Doom composer Mick Gordon likens his approach to creating video game soundtracks to that of a musical archeologist. Gordon explained that he views his role as carefully uncovering music that already exists, rather than solely composing from scratch. "My job is to turn up with a delicate set of tools and very carefully--with a very delicate brush and a very careful hand--start uncovering what I feel is already there," Gordon stated in a recent interview. "It's just the sound or the music is already there, and the job I feel is to uncover it and very, very delicately unearth it, polish it up. And then send it out into the universe." He believes that franchises like Doom inherently inspire such music, deserving nothing less than a deep, resonant soundscape.
Gordon's soundtracks for 2016's Doom and 2020's Doom Eternal are characterized by a raw, intense sound that complements the games' aggressive gameplay. For these projects, he developed a custom analog effects and audio-routing rig to transform harsh sounds into what he described as "harmonic violence." Following his work on Doom Eternal, Gordon took a sabbatical before contributing to other titles such as Atomic Heart and Routine. His next project is slated to be the cyberpunk FPS game Defect.
Reflecting on the longevity of his musical contributions, including his guest spot on Gareth Coker's Absolum album, Gordon credits the fans for the sustained interest in his work. "Once I've done my job, save out the audio files, and I send it to the developer, they wrap it up into the game, it comes out, and I'm no longer involved," Gordon explained. "That's it. That's my job done. If this thing has any legs, goes off, and does the things that you just mentioned there, that has nothing to do with me. That's all about the fans. That's all about how other people receive it. It's not me who's been prolonging it. It's the fans enjoying it." He emphasized that fans deserve as much credit as he does for the continued life of his soundtracks beyond their initial release.