Music has always played an important role in my life—and writing is no different. When I first started, I couldn’t listen to music while writing. It took time to train myself to do it. I started with soundtracks and orchestral scores (think Hans Zimmer). Anything with lyrics tripped me up. But now? I couldn’t go back if I wanted to. I write with headphones on, isolated, completely immersed in my own personal soundtrack.
What Gets the Words Flowing
I am—and forever will be—a metalhead. While writing Hell Knight: Rise of the Betrayer, metal was my genre of choice. You’d think it was about getting the adrenaline pumping, fueling battle scenes, and intensifying the dark aura of Hell Knight, but that’s not exactly why I prefer metal. Truth is, it actually calms me down and puts me at peace. Metal just feels natural. Does that make me weird? Probably. I’m definitely the last person who gets control of the playlist on road trips.
As for bands, my top choices are The Browning, Born of Osiris, Emmure, Northlane, and Slaughter to Prevail (Alex Terrible). The Browning and Born of Osiris strike the perfect balance between heavy vocals and synth elements, which really clicks for me. Northlane’s mix of screaming and melodic vocals always gets me singing along (not that you’d ever catch me doing it in public). And when I do need an adrenaline boost? That’s where Emmure and Slaughter to Prevail come in. These two dominate my workout playlist, and Doom Slayer by Alex Terrible is still my favorite song to this day. The insane vocals mixed with the familiar riffs from Doom get me fired up every time.
Switching It Up for Shotgun Grandma
When writing Shotgun Grandma, I still listened to metal from time to time, but for the most part, I leaned into electronic and synthwave. Lyrics were minimal, but the rhythm kept me moving as the words flowed onto the page. My go-to artists were Dance with the Dead, Perturbator, and Carpenter Brut. These days, I usually throw on a New Retro Wave playlist from YouTube before getting started. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the Mob Psycho Beats channel—it’s the perfect mix of my love for electronic and metal, and I’m having a blast writing to it.
That’s what gets the words flowing for me. What about you? What are your go-to tracks when writing? For my fellow metalheads, maybe you have a favorite band with a similar vibe. Let me know on X @EvanGrantAuthor!