It’s been far too long since we’ve done an interview regarding games and soundtracks, and today we’re absolutely thrilled to present our chat with Eric Guenther, who many people will recognize from indisputable progressive metal titans The Contortionist.
He’s been with the band since 2014 and helped usher in some of their best received work to date including Language and Clairvoyant, not to mention the Our Bones EP which has one of the best covers of “1979” you’ll ever hear.
But Eric Guenther’s actually been working on something near and dear to our hearts – an original soundtrack for upcoming visual novel game Code Breach. Details about the game itself have been relatively discreet, but thankfully this is one of those rare situations where the OST is allowed to flourish separately ahead of its release. We know, we know – you hear us dissect this quandary a little too routinely in the 2.0’s Day Music Dumps, but that’s what makes releases like this so refreshing.
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In fact the soundtrack isn’t just out, a companion edition has also been released with ambient, drone, and lo-fi additions, and the stems are available at his website ericguenther.com. To say the least, we were stoked for the chance to ask the maestro about his process, influences, what kind of games he’s into, how OST work compares to working with The Contortionist, and more. Enjoy!
FB: When did you first become interested into a soundtrack or OST style record?
EG: To be honest, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized this, but, although I played guitar and piano a bit when I was 13, and had some original riffs that I would toy with, I didn’t really focus on writing music until I was fully melted by the Final Fantasy 7 experience… That soundtrack, and then Mitsuda in Xenogears, scrambled my brain, and after that, I was writing my own music, even if it was contextually very different.
I was listening to NIN, Radiohead, Pumpkins, and the classic grunge bands. I was recording all kinds of weird electronic music, but mostly playing guitar in punk bands, then metal bands through college. I always had in the back of my mind the loose plan of pushing in the band land as far as momentum would take me, and then pivot into composing or production in some way, however that lane may form. So, honestly, it’s been brewing for as long as I’ve been making music, it feels like the realization of a goal. I was going to write a soundtrack for a non-existent game if this opportunity hadn’t come along.
I split the Code Breach collection into 3 segments; the first is the Code Breach OST, which I put together as the collection of ‘best’/most produced tracks, and a stand-alone electronic music LP. I wanted it to be a concise and lush listening experience, within the context of a soundtrack or not. Then I released the Ambient/Drone/Lo-Fi collection, and probably with the game release, I’ll put out the final “Z-sides/oddities” collection of more contextual scene music. That one has some weirder stuff on it, more metal and blues.
FB: How did you become involved with Code Breach and the team behind it?
EG: Pure luck, I suppose. A film buddy I had worked with passed me a reddit thread, and I think The Contortionist history got my foot in the door. I’m really thankful, actually, because I had a lot of creative leeway, and the amount of direction needed for the context of the game was super helpful in getting it ‘done’. Lots of musical ideas started as loose recorded concepts that needed clarity, and the needs of the game helped me dial that in. Because of that, though, I was able to go deep and make a more comprehensive, better listen. I think I recorded almost twice as much music as was originally called for in the reddit post… I’d say that means it went well.
FB: Was the idea of scoring a visual novel intriguing or challenging in a unique way?
EG: From some perspective, it’s easier in that there isn’t a lot of sound design or adaptive audio to consider… It’s more about the context of the dialog, the scene, and character themes that can serve the story. One of the things I love the most about the classic JRPG OSTs is their reliance on themes, so I had fun with a number of different melodic ideas that tie certain scenes and tracks together. Being creative with those goals in mind was fresh, because I could dig into sound design and reharmonization; flex some different directions than my normal day job riffs.
FB: There are some wild visual novel games out there like Slay the Princess and Doki Doki Literature Club. Were you a fan of visual novel games before this?
EG: No, actually. I should check those out.
FB: Visual novel games are also a very specific audience that enjoys both gaming and reading – do you find you play games more, or read more books?
Honestly, not enough of either lately. I’ve got the kind of restless mind that makes reading tough these days, although it will happen occaisionally. I have the opportunity and motivation to dig into a game about once or twice a year, and unless it’s mindless Diablo with old friends, it’s usually something low-key and story-based, like Expedition 33. I love the format of a story-based game . It totally works in the composers favor to have this time-consuming experience tied to the music. The nature of the game slows people down enough to listen, we all need that.
FB: The soundtrack has a vivid, vibrant quality to it – what was the first track you worked on? Did it set the tone for everything else or did you decide to push in other directions?
EG: At first, I knew I wanted to use the musical themes from Graystock Noir/end credits because I had a good dynamic going between those two rough ideas. Both existed in the form of rough demos, but Church and MainTheme came together quickly after that. Once I had that central sound palette defined, it was easier to envision ways to branch off tonally with tracks like Southwest and Tolburn.
I’ve been obsessed with Blood Incantation‘s Timewave Zero record, which is a super dark synth drone thing, so tracks like Rescue and Mission Action were my opportunity to experiment in that direction, something I knew I wanted to do. Naturally, my tendency is probably to over-do it with layers and arrangement, so, finding ways to dial that back and sit in a dynamic range that is more appropriate ‘reading music’ was an exercise for me. I think my plan is to take a few tracks and expand on them for a later release under my electronic project, A Void Prismatik, unrelated to the game.
FB: What kind of plugins or VST’s did you use to record the tracks? Did you use any of the same gear you use with The Contortionist?
EG: I’ve been a u-he Repro/Diva enthusiast for over a decade… I always start there when the musical ideas are hot, and notes are dumping out at a relentless pace. I’ve been building sounds on both for years, and love what I can get out of it quickly. As the production moves along, they sometimes become more like musical scaffolding, and I’ll replace them with other analog synths. I’ve been using a Sequential Take5, I love the modulation options and tactile motion you can get out of it. And also the criminally under-rated Deepmind12, which is all over this recording for pads and arpeggiated chords. And a mophox4, which still sometimes, somehow, is the heaviest sound I have access to. For guitars, it’s an assortment of Neural DSP VSTs. I used a home made slide guitar on a few tracks, as well. I love using Noise Engineering, Freakshow Industries, Kazrog effects.
FB: Speaking of, The Contortionist tends to have heady themes and narratives on their records too – what would you say the biggest difference is between writing for Code Breach and The Contortionist?
I’d say that writing for TC, although less broad, requires more nuance… In the band context, you’re working with so many more moving parts, and other musical minds/value systems… It’s harder, and less immediately clear how to dial in your ‘message’. I feel like CB was more open to interpretation, which can be a challenge as well. I have a lot more space to fill, in a sense, even though the music doesn’t need to be as fully involving or demanding of the listener as TC. The Code Breach OST was my first time having to deliver a mix and master myself, so that brought on the existential challenge of final accountability. In the band, by contrast, I’m more often listening, supporting, and responding to what other people are already doing, and the nature of the instrument is perfect for that.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here as well. Don’t let the bastards get you down!)