It is no secret that the main man of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, is a huge fan of id Software games, beginning with the early 1990s Wolfenstein 3D and Doom franchises, which were phenomenal international successes and changed the way that video games were viewed, particularly in relation to first-person shooters (FPS). Understandably, Trent Reznor and crew managed to get involved with the video game soundtrack and sound effects for the original Quake game. This album is a collection of the music from the game. Let’s hear it and hope that it sounds as good as it is promised on paper.

Quake Theme begins with some musical static and launches into a very cyber digital tune that is dystopian sounding and very Cyberpunk. This sounds decent from the start and is dark, scary and atmospheric. A great start to a video game soundtrack, this is very dark, mechanical and eerie. It quickly breaks down into a section with human screaming sounds and sounds really cool for it. This is quickly followed by atmospheric washes that are dark and ambient. This subdued section continues on for some time and sounds really excellent and picturesque. The sounds present are indescribably creepy, and they fit the game perfectly. Very eerie, creepy and scary for a video game released in 1996. This slow instrumental section continues on for some time and just sounds rather weird. A great listen, all the same. The sounds are ingenious musically, and Trent Reznor should be proud of his efforts here. The sounds continue on bustling in the background, right up until the end. A really great listening experience.

Aftermath begins with some stereo-panned and catchy cyber sounds and melodies, launching into a freaky science fiction piece that sounds warped. This is really cool, and quite catchy as well. A short piece at around two and a half minutes long with some excellent suspense and dark themes musically, this does sound really cool and awesome. A really great tune to listen to, this sounds awesome and interesting. This piece is verging on minimalism with its sounds and effects, which are consistently awesome and otherworldly. All in all, another great listen.

The Hall Of Souls is an extended piece over eight minutes long. It begins with Industrial music styled sounds and whispering. This is suspenseful and excellent, just sounding really cool and weird. Some weird and creepy murmuring then enters to add to the odd mixture of deep and dark sounds. An oddity in the music world, but this is perfect music for the Quake video game and crossover appeal between Nine Inch Nails and id Software. Soon enough, some more musical elements enter with some cyber cymbal styled sounds and this tune continues to progress on nicely. The sounds and impact here are both equally amazing, and this piece sounds very discordant. Regardless, a great listen. The sounds and textures build up throughout, and this piece of music is a really fantastic and interesting tune. This is much more experimental and avant-garde Electronic music than you’d expect, it just sounds really weird. All the same, the music on this track is amazing and showcases a new type of musical ground that hadn’t really been covered at this point. In the second half, the sound gets more urgent and impactful, sounding like a horror movie piece that is super creepy, eerie and futuristic. This is a pulsating and odd sounding tune. To be fair, Nine Inch Nails was very popular at the time, and this collaboration is a musical winner. The sounds throughout are really eerie. Towards the end, the creepy whispering returns for some time, as this piece gradually reaches its ending and has a super dark, creepy and daresay, satanic elements to it. A really great listen, this ends with a slow and gradual fade out with gurgling noises occurring. Brilliant.

It Is Raped sounds like both a harsh track title and a piece of music on its own. It sounds super eerie, with musical static and strange melodies designed to raise your hair on end. It is a really weird listening experience, but one that is satisfying for the nature of both the Quake game itself and other instances where this music may be necessary. It is almost like a mechanical musical heartbeat this piece, except it sounds like something out of a real nightmare. Good, all the same, this does sound warped and interesting. The melodies and musical elements flutter in and out, changing frequently to suit the progression of this dark and scary listen. The sounds present are really not designed for children to hear, so you’d be best off putting that away from kids if you have them. There are elements of Industrial music, saxophone parts and IDM here, mashed up into an awesome listening experience that many will relate to. All in all, this is one of the most underrated releases of its time. Towards the end, this tune begins to sound creepy and freaky, more so than you would ever think. Another fantastic listen, this sounds impressive, wonderful and amazing. It begins to fade out at the end, concluding with a whoosh. Excellent.

Parallel Dimensions begins with some low-end and deep, dark bass sounds. This is quite interesting and amazing to listen to. There is also some mechanical sounding breathing going on here as well. Again, this is a lengthy piece at over seven minutes long. The music continues on nicely, building up horror film styled elements in the instrumentals here. This array of sounds continues nicely on, getting very claustrophobic and Industrial sounding as it goes along. There is no doubt that Trent Reznor is a real genius when it comes to this sort of music, and one can truly appreciate his efforts here. The sounds build up gradually and with a great deal of intensity towards the middle, with some slight rhythms being added along the way. This sounds exactly like the sort of music Nosferatu/Dracula would enjoy on a crazy night out, searching for their goodies. In the middle are some creepy animal type sounds which are definitely odd. Again, this is an excellent listening experience that takes some time to appreciate, but it is wonderful for what it is. A good tune to listen to, although the music here is very irregular and IDM based. After all, this was released in 1996. After some time in the second half, the track gets more sparse sounding, with the mechanical sounds and breathing continuing on for some time. A really cool listening experience, this no doubt is a solid gold video game soundtrack winner. Towards the end, everything gets much more subtle, before gently concluding. Another great listen.

Life is another long piece at over eight minutes in length. It begins with some liquid and pulsating sounds, which are different. Some other textures are gradually thrown into the mix, continuing this very much horror film video game soundtrack. Nonetheless, this is awesome listening still and sounds really quite good. A bunch of interesting melodies are intertwined throughout this track, making this quite surreal as well. The music progresses fairly slowly in this piece, but especially given the context as such, this is no surprise. An odd sounding tune with some interesting and indescribably cool sounds, this is part of the reason why Quake was so legendary upon its release back in 1996. In short, it works. The IDM leanings on this tune, along with the others on this soundtrack, serve it very nicely here. It sounds like an alien death march in sections. Regardless, this is a creepy and cool listening experience that is worth your time and ears, provided that you like dark and eerie video game soundtracks. The second half has a more minimal set of elements about it and seems a bit too repetitive here for its own good. Some washes of sound are stereo-panned in the background nicely before this tune gets a bit more eerie sounding with those particular elements. To be fair, this is a bit too long for a track of this sort. Having said that, it fits the context of the video game nicely. The sounds progress, but by this point, it’s a bit of a drag to listen to. Soon enough, this does begin to wrap up well and finally concludes after eight and a half minutes.

Damnation begins with ghostly and otherworldly sounds that are deep and unique. This continues the eerie brilliance and horror video game soundtrack going along nicely. An awesome listening experience from the start, this sounds like the dark version of FSOL’s Lifeforms album. In any case, musically it is a creepy winner. There are imitations of human screams and other scary and unorthodox sound effects throughout. This is worth hearing if you like the darker side of life and being freaked out by scary music. This is psychologically close to the bone, and only Nine Inch Nails who made albums such as The Downward Spiral and The Fragile could make music like this. A freaky and strange listen with the most unusual sounds you will find in a video game soundtrack, this sounds quite evil and satanic as well. A different listening experience, but an unforgettable listening experience. There are some warped sounds throughout that are very, very good. Trent Reznor is a musical genius, and don’t let anyone else convince you otherwise. Towards the end, this wraps up well and concludes with some strange melodies and percussive sounds. Excellent.

Focus begins with more eerie melodies, continuing the horror soundtrack styled vibe present. Some unusual IDM Industrial Music textures then enter, and this piece gets going nicely. It certainly sounds strange and eerie for music of its kind, and it is an unusual listening experience in the history of music. This piece is six minutes long and takes some patience to appreciate and go through. Although this isn’t the best track from this album, it fits perfectly with the other tracks here as well. The sounds and noises throughout are extremely otherworldly and unusual, and one can believe that this soundtrack is the master brainchild of Trent Reznor himself. This particular track is a bit of a drag by itself. Sure, it would fit a computer game scenario nicely but otherwise, this is fairly dull listening. Which is a little disappointing here. Still, one cannot help but feel this is good for the video game itself. If Earth ever declares war on Mars, this is the soundtrack for that. In any case, this track does eventually end after six and a half minutes. Good but lengthy and repetitive.

Falling is, fortunately, fairly short at three and a half minutes long. It begins with pressurised air rush style sounds and has some other creepy textures enter into this tune. It sounds like a reprise of the ending of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. Soon enough, deep and dark textures enter which sound very different. Some processed mechanical sounds are here as well. This is great in a video game sense. Eventually, some thumping sounds follow along and this awesome piece sounds precisely just like the title suggests: falling eternally into nothing. A really scary sort of piece, this does work nicely on a psychological level, however. Towards the end are more air rush sounds and a gradual conclusion. Not bad.

The Reaction is the last track here and begins with some creepy yet ethereal sounds to begin with. These sounds continue along for some time, along with some unusual and weird sonic textures. This sounds fairly random, although it is not supposed to be so. A great piece of music here to stun and shock you, the sounds present here are really decent and different. Interesting nonetheless, this sounds almost like mutants talking with some distant Industrial Music sounds in the background. These sounds are extremely imaginative, however, they sound like a very dark sonic place. A great way to conclude a fairly decent soundtrack album, this sounds really pretty and interesting. The outro is sparse sounding with a variety of interesting textures. The album then ends here.

This album isn’t the greatest soundtrack album ever. However, for all its flaws, it is still a very, very decent listening experience in general. Obviously a great combination of id Software video game glory and deep, dark imagination from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, this is interesting enough to listen to. Should you listen to this album? It depends on if you like video game soundtracks or not. If yes, try it out, if no, then forget it.

Interesting, dark and scary.

7/10