ReMix:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt "The Butcher of Blaviken" 2:22

We continue our flood of featured mixes from BadAss: Paragons & Renegades with newcomer Gunderslam (Patrick Gunderson) and this brutal, beefy, & intense metal take on "Geralt of Rivia" that would (hopefully?) make fellow gamer Henry Cavill proud:

"It's an honor to be on this album and to also be able to pick a song that I resonate with melodically. Geralt's theme has elements from folk and orchestral music which pair really well to metal, so it was an easy transition for me to work on this track. I also love The Witcher 3 and really like his character. My girlfriend points out to me some personality traits between us too, like me hating to wear formal clothes and playing meaningless card games (I like to play Magic: The Gathering occasionally, LOL). Working on the song was super fun and I love any chance I can get to make something from a video game sound like it's off of an Amon Amarth record. I'm super excited to hear this album in its entirety and excited to take part on this record!"

As always, love to see new faces & names riding in (majestically) on album releases. "Gunderslam" is *RIGHT*; this hits hard & uses its 2'26" to breeze through a half-minute introduction before dousing us in a refreshing blast of speed metal. Album director David L. Puga writes:

"Fantasy and metal have always gone good together, and this is no exception. Epic and heavy in all the right ways. I'd toss a lot of coin for a hero with this badass tune as his theme! Lift your Igni signs in the air, and wave them around like you just don't care!"

Co-director Pavos adds:

"A very epic opening of the track, very alike the vibe the game itself has… but this is BadAss and the Renegades disc at that! So, time for some metal! I love the Witcher 3 soundtrack since it keeps the folk and Eastern European vibe in almost every song. But we all know we would love to hear when this soundtrack (and the main theme in particular) doesn't hold back, and this is exactly that. Gunderslam thrust every elf far back on the shelf and gives us a Geralt beefed up on toxins ready for battle!"

Every time Pavos writes "This is BadAss" my brain insists on reading it with Gerard Butler "This is Sparta!" delivery :) I was a bit bummed by the quick fade on the neat outro folk riff, and in general I think this could have been a wee bit longer/developed further (Valley of... Plenty?), but what's here is fantastic & still feels substantive. Short-and-bitter (in the best of ways!) - great debut from Patrick & a great addition to BadAss: Paragons & Renegades!!