In today’s installment of Zen and the Art of Screaming, we examine the role of horror in music—from musicians selling their souls to the devil for fame & fortune, to artists whose appearance and sound conjure images of demons and hellfire.
A retrospect on the J-Pop, J-Rock, and Jazz fusion and other musical sub-genres featured in anime.
An exposition on the subversive sub-genre of heavy metal and its use in cinema that exudes the provocative, violent, terrifying, and esoteric.
An analysis on the soundscapes that shaped the Castlevania franchise.
A musical history of The Legend of Zelda Franchise; the impact of Koji Kondo and the audio legacy of the series.
Sonata of the Screen and Grid is an exposition on film and animation directors’ work and compositional comparison of the musicians and composers who scored them. For this piece we’ll look at the evolution of speculative fiction cinema scores and “Rise of the Synths”, dissecting their flirtation with cyberpunk style synthesizer riffs.
An analysis and introspect on the audio and musical design behind the Super Mario franchise.
Music does far more than just soothe the savage beasts of our psyche. The sonic experience viscerally brings virtual and cinematic worlds to life. Join us in our examination of the evolution of video game and synth music in tandem with storied and largely influential arrangements used in film and animation.
