This is a list of songs (or instrumental tracks) that were either mentioned by name in the novel Vampires Vs. Dragons or that I listened to for thematic inspiration as I was writing. There’s quite a few more classical tunes that would fit traditional vampires and gothic environments, but as for the citizens of Sanctuary I particularly attached to the bands Linkin Park, Evanescence and Muse, combining a post-apocalyptic metal theme with gothic styling.

For dragons I had a harder time picking a specific band to associate with them, but I leaned toward large orchestral tunes with a lot of heavy brass and violins. The soundtracks to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films helped with that.

Other classical songs like ‘The Sound of Silence’ might be too soft to fit with the vibe of Sanctuary as a whole, but I can see some of the more aristocratic vampires collecting such songs and playing them almost ironically as antiques. Other gentler songs like ‘Fall From Grace’ and ‘Summer Paradise’ are mentioned for their relation to the former lives of these characters, as glimpsed briefly through dreams/visions.

I confess that ‘Summer Paradise’ is perhaps on this list simply because the radio version got beaten into my skull so severely, which is why I specify the “no rap version” in the list. In the no rap version there is a pregnant pause after the word “heartbeat” and after hearing the song so many times I thought “There’s a story there. I want to know that story. And if that story doesn’t exist then I need to write it.” (This is a common occurrence with me and songs.) The rap version fills that pause with “quick time, quick time, girl,” which doesn’t carry the same weight.

I’d like to note that not all songs on this list (or the reasons for their inclusion) are necessarily reflective of my personal tastes. A side-effect of writing novels is that your characters will tend to have a mind of their own. I would play ‘Sound of Silence’ just because I like it. And in contrast to Ray’s feelings, Johnny Cash happens to be one of my favourite musical performers. I don’t know what’s wrong with Ray that he doesn’t like Johnny Cash. That guy’s weird.

I’ve placed the songs in relatively chronological order as far as the scenes I associate them with, or the time they were referenced. I should mention that the songs ‘Bleed It Out’ and ‘Broken Crown’ both contain strong language.

‘Bleed It Out’ by Linkin Park

‘Supremacy’ by Muse

‘Tinfoil’ by Linkin Park

‘The Sound of Silence’ by Simon & Garfunkel

‘Mysterious’ from the One Punch Man soundtrack

‘(Ghost) Riders In The Sky’ by Johnny Cash

‘Delia’s Gone’ by Johnny Cash

‘Warg-Scouts’ from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack

‘Fall From Grace’ by Amanda Marshall

‘Forgotten’ by Linking Park

‘The Passage Of The Marshes’ from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers soundtrack

‘Under Hill’ from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack

‘Summer Paradise (no rap version)’ by Simple Plan

‘Final Masquerade’ by Linkin Park

 ‘Wet My Scales’ from the One Punch Man soundtrack

‘Out of the Frying Pan’ from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack

‘End of the Dream’ by Evanescence

‘Broken Crown’ by Mumford & Sons

‘My Last Breath; by Evanescence

More on Vampires Vs. Dragons on my previous blog post

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