Calling all fantasy fans! For Diablo IV: Season 8, world-renowned videogame developers Blizzard have partnered with Berserk, the iconic manga and anime series set in a medieval Europe-inspired dark fantasy world. Plus, they’ve enlisted Finnish metallers Beast In Black to write a brand new song to soundtrack the mayhem.
Since Diablo launched in 2005, metal fans have been heavily invested in the dungeon crawler role-playing series – and it’s easy to see why. Its vast world is filled with barbarians, sorcerers, necromancers and druids, all navigating the harsh, hellish terrain by hacking, slashing, shapeshifting and conjuring. The release of Diablo II: Resurrected was even accompanied by Start Again, a collab track from YouTuber Mark The Hammer and Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia.
For this groundbreaking new partnership with Berserk – the first non-Blizzard IP collab of the Diablo franchise – the developers knew they would need a song worthy of this monumental event. Enter: Beast In Black, a band who have made a career out of crafting sprawling, triumphant heavy metal, and have extensively written songs inspired by the Berserk series – dating all the way back to their 2017 debut album, Berserker.
“Our label, Nuclear Blast, asked us if we had ever heard of the Diablo series,” guitarist and founding member Anton Kabanen recalls, of hearing of the news that Blizzard wanted them to write something for the game. “Of course, we said yes!” The song is called Enter The Behelit, named after the supernatural egg- faced artefact in the Berserk series (also called the Beherit).
“All these three parties – Diablo, Berserk, Beast In Black – they share so many similarities in the thematic settings of their world,” he enthuses. “The sinister, grim, dark world is a classical juxtaposition of good and evil, like light and dark, yin and yang, so to speak. That is very much on point in this collaboration. I think it’s a very good match.”
Anton reckons metal fans are inherently drawn to the darker side of life, and therefore art. “Something about us as metal fans, we just feel these things resonate,” he smiles when discussing the appeal of Diablo. “I don’t know if it’s encoded in our DNA, but we are drawn to these apocalyptic scenarios. The light fighting the dark, it’s fascinating. That’s the sort of videogame or music that I’m always drawn to.”
Diablo IV: Season 8 heralds the return of Belial, one of Diablo’s Great Evils (the seven most powerful demon lords of Hell). He wants to seize control and banish Sanctuary (aka the Mortal Realm) to the Realm Of Lies (one of the seven realms of Hell, and his domain). To carry out his desires, he spreads horrifying apparitions across the land, which players must stop by harnessing the powers of forbidden magic. The game features myriad Berserk-inspired items, including character skins, pet and mount bundles, and free emblems.
Berserk will also feature in Diablo Immortal, in the game’s first external crossover event, with players able to take part in special game modes, acquire cosmetics, items and familiars inspired by Berserk, and face off against iconic characters from the Manga series.
Enter The Behelit will be released digitally, and as a limited-edition gatefold vinyl run of only 200 copies, which will also feature remastered versions of two other Beast In Black Berserk-inspired songs: Die By The Blade and The Fifth Angel. The Diablo x Berserk art is on the front of the vinyl, and the Diablo Immortal art is on the back. For Anton, it’s something of a bucket list achievement to be so closely involved with this project.
“I always thought, ‘How cool would it be to have some kind of official connection to Berserk?’” he begins. “One of my dreams was to have an album cover for Beast In Black drawn by Kentaro Miura himself, which is impossible now, unfortunately [the Berserk creator passed away in 2021]. But when this happened, and we saw that amazing vinyl art, it was the easiest cover art for us ever. Even though it wasn’t done by Kentaro, you can easily feel that his work has been respected by the artist who drew that. And there’s the blessing from the official IP owner of Berserk there. That was kind of a, ‘One thing done in my dreams wish list’ moment.”
With so much riding on the song, Anton admits he felt a huge sense of relief when the people behind Diablo and Berserk gave it the thumbs-up. “After that, we can collectively let it go,” he smiles. “Now it’s just for the fans of Diablo, Berserk and Beast In Black – the fate of the song and the game is in their hands now. We let the people decide.”
With such a beloved game welcoming in such an iconic set of characters, plus a killer, pure heavy metal accompanying song, it’s hard to see how people won’t be won over by Diablo IV: Season 8. Could Beast In Black appear in this world again sometime?
“Art unites,” Anton cryptically smirks. “When we find a common interest in the field of art, we will go there if time and circumstances allow it. I fully stand behind this.”
Diablo IV: Season 8 launches on April 29. Berserk content will be live on Diablo Immortal May 1-May 10. Berserk content goes live on Diablo IV from May 6-June 5. Watch the Enter The Behelit video below. For more information on Diablo x Berserk head to the official Blizzard website
