Musical Montage: Old Gods of Asgard “Herald of Darkness”
The alter ego of Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall, Old Gods of Asgard is a heavy metal band that exists in the universe of Alan Wake/Control, and they helped create one of the most incredible video game levels of all time in Alan Wake II. *Spoilers* In the chapter “We Sing” of the Alan campaign of Alan Wake II, Alan (Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta) has been trapped in endless loops in the horrific alternate universe known as The Dark Place. Things take an unusual and fantastic turn in this particular loop as Alan fights through a musical version of his life story set to the incredible song “Herald of Darkness.” Along with the band, Alan and Mr. Door (David Harewood) perform, with Sam Lake, the face model of FBI Agent Alex Casey in-game and the lead writer of the series, joining for some wonderful dance sequences. The band worked directly with Remedy to work out the timing and length of each segment of the song, taking into consideration that players could choose to stay in certain areas for shorter or longer than expected, but everything works seamlessly, and it’s also visually one of the most exciting and stunningly designed levels in gaming history. The band released a music video version of the song, which you can check out below.
