Musical fans talk “influential” ‘Diablo’ series

In partnership with Activision Blizzard

Last December, Halsey took to the stage of The Game Awards 2022 to perform ‘Lilith’ from 2021’s ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ to confirm the launch date of Diablo IV.

“As soon as Diablo IV was announced, I knew I wanted to be a part of the lead-up and launch,” she said.

“Lilith is such an influence on my own art and has informed so many characteristics of my alter-ego. My family has spent many hours together in Sanctuary over the years, so I am here as a fan and as a collaborator,” they continued, adding that the performance was “just the beginning of what Blizzard Entertainment and I have in store” ahead of the launch of Diablo IV, which is out June 6.

However, Halsey is not the only musical fan of the Diablo games. Last summer, Bury Tomorrow took on streamer Leahviathan in a game of Diablo Immortal backstage at Download Festival. “And who doesn’t love a good bit of metal when they’re killing shit,” Dav Winter-Bates told NME before explaining how the “kinship” between heavy music and gaming comes “from being a part of fringe society.”

“You can be made to feel a bit like an outcast if you’re a gamer, or if you’re into metal. You can come together as a community though,” he continued. “The two worlds collide seamlessly for that very reason.” During a similar challenge, Architects’ Sam Carter revealed that Diablo is on regular rotation whenever the band hits the road, while the likes of Cradle Of Filth’s Dani Filth is also a vocal fan of the franchise.

And it’s a mutually inspirational partnership, according to Diablo Immortal’s narrative lead Ryan Quinn, who listened to a lot of heavy music when writing the free to play MMORPG. “In Diablo, our stories are mostly about very, very desperate people behaving desperately — someone’s hearing voices, someone’s insanely jealous, someone’s being possessed by a demon,” he said.

“Lots of metal records are about coping with existential horror, body horror, dying young, feeling distant, or alienated from your society. Music becomes a really powerful shortcut to get you in that headspace.”

That partnership between music and Diablo came to a head when Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia teamed up with YouTuber, Mark The Hammer, to create ‘Start Again’, a brooding, epic metal track inspired by Diablo II for the launch of Diablo II Resurrected back in 2021.

“I’ve been a gamer for quite a while,”Scabbia told Kerrang! “I love video games. I love what you can learn from them. I love the stories they tell.”

“I don’t necessarily think of games as an escape,” she continued. “For me, it’s a different world that I want to be part of, [parallel to] the real world. It’s not just something that you’re watching: you’re part of it. You can choose your character. You can increase your power. You can pick your path and select your sides.”

“The worlds of metal and gaming have always been strongly connected. If you see a metalhead, there’s a strong chance you’ll be able to talk about games – or vice-versa,” she added. “It’s a lifestyle.”