"Temple"
One of the most enjoyable things about the stylistic diversity of the background art in this game was the oppurtunity it gave me to do variations on certain themes. Though the choral elements, strings and heavy drumbeats used often in the Diablo music are obvious choices as material for creepy ambience, it was fun to work with instrumental textures which are not so obviously heavy or gothic. The marimba and log percussion featured in this tune are good examples of this - wheras marimbas usually suggest a fun tropical holiday, and african percussion is usually a**ociated with a sunny, celebratory feeling, this piece tried to subvert these sounds into something much darker and more menacing.
Often, composers will exploit the stranger sounds possible with conventional orchestral instruments to get the sense of anxiety that atonality gives you. With the log drum and other percussion elements, I tried to use the naturally semi-tonal qualities found in these instruments to create a similarly menacing atmosphere. Of course, the use of these African percussion textures also helped to integrate act 3 as a whole, which had the conga-driven jungle as its centerpiece.
- Matt Uelmen
One of the most enjoyable things about the stylistic diversity of the background art in this game was the oppurtunity it gave me to do variations on certain themes. Though the choral elements, strings and heavy drumbeats used often in the Diablo music are obvious choices as material for creepy ambience, it was fun to work with instrumental textures which are not so obviously heavy or gothic. The marimba and log percussion featured in this tune are good examples of this - wheras marimbas usually suggest a fun tropical holiday, and african percussion is usually a**ociated with a sunny, celebratory feeling, this piece tried to subvert these sounds into something much darker and more menacing.
Often, composers will exploit the stranger sounds possible with conventional orchestral instruments to get the sense of anxiety that atonality gives you. With the log drum and other percussion elements, I tried to use the naturally semi-tonal qualities found in these instruments to create a similarly menacing atmosphere. Of course, the use of these African percussion textures also helped to integrate act 3 as a whole, which had the conga-driven jungle as its centerpiece.
- Matt Uelmen