It’s so weird having hard metal paired with a historical shooter, but honestly the game just would not be the same without it. I think that on its own, WaW is very tonally different from every other COD (something which carried over into the other Treyarch games, albeit watered down). It’s a lot grittier and darker, and certainly more visceral, something which metal absolutely supplements! It’s part of why WaW’s ost is my favorite, it’s bold and a perfect counter to the more predictable (but still great) osts of games before and after it. Sean Murray was great, and I’m glad they kept him for BO1.
Absolutely! The beauty of it is that they had a vision, went for it, and it totally paid off. To add to that, the fact that the music is not all Doom-like: full of adrenaline and action. The WaW sound is a little more unnerving - of course you’ve got your metal segments which accentuate the “badassery”, but it’s done in a way where it feels a little disconnected; like you’re killing people because you’re in a war, but there’s a hint of acknowledgment of the human element - the fact you’re taking a life for something out of our control (I.e. Reznov’s vengeance for Stalingrad)
@@Skauldrich that’s a really good read on what the music does! Honestly, I feel like there’s a subtle element of horror to the tracks, one which becomes even more important in the zombies mode, it’s part of why I think WaW zombies was so unnerving
@@hollowsteel Most definitely. Haha! You need not look further than the main menu music to hear audible war trauma. 😂 (Not that that's anything to laugh about...)
@@Skauldrich yeah, and one last thing, were you gonna do another video like this for black ops 1? (Or any other cod games that utilize metal, like MW3)
@@hollowsteel That might not be such a bad idea. If I get around to making something like that, I'll keep you posted. I was mostly concentrated on WaW since it's got a very distinct sound. :)
"He wants mercy!" "You do not deserve mercy." "What mercy did you show to our people?" "Time to die!" "Wait wait! He may help us!" "Help us? He can die for us." *Gun shot*
I want to point out that some of the double kick drums in Eviction, and in Downfall have the same beats per minute that an MG42 has in rounds per minute, 1200. And in Eviction the pace is more broken, between busts of about 3 to 5 seconds, which is what a well trained MG42 gunner would fire in, but in Downfall, they become not only more pronounced, sounding closer to actual gunfire with the distortion, but the bursts are a lot more frequent, and last longer, which tells you that this is a last ditch gunfight, and the gunner is either in a panic, or is an untrained conscript.
Holy! That honestly adds another depth to the soundtrack, doesn’t it? Goodness gracious. I’ve discussed with others in the comments about the instruments emulating the weapons, but this is a whole lot deeper. 😮
Or is just another wounded soldier since in the same mission and beyond you can see bandaged soldiers as a "quick fix" to their injuries to get them combat ready again.
The heavy hitting, rhythmic nature of the music, combined with the metal and electronic parts really brings out this sense of the industrialized violence machine that WW2 was, with the occasional haunting vocals to remind you of the very real, very horrific cost in human lives we as a species paid for the creation of that machine.
People say the metal segments are "out of place" but I think they're thematically fitting, especially in the Soviet campaign where many of the metal tracks are remixes of the more tamed ones from earlier. It represents the sheer technological and industrial might of the country, alongside its vengeful and deadly fury that swept across Eastern Europe. In Eviction there's even one part that sounds like machine gun bursts, immersing further into the world and blending music with gunfire. Sean Murray is one of the greats.
Couldn't say it better myself. It's almost as if is Murray composed a soundtrack that reflected, not only the setting, but also the emotions behind what's being fought for. He's essentially created music that sounds like war, wouldn't you say?
I dont know if anybody will read it but pay attention to downfall 11:45. The beat speed is a change from MG-42 to MP-40. It was a literal genius who put such an idea to a music.
Really blows one's mind, doesn't it? You've got to love when composers come up with this kind of thing. Such a small detail, but those with keen ears can spot it... just as you did. 😀
The eviction part is legit the best piece of video game soundtrack I've ever heard. When I played this campaign on veteran and I heard this part, I was literally sweating in the middle of winter!
YES!! This, and there's the section in Their Land, Their Blood near the beginning when you move up the trenches and going to take out the tanks by the houses thats just NUTS. Then it kicks into the heavy guitar riff as you mow your way through the compound at the end of the level. Awesome stuff. There's a 10-11min video on youtube of the whole track from that mission. Highly recommend giving it a listen.
Best campaign, best soundtrack, best gore system, dark and gritty w/ no censorship, pretty good multiplayer, and the game that introduced zombies to the Call of Duty franchise. World at War is the best Call of Duty ever in my opinion. I don't think Treyarch will ever develop another game like World at War sadly.
The Eviction soundtrack is my favorite part. The buzzsaw sounding guitar with the high pitched riff in the background and the staccato drumming. Such a perfect and evocative compliment to the game's brutal atmosphere. I still play that mission and get chills whenever the guitar kicks in.
Metal is a genre born out of factories in the uk in the 70s priest sabbath maiden they were all workers . Ww2 was an industrial war so metal themes are fitting perfectly
Sean Murray is an excellent composer, the heaviness and industrialized sounds along with the haunting and melancholic vocals. Waw is, and always will remain, one of, if not THE BEST COD game in the franchise!
I am the great-grandson of a Red Army soldier. He was drafted into the motorized infantry in 1943. Passed the сrossing the Dnieper, fought on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, met the victory over Germany in Budapest, even a photograph from that day has been preserved. And later he was redirected to Austria and the Czech Republic. Has a military merit medal And managed to go around Studebaker (thanks to the allies). He also had a wound to his face and collarbone. Listening to these soundtracks and remembering the game, I can’t even imagine how terrible and scary it was. Our ancestors are heroes and fearless people. Not depending on the side of the conflict and the affiliation of the soldier. I'm just really sorry that all this happened, and is happening to this day.Thanks to our ancestors for this heavy victory in Europe, in Africa, in the Pacific, and around the world. And thank you for this video bro❤️
A testament to how a game can teach us something: even if we are only experiencing this through a screen and a controller, by the time we finish the game, we're left thinking "Far out, this was intense. The real thing must have been insane." Nothing other than the experience of war itself can prepare you for being in the crossfire, not even virtual reality. WaW is just a glimpse of this. Thanks for your great-grandfather's story - glad you are remembering his story; every soldier has one, and every soldier's story deserves to be remembered. Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Hi, as a hungarian(bad guys in Budapest), its horrifying to know what our heroic soldiers had to live trough after germany stirred up such hatred in russia, well heroic until we became a german puppet, then it was mostly only just fanatics by then. My grandmothers father was shot when the soviets broke trough at the Don, he had to play dead while he and his other comrades were looted. War is hell, im glad both he and your great-grandpa survived.
@@flyingbeast7902 This is no one’s fault, they fought for their lives and their families. The main thing now is that everything is peaceful with you and me. I wish that everything continues and you are healthy. Greetings from Kazakhstan from a Korean, Whose great-grandfather was Russian 💪🏻
Downfall Soundtrack really capture the brutality, seeing a wounded soldier and young boy soldier that losing limbs really show how much far men would do to fight
@@Skauldrich Especially since World at War didn't hold any punches when it came to showing the brutality of war and the effects it has on people, I mean you can see the Red Army becoming the very thing they were fighting the Germans for doing as if them doing it justified their actions.
I was going to say I know exactly what you mean, but then I realised I’ve never actually had that experience before: “WaW with headphones”… Guess that’s something to try at some point. 😮
the downfall part is fucking incredible, that drumbeat that sounds like an mg42 just ripping away combined with the haunting choir and the industrial sounding guitar just kinda gives the feeling that god left has this place and the warmachine is churning out death on a truly massive scale, 10/10
It conjures up quite the image, doesn't it? Especially since, at that point, you're fighting through the Reichstag - you're putting the end to an awful regime... but at what cost? Makes you think that you and your comrades have become the very monsters they've sworn to destroy.
Fighting SS troops at that to, they would literally fight to the death for Hitler. Similar to the Japanese in their complete dedication to war.@@Skauldrich
Bro I'm a huge metalhead and I never knew why, but tis definitely was a major influence. I used to play this bitch's campaign for hours on end. Just like another commenter here I discovered this game through a cousin of mine when I was around 5 and we played coop on the Seelow maps. Now I replayed it on PC many years later and all modded up. What a great CoD and I forgot the badass soundtrack. Thank you for posting this.
Haha! I’m in the same camp. I’m sure there’s a number of us who became fans of metal from Sean Murray’s score. Funny how we can wind up playing through one of the best games ever made (totally not biased), and end up changing our musically tastes at the same time. Glad you enjoyed it, my friend! 😀 (Playing this game, at 5 years old, is definitely metal. 😂)
Downfall's track scared the absolute shit out of me when I played the level. It felt so intense and really hammered in that you were fighting in the very heart of the Reich.
I don’t think I can ever express my amount of respect for this game. Even the genre of soundtracks that are usually meant to empower players are turned into something more horrifying. This music is bloodlust and destruction personified in its truest form.
This is why COD World at War is probably my favourite shooter, if not my favourite game. These soundtracks absolutely kick ass and go so well with the grim tone of war.
The MG42 rounds in "Downfall" are similar to the cannons in Tchaikovsky's works. Imagine if it was performed live, and actual bursts from real german machine guns were used...
Love how metal, an at the time very aggressive and barely-heard-of musical concept is being used in this game. I know it was used mainly to make just a point that it's a brutal FPS game, but the metal being paired with the older instrumentals relative with the environment the mission takes place in really gives off the feeling of "Those times are gone. Now is the time for death, rape, and destruction." Because war turned even the best into monsters, and the soundtrack sells that you are one.
I like how you mentioned that distinction between the more orchestral parts and the metal ones. It's like the former is being used to establish the field of battle, and its scenery; clashing with the metal sections that overlap the orchestral ones - as you said, "Those times are gone." Look how much this soundtrack spurs such discussion. :)
@@waylon4749 he means the general war theme in Media. You would never expect Stephen Spielberg to put in heavy metal into "Saving Private Ryan". This was a new delve into the mixture of drama and metal themes
No matter how many times I listen to this game's soundtrack, I will never get tired of it. Mostly because I find this to be my version of "Vietnam flashbacks" (God forbid I will actually have such flashbacks).
I love that specifically in the Japanese theatre missions like Little Resistance they use a pan flute which is pretty much a stereotypical japanese instrument, it's synonymous with samurai video games and movies
Taiko drums too, they mix metal and western elements of modern sound with traditional japanese instrumental, resulting in a clash between these two, exactly how the contest was, but also, sounding beautiful as a collage together.
That metal segment in eviction hit different when you were fighting tooth and nail *just* to go up the street, there’s literally a firefight going on over your head, it reeked of desperation
Back then : German Victory with actual Hitler speech Now : NoOoOoO yOu CaN't PuT sVaStIKa In A wW2 GaME !!!!! Back then : game based on history with actual videos from WW2 in the campaign to connect to the real world > immersion 100 Now : My Team vs The Enemy Team Back then : boots on the ground, weapons are coherent with the time period Now : ah yes, let's put 10 attachments on every guns and make them complitely out of place. You can equip attachment that weren't even made in WW2. What a respectful addition for WW2. >Shameless, gay, coward and Greedy Activision, that's the problem
I actually love the tone thier going for especially on the level "Eviction". Your fighting on the streets with tanks, MG42's, Panzershrecks, Heavy Rain, and Thunderstorms. Your so much Chaos around you.
eviction, downfall and little resistance are the most brutal (and in my opinion) best songs in the game. they perfectly represent how dark and gritty the game is.
Absolutely! That, and they fit perfectly into their respective settings, right? Little Resistance has got that Japanese folk-influenced instrumentation, and Eviction and Downfall get more and more darker as the Soviets get closer to the Reichstag. (Crikey! It's the FBI!)
I love that huge difference between metal in american missions and soviet missions. First one shows a battle between unstoppable force and immovable object, while the second depicts pure bloodbath which eastern front was.
0:11 - 0:28 Tensions rising between nations 0:29 - 0:36 calm before the storm 0:37 - 0:54 attack on American soil via the empire of Japan 1:03 Americas retaliation
I’d love to see someone mod the music from WWII into WaW - just to see what the difference would be. Of course, for us fans of WaW, we’ve been so accustomed to the Sean Murray score that we could not imagine it otherwise… 😆
There will never be a cod game even as close to perfect as WaW was. the theme of victory, tragedy, cowardice/fear, and pride will never be beat. This and Bo1 will always be my favorite cod games no matter what happens, not because of nostalgia, but because just simply how good they are.
You know, I usually find the soundtracks for the COD games to be fairly generic and forgettable, but WAW is a massive exception. This shit GOES HARD. Not only that, but it perfectly matches the gritty nature of the game. This game would not have been the same without it, and I think the soundtrack (along with the dark tone) is what really set itself apart from all the other COD games for me. All the other COD games after this point (even the good ones) always felt cheesy and over-the-top, while this game was the complete opposite. Anyways, Eviction is by far my favorite track of the bunch, and I thank you for uploading this! I also thank you for crediting the incredible composer Sean Murray, as it seems a lot of creators that reupload game soundtracks forget (or neglect) to credit the original composer. But that's enough rambling for now, have a good day :)
Something I have always felt is that the electric guitar is particularly excellent at conveying emotions that we often times have trouble expressing with words. The theatrical composition of WaW's soundtrack combined with these segments really make you consider the brutality of war and drive home just how violent these conflicts really were. So much panic, sorrow and rage can be conveyed through guitar. Music in general is a whole universal language anyone could understand and this game's soundtrack pretty damn well conveys what it wants to tell in such a unique way. The orchestral parts tell you the scope of where you are almost like an intro narration to a movie, then you're dropped directly into the absolutely horrific metal sections that properly rip the veil away to show you what you're really facing, much like a soldier seeing real combat for the first and likely last time. In short, I love this game's soundtrack deeply
You couldn't win, could you? On one hand, you've been hit, and the screen's yelling at you to take cover. But you can't take cover, because all you see are grenade indicators... WHAT AM I GONNA DO? 😂
Man, playing Super Animal Royale's "S.A.W. vs Rebellion" with this on hits different. Especially playing as the Sniper Class. Extra points if you either did a last stand on a control point with Downfall's music playing in the background or charged in as the Scout Class when Hell's Gate starts playing. It gets nuts sometimes.
It goes with both styles of gameplay, doesn't it? Either you're avenging your comrades in Stalingrad, or you're fighting for your life against the untöten.
Sean murray and the art direction team nailed this game. Its so introspective of ww2 and its grittiness. The raunchy industrial guitar with hints of orchestral hits tell you thats its not some unsung hero of ww2 coming to save the day. Its a brutal and realistic display of violence and terror that humans unleashed on one another. Depressing, somber and most of all terrifying.
Haha! Thanks, man. Hey, there’s a reason for that: I want to know what you think about the soundtrack. The reason you’re here is because you enjoy this game and its music, right? 😆
@@Skauldrich Yes dude this was my first and favorite cod games. Everything from the multiplayer to the campaign and the zombies was just perfect. Also, the soundtrack is just pure godly 👌👌
@@Skauldrichbtw, Nazi zombie 9:16 isnt from there actually (they use samples from that ost), is actually from the first video Intro for the Russian Campaign
@@ngzz2498 I had that dilemma of how to present it in this video. As a perfectionist, I tried to keep it represented by their appearance in-level (as opposed to cutscenes). Well spotted though. 😀
@@Skauldrich mean, in the the video Intro, treyarch introduce you to the russians with this one, when the "start" is shown, its sounds fucking cool, re watch it bro also, in the "bonus" you should give credits to the guy who created the "rock version remix" idk
This is how you know there was and artist hand involved. They could've gone with generic historical epic music; insted the composer said "trust me on this one" and paired up metal music with WWII scenarios. And it is by far the best over all campign in the series. You have to take bold decisions to make great art.
I couldn't have said it better myself. You've got to be brave in these things - the team behind this soundtrack have definitely fulfilled that criteria. :)
The first fps I ever played im 13 and found this game at my cousin's house when I was 6 this is still a great game used to play it before I went to school newer generation says thanks for this game
I love little resistance so much! Really pushes you through veteran! When I first heard that guitar riff my jaw dropped and a huge smile grew across my face. Am I playing cod or FUCKIN DOOM!?
It sounds really bad, but the soundtrack almost makes the killing... satisfying. A little like Mick Gordon's score does for Doom - I'm not surprised you've made that comparison. 🙂
@Skauldrich Yeah lol it's awesome, even it's beat is pretty similar to classic DOOM. I love hearing metal in dare I say typically inappropriate settings lol. But it turns out to be the perfect choice! I remember feeling similar playing Overlord 1 for 360 (high fantasy game), the Raising Hell expansion added metal music as you explore hell, and it's so in contrast with the rest of the game yet fits sooo good. I'm a bit partial to Fallout Brotherhood of steels soundtrack too, a lot of people say it's metal soundtrack doesn't fit fallout, but I'd argue it's unique setting in the Fallout universe fits it, it's more of a Mad Max thing thematically in that area of the world, and it uses raider culture as sort of a way of pulling off metal music, just the same way as Cod WaW has a setting that turns out really goes with metal music well, its old war machines, the blood, the state of the world and both the darkness and heroism, the ping! of an M1 Garand becomes almost strange and alien. To me a simple addition like that really transports the world into it's own, as if its wolfenstein or something, and then I'll think "wow wait a min, all this stuff actually happened to real people. This isnt an alternate reality at all"..
@@jordansmith6959 You've hit the nail on the head there. One has to have balls to make this kind of thing work - somehow this music team did just that. 😀
@@Skauldrich I think the timestamp for Downfall might be wrong in the description. Thought I'd suggest it :) Love this compilation, love this game. Thanks for uploading it!
Haha! Too bad RU-vid doesn’t let you replace exisiting uploads. Had that been the case, no one would be any the wiser of the updated version. (Unless you, well... watched it.) Glad you enjoyed it, man! 😀
The moments in downfall where you can hear a baritone russian choir member wailing is so haunting and I’m pretty sure its meant to represent the ghost of the fallen (10 million russians) before taking Berlin once and for all. So much fear in Germany at this moment.
honestly. outside of tanks in Mp (basiclly invunerable) it was a damn good game with an amazing soundtrack. one of very few tracks i listen to outside of playing the game. love the compliation. just the mix of haunting chilling sounds and heavy guitar riffs in the russian campain is such a treat. we will probobly never get a gritty shooter like this ever agian.
There was something about this period of time for gaming, wasn't there? We don't know where gaming will take us, but at least we can stop and reflect on what we've been treated to in the past. :)
There's no other soundtrack in gaming that is quite this nast and mean spirited. This was the CoD that took War Is Hell so literally it made you one of the denons.
You're right about that one. You'll get people saying that the Doom soundtracks are similar in that regard; but I'd argue that the WaW soundtrack hits that little bit different... 🤔
never again will i experience the sheer brutality that was WAW for the first time again. my mom got this for me on my birthday in 09 for the 360. I have remained a loyal fan of this game ever since. So many memories of just staying up late on school nights, grinding zombies and multiplayer..laughing, living the good times. oh to have them back..just for a day. Thank goodness plutonium exists, so I can somewhat relive the glory days. Thanks for the memories WAW, you will never be forgotten. and thanks for the upload, tbh, my favorite metal segment has to be that of downfall and eviction. ive never heard an electric guitar convey hate so greatly. and i love it. kick ass soundtrack. kick ass game. end of discussion.
What I especially admire about this soundtrack are the Eastern Front tracks and the sheer brutality they display. Tracks like "Their Land, Their Blood" and "Eviction" invoke for me this image of men driven mad, that these Soldiers, Wehrmacht, Red Army or SS, are driven by nothing more than a burning, seething hatred for their enemies, that they dont care how much of this World they have to burn down in order to kill eachother, so long as their lust for revenge can be fulfilled. The way the guitars almost rip at your ears also gives it this feeling that these men have gone feral, that in their ferocity, even if their rifles ran out of ammo and their blades became dull, they would simply rip each others throats out with their bare hands and teeth. This music, Reznovs words and the apocalyptic landscape of 1945s Berlin really make it seem like you've descended into hell, become a demon bathing in the blood of other monsters. It perfectly delivers what the entire game strives to say: War is brutal, bloody, dirty, feroscious and UGLY. And the sheer size of humanity's collective industry of war ensures that you no longer need to imagine what hell looks like. Wait for War to arrive and you'll witness first-hand what the deepest layer of Inferno feels like
Absolutely! Very interesting point on how the music makes one feel upon listening to it. Long story short, if you want to know what hate sounds like, look no further than Sean Murray's WaW score...
I really like the Red Army theme but with a Guitar riff. Because it basically revealed the Red Army's feelings towards the end. Because it first starts with vocals, basically showing the Red Army was fighting a noble cause of defeating the Nazis. However; as the music progresses, the guitar riff follows along, basically showing that it isn't just about defeating the Nazis; it is also about vengeance. Vengeance for what they had done when they invaded the USSR. For they will pay for the countless lives the Motherland lost. It is their land. Their people. Their BLOOD.
