ReMix:Doom "Helljam II" 3:34

Well, Halloween came and went, and then last week the REAL terror began, so we resume operations with a dark, twisted, experimental arrangement of Doom II from Redg (Brent Wollman) that kinda serves as a metaphor for the... deep concern... many of us are feeling at the moment. Also serves as a sequel/companion to 2015's "Helljam" - Brent writes:

"skeletons/mistakes

i felt that the chord progression, which is dominant throughout, was connected to the source. even tho the original is a simple two-chord deal, it has a clear musical identity which i establish in the intro.

at 1:27, i added a synth that highlights the melody."

He revised this piece based on initial panel feedback regarding source connections not being strong enough, adding some melodic tendons to the existing relationship with chord progressions. Unlike the more accessible/traditional HL2 mix we posted last month, this is Brent's experimental side, introing with static pads, building out a creaky, swaying soundscape, and eventually incorporating some disconcerting drums... all the better to terrify you with, my dear. It's not something you're gonna dance to or sing in the shower, unless you're... odd. Liontamer writes:

"This was a creepy, abstract presentation that transformed the mood of the source a lot, but used it pretty consistently. The two-note pattern is pretty simplistic, but that's how it's explicitly used in the source, so I don't have a problem with it at all."

Sir_NutS was initially enthusiastic about the production but skeptical of the connections to source, relative to site standards. The aforementioned revision Brent sent in helped address that:

"I loved the dark feeling and the organized disarray of it all. The sound design was sick and those amped feedback sounds can cut through flesh. If this didn't have a beat this would fit right at home in a horror movie scene...

There's more source in the new version, and now it sounds more like a Doom remix. I think Emery had some valid points on the disjointed feeling of the track... but given the source material there's really not much to work with here. I think this will be a divisive track regarding the sound design (which I'm sure will be very annoying to some people) and arrangement (which is a bit iffy) when/if it gets posted, but for me the new version complies with our standards now."

Submissions like this certainly challenge the judges panel to think expansively about how minimalist sources can & should be interpreted; I'm glad Brent provided the revision to make things a little more clear-cut, but even with obvious & explicit connections to source material, arrangements in this genre/style are still going to be divisive just for their unorthodox structure and avant-garde aesthetic. That's a fancy way of saying that this probably ain't for everyone, but I personally love the electricity, immediacy, and scorched-earth textures Brent coaxes into existence in these types of tracks, and this one has some very memorable & distinct examples of that. Haunting & unsettling!