Awesome Music / Silent Hill

The Silent Hill games have soundtracks that are some of the most renowned in the horror game genre. Songs range from beautiful or dark ambient pieces and gentle and/or heavy alt-rock to terrifying and noisy industrial-influenced tracks and everything in between.

Credits where they're (usually) due: Akira Yamaoka — composer, Joe Romersa — arranger, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn — vocals

After Silent Hill: Downpour, Akira Yamaoka was replaced by Daniel Licht, better known as the composer for the Showtime series Dexter as well as the Dishonored games, until his death in 2017. As of Silent Hill 2 Remake, Akira Yamaoka is doing the composition again.

Unmarked spoilers ahead!

Silent Hill 1

• "The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh" This cryptic statement, accompanied by an eerie mandolin and distorted guitar, kicks off the series and soon gives way to the iconic main theme, "Silent Hill". A jangly, country & jazz-underscored, American gothic sound that is really evocative of how the game is Konami's nod to American horror.
• Not Tomorrow, the song that plays during Lisa's reveal in the first game. It's just so haunting and melancholy.
• "Esperandote", the theme song to the worst ending in the first game. It's a downright gorgeous, operatic theme, sex to your ears. Unusually for a Silent Hill game, the lyrics are in Spanish. And not only Spanish, it's a tango sung by Vanesa Quiroz, a famous Argentinian tango singer.
• Some of the more disturbing themes can be as awesome as they are horrifying, such as I'll Kill You, a very menacing theme to fit the battle with the Floatstinger.
• Claw Finger is calm and relaxing, which is fitting since the area it plays in, the Balkan Church, is a temporary relief from the terror of Silent Hill's streets.
• "My Heaven" is considered one of the scariest tracks in the game for good reason - its loud, piercing static, thundering metallic banging, and unearthly wails really emphasize the fact that you're fighting the game's equivalent of Satan.

Silent Hill 2

• "Theme of Laura" is a beautiful rock song that is a blend between uplifting and solemn moods. Its reprise, played for Angela's death scene, is haunting and beautiful in the same way that "Not Tomorrow" was in the original game.
• "White Noiz", the absolutely beautiful ambient song that plays when you first start the game in the bathroom. Yeah, it manages to make a Disgusting Public Toilet blissful.
• "Betrayal". It's the perfect music for a final battle with a demon monster from Hell. It's so dark and depressing but awesome at the same time.
• Any music pertaining to Pyramid Head is amazing yet noisy. Just listen to his first battle theme, which puts into perspective that what you're fighting is unlike any of the monsters you've encountered prior to this.
• "Overdose Delusion." After such a cathartic ending with Maria's final death and Mary telling James to go on with his life, it's fittingly bittersweet.
• 'Promise (reprise)' is a very haunting and melancholic piano theme played when James finds Angela in the Blue Creek Apartments. For that matter, 'Promise'. Playing at the end credits of the Maria Ending, the song perfectly encapsulates James's loneliness and utter depression.
• The creepy-but-beautiful Music Box theme from Silent Hill 2. A very sad piece. Also its remix by the wonderful katethegreat.
• Magdalene, a minimalist piano piece that plays after Pyramid Head kills Maria in the Otherworld Hospital. It somehow manages to drive home that you've failed more effectively than a more bombastic piece would have been able to.
• True. Notable in large part for playing during The Reveal in Silent Hill 2, it's devastating in any context. Its inspiration, Tears Of... from the first game, is also quite good.
• There's something very addicting about Mira's Theme, the piece made entirely of barks, growls, and a circus organ played during the dog ending. Catchy? Very.
• Pianissimo Epilogue, this game's result screen theme. A peaceful piano and synth theme that fits so perfectly at the end of such a depressing and terrifying game.
• In the Rebirth Ending, The Reverse Will, a bright and upbeat, yet somewhat melancholic and unnerving tune, is absolutely wonderful to listen to. Despite the circumstances of the ending, and considering that ending can only be unlocked after the first 3, it truly feels like you've come to the end of a long journey.
• Peace & Serenity, the calming ambient piece that plays before each ending. It's especially emotional in the Leave ending, where Mary tells James to move on with his life.
• Alone in the Town, the song playing in the bowling alley, is an ethereal trip-hop tune with a beautiful synth arrangement to go with it.
• Black Fairy, which plays in the Otherworld Lakeview Hotel after The Reveal, is simultaneously depressing and disturbing, combining a melancholic vocal drone with tapping/dripping sounds and periodic horrifying screeching. It embodies the guilt and sadness James feels after he rediscovers the memory of what he did that he repressed for so long.
• "Love Psalm" is an uplifting rock song which mixes gentle and heavier styles and is amazing both in and out of context, playing at the end of the Born From a Wish scenario after Maria accepts her place in Silent Hill.

Silent Hill 3

• Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me is a quiet, haunting, reflective piece that plays after defeating the Missionary.
• Lost Carol (long version) from the Silent Hill Sounds Box. Clearly, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's voice needs no accompaniment.
• You're Not Here. Harsh, discordant and unnerving, but a powerful and pulse-pounding piece of alt-rock all the same. It's so awesome it was reused as the first movie's credits theme!
• What A Nightmare. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's voice, singing or speaking, is goddess like.
• The song in the opening of Silent Hill 3, End of Small Sanctuary, is a bright and feel-good trip-hop song with soothing guitar riffs. It's cheerful compared to some of the more calming, depressing, and horrifying tracks in the game. If you listen to it, watch the scenes for it too. Sadly, within the game, it only plays while you're in the alleyway outside the mall at the very beginning.
• Dance With Night Wind, the background music when Heather arrives home to find her father murdered. On its own, it's calming with an aura of mystique. In the scene's context, though, it almost seems like it has a false sense of hope before turning heartbreaking once Heather discovers Harry's body.
• Please Love Me... Once More sounds like getting back up on your feet after a long period of trauma. A very apt title, as it plays while Heather takes one last look at her dead father and their home before setting out to deal with Claudia once and for all.
• Letter - From the Lost Days, a contemplative song which plays as Douglas drives Heather to Silent Hill while she's thinking about her father and preparing herself for what's ahead.
• Kill God, with its dramatic organ and the tortured wheezing of The God. The perfect music to accompany a fight against what is practically Satan in all but name and the Final Boss of the entire "Alessa's saga" (which include Origins and 1). Such a shame this wasn't included in the official soundtrack release.
• Uneternal Sleep, a powerful, driving ambient tune which provides a sense of both tension and serenity just before the confrontation with The God.
• I Want Love (Studio Mix) is a powerful rock tune that serves as a companion to its more mellow original version.
  • The original version isn't half-bad either. Especially in the game when it plays during a very poignant scene between Douglas and Heather.
• Hometown, the end credits theme from Silent Hill 3. The original theme from the first game, remixed, with lyrics sung by Joe Romersa? Hell yes.
• "Save Before You Quit" from the ending screen is an uplifting song that's refreshing to hear after all the horrifying and depressing things you've witnessed. Too bad this wasn't on the official soundtrack.
• "A Stray Child", a haunting downtempo tune that plays when Heather first meets Vincent.
• Silent Hill no Uta, the goofy song that plays during the UFO ending. Who knew that Douglas was really a fishmonger, and that Heather was actually a divorced mother of two?
• Maternal Heart is a chilling trip-hop song that makes Vincent's Wham Line all the more effective.
• The Save Theme provides a break from all of the madness with its reflective, soothing ambience.

Silent Hill 4: The Room

• Melancholy Requiem, the song right before Henry gets up from his bed, has a sense of determination to it.
• Room of Angel plays briefly during the intro, as well as in Cynthia's death scene. Very melancholy and haunting, made even more so by the vocals.
• Remodeling from 4. Its shifts from cacophonous to beautiful are abrupt, but mesmerizing.
• "Waiting for You ~ Live at 'Heaven's Night' ~ is a beautiful song from the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack, encompassing the relationship between James and Mary from the second game.
• "Cradle of Forest", the ending theme from Silent Hill 4, is Joe Romersa's final vocal contribution to the series, and perfectly captures Walter's childhood in the Wish House.
• Tender Sugar, from the original soundtrack, is a hard-hitting rock song that talks about someone, possibly Joseph Schreiber or Walter Sullivan, slowly descending into madness as they're kept safe yet trapped by "sugar", the room that confines them. A stripped, trip hop version plays when Joseph Schreiber appears in Room 302 of the Past, and is as powerful as the original version despite being in a different genre.
• Your Rain, a reverb-drenched alt-rock piece. Special mention goes to the solo at 2:54, a killer interpolation of the original Silent Hill theme, and the bass solo at 4:16. Your Rain (Reprise) plays in the endings where Eileen survives. It's a stripped-down version of the song and is cathartic and beautiful.
• Resting Comfortably, a downright peaceful ambient track that plays when exploring the first floor of the Revisited Apartment World and learning about Walter's past.

Silent Hill Origins

• The Motel Theme. A gorgeous ambient track that really adds to the atmosphere.
• Shot Down in Flames is raw and powerful.
• O.R.T is absolutely chilling.
• The music in the good ending has some jazz and techno vibes mixed in as a way of letting the player know that Travis is able to survive Silent Hill and plans to move on from his past.

Silent Hill: Homecoming

• One More Soul to The Call, about the collective suffering of the children in Shepherd's Glen and the abusive rituals that they had to suffer, is a mix of both Tear Jerker and "The Reason You Suck" Speech in all its glory.
• Witchcraft. This music coupled with Alex's thoughts on his family certainly set the mood.
• Alex's Theme is a beautifully haunting piece of music.
• "Elle's theme". A haunting, slightly eerie piece which explains Elle's feelings and state of mind.
• This Sacred Line. Unexpectedly hard, almost industrial rock song which fits in surprisingly well with its themes of loss, struggle, and sacrifice.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

• Shattered Memories gives us Acceptance, a sad and poignant tune that captures Cheryl's feelings about losing her father and her coming to terms with them in the end.
• "Hell Frozen Rain" is a powerful rock song that describes the game very well, about what once was real only being a memory.
• "When You're Gone" is a rock song tying into Cheryl's feelings about Harry - she never felt the same once he was gone.
• The fittingly titled Devil's Laughter is a chilling piece that makes the second chase sequence that much scarier.

Silent Hill Downpour

• "Intro Perp Walk" is a chilling piece that is somewhat reminiscent of the original Silent Hill theme at some points.
• "Bus to Nowhere" is another standout track, which starts off as dark ambience but later turns into tense drum beats which become more uplifting for a while before becoming tense again. Yamaoka's absence remains divisive, but Licht does his damndest effort to fill in.

Unsorted

• Daniel Licht's score for Book of Memories (especially the ominous "Fire-World" or the almost sadistic "Steel-World").
• Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's two contributions for Book of Memories: a lyrical rendition of SH2's "Love Psalm" and the Licht-composed "Now We're Free", which sounds wonderful thanks to McGlynn's beautiful vocals and Licht's haunting score.

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