I have different music that I listen to when I write or edit. And soundtracks – especially game soundtracks – really fit that bill nicely. I’ll be talking about some of them here.
Deathmøle is a fictional band by Jeph Jacques, originally spawned by his webcomic Questionable Content.
Deathmøle has released several albums over the years, nearly all instrumental (or mostly instrumental). They’re very, very definitely metal… but in a kind of weird way. They’re not thrash, or black, or prog… but definitely have elements of all of the above. Rhythmic chord progression? Yup. Speedy chords? Yup? Dark minor keys? Yup.
But as I mentioned at the top, what’s great about this is that the songs are great to write to. They’re melodic, but they’re also rhythmic in a way that lets part of your brain just fiddle around with that while you’re busy actually writing instead of listening entirely to the music.
You can get Deathmøle albums on Bandcamp for $5-$10 bucks each. I highly recommend Meade’s Army as a good starter; you can preview the tracks easily using the widget on the webpage or below.