"Tombs" - Liner Notes - November 22, 2000

This piece was a return to the familiar creepiness of the chorus, in contrast to the peppy Arabic percussion sounds which predominate in the desert and valley sequences of Act II. After using so many strange and exotic musical elements in this section of the game, I wanted to make sure players did not feel like they had left the Diablo universe entirely. The presence of the undead always seems to call for the ethereal qualities of the human voice, and I felt that this tune integrated with the sound effects of the mummies and assorted undead quite well.

This tune is also a good example of what works well as game music but is not quite as successful as a piece of music without a background context. The very elements which make it weaker as an individual "concert" work -- plodding pacing, muddy mixing, slow development - actually work quite well as an atmospheric wall upon which the events of gameplay can unfold.

- Matt Uelmen

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