Daniel Licht, Silent Hill: Downpour/Book of Memories Composer, Passes Away at 60

Man, this just has not been a good year for this sort of thing.

Daniel Licht, a composer best known for his work on the television series Dexter, the score to Stephen King’s Thinner, and both Dishonored games, has passed away at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer.

Us horror fans would probably best know him for his work on the final two retail Silent Hill games, Downpour and Book of Memories, where he filled in the role of composer after the series’ composer/producer Akira Yamaoka departed from publisher Konami. While opinions on Downpour (and especially Book of Memories) were mixed, Licht’s scores for both titles were awesome, and are a joy to listen to as a fan of spooky music. While Yamaoka had defined the franchise with a specific style of industrial rock/hop, Licht chose to go in a different direction, sounding like a combination of Danny Elfman and Chris Vrenna’s score for American McGee’s Alice. It was great, and I still love his Downpour theme (from the original reveal trailer), listening to it whenever clouds gather overhead on long walks.

Let’s all take a moment and listen to some of his incredible work. 60 is way to damn young, honestly. Thanks for the chills, Mr. Licht.

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