No. 0, E1M1, in C Minor, Docks  MIDI
Description: A chilling guitar solo and tritone-heavy harmonies dominate the first part of the piece.  The contrasting second section, in F# Minor, features massively oppressive orchestration led by a bone-crushing bass line.

No. 2, E1M3, in C Minor, Gate House  MIDI
Description: No. 2 begins with the tonal progression of the entire Heretic score (see No. 15).  This is followed by a driving build up section with some astounding bass work.  The second section is essentially a quartet among voice, piano, bass, and percussion.  Instruments for a possible pop ballad?  Yeah, the pop ballad from hell...

No. 3, E1M4, in E Minor, Guard Tower ("Cymbal Solo")  MIDI
Description: The tonic is obviously situated at the note E, but as in so many other pieces in Heretic, it is muddled by diminished harmonies and whatever else.  The nickname "Cymbal Solo" comes from the second section (now modulated to C Minor) where every type of cymbal is used and "harmonized" in an all-out crash fest.  To fully appreciate this section, ones needs to listen at deafening volumes with that 16kHz equalizer bar set at max.

No. 5, E1M6, in F# Minor, Cathedral  MIDI MP3
Description: As Debussy's Sunken Cathedral invokes visions of grandeur and huge spaces, the F# Minor No. 5 is likewise a magnificently composed musical statement, featuring a seamless combination of the broadest range of tone colors, from strings to electric bass to chorus to rock drums.

No. 13, E2M2, in G Minor, Lava Pits  MIDI
Description: The build up that starts the piece signals a solid G Minor tonic, but the tonality is quickly distorted by tritones and a wandering bass line.  A break in the music leads to basically a repeat of the first section.  When a second break comes, tense drum phrases signal the arrival at the dominant key.  In addition to the key change, the previously unstable harmonies are now replaced by a solid, magnificent sounding chord progression (i - ii(full dim7)/4 - V - i).  From here on, a grand buildup occurs that really needs to be heard at high volumes to be fully appreciated.

No. 15, E2M4, in C Minor, Ice Grotto  MIDI
Description: Buried within the "icy" sounding synthesizer voices of No. 15 is a tonal progression that runs rampant through the entire Heretic score.  As the music begins, we find the progression, 1 - flat 3 - 4 - 5, in the low fundations harmonized with another part as the high voices sing a dark sounding, loosely pentonic-based melody.  An interesting section follows in which multiple voices play the same familiar four notes but in different note lengths, creating a sense of movement while still maintaining a relatively static tonality.  This is followed by a chordal section in which our progression is the basis of some colorful harmonies.   Adding to the mix is a "lone" percussion line that does well in driving the momentum forward.

Back to Sec. 3: Music