Clutch D&D Inspired Deep Cut & Post-Apocalyptic Music Recs

Plus BE/HOLD - New Synth Music for Sworn Swords and Sorcerers

Before getting to this week’s items on the intersection between music and tabletop roleplaying games, I wanted to call your attention to a couple of people in the Critical Hit Parader extended circle who have been terribly affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.

First, Steve Coulter and his family lost their Altadena, CA home to the Eaton Fire. Steve writes under the pen name S.W. Lauden and publishes the terrific Remember the Lightning newsletter. You may recall from last week’s newsletter that he was the person who turned me onto the Octoberland album from the Armoires, one of my favorite releases from 2024. If you are able, please consider donating to a GoFundMe set up by one of his former co-workers. You can learn more personal details of his situation in this recent post:

Vodka Sauce

Second, Levi Nunez from Critical Hit Parader favorite Loot the Body lost his studio to fire:

Levi sent the following to his Bandcamp followers:

I do not have a Go Fund Me because although I am displaced I have much more than so many of my neighbors. I have insurance. It will be a fight but at this point I am confident I'll be OK.

Although Levi is not asking for money, please join me in sending good thoughts for him and his family. And if you want to support his art and hear great music, you can purchase his music digitally from the Loot the Body Bandcamp page.

Clutch D&D Inspired Deep Cut

This American Songwriter article showcased five deep cuts from the band Clutch. One of the songs included is Critical Hit Parader favorite “Mountain of Stone,” which features D&D inspired lyrics. Here is an excerpt from the article:

More than thirty years after they started, Clutch proved they still had it with their 2022 release Sunrise on Slaughter Beach. While songs like “Slaughter Beach” and “Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)” get more attention, “Mountain of Bone” can’t be overlooked.

The song plays out like a story of a group of warriors attempting to pillage the den of an unnamed beast throughout the first verses. However, the final reverse reveals the truth. Yet here I am still rolling / A twenty-sided die. / Am I chaotic evil / Or lawfully good aligned?

That’s right, it’s a song about a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

You can listen to the song here:

Post-Apocalyptic Music Recs on Spellburn Podcast

Christopher Rick was a recent guest on the Spellburn podcast. Christopher is the writer of the heavy metal inspired adventure Ziggurat of the Mega-Maiden, which I covered in a previous newsletter.

At 42:28 of the podcast, Christopher and the Spellburn hosts discussed appropriate music for post-apocalyptic RPG playing. Julian Bernick’s choice was the Used Future album by The Sword. Joey Royale suggested synth legend Mort Garson or Voyag3r. Christopher recommended industrial music such as Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, or KMFDM. I was thrilled to see that in the live chat, Nick Baran brought up Voivod’s Dimension Hatröss and Killing Technology albums, as Voivod was the first band that came to mind for me.

One last music question was posed at 1:21:48 of the podcast: Bruce Dickinson or Paul Di’Anno? Remember, there are no right or wrong answers to some questions…

New BE/HOLD Release

Collin McClutchy releases music under the name BE/HOLD, which is self described as “Synth Music for Sworn Swords and Sorcerers.” Last week, BE/HOLD released Where They Landed. The album is “the score to a film that doesn't exist. In this film, aliens make first contact with earth in the hills of Appalachia.” Sounds cool, right?

You can preview and purchase the whole Where They Landed album from the BE/HOLD Bandcamp page: