'Game of Thrones' Album 'For the Throne' Is Seriously Missing Heavy Metal
If you’ve ever wondered what a music festival in the Seven Kingdoms would sound like, HBO and Columbia Records have something for you. On April 26, after the Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones, HBO will release For the Throne, a star-studded album with original music “inspired” by the series. The album is available for pre-order for digital and vinyl.
Somewhat unfortunately, there are no metal musicians featured on the album despite the genre’s long history of paying tribute to fantasy fiction.
On Tuesday, HBO announced For the Throne, a tie-in album for Game of Thrones that features some of the biggest artists in hip-hop, pop, and indie folk. The announcement was made via a 30-second trailer that depicted the Iron Throne, with overlaid text that announced the following artists:
- A$AP Rocky
- Chloe x Halle
- Ellie Goulding
- Jacob Banks
- James Arthur
- Joey Bada$$
- Lennon Stella
- Lil Peep
- The Lumineers
- Maren Morris
- Matthew Bellamy
- The National
- Rosalia (feat. A.Chal)
- SZA
- The Weeknd
- Travis Scott
- Ty Dolla $ign
- X Ambassadors
It’s an eclectic mix of artists, and exactly the type to headline one of those summer music festivals I’m not cool enough to go to. While there is a strong presence of hip hop with musicians like Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, and Jacob Banks, there’s also prog rock representation with Matthew Bellamy, and even country pop with Grammy-winner Marren Morris in the line-up.
Maddeningly, the album does not have any heavy metal, a genre that’s celebrated fantasy fiction since Led Zeppelin. While the musicians Columbia gathered are no doubt appealing to today’s era, it’s a bummer that metal bands like The Sword and Morning Starlett, who have already produced songs inspired by Game of Thrones, aren’t also featured. Not even a metal band called Winterfell is on For the Throne — but hey, at least it won’t have Ed Sheeran.
No other details about the contents ofFor the Throne were revealed, though Pitchfork has reported that Travis Scott, SZA, and The Weeknd worked together on one song. Collectively, the three previously contributed music with Kendrick Lamar for the Marvel superhero film, Black Panther.
The National, who will appear in the album, has also been featured in the television series; in Season 2, The National covered “The Rains of Castomere,” which was included in the Season 2 soundtrack.
While song previews are not yet available, several limited editions of the vinyl versions are already sold out. A standard vinyl and digital download set is still available for $31.98, but special “Fire and Ice” and various “House” variants that feature the symbols for the great houses of Westeros — only 2,500 manufactured for each one — are already sold out on Columbia’s official storefront.
Though it’s still weeks away, there is no shortage of Game of Thrones-inspired music to pass the time. In 2012, nerd rapper Adam Warrock released his own EP, Winter Is Coming, which featured songs inspired by the HBO series.
And in 2010, a full year before Game of Thrones even premiered on television, German metal band Blind Guardian released “War of the Thrones,” an epic ballad with lyrics alluding to George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe.
For the Throne will be released on April 26.
