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“Devil May Cry 5“, the latest entry in the long-running stylish action series from Capcom, was released last month to great reviews. As a matter of fact, the game’s Metacritic score is currently at 88 (there are a lot of happy DMC 5 players out there).

Furthermore, PC Gamer.com exclaimed:

“Three great characters and a beautiful, fluid combat system make this a must-buy for hack-and-slash fans.”

Other than that, one of the many aspects that has been praised is the game’s soundtrack, (Laced Records will be releasing the vinyl this summer in deluxe x4 LP, x2 LP, and x5 CD box sets) including the track “Devil Trigger” which has been listened to over 20 million times on Youtube and sparked numerous covers.

The track was composed by Casey Edwards and features vocals by Ali Edwards. In the below exclusive interview, Casey speaks about numerous things including why he thinks “Devil Trigger” resonated so well with fans and much more.

So with that said, please enjoy our interview with Casey Edwards =)

Steven Brown:

You have been a fan of the Devil May Cry from the very beginning. So how do you think that has impacted your creative process making Devil Trigger?

Casey Edwards:

I think being able to dig within your own past memories in addition to outwardly researching can always help benefit any form of art. “Devil Trigger” certainly would not have been written the way it was if I had not known about past DMC mechanics in the game or experienced them first-hand.

Steven Brown:

What was the initial direction given to you for the song?

Casey Edwards:

The direction from the very beginning was to focus on EDM-based styles. My natural inclination was to add sprinkles of both Pop and Metal throughout the song.

It was my way of delivering the brief I was given, while also reaching into the past and present for new ideas. I thought it turned out to be an interesting fusion of genres that only a crazy game franchise like DMC would be able to have!

Steven Brown:

Did that direction change as the production went on?

Casey Edwards:

“Devil Trigger” was written in two weeks, so there wasn’t much looking back happening during writing and production process.

Luckily there were no major rewrites and everything I had in my first final draft was in the final product as well. This is definitely not always the case on every project, but I lucked out on this one.

Steven Brown:

Not only did you create “Devil Trigger”, but you also composed other tracks from the game. So with that said, can you talk about those other tracks?

Casey Edwards:

A few weeks after finishing “Devil Trigger” I was tasked the challenge of writing the final 2 boss fight tracks for the game.

Without spoiling the story for anyone who hasn’t played the game yet, one was based around Dante and the other, Nero. Dante’s boss track was a big mashup of Orchestra, synths, organ, and metal!

A much more brooding track than “Devil Trigger”.

Nero’s boss track was a chance to revisit “Devil Trigger”, but under new circumstances. So I ended up doing a very hyped up remix of “Devil Trigger”.

One of the most satisfying parts of the game if you ask me! On the official OST for the game these two tracks are called “The Duel” and “Silver Bullet” respectively.

Steven Brown:

Not everyone knows this but your wife, Ali Edwards, is the vocalist on “Devil Trigger”. Did you have her in mind from the very beginning? If not, when did she step in?

Casey Edwards:

To me, casting a singer on a song is just as important as casting the right actor for a part on TV or Film. Ali first stepped into the spotlight when she worked on Killer Instinct Season 1 and 2.

Capcom at one point actually referenced that music as a favorite since it was high energy game music featuring a female vocalist.

They had no idea we were married or that I assisted on that game. When it came time to start demo-tracking vocals I just asked her if she would do it, and when she said “yes” we just tracked and produced it like it was the real deal. She really sold it in the end so we were all thrilled to have her on for the final version!

Steven Brown:

You must be thrilled about the success of the game and the feedback from fans about “Devil Trigger”. So how does that feel?

Casey Edwards:

Not only is DMC5 getting outstanding reviews across the board on its own merits, but the fans have been showing nothing but love to Ali and me for “Devil Trigger” and my other tracks.

I made this music as a fan first and foremost, and I’m beyond thrilled that the overwhelming response has been so positive! It’s an incredible feeling.

Steven Brown:

Was there anything that has surprised you about the players’ response to the game?

Casey Edwards:

I took a pretty big chance with “Silver Bullet”, the “Devil Trigger” remix, by basically sinking into a 90s dance styled track.

It just felt so right for the level of hype I was feeling when I was asked to write it, so I just followed my gut. I’m happy to see so many others enjoy hearing it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Steven Brown:

How long did it take you to write the lyrics for “Devil Trigger”?

Casey Edwards:

It took me two weeks to fully compose and produce the track, and about 2 days to write all the lyrics down. My first focus was “what is the hook going to be?” That’s the pop side of my brain trying to figure out “what are listeners going to gravitate towards thematically and lyrically when they hear this song?”

Eventually I thought of the lyrics “Bang Bang Bang… Pull My Devil Trigger!” and we tracked them in. I thought for sure Capcom would toss it out, but they seemed to like it and never brought it up.

Steven Brown:

“Devil Trigger” is a theme for Nero. What did you do to channel that specific character enough to write his song?

Casey Edwards:

Before watching any past game footage on YouTube, I did my best to close my eyes and remember what I loved about playing the DMC franchise across a span of what was close to 16 years at the time.

I replayed all those thoughts over and over again and walked away with my own opinion of what DMC was for me. I then paired that with Capcom’s inspirational brief that was given to me and dived straight in.

Credit:

Robin Ek – Editor

/Steven Brown

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Tags: Capcom, Casey Edwards, Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 5, DMC, Gaming, Video game music, Video games