lyrics usually have hidden messages that explain the lore of the Remedyverse! For example (no spoilers, dont worry!) in the game "Alan Wake's American Nightmare" there is a song called Balance Slays the Demon that while on the surface it is a fun rock song with elements of 80s glam, beneath its a coded message that explains what Alan needs to do to get out of the Dark Place--and below even that, it has a coded message about the town of Ordinary and hints about Jesse Faden who would appear in their next game, Control! In the Vinyl version there is a message about the influences for the Old Gods being a combination of Metallica and Led Zepplin, but there are also some lore influences to their music as well. When they have a different producer the sound is different! Also, there is a reason why there is so many incredible Guitar solos in AW2's sountrack! In the first game, the old Gods were just two guys--singer and drums. And they were always talking about their old Guitarist Fat Bob Baulder! The band was "never the same" without him. The Old Gods are in their best form in AW2 and Fat Bob is back! So of course, they had to make him shine. I could honestly talk about this all day. 😅 thank yoi for the incredible video SPG! Looking forward to the next one!! ❤
I'm glad someone out there pointed out the Uematsu style riffs during Herald of Darkness, the song dipping into a kind of Black Mages style JRPG prog rock for a full 4 minutes is pretty much my favorite part
Awesome to see your reactions! There are amazing songs plenty in the game, would love to see your reaction to Poe - This road and Ahti - Yötön Yö from the game too, two very different vibes, also very diegetic songs like these!
I grew up listening to kiss, Montley crew, Cinderella, etc thanks to my dad and haven’t listened to this era or rock/ metal in recent years so hearing PotF as Old Gods give that era gives me such a feeling of nostalgia but also the hype of new music.
Nice to see that "angers remorse" makes it so clear what it is about. It is song from the point of a father about his regrets that he let his anger become the better of him and drove his daughter away (he wasn't happy about her choice of husband) and the regret is even greater because the daughter is dead already and only his grand daughter gets to hear his apology.
The way the songs are implemented in the game is extremely powerful. For instance, Angers Remorse, you start up the song on an old jukebox, meanwhile, there is otherworldly shizz is happening outside. as you step outside, the environment changes and the music gets louder and more powerful. Its amazing. With Dark Ocean Summoning, its being played during a huge gunfight with shadow monsters. The band is playing it on the top of their van, while video of the band in their younger years plays in a haze behind them.
The Old Gods of Asgard are a band pseudonym for a finish band called Poets of the Fall, and the guitar player shredding is Olli. The man is a beast not just of shredding, but of gorgeous melodies and masterful tone and feel. If you are not familiar with their music you should check them out. Their last studio album, Ghostlight, gives you loads of the guitar sound you have here, but in a more restrained and focused way. But the musicality with these guys is insane. Poets of the Fall is by far one of my favorite bands of all time, specially as songwriting for synth pop/rock. You can hear the metal influences, but nothing like this.
Old Gods of Asgard are simply divine, heh. Their music is just so much goddamn fun. Remedy also have a couple songs in their games recorded by the actor who plays the character Ahti, the mystical Finnish janitor - He did one called Sankarin Tango for Control, and for Alan Wake 2 he did one called Yötön Yö, which means Nightless Night, and it's absolutely stunning. Martti Suosalo has a positively heavenly voice. I'd be really interested to see what you think of them!
Aw man, I was hoping This Road by Poe would show up. Shows off a very different side of the soundtrack, introspective, haunting and just plain weird. Probably the game's actual theme as far as I'm concerned.
It might be intersting to know that some of the songs are for ingame events like the ingame musical, that recounts the story of Alan Wake I and was performed in a abbreviated version on the stage of the game awards, or a summoning peformed by a rock concert. And those are the two you already pointed out! Other songs are used intermissions / outros for sections of the game.
On the same channel of Old Gods of Asgard you can find a musical-video version of "Herald of Darkness". Or search for walkthrough of "We sing" mission from Alan Wake II
Such a cool reaction video! You mention all the things I love about Poets of the Fall, I mean Old Gods of Asgard. And so cool Ollie receives praise for his guitar skills, he is fantastic!
Now u need to react more Old Gods of Asgard songs✨ - The Poet and the Muse - Children of the Elder God - Balance Slays the Demon - Take Control (this this this this this this!!!)
in the game, herald of darkness is a musical section that you play through, the official music video explains the context and all the long guitar sections are there to pad out the music as the player walks through it at their own pace
Everything Poets of the Fall do is fantastic. Their music is super varied in style and has lots of great little details. Please check them out. Their normal stuff is even better than their Old Gods-music.
Thank you! I can tell that you know a lot about music and games. This was really interesting. Take Control is another really good song from Old Gods of Asgard. It's from another Remedy game called Control. I love it how Old Gods of Asgard sound like an old 80's metal band because that is exactly what they are (in the game). Poets of the Fall, the real band behind Old Gods of Asgard, are not necessarily a metal band (and not from the 80's) but more of a rock or like rock-pop band. You really should listen to their song Carnical of Rust. It has a great music video too.
@@LionmightOfficialA fun little thing they set up in Take Control already, there are three sections in the song where you hear speech, that can't be really understood. Those sections are reversed, so if you play the song backwards, you can make out the lyrics then. And one of those sections also turned out to be a small spoiler for Alan Wake 2.
@@CorporalCookie Did they start the "backwards voices"-thing in Control? I could've sworn "Children of the Elder God" (Alan Wake I) and/or "Balance slays the Demon" (Alan Wake's American Nightmare) already had those.
@@DryFos678 There is one in Balance Slayes The Demon. At the end: "It will happen again, in another town, called Ordinary", in reference to Control. One in Take Control references Alan Wake 2, so those two are references to games that weren't out yet at that point.
It's actually my first time hearing the full herald of darkness and it's everything I love in this genre! Alan Wake 2 is an entirely different league of its own.
You’re right, Olli must had so much fun playing those long guitar solos! The scene in the game is quite long (depending how long does it take to play it through), and the music goes on and on. I could listen to Herald of Darkness 24/7. 😄
"...and the music usually takes a backseat, waaaaay of a backseat." I fully understand needing to limit your consumption of things. It can be overwhelming and impossible to keep up. However, in an effort to become a video game developer I've played A LOT of video games of various genres to see what's good, to see what sells well in the industry, and simply to see what I like and would want to make myself. And I'm here to tell you, there are at least 2 - 4 moments in the game where the music is VERY MUCH in the FRONT SEAT. I can't think of another game where the music is front and center the way it is in this game (and a couple other Remedy games). I highly recommend that you keep this game in mind for a day when you might have the time to play it and might be in the mood for something new and different. A couple of these songs take on a whole new life when in the context of the game and it's a beautiful experience. Cheers.
poets of the fall had thier first real break out moment on the first allen wake game and i've followed them ever since. I have to say seeing them make a return here is just awesome.
On Poets, there is no so much hard guitar parts. Though, Olli and Jaska are somewhat not so much at front... They are EXCELLENT guitarists 😊 I love the whole bands work on "Old Gods Of Asgard" and Remedy. Love them. What a band!
The guitar work in Herald of Darkness has absolutely no business going so hard. Some parts soung like something from a G3 with Satriani and Petrucci playing, it's amazing. Also, damn, you should really watch gameplay, you've got to see how this plays out in-game. It's fucking genius. The weird dance moves/musical vibe are the centerpiece.
you hit the nail on the head for angers remorse, it is a monolougue of the inner thoughts the grandfather of one of the protagonists, about his regrets with how he treated his family
While Herald of Darkness is the more popular song from the game - and the in-game sequence for this part is pretty fun (and good for a chuckle, too) - the part of the game where Dark Ocean Summoning comes in is awesome! Heck, even a character in the game comments on how epic it is! It ties for most "metal" moment in gaming with Remedy's own Control with the Ashtray Maze sequence with the song "Take Control" by none other than Old Gods of Asgard. 🤘🤘
28:10 While the beginning is pretty much a 1 to 1 copy of "Immigrant Song", the rest of the song gives very strong Sabaton vibes. The structure of the song, that huge solo in the middle. For the live of me I cannot remember the name of the song (Fields of Verdun mb? ), but this solo is nearly identical to on of Sabaton's. Not blaming or anything, just wanted to share P. S. Just an interesting fact: in the game's cannon, this song was written in about 30 minutes. OGoA literally wrote this song as they were driving to Cauldron Lake from their nursing home.
You are right about figuring out how to end the song. The main character is one of the people singing and is the one trying to end the song to escape. Fun fact about the musical part: it was on the choping block for cut content, but was included by request one of the people working of the game (I think the writer, don't remember).
The thing about any old gods songs they are written to be very specific to what is happening or what its about in game rather than poetic like many rocks songs. So in context the songs are much more powerful than they would be as just a rock song on the radio. Outside of context they are still great but really hit home inside the game
I would recomend listening to Yötön yö and the Sankarin tango (from CONTROL), Both are really cool songs in the Remedy game universe and entirely in finnish. They are both sung by a in-game character named Athi. Yötön yö has been stuck in my head for days now.
The lyrics show me the champion of light and ill show you the herald of darkness is a foreshadowing of events that happen later on in the game. You show me the hero and i will show you the villain And yes this song is a musical. Theres an entire live action segment of everyone dancing and singing in the game. Its bonkers and i love it.
As a old metalhead I really like Old Gods of Asgard and you should definitely check out Control soundtrack as well since Take Control is still my favourite (though how that song ties into the game is probably a large part of the experience). However, do check out the Ahti songs, they're Finnish style tango and I never thought I would enjoy anything in that particular genre as much as I love Yötön Yö for example (subtitles on, as with all of these game songs, the words tell a story that ties into the game) Ahti is a common name for older Finnish males, *also* an old god of deep waters. In "Remedyverse" this particular unassuming janitor/groundskeeper is definitely a *lot* more than you would think.
When they say "Show me the champion of light, I'll show you the herald of darkness", they're not being satirical. They're referring to how when Alan escapes the Dark Place, his evil double Mr. Scratch will escape with him. The Old Gods aren't just an in-universe band, they used to fight against the Dark Presence, which is powered by creative energy, so they write coded messages in their songs that relate to the struggles of other people fighting it.
I need someone that is a fan of alan wake to analyze this song, so it can help me put into words and technicals terms how well herald of darkness represents the fight between light and darkness/alan wake and scratch. I don't know about music to put it into words, but you can hear so clearly how it is playing the story going through the life of the character and his fight against the darkness within him manifesting
Alan Wake has 3 types of music: The normal OST, Interludes, and Setpiece music Set Pieces: So the Old Gods of Asgard are the heaviest songs as they are filled and full of action and constantly eolves and are designed this way as they are played during the gameplay. Interludes: These songs are here to make you think and relax, and get soaked in atmosphere. You could count the radio stuff here if you want to, by then they are optional interludes. OST: This is the normal fight music, the normal background music etc.
Sir, bless you for diving into the Alan Wake 2 music. That game doesn't have one bad song. My recommendation is you do the rest of the songs from featured in the game like This Road by Poe, Yötön Yö from Ahti, Heroes and Villains by our dear divine friends the Old Gods/Poets of the Fall, Dark, Twisted and Cruel, and so on
Fantastic video! I’d love to see you cover some of the Silent Hill game music (Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4 specifically, all very different from each other. Theme of Laura from Silent Hill 2 is legendary)
Interesting to get a music expert's POV. We ordinary people are not even aware of the numerous musical elements and sources in the background, coming and going. Nice to see them pointed out here.
I was going to eventually check out the music of this game but thanks to you in this video not only can I do so I can also come to fully appreciate the music more than I could have by myself, this is definitely some well made music that I am going to have to check out the rest of the soundtrack to by myself since I do think this is impressive also that guy singing reminds me of the lead singer of poets of the fall and that can only be a good thing!
Herald of Darkness makes me tear up every time. It's one of the best songs ever made for a game, which is a massive achievement. I contend it's even better than Pizza Tower's Unexpectancy, something I never thought could be topped this year.
Oh man, these are great but for variety you should check also the other Chapter Songs from the game which they released as an album. Rakel - Follow You Into the Dark, and Roos+Berg - No One Left to Love for example. Or pretty much any other song on the Soundtrack is great.
Herald of darkness tales place in a late night talk show where Alan Wake is being interviewed about a book he doesn't remember writing. In game, we see a version of him on video screens being interviewed while singing, the player version of Alan Walks through different puzzles trying to wake up from a dream where this is taking place. The on screen version needs to end the song, at the end he collapses into a chair tired of singing and dancing. Angers remorse is part of a puzzle. The old gods are 2 brothers in their 90s at this point. (They're possibly actual Norse gods). The song is an apology to The drummer Tor Anderson's daughter, and his grand daughter Saga. In this scene we play as Saga, using the record and a jukebox to open a rift to another world to rescue our grandfather.
You should check out how these songs are actually used in game. Also, Take Control in the game Control is both the same game company and band and is incredible in the way it's woven in... I'd love to see how you react to the way they're woven in with gameplay. EDIT: Your playing along with the songs make them sound even more Kansas-like. XD
I don't like the game (Alan Wake series) but I have played and beat Control and I definitely remember the Take Control scene. But yeah, I won't play Alan Wake 1 or 2. Also check this video out: ruclips.net/video/hCOnRtQKxMI/видео.html
@@LionmightOfficial Totally understandable if you just don't have the time or interest in playing it, but would you be curious to watch a playthrough of just this specific section to see how it's all incorporated into the game? Honestly I haven't even played AW2 yet, but I've seen this part and I just think it's a really fun set piece they put together with the gameplay, live action video, and music.
Even just the idea of watching a playthrough is already starting to bore me to death. I'm here to check out the music you all suggest and have fun with it in the 3-4 minutes I spend with it. And move on to the next song. I won't also pretend to like some games just to appeal to subscribers, I know what I like and I know what I don't like, and I am very vocal about it.
@@LionmightOfficial I don't mean watch the entire game, just the small portions of the game they're in. All you'd need to do is look up a walkthrough of the part called "We Sing" It wouldn't be that much longer than the original song (and you'd get extra parts they didn't put in the 'single version') but you would see how they manage to merge the songs with the gameplay, because it's surprisingly unique. I get why playthroughs might bore people though.
Totally enjoyed this, thank you! 😊
- Thor / Old Gods of Asgard, AKA Captain / Poets of the Fall
Love your music man!
Just bought the OGOA's greatest hits LP, love how your fictional band is hitting the charts in real life! 🤩🙏
Love you Tor!!
Oh my God you guys are my HEROES! you absolutely made this game and thank you for the live performance, it was like a dream come true. And Dark Ocean Summoning was the best. Take Control was awesome too now that I think of it.
Aivan loistavaa työtä tässä koko projektissa! Kiitos!
Heralds of Darkness isn't the same without experiencing the dance moves
i bust out the moves every once in a while at home to my girlfriend's dismay xD
Not just the dancing, the whole acting of especially Ilkka and David (including their facial expressions during the talking parts) adds *a lot* to the experience imo. Still an awesome song, though.
@@DryFos678The entire experience of We Sing is a multimedia onslaught to the system.
Ilkka's face on the "So True!" and "But True!" is so goddamn expressive and perfect@@DryFos678
So true!
Fun fact: during the musical number in the game there is a floor marker on the stage floor that says “wait for solo” 😂
Its funny for multiple reasons, not least of which was the over leveled players on Control who flew past the music section of that game and was disappointed when they cut the song off. multiple times.
This games just breaks the meta and says "WAIT!"
@@MakooWallinen I one of those, lol. Good thing they did wait for solo
One of my favourite parts of the musical scenes of the game is that Bob Baldur (the character who plays the main guitar) has passed away in the game, but he's clearly performing in these songs. Like his spirit comes back to rock with his friends when they need him the most.
I loved Herald of Darkness but man not enough people talk enough about Dark Ocean Summoning. A stunningly brutal song, we getting out of the dark place with this one boys!
I agree totally!
I want a t-shirt
Thats not a meme I actually will buy one for dark ocean summoning if they make one.
Also Angers Remorse, without a doubt, it's a song that evokes fake memories of being in a porche in the early 90's just gazing at the view while blasting it softly on a boom box. A beer might be or might not be needed.
dark ocean summoning is my favorite one from the game besides herald of darkness
My guess is because they're too busy flailing to stay alive in that portion of the game, as well as potentially not having gotten to the end yet.
Poets of the Fall is the real life band behind the Old Gods of Asgard. And they are just amazing.
Indeed!
Their Alexandre Theatre sessions are just pure gold. Precision, sensitivity and control of Marko's voice and Olli's guitar is amazing. I'm a pure rock guy but that acoustic performance is SO good...Of course they can rock it out too!
The real band behind OGOA is called 'Poets of the Fall' a 6 piece band of Lead Guitarist Olli Tukiainen and second guitarist Jaska Makinen. They have been making music for 20 years, their first song for Remedy games is called Late Goodbye for Max Payne 2.
In fact, that song was "released" via Max Payne 2 two years before the first actual PotF album.
Mäkinen is not a founder. He didn't even join the band officially till 2008, 5 years after the official formation of the band. Marko Saaresto (vocals) is the other founder of the band alongside Tukiainen.
Carnival of rust is such a nostalgy piece for me
My favorite songs by OGOA are still the two song from Alan Wake 1, "The Poet And The Muse", and "Old Gods of Asgard"
You mean Children of the Elder God?
Or from New Nightmare, Balance slays the Demon?
For the record: “Herald of Darkness” is the music for an entire musical section of the game where you’re progressing through a maze-like area fighting enemies and solving simple puzzles, and the music progresses when you progress and has looping sections for when you are moving too slow and/or stalling. Also it’s kind of a catch-up on the plot of Alan Wake 1 plus a VERY out of place section to shake the game up😂👍🏻
It was also put in because it shows Alan trying to escape a situation but he ends up writing a musical
Alan Wake 2 is very much more than just a videogame, its a expiremental cross-media work. Its a written story, its a videogame, its sometimes a movie, or why we are here, a powermetal album with a musical mixed in.
Only by playing the game can you truly appreciate how they all come together. Iam not usually someone who enjoy Meta Commentary or stories revolving around the concept but here it just all fits.
I'm glad other people can enjoy and have time like this. I rarely have time to play games nowadays except for the ones I really like, Alan Wake 2 is not on that list.
@@LionmightOfficial
You could also react to the gameplay with the songs! Playing ofc makes a huge difference, but watching the song in the context of the gameplay will impress you!
@@LionmightOfficial you need to play this one Boss, definitely worth the time
@@reddedpixel Not really my type of game. You all enjoy it. I'll play the games I like.
The Videogame TWIN PEAKS and Sam Lake is its David Lynch. 👍☕️🦉
What people don't seem to talk about, is the prnouncation of the lyrics in Dark Ocean Summoning. Remedy loves their name puns. Max Payne, Alex Casey (A. Case) Alan Wake (A wake)
Dark ocean summoning is trying to summon Alan Wake back from the dark place and into reality. People say "By name I summon him" but they don't say the name. Except they do. The lyrics read as "So alike a land awake" "land" has an extemely soft 'D' sound, so it sounds like "Alan Awake" Then followed imemdiately by "Come save your soul awake new and whole" A. Wake. So no, the name is said, it is just embedded in the lyrics.
Man so many layers to this game I love it.
There's no way people say Herald of Darkness is nothing without the dancing, you guys are completely ignoring the whole 13 mins of this masterpiece 💀
Agreed, I bang this tune in my car and love it just as much as watching it be performed. It is the song itself that makes it special at the end of the day.
Agreed, I heard the song before I saw the dance moves (as I bought the remedy games album, still not got that far into the game yet, so only saw it through the game awards video) but god damn OGOA just get better with every remedy title they're in. This song is an absolute banger, as is dark ocean summoning
It baffles me that people say that. While the theatrics add to the song it very much can stand on its own like any good song specially from a video game. It can stand by its own and makes the game better.
I didn't even know about We Sing. I just saw Old Gods of Asgard had a couple new songs when I was on Spotify.
SO TRUE!
Your DEAD on, Alan wake is trapped in some sort of dark alternative dimention, he has been stuck there for 13 years after the events of the first game, its always looping and his memory is always fading, so he wrote this musical to remember his life and the events of alan wake 1. This song is a whole chapter in the game and you play through it with the song, and at the end wake is addressing the player to help him stop the song so the game can progress
“13 years”😅👍🏻
@@krisisgod666 Oops typo, thanks for letting me know
1:28 that's because the section with this song IS a musical
The Hareld of Darkness segment in the game is a very genius way of telling the Story of Alan Wake 1, Matthew Porretta (Alan Wake's VA) is a very good singer
Spoiler ahead:
I also think Mr Door tries to tell Alan about Scratch being inside him the whole time. The line "the darkness WITHIN HIM held her hostage" kinda suggests it, but what led me to this theory was the chorus "show me the champion of light (obviously Alan) I'll show you the herald of darkness (once again Alan)" it's as if they say that if you showed them Alan the champion of light, you'll also be seeing the herald of darkness, Scratch inside Alan
@@goddamnpavuk1099yup. Like looking in a mirror… all the Old Gods songs actually contain major spoilers 😂
@@Matt-bg5wg but that's the neat part, you most likely wouldn't see them, till you know them
Portela has even sung on Broadway.
Old Gods of Asgard(in Alan Wake Universe) = Poets of the Fall(in real life)
Marko has a really soothing voice and they make great music
Also, Herald of Darkness is nothing without the dance moves.
So, an interesting note about the vocal tracks (released as Chapter Songs) in Alan Wake 2: they're not licensed; they're commissions.
Alan Wake 1 has a lot of licensed music in it from bands like The Black Angels, Poe, David Bowie, Tom Waits, etc. And ten years ago, the licenses expired and needed to be re-upped, causing Alan Wake to get delisted for a time. So for Alan Wake 2, they commissioned these songs from a collection of artists, giving Remedy's head writer (and the face of Max Payne) Sam Lake writing credits in the songs and Remedy as a studio producing credit, thus avoiding future delisting problems.
Which, honestly, I think is a neat way to go about it.
Best part about Dark Ocean Summoning is that the band wrote it in the 10 minutes on the drive to play it… in the game not in real life.
That second song Anger's Remorse is inner monologue of one of the band members for his daughter, who he pushed away, and they never reconnected.
Son, who was the father of Saga
@@WinchesterxNLTor isn’t related to Saga’s father and he hates Sagas dad
@@WinchesterxNLno he pushed away his daughter, freya after banishing sagas father
Since every one is already talking about 'Harald of Darkness' I'll give some love to 'Anger's Remorse' and the awesome 'Dark Ocean Summoning'.
While Harald is very clearly a big rock opera musical number. Anger's Remorse has an interesting in universe backstory and significance. It's canonically an unreleased single writen as an apology by Tor Anderson, the drummer for Old God's of Asgard and the protagonist Saga Anderson's long lost grandfather, to his now deceased daughter (Saga's mother Freya) for being a terrible dad and driving away Saga's father.
Locating the record and playing it acts as a key in game to progress the story.
Dark Ocean Summoning is played while the elderly Anderson brothers channel the spirit of their younger selves and deceased band mate while performing on top of a bus/makeshift stage on the shore of Cauldron Lake. Saga fights waves of enemies as the song plays in the background. Oh, they're also setting off concert pyro throughout.
The song and performance is a literal ritual to summon Alan Wake back to reality from the dark dimension accesesed via the lake. All the lyrics very specifically referrence Alan, his circumstances, and has very deep layers of narrative meaning.
I already saw them live twice and yes i must admit, seeing guitarist live is a treat indeed. Theres even a section during concert when they just let him play for like 3 minutes ^^
I can just imagine how fun for Poets of the fall, who are more modern rock band with, predominantly, more chill and mellow stile of music, to play those old school hard rockers, which they were probably listened from their early days, and go absolutely crazy with that. I mean with this soundtrack they made such a tasty and awesome hard rock album.
while you're on the Alan wake 2 soundtrack you should totally check out Yötön yö and all the songs by Poe!
Its so awesome to hear musical analysis on the old gods of asgard! As many of the commenters have said, the Old Gods are a fictional band in the Alan Wake universe, with their IRL personas being the Poets of the Fall. However, all of the lyrics are written by Sam Lake, the video game Director (you saw him accept the awards for AW2 during the game awards!) And as such the lyrics usually have hidden messages that explain the lore of the Remedyverse! For example (no spoilers, dont worry!) in the game "Alan Wake's American Nightmare" there is a song called Balance Slays the Demon that while on the surface it is a fun rock song with elements of 80s glam, beneath its a coded message that explains what Alan needs to do to get out of the Dark Place--and below even that, it has a coded message about the town of Ordinary and hints about Jesse Faden who would appear in their next game, Control! In the Vinyl version there is a message about the influences for the Old Gods being a combination of Metallica and Led Zepplin, but there are also some lore influences to their music as well. When they have a different producer the sound is different! Also, there is a reason why there is so many incredible Guitar solos in AW2's sountrack! In the first game, the old Gods were just two guys--singer and drums. And they were always talking about their old Guitarist Fat Bob Baulder! The band was "never the same" without him. The Old Gods are in their best form in AW2 and Fat Bob is back! So of course, they had to make him shine. I could honestly talk about this all day. 😅 thank yoi for the incredible video SPG! Looking forward to the next one!! ❤
I think Dark Ocean Summoning is probably my favourite. Definitely has those boss music vibes!
It's so amazing to hear peoples reactions to Olli's guitar playing. He truly is incredible.
I would have to say, in context these songs are 10x better. Every time I listen them, it makes me want to replay Alan Wake 2
I'm glad someone out there pointed out the Uematsu style riffs during Herald of Darkness, the song dipping into a kind of Black Mages style JRPG prog rock for a full 4 minutes is pretty much my favorite part
The champion of light was Alan, but the herald of darkness was his alter persona Mr.Scratch the dark places version of him
Awesome to see your reactions! There are amazing songs plenty in the game, would love to see your reaction to Poe - This road and Ahti - Yötön Yö from the game too, two very different vibes, also very diegetic songs like these!
I grew up listening to kiss, Montley crew, Cinderella, etc thanks to my dad and haven’t listened to this era or rock/ metal in recent years so hearing PotF as Old Gods give that era gives me such a feeling of nostalgia but also the hype of new music.
I was super lucky to tune into a streamer at this part and it blew me away, Put the song on my phone ever since. Love it!
Nice to see that "angers remorse" makes it so clear what it is about. It is song from the point of a father about his regrets that he let his anger become the better of him and drove his daughter away (he wasn't happy about her choice of husband) and the regret is even greater because the daughter is dead already and only his grand daughter gets to hear his apology.
The way the songs are implemented in the game is extremely powerful.
For instance, Angers Remorse, you start up the song on an old jukebox, meanwhile, there is otherworldly shizz is happening outside. as you step outside, the environment changes and the music gets louder and more powerful. Its amazing.
With Dark Ocean Summoning, its being played during a huge gunfight with shadow monsters. The band is playing it on the top of their van, while video of the band in their younger years plays in a haze behind them.
The Old Gods of Asgard are a band pseudonym for a finish band called Poets of the Fall, and the guitar player shredding is Olli. The man is a beast not just of shredding, but of gorgeous melodies and masterful tone and feel. If you are not familiar with their music you should check them out. Their last studio album, Ghostlight, gives you loads of the guitar sound you have here, but in a more restrained and focused way. But the musicality with these guys is insane. Poets of the Fall is by far one of my favorite bands of all time, specially as songwriting for synth pop/rock. You can hear the metal influences, but nothing like this.
Old Gods of Asgard are simply divine, heh. Their music is just so much goddamn fun.
Remedy also have a couple songs in their games recorded by the actor who plays the character Ahti, the mystical Finnish janitor - He did one called Sankarin Tango for Control, and for Alan Wake 2 he did one called Yötön Yö, which means Nightless Night, and it's absolutely stunning. Martti Suosalo has a positively heavenly voice. I'd be really interested to see what you think of them!
Aw man, I was hoping This Road by Poe would show up. Shows off a very different side of the soundtrack, introspective, haunting and just plain weird. Probably the game's actual theme as far as I'm concerned.
Parts of Herald of Darkness reminds me so much of 'A Nightmare To Remember - Dream Theater'
It might be intersting to know that some of the songs are for ingame events like the ingame musical, that recounts the story of Alan Wake I and was performed in a abbreviated version on the stage of the game awards, or a summoning peformed by a rock concert. And those are the two you already pointed out! Other songs are used intermissions / outros for sections of the game.
But did you watch past 18:02 tho
The whole game is a treat for the ears. Not just the music.
For real..
The sound design is so amazing.
On the same channel of Old Gods of Asgard you can find a musical-video version of "Herald of Darkness". Or search for walkthrough of "We sing" mission from Alan Wake II
Old gods of asgard is just for games etc. They are poets of the fall and marko is an awesome singer
We know
In the game, the song IS being performed onstage in a broadway / Late show style show. And that violin of yours is sexy as hell.
Such a cool reaction video! You mention all the things I love about Poets of the Fall, I mean Old Gods of Asgard. And so cool Ollie receives praise for his guitar skills, he is fantastic!
Now u need to react more Old Gods of Asgard songs✨
- The Poet and the Muse
- Children of the Elder God
- Balance Slays the Demon
- Take Control (this this this this this this!!!)
Their lead guitarist is just godlike
Facts
in the game, herald of darkness is a musical section that you play through, the official music video explains the context and all the long guitar sections are there to pad out the music as the player walks through it at their own pace
Everything Poets of the Fall do is fantastic. Their music is super varied in style and has lots of great little details. Please check them out. Their normal stuff is even better than their Old Gods-music.
Thank you! I can tell that you know a lot about music and games. This was really interesting.
Take Control is another really good song from Old Gods of Asgard. It's from another Remedy game called Control.
I love it how Old Gods of Asgard sound like an old 80's metal band because that is exactly what they are (in the game). Poets of the Fall, the real band behind Old Gods of Asgard, are not necessarily a metal band (and not from the 80's) but more of a rock or like rock-pop band. You really should listen to their song Carnical of Rust. It has a great music video too.
Control is amazing! Finished the base game and DLC! Totally Team Faden
@@LionmightOfficialOh, that's cool that you have played that already!!
@@LionmightOfficialA fun little thing they set up in Take Control already, there are three sections in the song where you hear speech, that can't be really understood. Those sections are reversed, so if you play the song backwards, you can make out the lyrics then. And one of those sections also turned out to be a small spoiler for Alan Wake 2.
@@CorporalCookie Did they start the "backwards voices"-thing in Control? I could've sworn "Children of the Elder God" (Alan Wake I) and/or "Balance slays the Demon" (Alan Wake's American Nightmare) already had those.
@@DryFos678 There is one in Balance Slayes The Demon. At the end: "It will happen again, in another town, called Ordinary", in reference to Control. One in Take Control references Alan Wake 2, so those two are references to games that weren't out yet at that point.
It's actually my first time hearing the full herald of darkness and it's everything I love in this genre! Alan Wake 2 is an entirely different league of its own.
You’re right, Olli must had so much fun playing those long guitar solos! The scene in the game is quite long (depending how long does it take to play it through), and the music goes on and on. I could listen to Herald of Darkness 24/7. 😄
"...and the music usually takes a backseat, waaaaay of a backseat." I fully understand needing to limit your consumption of things. It can be overwhelming and impossible to keep up. However, in an effort to become a video game developer I've played A LOT of video games of various genres to see what's good, to see what sells well in the industry, and simply to see what I like and would want to make myself. And I'm here to tell you, there are at least 2 - 4 moments in the game where the music is VERY MUCH in the FRONT SEAT. I can't think of another game where the music is front and center the way it is in this game (and a couple other Remedy games). I highly recommend that you keep this game in mind for a day when you might have the time to play it and might be in the mood for something new and different. A couple of these songs take on a whole new life when in the context of the game and it's a beautiful experience. Cheers.
I love this section. Cause it's literally describing the game, and also it just kicks ass.
Always a pleasure to listen to professional commentary, thanks man 🖤
Olli Tukiainen is next level with his guitar playing.
poets of the fall had thier first real break out moment on the first allen wake game and i've followed them ever since. I have to say seeing them make a return here is just awesome.
u should check the previous songs too. I personally recommend The Poet and the Muse and Balance Slays the Demnon
On Poets, there is no so much hard guitar parts. Though, Olli and Jaska are somewhat not so much at front...
They are EXCELLENT guitarists 😊
I love the whole bands work on "Old Gods Of Asgard" and Remedy.
Love them. What a band!
SHOW ME THE CHAMPION OF LIGHT!!!!
I'LLSHOW YOU THE HERALD OF DARKNESS
LOST IN A NEVERENDING NIGHTTT!!
I love how all songs featured in Alan Wake 2 were specifically written for it and are about game world... my favorite has to be "Yoton Yo by Ahti"
The guitar work in Herald of Darkness has absolutely no business going so hard. Some parts soung like something from a G3 with Satriani and Petrucci playing, it's amazing.
Also, damn, you should really watch gameplay, you've got to see how this plays out in-game. It's fucking genius. The weird dance moves/musical vibe are the centerpiece.
Your channel helps me hear things in music I never could hear before. Thank you for sharing your talent and insights with us! 🥰
you hit the nail on the head for angers remorse, it is a monolougue of the inner thoughts the grandfather of one of the protagonists, about his regrets with how he treated his family
While Herald of Darkness is the more popular song from the game - and the in-game sequence for this part is pretty fun (and good for a chuckle, too) - the part of the game where Dark Ocean Summoning comes in is awesome! Heck, even a character in the game comments on how epic it is!
It ties for most "metal" moment in gaming with Remedy's own Control with the Ashtray Maze sequence with the song "Take Control" by none other than Old Gods of Asgard. 🤘🤘
28:10
While the beginning is pretty much a 1 to 1 copy of "Immigrant Song", the rest of the song gives very strong Sabaton vibes. The structure of the song, that huge solo in the middle. For the live of me I cannot remember the name of the song (Fields of Verdun mb? ), but this solo is nearly identical to on of Sabaton's. Not blaming or anything, just wanted to share
P. S. Just an interesting fact: in the game's cannon, this song was written in about 30 minutes. OGoA literally wrote this song as they were driving to Cauldron Lake from their nursing home.
You are right about figuring out how to end the song. The main character is one of the people singing and is the one trying to end the song to escape. Fun fact about the musical part: it was on the choping block for cut content, but was included by request one of the people working of the game (I think the writer, don't remember).
olli is an incredibly underrated guitarist. i love poets of the fall so much
These guys are so good. And when you add the context of the game, it's pure pleasure to listen.
That Mission with dark summoning was one of the best missions in the game, intense gun fight and epic sound track
23:19 best part !!!!! Look at the surprised face! I loved this song, the melody is fantastic
What's funny about that last song, Dark Ocean Sumoning, is that in-game, it was written in 30 munites.
The last chorus they all sing together… astonishing.
The thing about any old gods songs they are written to be very specific to what is happening or what its about in game rather than poetic like many rocks songs. So in context the songs are much more powerful than they would be as just a rock song on the radio. Outside of context they are still great but really hit home inside the game
Dark Ocean Summoning I am getting strong John Petrucci (Dream Theater) vibes in his playing.
You gotta listen to Take Control!
It's from Remedy's other game "Control" and is a absolute jam.
POETS OF THE FALL! Whole band resurrected from the dead for this...
I would recomend listening to Yötön yö and the Sankarin tango (from CONTROL), Both are really cool songs in the Remedy game universe and entirely in finnish. They are both sung by a in-game character named Athi. Yötön yö has been stuck in my head for days now.
The lyrics show me the champion of light and ill show you the herald of darkness is a foreshadowing of events that happen later on in the game.
You show me the hero and i will show you the villain
And yes this song is a musical. Theres an entire live action segment of everyone dancing and singing in the game. Its bonkers and i love it.
As a old metalhead I really like Old Gods of Asgard and you should definitely check out Control soundtrack as well since Take Control is still my favourite (though how that song ties into the game is probably a large part of the experience). However, do check out the Ahti songs, they're Finnish style tango and I never thought I would enjoy anything in that particular genre as much as I love Yötön Yö for example (subtitles on, as with all of these game songs, the words tell a story that ties into the game)
Ahti is a common name for older Finnish males, *also* an old god of deep waters. In "Remedyverse" this particular unassuming janitor/groundskeeper is definitely a *lot* more than you would think.
Olli Tukiainen is the lead guitarist and he is fantastic
I agree.
When they say "Show me the champion of light, I'll show you the herald of darkness", they're not being satirical. They're referring to how when Alan escapes the Dark Place, his evil double Mr. Scratch will escape with him. The Old Gods aren't just an in-universe band, they used to fight against the Dark Presence, which is powered by creative energy, so they write coded messages in their songs that relate to the struggles of other people fighting it.
This game is amazing 😍 I hope there's part 3
I need someone that is a fan of alan wake to analyze this song, so it can help me put into words and technicals terms how well herald of darkness represents the fight between light and darkness/alan wake and scratch.
I don't know about music to put it into words, but you can hear so clearly how it is playing the story going through the life of the character and his fight against the darkness within him manifesting
So happy you did anger's remorse, I love it.
Alan Wake has 3 types of music: The normal OST, Interludes, and Setpiece music
Set Pieces: So the Old Gods of Asgard are the heaviest songs as they are filled and full of action and constantly eolves and are designed this way as they are played during the gameplay.
Interludes: These songs are here to make you think and relax, and get soaked in atmosphere. You could count the radio stuff here if you want to, by then they are optional interludes.
OST: This is the normal fight music, the normal background music etc.
Spot on in the call about them sounding like classic 70s rock vibe. That is exactly when the band was in its heyday in the Remedy Universe
Sir, bless you for diving into the Alan Wake 2 music. That game doesn't have one bad song. My recommendation is you do the rest of the songs from featured in the game like This Road by Poe, Yötön Yö from Ahti, Heroes and Villains by our dear divine friends the Old Gods/Poets of the Fall, Dark, Twisted and Cruel, and so on
Fantastic video! I’d love to see you cover some of the Silent Hill game music (Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4 specifically, all very different from each other. Theme of Laura from Silent Hill 2 is legendary)
I would love for you to react to some more music from the game!
There are really great End Chapter Songs!
The great thing about this song is that it retells the story of the first game and basically how you're going to play to end the second game
You can tell your overwhelmed with the song dark ocean summoning
Interesting to get a music expert's POV. We ordinary people are not even aware of the numerous musical elements and sources in the background, coming and going. Nice to see them pointed out here.
Love from a Bricky and Vaush fan!
I love balance slays the demon the most of all their songs
I was going to eventually check out the music of this game but thanks to you in this video not only can I do so I can also come to fully appreciate the music more than I could have by myself, this is definitely some well made music that I am going to have to check out the rest of the soundtrack to by myself since I do think this is impressive also that guy singing reminds me of the lead singer of poets of the fall and that can only be a good thing!
Herald of Darkness makes me tear up every time. It's one of the best songs ever made for a game, which is a massive achievement. I contend it's even better than Pizza Tower's Unexpectancy, something I never thought could be topped this year.
Oh man, these are great but for variety you should check also the other Chapter Songs from the game which they released as an album. Rakel - Follow You Into the Dark, and Roos+Berg - No One Left to Love for example. Or pretty much any other song on the Soundtrack is great.
Herald of darkness tales place in a late night talk show where Alan Wake is being interviewed about a book he doesn't remember writing. In game, we see a version of him on video screens being interviewed while singing, the player version of Alan Walks through different puzzles trying to wake up from a dream where this is taking place. The on screen version needs to end the song, at the end he collapses into a chair tired of singing and dancing.
Angers remorse is part of a puzzle. The old gods are 2 brothers in their 90s at this point. (They're possibly actual Norse gods). The song is an apology to The drummer Tor Anderson's daughter, and his grand daughter Saga. In this scene we play as Saga, using the record and a jukebox to open a rift to another world to rescue our grandfather.
Your mind will be blown if you examined how this works during gameplay. Extremely impressive stuff.
as much as i like the Herald of Darkness my fav song from this game was Ahti - Yötön Yö
You should check out how these songs are actually used in game. Also, Take Control in the game Control is both the same game company and band and is incredible in the way it's woven in... I'd love to see how you react to the way they're woven in with gameplay.
EDIT: Your playing along with the songs make them sound even more Kansas-like. XD
I don't like the game (Alan Wake series) but I have played and beat Control and I definitely remember the Take Control scene. But yeah, I won't play Alan Wake 1 or 2.
Also check this video out: ruclips.net/video/hCOnRtQKxMI/видео.html
@@LionmightOfficial Totally understandable if you just don't have the time or interest in playing it, but would you be curious to watch a playthrough of just this specific section to see how it's all incorporated into the game? Honestly I haven't even played AW2 yet, but I've seen this part and I just think it's a really fun set piece they put together with the gameplay, live action video, and music.
Even just the idea of watching a playthrough is already starting to bore me to death. I'm here to check out the music you all suggest and have fun with it in the 3-4 minutes I spend with it. And move on to the next song.
I won't also pretend to like some games just to appeal to subscribers, I know what I like and I know what I don't like, and I am very vocal about it.
@@LionmightOfficial I don't mean watch the entire game, just the small portions of the game they're in. All you'd need to do is look up a walkthrough of the part called "We Sing" It wouldn't be that much longer than the original song (and you'd get extra parts they didn't put in the 'single version') but you would see how they manage to merge the songs with the gameplay, because it's surprisingly unique. I get why playthroughs might bore people though.
@@LockeTheCole I'll consider thinking about it.