Yo dawg, I heard you like metal whilst playing your TTRPGs. Well, SPAWM added some TTRPG into your metal so you can listen to TTRPG-themed metal music whilst you play! (No-one under a certain age is going to get this dated Pimp My Ride reference and I’m going with it anyway)
Gamers are creative storytellers, musicians and geeks, so it’s not really outwith the bounds of the imagination to turn a tabletop RPG adventure into a metal musical series… and that’s exactly what SPAWM has done!
SPAWM is a group of musicians creating Chronicles of Solvaris, a fantasy-metal musical series built around the structure and storytelling of tabletop role-playing games. So, instead of documenting a campaign as an actual-play podcast, they’re creating original songs and cinematic videos telling us all a connected fantasy adventure around five central characters.
The fictional world you can follow on YouTube (or via the official website) includes detailed locations, an adventure map, character histories, and a story that unfolds from chapter to chapter.
Okay, so now we know roughly what it is, but what does it mean? Well, SPAWM stands for Speed, Power, Water and Magic – y’know, the key elements you’ll find in all TTRPGs!
It’s an unusual creative project that may capture your imagination – or maybe even inspire you to do something musical yourself. It’s quite genius, actually. According to the official website:
Speed, Power, Air, Water, and Magic: The core roles of any adventuring party. Similarly, these roles can also apply to a rock band: Shredding riffs, thundering bass, heavenly leads, smooth keys and effects, and magical percussion. S.P.A.W.M. is a fantasy-inspired rock band who chronicles our adventures and interesting interactions through song. We combine fun riffs with a delightfully light-hearted sense of comedy to capture the essence of what we love about music and role-playing games.
Check out (This One Time In) Bandit Camp to get a better idea of exactly what is going on here:
SPAWM describe themselves as metal, so it was a surprise to see a saxophone in there. However, I really appreciate the creativity of the videos and they’ve really managed to encompass the spirit of TTRPGs.
What do you think of the concept of SPAWM – are you vibing with the strong metal TTRPG themes? Does it inspire you to get more musical? Comment below to share your thoughts, as I’m interested to know.
