Opera Singer Reacts: Mohg, Lord of Blood (Elden Ring OST) 

The track gets so much more impact when you hear Mohg shout "NIHIL!" during the phase change.

“You don’t necessarily listen to this music in the car” What the hell that’s literally what I’m doing right now

Fun fact with the exception of Yuka Kitamura, most of the composers for EldenRing were with the sound team for previous Fromsoft games and are now taking on the role of composers for the 1st time which this being one track is outstanding

Shoi Miyazawa really just came in from being a sound designer on previous Fromsoft games to creating some of the best pieces on the soundtrack with this, Godskin apostles and Radahn.

The childlike voices being drowned out by the deeper tones i think shows some real significance of Miquellas presence in this. I wonder if there are lyrics available :o

I love how everything about mohg, from his appearance to his song to his lore makes him essentially The Devil, his regal robes and hymn style choir contrasting his raven wings, his horned visage, his army of vampires and golems who kill just because it pleases their master, and the fact he kidnapped his own brother to be his bride, but only after torturing and leaving him essentially braindead

The experience is so much more visceral while playing in this bossfight. Each serene and 'calm' moment in the first phase is followed by an ominous reverse countdown in Latin starting from three. The silence inbetween the two phases is broken by the boss raising his trident to the sky and piercing it, causing a torrential rain of blood to flow (followed by continous blood damage on the player), while he screams "Nihil!" over and over, like some kind of triumphant warcry. Going from that silence to that wall of sound crashing down on you combined with the visuals, it's really like the Gates of Hell just open and you're washed over by the tide. I love the twisted elegance of the track. There's dissonance, but not as much as we're used to by FromSoft's music. Mogh is a cursed being who desires to begin a new dynasty. He sees himself as a future king, and the way the harpsichord and the choirs grace the track reminds me of some twisted mix of a requiem with a baroque coronation anthem. He carries himself with a royal and noble attitude when you first speak to him and I feel like that translates so well in the song, only to then shed his preconception of royalty and then reveal his true cursed demonic self at the second half. Lovely reaction as usual!

Soulslike game bosses and characters usually stays in "grey" area on morality. They either sacrifice things in what they believe was right and lost everything alongside with corrupting anything around them. This includes Elden Ring too. Pure evil or pure good characters are so very little little . But Mohg? He is a full fletched villain who did nothing but evil things. It's really refreshing to see a character like Mohg in souls games really. Edit: Sorry Mohg. He was Miquellested instead.

Amazing insight. Mohg stole the child Miquella from his cocoon in the Haligtree, so he is in fact gatekeeping an incredibly powerful Empyrean from being present in the world, and causing Malenia to wait eternally for her brother who will never return. He isn't really preventing the player from progressing (he's a fully optional boss), but he absolutely prevented the world from progressing and directly contributed to the stagnant broken world of the game. I really enjoy your blind reactions to the intensity and complexity of the music, and your ability to read the music and intuit deep insights into the story without any other context. I would love to see your reaction to Malenia, Blade of Miquella. She is generally accepted to be the hardest boss in FromSoft history, so many of us spent a LONG TIME listening to her music, and it featured heavily in the story trailer and the network test, so it's one of the central thematic songs in the game in my opinion.

Mohg is honestly so cool in terms of his look, music and fight Lore wise, yeah nah, this guy is vile

RU-vid just recommended me this video today, and the fact that at 8:37 he literally says what Mohg is doing and gets a right guess is crazy!! 2 years ago btw

"Tres..! Duos..! Unus..! Nihil! Nihil! NIHIL!" One of my favorite bosses on this game, I hold myself in purpose to listen more to the song and watch as he fights like a beast. Also, I won't going to go in detail this time, but he has some dark lore and context. If there's evil on this world, Mohg is 50% of it.

Mohg is perhaps the only creature in Elden Ring I would call actually, irredeemably evil. This piece means nothing to me but horror.

Coming back here to see just how many people owe my lord Luminary Mohg an apology... my there is quite a lot of you! Pray you do not hear from the Mohgwyn legal team, lawsuits for slander are pursuant.

This song actually made me feel anxious when I first heard it. Mohg's theme radiates evil and I think it wants you to be afraid. I describe his theme as "if defilement had a sound."

This is my favorite in the game ngl. ITS INCREDIBLE. Also you must must must react to slave knight Gael's theme. It's a little long but it is Yuka kitamura's best work in my opinion.

6:03 On that note, I’d have to recommend taking a listen to God-devouring Serpent, also from Elden Ring. That ost perfectly describes exactly what you said here.

Mohg is probably one of the more sinister of the demigods in elden ring for sure. He's not related to the scarlet rot, he made a pact with an outer god called the Formless Mother in order to gain more power to spite a world that had him chained and imprisoned in a sewer from the moment he was born. Some time after the Shattering began, he kidnapped his half brother Miquella after he refused romantic overtures from Mohg (mind you Miquella is also perpetually in the form of a child too, so yeah, even more disturbing). Mohg then used him in a ritual to ascend Miquella to true godhood with Mohg being his new equivalent to Elden Lord should the ritual succeed. The game doesn't make it entirely clear if the ritual failed, or is still in process by the time you encounter them, but yeah Mohg is being a gatekeeper to a dead and/or comatose Miquella (who you can't interact with in any meaningful way)

"Perhaps this character is gatekeeping one of the other villains" Kinda funny because he kidnaps another demigod and we think that demigod is going to be the next DLC. Can't wait to see what other kinda music they'll come out with

There is an intrumental version of the first half under the name "Omen's Illusion". The melody itself is masterful, absolutely, and definitely worth listening to. It saddens me that such a fantastical piece is overshadowed by the phenomenal choirs in full version. Maybe that's the reason why the instrumental version exists? I don't know. But it's still great that you can enjoy both amazing facets of the theme.

Biggest recommendations: - Starscourge Radahn (One of the most awe-inspiring pieces in Elden Ring imo) - Twin Princes (idk why this song is insane [Dark Souls 3]) - Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls 3, similar to main menu song but more intense) - Godfrey, the first Elden Lord (Elden Ring)

I love how almost militaristic the percussion is in the second phase. The facade of nobility and sophistication is gone, you see the tyrant come out- born of jealousy for the life of luxury and royalty he was denied for being born an ill omen and shunned. There's a lot of rage by the time you get to second phase and Mohg is just a bloody beast.

"Demi-god bussy got me actin' heretical"

This would definitely be in my top 5 OSTs in elden ring, my favorite would definitely be General Rahdan's OST, it's just so powerful whenever I listen to it.

Next one's gotta be Starscourge Radahn! Probably the most grandiose battle track from FromSoft. Truly feels like you're fighting a war against a god!

One of my favorites from Elden Ring. Maybe even THE favorite. It's so noble and composed yet so sinister. I might be alone in this, but I also get John Williams / Star Wars vibes somehow. I'm not sure why. Edit: Also, the end of the 1st phase. Gives me shivers.

I listen to this kind of music in the car all the time. Or at the gym.

To me Mogh's theme sounds the most Castlevania out of the bosses lol. There is almost a waltz quality to it like it should be playing in a demonic ballroom with dancers.

Bro knew th3 dlc location from THE MUSIC amazing analysis

Congrats on accutately predicting Shadow of the Erdtree @ 8:30

my favorite thing about Fromsoft OSTs is how unnoticeable they are in gameplay. The soundtrack is always perfectly matched to the fight such that your brain instinctively accepts it as the natural and normal background sound for what's happening on the screen.

It's always the secret bosses that have the best OST, This one give me chills everytime i hear it, it's like a powerful one that shows the power of Mohg and after beating him and learning his lore i don't know why but i sense like a dramatic or depressed/Desperate vibe like you are the villain to mohg, preventing him to achieve his goal and finally being recognised. Just discovered you through recommendation but you do a great job :)

I'm glad that videos just discussing the soundtrack are being made and have become so popular, thanks Marco. This track is an absolute masterpiece, and the best of Elden Ring in my opinion. Every moment conveys such a vivid story without saying a single actual word, like the music is communicating directly to your soul. Here we see Mohg's life unfold; first as Mohg the Omen, a child who should by rights should have been royalty of the Golden Lineage, but was discarded because of the deformities with which he was born. Second as Mohg, Lord of Blood, who finding power in his curse through the formless mother, forms the Mohgwyn Dynasty and kidnaps Miquella in an attempt to consummate his place as lord. 0:45 Right away we're brought to a hopeless, dismal place, and a cry for help pierces the darkness. 0:59 Dark, brooding rumination, there is no escape. Totally suffocating. 1:28 'Regal omen bairn in the sewer'. It seems to be a popular opinion that this track depicts Mohg as pure evil in his entirety, this is where I strongly differ. The choir elicits a *deep* sympathy for an innocent child, abandoned to a life of abject misery. 1:42 And yet he resolves to live despite the torment! Though his will to live is tainted by a lust for vengeance, it is will to live nonetheless. 1:58 At last an answer to his suffering. Seduced by the formless mother, he embraces his curse as a gift and casts aside the shame that has haunted him for so long. The birth of the Lord of Blood. 3:12 At once a terrible ascent to power, yet a descent into depravity. In his desperation for deliverance from shame and obscurity, he makes the mistake of espousing the other side of the same ruinous coin; pride. 3:33 Bringing many to his cause, marshalling his strength. The snare drums evoke a sort of marching, reveling in his newfound might. 4:00 to 4:05 It's like he's making a promise to all who follow him, that they will be redeemed as has he. 4:28 The point of no return. The conclusion of his twisted creed and quest for domination is manifest as violence through a glorious, reckless rhythm so compelling it's like you could take part, disturbing though that may be. 5:13 In defeat, right before the threshold of his victory, he reflects on his deeds. 5:23 Facing the utter ruin of his dynasty, Mohg, by his own reckless admission, is at last exposed as a duplicitous megalomaniac, dispelling any pretense of a truly just cause and yet clings to his rectitude to the very end! So defiant! So spiteful! Such contempt! it's like he just spits venom at you! He had paid the price, yet is now again denied what is rightfully his; A vain justification to himself as much as anyone. Mohg's tragic life ends the same way it began: being robbed of royalty. 5:32 In his last moment he turns to the cocoon where dear Miquella lay, not even arising from torpor to bid Mohg farewell as he lay dying. Had he not even earned the love of Miquella the unalloyed, who sought the flourishing of all things, whether graceful or malign? This is just what I get from the song, maybe others disagree. I'm obsessed with this track.

8:30 just want to come back to say.. you predicted the entire beginning of the DLC by listening to this track! Bro you’re a legend!

Ahhh I love these videos, just found your channel! Fromsoft make some of my favorite games ever, and the music made for them genuinely brings me so much joy lol

No matter how many times i hear this song it's absolutely incredible. Mohg became one of my top 3 favorite bosses ever. Up there with Friede, Sigrun, and Malekith. The music helps this boss feel so vile and evil. Really is something else isn't jt

Your analysis is great! I’ve never been very music-literate so it’s really awesome to hear your breakdowns of how certain voices/instruments are used to convey certain feelings. And you hit the nail on the head with the “evil” interpretation of this piece if you ever look up Mohg’s backstory ;)

Opera and classical has been a guilty pleasure in the last 7/8 years, and ive really come to appreciate the pieces that FromSoft have created for their projects. Very inspirational.

8:33 i've been saying you're an absolute genius. 2 years later, Mohg was indeed gatekeeping one of the other villains

Its impressive he was able to accurately depict the intro to the fight just from the music alone

this guy literally steals children and sacrifices them to invisible gods and has one of the best tracks in elden ring

TRES ! DUO ! UNUS ! NIHIL ! NIHIL ! NIHIL ! " causes three massive hemoragies to the player, because of course he would do that, he is the lord of blood."

It almost feels like the womens parts were like the Formless Mother in the background like a barely seen puppeteer while the mens represented Mohg himself especially his megalomania.

When you see Mohg you will surely understand why of this evil vibe the song carries. Because he is very like a maniac in this game and the closest to a Vilan in this game. Talking about male vocals to create a imponent atmosphere, take a listen to Siste Friede from Dark Souls 3. It starts very sad nad forlon, but then changes to something very imponent. And a nother piece i think you would love listening to is Laurence, The First Vicar.

I'm not the only one who did so, but it's awesome to follow a channel that listens to your comments - most songs I suggest end up get covered and it's awesome! I'm taking a college course for music appreciation (admittedly an easy class, but teaches a lot of music theory) and I found the channel because of it when searching for artists reacting to songs and am glad I did. That said I love the reaction and breakdown of the song. I think Pontiff Sulyvahn Laurence the first Vicar from Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne respectively would make for a good video if you continue to look at From Software's games.

Thank you so much for this video! Is it normal to almost cry when you listen to those tracks? It's so amazing Lol

I love seeing how much passion are in each video

i think this is the 20th time i see your reaction on this and i love this piece so much

This is by far one of my favourites out of elden ring. What a mad piece of art.

Credit to you for understanding and representing tenors! It's uncommon and takes a lot of skill! Adds a lot to many of the works that include tenors! 👍

Oh! Another of my favourites from Elden Ring! p.s. clips from your opera career are always appreciated ;)

The love the dude show for the craft, the mere enjoyment from appreciating the piece, nice vibe

8:35 bro predicted the dlc location by hearing the track

Dam, you've got some pipes 👍👏 Mohg is my favorite track and fight from Elden Ring. So sinister, so over the top, and it can be very difficult depending on what you use

What a bloodcurdling (lol) theme! Love your reaction! As for what to potentially react to next: -Godfrey's theme if you want some action and almost tribal theme -Maiden Astraea theme (from Demon Souls remake) if you want to feel sorry for yourself and question if you're doing the right thing -Return to Slumber if you want a melancholy but hopeful song -Malekith's theme if you want to feel like you're fighting a badass -Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon if you want to feel like your fighting fallen royalty under soft moonlight

I had a look at the thumbnail and got so happy that you finally reacted to it and your reactions were exactly as I expected. Everyone I know that has listened to Mohg's theme have become addicted to the song. It's so amazingly evil and badass. Before, people used to consider Pontiff Sulyvahn from DS3 to be the most evil antagonist in the FromSoft games, but I personally think Mohg dethrones him.

Melenia's theme is gouged in my brain because of how many tries it took me to beat her. The second faze you die because she is hard and the music hit harder.

this was really great keep it up!

"Gatekeeping another villain and the next area you wanna go next" how the fuck did you predict the dlc this well 😭

Fromsoft’s music always gives me chills

Pretty evil. Yup. Very. Very evil. Mohg's probably the most devilish character from Elden Ring. Got into some kind of pact with a bloody "Outer God". Now, the best thing about this bad boy here is that when you fight him, he speaks latin. Precisely, he counts adding layers of curse upon you. Tres, duo, unus. After unus, he goes "NIHIL! NIHIL! NIHIL" three times. With each "NIHIL" a player gets a heavy bleeding effecting while losing around 1/4 of his HP. This is also followed by Mohg's stabbing this "Outer God" with his trident through a portal, literally spraying around bloodflame. Also, I've noticed something intriguing about this track. So in many cases, composers are prone towards adding a multitude of tritones to increase the factor of "malevolence". But the devil's note isn't present here as much. What they did instead is they achieved an evilness by reverting holiness of gregorian chant parts into something genuinely unholy. I've never noticed that but you're right, a lot of male choirs are used to make the music more brutish, stronger, perhaps even sinister. That's what happened here.

You telling how hard it is to sing like the men do in this track make me apricate the song and classical music in general Thanks for that! The fight itself is one of the best in game and I bet you would love this track even more after experiencing the whole fight itself!

Man, you killed Nessun Dorma in that clip! Always wished I could do that. Really enjoying your videos.

This dong have me the same vibes I felt when facing off against fatalis for the first time. The genuine tear I felt when his theme began. This gave me the same goosebumps

*_“Trēs! Duo! Ūnus!”_* *_“Nihil! Nihil!!! NIHIL!!!”_* *_“Ahh, I can see it... as clear as day! The coming of our dynasty! Mohgwyn!”_*

This channel grew fast I remember when I was looking for Kaine anyway good job keep up the good vids

I'm so glad you're listening to this masterpiece

My experience with Mohg was very... mixed. It was my first playthrough and I had mostly relied on summons to carry me through bosses. Later in the game though, I tried to actually beat the bosses myself. I did it first with Loretta of the Haligtree, and the feeling of finally her all by myself was priceless. The next big boss I happened to fight was Mohg. I spent at least a couple of hours learning his moves and utilizing all the tricks like his shackle and the purifying crystal tear etc. I had gotten so close to killing him but just never seemed to be able to finish him off. I decided to bring in the mimic tear to help push Mohg over the edge, and we... beat him before his second phase activated :,( I totally regret it now and, although the fight (and music) was brilliant, the one attempt that finally ended it left me with a really sour taste in my mouth. I'm super looking forward to beating him by myself in my next playthough (I'll be a sorcerer this time >:). My experience can be summed up by the message i left by the egg: "Ahh, I've failed..., In short, why is it always mimicry?" Praise the message!

Like a big, grandiose gothic play full of angel's, demons, luxuriously dressed vampires, heaven, hell, and full of reds, black, gold, stone-pillars, and big curtains almost like the fight itself exactly.

Wow, I've never noticed the harpsichord until you pointed it out. Amazing piece!

When you pointed out the harpsichord and mentioned another time period I wanted to cheer! Nailed it.

I can't imagine the thrill of being one of From Software's choir members and then fighting a boss while hearing a piece you contributed to

Yea I instantly noticed that harpsichord. It feels like it belongs once you know mohg's backstory

This is my favorite piece from the game. Can easily distinguish the twisted ceremony vibe it is giving off

My favourite theme even after the DLC!! God, Shoi Miyazawa really outdid himself with this one. Best boss FromSoft ever did!

The first time fighting this guy is a hell of an experience and one of the Most epic in the entire series and I believe the music plays a huge part in it. It’s such a throwback to bloodborne just like the lord of blood himself, and is as much a character in the fight as Mohg. And the addition of him counting down in Latin to the epic “nihil” chant was one of the best experiences in the game.

I love the boss fight with Fortissax because the choir and the orchestra are really impactful and what you would imagine a dragon fight would sound like in a way. Also the red lightning gives the design of the beast an excellent choice is making it a lightning user

i know im late to this comment section. but this song gave me this feeling of like old classic villains you would see in fantasy movies like befitting of some kind of vampire duke, but its also just so unique somehow. i cant put my finger on mohg, but hes such a fascinating character.

i love how mohg presents himself as very sophisticated for what he is. he looks very beastly but acts like royalty, it reminds me of ludwig's second phase in bloodborne

You gotta cover Malenia's 2nd phase imo. That along with this theme are way too good.

My favortie Soulsborne OST is Laurence the first vicar's, there's no other OST that made me feel as emotional, it's like my goosebumps got goosebumps, the feeling of pure catharsis when the song reaches it's peak is something I've never felt before in a game OST and I believe it's composed by Tsukasa Saitoh who also did Gehrman.

The translations really help piece their individual stories together.

Elden Ring is one of the most metal games out there, and the classical music proves it.

the intro gives me goosebumps every single time watching it haha

This boss theme is one of the best themes in the game. If you're planning on continuing talking about songs from Elden ring, I highly recommend that you do a video on Godfrey, the First Elden Lord. Keep up the good work on these videos they're all fantastic!!!

The Godskin Noble theme in this game is superb. Kind of unexpected to find the beat track in the game from some boss chilling on a village hillside in the middle of nowhere. And ya know...waiting to curbstomp you in some floating ruins later...

I wasnt expecting another soulsborne reaction so soon, great reaction once again!

Man I never even got to hear that second phase ingame b/c I melted the dude in

please keep making these videos

I absolutely love your reactions and how incredibly much appreciation you have for video game music. It's such an essential part of a game and honestly, a game with an amazing soundtrack just gets so much better. This piece is so insanely good and it made the fight feel so much more intense. It's a massive part of what makes it so memorable. Out of curiosity, do you plan on mostly focussing on classic-ish video game music, or would you also do very different songs? Songs that are in a more metal or electronic direction maybe? One of my personal favorite soundtracks of any game has become "Bury the light" from DMC5 for example and I'd be curious if that could be something for you to check out. Though honestly, your selection of games and songs from them is already top notch OSTs across the board.

I do literally listen to the Elden Ring type music in my vehicles every time I drive anywhere, really fun stuff to sing too

I wish i could talk to the people who made this music happen and then see their reaction to the boss they made the music for lol

Hey, this song is ingrained into my brain because I heard it so much dying to Mohg. Neat.

1:45 yeah you felt that didnt you? xD that grin; this feeling of epicness just swells doesnt it?

Rykard's track is by far the most evil sounding in the game I think

1:43 our reaction when we first heard this song. Perfect incapsulation of the feeling. Glad you enjoyed it :D

I love how almost every boss soundtrack has some Holy or Tragic undertone to it, which makes this song stand out so much: it's unapologetic pure Evil; no tragedy, not Holiness but Profane; not misunderstood, evil; not a hero of its own story, the undisputed adversary, Satan, the Other One. Mohg is the closest thing to Satan we ever had in a FromSoft game, and the soundtrack fully encapsulated that.

Mohg's theme Is definitely in my top three, but his fight is for sure my favorite. It's so much fun for me

Marco is an actual FromSoft employee he predicted the DLC 😀

Bruv the harpsichord goes hard af throughout! 😅 tis glorious!