The Music of Tristram Village is a Classic for a Reason 

I was in college when this came out and we would sometimes just leave the game running so this music played on a loop in our living room.

The Tristram theme does a lot of the heavy lifting in the first game to really anchor the setting. It's just a small village, scarred and haunted by the murder of a child at the hands of a pillar of the community.

Much of the game’s success may well be attributed to this very piece. This theme is so addictive. Seduces to you keep on playing, dreaming, exploring

I can only assume Matt Uelmen is some kind of music wizard “Flute thing again” is excellent notation 😂

Omfg those opening chords just brought back about five solid years of my gaming life. Immensely wonderful game and ost

I stayed a while and listened. Nice work.

The world needs more bass clarinet over acoustic guitar

I've been forever addicted to imitating the uneasy sense of voidful calmness this theme has always inspired me. Just a city condemned that has no more energy to deal with how severe their troubles are. Just accepting that much won't change anyways, or if everything changes, that they have no say on it whatsoever. Such a delicate piece to represent something that doesn't even seem possible and yet feels like the true reality someone would embrace once despair goes further than a human can hold.

One of the coolest things about how legendary this piece is is that at the time Matt Uelmen was pretty much completely unheard of, started his career basically self taught, and this was his second game doing any sort of composing for, but because this was the 90's and game companies were super scrappy, Matt was basically THE audio guy for all of Diablo. He's the reason the game sounds the way it does, from skeletons falling apart to the haunting Tristram theme. He's not as famous as giants like Koji Kondo, Nobuo Uematsu, Frank Klepacki or Jeremy Soule but he is definitely one of the foundational sound designers and composers of video game history.

I'm pretty sure it was this theme that got me into Diablo as a franchise. A buddy who was really into gaming would find games and try to get me interested in them, so we could play them together. I was way more picky. But he knew the music in this one would hook me, and it did. He brought it along for a weekend sleepover gaming event, we connected our computers via a serial cable (haha), and played for HOURS and HOURS ... Although, back then, with Windows 95 (retail, Microsoft's first release of a 32-bit Windows for consumers) running on jank hardware with early versions of "totally not held together by duct-tape and bailing-wire" DirectX, I'm not sure I've ever heard this entire theme without random jumps and gaps in it. I might have to burn it on CD and play it while 4-wheeling to get the proper experience.

One other important thing to remember is that this piece was always meant to play as a loop. It's environment music for the town. If you leave the town, the music will start playing something else. But if you don't, it just keeps looping. So that spoiled resolution and lingering unease from the end carries through to the next loop of the song, reinforcing the ominous vibe of the opening and reminding you that while this place is "safe", for now, it won't necessarily stay that way. Tristram is a tiny island of relative security over a roiling ocean of horror, and any piece it finds is temporary at best. Kind of sets up some nice thematic resonance for the series as a whole, in a way. Peace may come, if you strive for it, but evil will always be lurking in the background, waiting for its next time to strike. And next time, you may not be ready.

This is my favorite piece of music from any game ever. I remember watching my oldest brother playing this game when I was a kid. Childhood memories! ✨ Diablo 1 and 2 are such great games.

Tristram Village is etched into my soul. Diablo II (which also featured this track) was a huge part of my childhood

Wilderness, Rogue, Sisters, Jungle, Tombs are some of my favourite OST from Diablo 2. Would be cool to see some of those being analysed.

It's amazing how instantly recognizable this music is to so many people from the two opening chords alone. As far as I'm concerned, those two chords represent the most iconic moment of the game's soundtrack.

Man, the sound of the bass descending gives me chills every time. I love it so! =)

Oh BOY you do not know how MUCH I jumped when I saw the notification for this. The Tristram theme is one of my favorite pieces of all time and genres.

The greatness of this piece, will forever remind us of how far from grace has Blizzard Entertainment fallen.

This track has haunted and delighted me since I was a young kid. It's a joy to see it broken down and analyzed to this degree. Thank you!!

Man… I love the Tristram theme. I feel like if I were to make a playlist of songs to relax to, that would be one of the first songs I would put it in. Glad to hear your first thoughts on this wonderful piece of music.

To this day, my wife and I talk about "Diablo guitar". It's such a hard quality to pin down, but I think a lot of it comes down to harmony that meanders, instead of driving towards a resolution.

Also... Another reason why the Tristram theme is so carved in our soul is because the town is a major hub that you have to constantly return to... The song has to be good, because we have heard it for dozens of hours at least!😅

Diablo 2 was my childhood, and holy crap is that soundtrack just absolutely fantastic. Thank you for covering some of the great music that went into the early diablo games. They really are treasures.

Great video! The Tristram theme from Diablo is one of my all time favourites. So many hours spent in the village in the late 90s… 😊 As an amateur guitarist many years ago, I remember trying (and failing) at some point to figure out the chords, after randomly stumbling into one and saying “a-ha!” while trying to learn other pieces. Revisiting it now, with some more music theory knowledge, I think you perfectly described its magic: soundscapes, chord choices (those pivot chords are genius IMO!) and instrumentation all play key roles in making this piece stuck in your mind for a long time, despite it not having hooks or catchy refrains. Thanks for this video! Kudos 👊

Definitely stayed a while and listened

All of the D1 soundtracks are masterpieces. They convey exactly the information you need as a player to immediately understand what kind of world you're being thrown into. I would compare the game's overall quality to a movie like the first Jurassic Park, which has a very similar place in my heart. 20 years later I played through the D1 single player a few times and I can say the game hasn't aged one bit. It's timeless.

It's also extremely Pink Floyd-inspired. Similar to the OSTs of the MOTHER series, there's a lot of influence from Welcome to the Machine.

Been playing the Reign of Terror D2 MOD for Grim Dawn with a friend, total conversion mod that plays through all of D2 and then has the original D1 as an Act VI. I feel like Tristram easily lives among the most iconic video game tunes ever. There are very few that could compete against it, especially from other Western games with the exception of maybe Halo. I'm genuinely shocked you only just recently became aware of it.

My sister was good friends with Matt back in highschool, he was dating one of her best friends and ended up marrying her and having 2 kids together. But i can still remember him coming over to our house and just noodling around on my dads guitar playing these cords over and over as a teenager, i remember asking him what he was playing and he would just say "im just messing around". He truly understood what the goal of the diablo games were and what they were asking for, but he created the atmosphere from his guitar.

I love how you can explain to me *why* a piece of music makes me feel a certain way, even if I don't really understand what you're saying. Your words are so enthusiastic that I can't help but feel excited and nod along with your explanations

I listen to tons of spooky music and extreme metal as well as noise and drone but this is the most sinister and anguished piece of music I've heard still today. The nostalgia of playing at a kid definitely adds to that but I think any first hearing will understand

Literally my favourite game music of all time. It only took 8-bit like 7 years to get to it! Looking forward to watching. :-) Best thing about the Diablo 2 OST is that the theme introduced first in B minor (7:00 in the video) pervades the wilderness areas of every single Act like a theme or leitmotif for Hell's forces. So much went into this game. NOT covered here is the ~3 minute outro conceived for D2's version of the town.

Dude. So glad you discovered this. Enjoying so much the analysis!

I can't tell you how many hours I've listened to this song. Both in game and on RU-vid. It really is a beautiful and nostalgic jackpot. Thank you for breaking it down. Kinda surprised you're the first to do it!

Tristram gets the most play (and for good reason) but the other music tracks in Diablo 1 are also incredible. My favorite is the theme of the caves. Having music that conveys the feeling of "having a hard time breathing in a cramped, too-hot, hostile space" has to be pretty rare.

I love everything that Matt Uelmen has composed from Diablo onward. The guy's music is so amazing.

Stellar video, as always! Love that you have transcriptions to follow along with what you're talking about!

For me, the most iconic Game Music Track in my life. I've listened to it in a lot of strange circumstances, under various effects, and it's always impressive. Thanks for the analysis.

I’ve been waiting on this since I first discovered your channel. Thank you man, great work.

As much as I love that you're covering this piece, it absolutely kills me that you didn't talk about my favorite part of the song where the guitar strumming picks up and plays the fast descending melody! I was waiting for it the whole video, and then you referred to the "end" chord just before my favorite part of the song! Aaaaagghh!! Anyway, thanks for your amazing videos! I love your content!

I'm so glad you are covering this song, It inspired a lot of my music I feel.

Glad I stumbled upon this video. Amazing work!

Since the first time I listened to this master piece.. I add it to every single playlist I had throught out the years.. I still have it on my MUSIC playlist here in youtube and still listen to it from time to time in the background.. This piece has something to it that no other game music has.. Cheers to master Matt Uelmen for composing this beauty..

6:26 I am so glad you said this. I am a massive Rush fan, and all of these diminished acoustic guitar chords kept me thinking of La Villa Strangiato

I remember being introduced to this game as a child. I was staying at a friends for a week during summer break and we would take turns playing this game since we only had one computer, which was located in his parents bedroom. Whoever got up the earliest would get first choice. After a few days I was up so early I got told by the father of the family to get out of his bedroom. He was a farmer and was used to getting up no later than 6 am, if not earlier. The music was definitely a huge part of the atmosphere of the game, and Tristram Village theme most of all.

This song is in my top 3 of all time favorite VG songs, I’ve sometimes played this to relax, and I’ve used it as background music during tabletop role playing sessions.

Without a doubt my favorite video game track of all time. Still gives me chills decades later every time I hear it.

Genuinely one of my favorite video game pieces. Thanks for the analysis!

The entire Diablo II OST is incredible. My favorite is "Blood Moor". There's very unique instrumentation - hammered dulcimer, drum kit, cello, contrabass, bass guitar, electric guitar, lapsteel guitar, contrabassoon?, samples, shakers, acoustic guitar, flutes, french/english horn, harp, choir, etc. I've never heard anything like it and the atmosphere is unbelievable. The song I could imagine was influenced by it is "Raider II" by Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree) and possibly Opeth's music.

Amazing video! Thank you for this content!

I appreciate you mentioning the similarity to Rush songs. The chord progressions at the beginning, especially moving around the As, were reminding me specifically of Xanadu.

Woo! Been waiting for this for a long time!

Diablo 1 was one of my 1st video games. i played it on a computer in a basement and i remember the music from the menu running through These also dark corridors 😂 the atmosphere of d1 is simply unsurpassed by even all the following games of the franchise. The village seemed so sad and always facing the demonious activities under the nearby churche. The voice Acting of the villagers was so amazing and the music of each part of the dungeon (Cathedral catacombs and hell) was so eerie you just felt you are getting closer and closer to the bottom of things. Just remembering all this makes me wanna play again.

I always loved that piece so much. Incredible arrangement.

I'm pumped that you covered this song. It remains probably my favorite video game song of all time and I adore listening to it on foggy or rainy mornings.

So glad you highlighted Jules, his/her convers are just phenomenal

This is such a fantastic breakdown!

Thanks for reminding me of this song, I've always loved it!

I love this song so much I started learning it by ear at the guitar almost 20 years ago, still improving it over the years. Such a great tune

"Just discovered Diablo's iconic music," In the words of xkcd, you're one of today's lucky 10,000.

I love HOW STRANGE the piece is, like it communicates a re-assurance laced with a warning: "You can lower your guard, but keep your hand on the hilt"

11:28 - "Overblown wooden flute thing" LOL Lovely, lovely analysis! The tristram theme is one of my favourite video game pieces from my favourite game of all time, and is brilliantly composed. Glad to see someone appreciating the technicalities of it all. Well done!

I have never thought, 27 years later, is the day where I can finally see what chord it used and the musical theory explanation of how it worked to stir your emotion. (The sound that I thought was a wailing is actually an overblown flute!) I am very thankful that you went the whole extra mile to make this video for us! ❤

Awesome video! Super hyped for D4

Glad to see this gem reviewed!

Thank you for this, I remember being mesmerised by the guitars in Diablo back in the days.

as a musician and someone who use to play this game a lot when i was a teenager , this video brought me to tears

I was waiting for this to come out ever since I first heard the song

So beautiful to see how it works under the hood! I absolutely adore Uelmans compositions in Diablo and Diablo 2; thank you for breaking down just why this tune is so haunting but alluring at the same time!

10:18 I saw, and enjoyed, the subtle editing gag here. I love it.

Man. I literally listen to the Diablo 1 soundtrack on loop all weekend, last weekend. Great pick! =D

Fantastic content. The Diablo Theme is one of my all time favourites. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

It’s such a stunning track, so memorable and technically complex and performatively difficult. One of those pieces that makes me think “How did anyone even compose this thing!?”

Good breakdown of this timeless piece. A game I'm playing time and again just for the soundtrack.

I love hearing you explain things that mostly go over my head about a song that was super impactful growing up. D1 scared the crap out of me as kid! This song is so peacefully unsettling and works so well on repeat walking around town hearing everyones awful backstories.

Whoa, I did not expect the guitarist to be Jules.

As a D1 player from the late 90's, its by far my favorite music theme. And there are incredible ones ALL OVER gaming. Truly, music in gaming is way greater than people realize.

I've heard this a million times, and when it hit the lighter chords ingame you suddenly felt hope and resolve. I still get that feeling listening back to it now, so amazing.

"flute thing again" - my thougts exactly, every time

Thanks, to this day this is still one of my best songs of all time! I still ahve to watch but I'm sure this will be great!

I enjoyed this a lot! Would love to see more (oldish) PC games covered.

Matt Uelmen also composed the OST for the two first Torchlight games which, to be honest are like Diablo I and II with 3D cartoonish graphics and almost no multiplayer but with the same vibes on most of the tracks of the OST and sounds fantastic.

i really wish Corptube's algorithms were as consistent with content creators and channels as it is with ads because i've somehow never visited your channel before! great stuff here!

Would be cool to see the rest of the Diablo I soundtrack songs covered as well. Many gems of odd times signatures, bass and violins

I always thought the Fyrestone theme from Borderlands was in some ways an evolution of the Tristram theme. With the random loot and skill tree mechanics it makes a lot of sense to have an homage.

Thanks for finally covering this one! Now we just need that Goldeneye pause screen theme. lol

I'm excited! This might be the first time he's covered music from a game I've played 😂

Wow classics music is even better. It makes my heart melt

It‘s just a legendary tune. 25 years later it still gives me the creeps.

I’ve been thinking about this song for years.

Yesss I've been waiting for so long for this! A band that often has the same vibe as diablo's tracks is Opeth. Really good stuff there

D1 has the darkest OST of the series. Music and FX are pure horror. Not even D2 has such a creepy atmosphere.

There's a point in D4 that uses just the simple opening strum and I still got so damned nostalgic.

Holy shit, thank you for naming the Alex Lifeson chord correctly!

Oh right the tristram theme. Definitely inspired me as a guitar player, D2 was still fresh on my mind when I started to learn playing, everyone was addicted to it back then. 5:17 A bit of a Bathory - Shores In Flames vibe

What a great analysis

Dude as a Diablo 1 and 2 super fan and big music nerd this video was just top notch!

I, for one, love the overblown flute thing notation. Great analysis on something that always seemed to be something unique and pretty far from standard compositions (being a musical idiot, was probably hearing the heavy use of tritones).

Amazing job bro! As a musician I’ve had eargasms playing DII.

Matt Uelmen's stated influences include Peruvian guitar music as well as some of the earliest formative goth rock like Bauhaus.