The Sound Of Temple – Warframe Techrot Encore Interview

Gamespace got a chance to discuss the sound of the Temple and the music of Warframe that makes the Techrot Encore update all about the metal!

After the incredible Warframe: 1999 I didn’t think that the music of Digital Extreme’s free to play epic could top even greater heights. A Nine Inch Nails infused trailer, synth sounds, and dark atmospheres. The brooding tone of pre millennial apprehension mixed with cold war doom all came together and faced off against virtual boy bands in a way only Warframe can do.

Rather than try to top it, Techrot Encore takes these concepts and drives off in an alternate direction, swapping the clean cut pop of On-Lyne for the epic riffs and crunching guitars of a rock star turned Protoframe, known as Temple. The Introduction of this vengeful rock star is covered in recent pre-release streams, but the concept is more than just a stunning stage presence. It’s a musical addition that sits at the core of the Techrot Encore.

The reveal of a fiery force of vengeance didn’t just come with some mechanical firsts. It dropped a brand new track for fans of this sci-fi action adventure. Lamenting the Days is a powerful title track that mixes progressive beats with the grunge rock of post 90s metal and it’s a fitting debut for one of the game’s most audacious Warframes to date.

So, it came as no surprise to learn that rock band Periphery and some incredible artists were behind Temple’s sound. Eric Preston (Audio Lead for Warframe, Jake Bowen and Mark Holcomb from Periphery, and Elliot Coleman from Good Tige came together to craft a new song for this fiery talent, and gave Temple a voice that’s more than just crunching riffs. We got the chance to talk Temple, Technocyte, and the newest sound of Warframe recently:

I noticed a DOOM reel on one of your Instagrams. Do you get much time to play games? What do you like to play when / if you do ?

HOLCOMB: Oh yes, gaming has been a big part of my life since I was a kid. I try to leave as much time as I can to game, depending on how crazy life is at any given moment. I’m big into RPGs, and my favorite franchise or series of all time has to be a toss-up between Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and the entire Souls/FromSoft catalogue. Elden Ring ruined my life. Oh and Shadow of the Colossus is maybe my favorite game ever. It’s pure poetry and I’ve played it dozens of times.

BOWEN: If I don’t have time to just shut my brain off and make time for games I’ll go nuts, so gaming is very much a part of my schedule and I’m always immersed in something at any given time. Some of my most played games are Final Fantasy XIV, Hitman WOA, Heroes of Might and Magic III HoTA, Cyberpunk 2077, Ghost Recon Wildlands/Breakpoint, Skyrim, Alien Isolation just to name a few. I also do a lot of replays of older games from consoles, I love JRPG’s from the 16-bit era.

COLEMAN: I generally don’t have any issue with getting some game time in when I want to play something. Also, my wife encourages me to have game nights with Jake every so often. Those are always a blast. I love survival horror. The original Silent Hill 2 is probably my favorite game ever made. I’m also big into puzzle platformers, and sports/sports combat games. “UFC 3” against Jake, “Nba2k11” against Mark, and “Golf With Your Friends” with my wife are some of my favorite gaming moments in particular.

Did you ever think you’d put together something like this and does it differ from slapping together a song for a soundtrack?

HOLCOMB: It’s always something I’ve dreamt of doing, that’s for sure! Since I was a kid I’ve always dreamed of finding a way to shove my foot in the door of the gaming world, whether it be via voice-acting or contributing music for a game. So this is still very much a pinch-me moment.

BOWEN: What was a lot of fun about this project is that we got to conceptualize the song based on feedback by Rebb Ford and Megan Everett, so it ended up being this big mixture of styles and we usually write stream of consciousness so it was nice to have the change of pace and create something based on criteria rather than just throwing stuff at the wall.

COLEMAN: I’ve worked with both of these guys on a few projects, so I figured it was inevitable we’d team up again at some point. I wasn’t involved in the instrumental writing – only vocals, but I had a loose guideline to follow from Meg and Rebb that gave me a clear picture of how these vocals should go. After I had what I felt was a good demo, I worked with Mark and Jake to refine it. This being something written for somebody else’s project is definitely different from writing for, say, your own band. You want to make sure it fits their vision.

Going forward from a NIN song, the appearance of On-Lyne, Temple and an upcoming Warframe concert, where does the Warframe soundtrack go next?

ERICH PRESTON: 1999 was an incredible decade for music that was a pleasure to explore, but we’ll be looking to bring something quite different to our next OST. We try to keep things fresh, so we’re thinking about going a more organic route with our next batch of music, maybe trading in electric guitars and drums for woodwinds and brass. We aren’t sure just yet, but just know we are working on something equally new for Warframe like 1999’s soundscape was.

How did the collaboration on the Techrot Encore update happen?

HOLCOMB: Our involvement in the update was actually born out of a friendship with Rebb Ford, Megan Everett and Steve Sinclair. They had come out to a couple Periphery shows over the last decade, and whenever we hung out we’d say “let’s do something together some day”. Then last year, they formally approached us with the idea and their exact vision, and we were immediately on board. Their idea of not only having us contribute music, but lending voice-acting and our own imprint on the universe they were building was extremely flattering, and an absolute no-brainer opportunity for us.

BOWEN: I’ll just echo what Mark said, Digital Extremes came to us about working on something and we immediately were like “absolutely”. One of my favorite parts of being in music is when you can collaborate with your friends so getting to collab with Digital Extremes and Elliot is like a big hangout surrounded by your buddies making cool stuff.

How does that collaboration work? Are you given a list of things that the character does that need designs or just run with ideas and see what fits?

HOLCOMB: We were initially given a pretty thorough primer by Rebb and Megan as far as what they were looking for: from character designs, the late 90’s aesthetic, setting, and just the overall vibe they were looking for with the song. We were grateful they gave us so much to go off of, because that only helped narrow the scope of what we were aiming for when writing the song.

BOWEN: Getting a lot of background for the content and the characters really helped. Rebb and Megan had a clear vision and of course that made it much easier to come up with the appropriate sound and aesthetic. They also let us inject some of our own style in there as well which is cool because figuring out how to merge some different vibes together was what made this so much fun.

COLEMAN: I spent some time playing the game, and listening to the song on repeat. I really wanted to get a good vibe of the atmosphere. Meg and Rebb also gave some great examples of what they were looking for, so I was able to form ideas and melodies fairly quickly.

The wildest instrument I can think of being used in a game is a Jouhikko. What’s the wildest thing you used or did for Temple?

ERICH PRESTON: Jake and Mark from Periphery supplied some awesome guitar effects that we incorporated into Temple’s kit. Pitch harmonics, string scrapes, massive string bends, and lasers are all names of some of the material they provided. On top of that, we recorded our resident guitar shredder and sound designer, Jess Buscema, through her massive array of guitar pedals to get some extra bits and pieces for the sound design. We also recorded some great guitar solos for one of Temple’s signature abilities, which I can’t wait for players to hear.

How much did the sound design involve changing what you recorded in post, or can we expect tons of outlandish pedal delays and effects?

ERICH PRESTON: A lot of the source we received from Jake and Mark and recorded in our own studios is featured clearly in the sound design, but Giovane Agapito (another sound designer) put it all together in creative ways using lots of different sound processing techniques. Adding impacts and extra SFX helps improve the intensity of the guitars we recorded, and adding extra effects like echo helps make it sound like it’s coming from a huge stadium. Overall, we strive to keep the original character of what we recorded but enhanced!

GAMESPACE: There’s been talk about the full song. What came first the idea to craft a song or being involved in the Temple soundscape?

HOLCOMB: Both ideas were pitched to us simultaneously, actually. We were asked to contribute original music and voice-acting, but also to help curate a soundscape that would help bring the characters and environment to life. That was a really fun part of the project. I spent a whole day in front of my computer with a de-tuned 7-string guitar, making the most ridiculous noises and trying to get the best takes of them. Pick scrapes, really exaggerated bends and harmonics, dive bombs, and a ton of other sounds that I’d otherwise only do for fun if there were no around listening.

BOWEN: I can remember us all being excited to chat about the project – after Rebb and Megan showed us the initial concept we were all just throwing around ideas and we all seemed to land in the same place which was great because projects always come out better when everyone’s inspired and there’s no shortage of ideas.

Temple has been described as Glam Rock. When 1999 has been really heavy on differnet vibes, how do you step away from that without making it seem out of place or a parody of the era?

ERICH PRESTON: We like to reference music of the era when creating new 1999 tracks, but it’s important for us to also let it go and put our own fingerprint on all of the music we make. We can’t get too preoccupied with it sounding exactly like our references. In short, we make a conscious effort not to imitate but rather take the pieces we love and roll them into something that is uniquely Warframe.

As the time sets this in a distinctly 90s audio landscape, where do you draw inspiration for everything Temple?

ERICH PRESTON: A lot of inspiration on the sound design side of things doesn’t necessarily come from a band or era of music but rather an homage to the electric guitar itself. All of Temple’s abilities feature sounds that only an electric guitar can make, and we really wanted to lean into the electric guitar as the “voice” of Temple’s abilities and soundscape. We’re hoping this gives Temple’s sound design a special presentation that stands out amongst previous Warframe designs.

While we’re still reeling behind the fury of the newest Warframe, you can check out more about the Temple design, sound, and everything Techrot Encore over at the official website, and play for free across all available platforms.