It’s hard to dispute Mick Gordon’s Doom soundtrack as one of the greatest heavy metal compositions of all time. The Australian composer’s genius, crushing eight- and nine-string riffs offer the perfect sonic accompaniment to slaying hundreds upon hundreds of hellish demons and other grotesque creatures.
The soundtrack gave rise to such classics as Rip & Tear and Bfg Division, and gained such a cult status that Gordon was invited to compose the score for the game’s followup, Doom: Eternal, in 2020.
But surprisingly given its adoration by those at the intersection of heavy metal music and gaming, the Doom soundtrack has never been performed live in its entirety in the 10 years since the game’s release in 2016.
But that’s all set to change next year, when Mick Gordon will perform the Doom soundtrack for the first time ever in a headline set at the UK’s RADAR Festival alongside a full band and orchestra.
At RADAR 2027 Mick will bring the Doom soundtrack to the stage for the first time, featuring the DOOM Machine (his custom Doom instrument), with a full live band and an orchestra for good measure,” festival organisers say.
“This isn’t a DJ set, and it isn’t a tribute act. It’s the actual composer, the actual score – the riffs played properly loud in a room that can withstand all the ripping and tearing. “Mick has never performed this music live, like this. Until RADAR came calling.”
Next year’s RADAR Festival will take place at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse from 30 July to 1 August 2027, but there’s still this year’s edition to get through first. From today (31 July) through the weekend, the festival will see performances from Thy Art Is Murder, Skindred, Northlane, Animals as Leaders and so many more.
Learn more at RADAR Festival.
Sam is the Associate News Editor for Guitar.com and MusicTech. Thoroughly immersed in music culture for the majority of his life, Sam has played guitar for 20 years, studied music technology and production at university, and also written for the likes of Guitar World, Total Guitar, Metal Hammer and MusicRadar.