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In 2003, Activision introduced a first-person shooter video game that was based on a World War II setting. That game is called Call of Duty. Over the stretch of time, there has been additional Call of Duty games that have made this become the most recognizable of its kind. The first developer was Infinity Ward, then Treyarch, and then Sledgehammer Games. Between these three development teams, they take turns producing new chapters belonging to the Call of Duty franchise. This best-selling game has also been featuring musical scores that not only made the game enjoyable as a fast-paced game to play but to also listen to. Most of the best rock-style songs came from the talented singer, Elena Siegman.
Gaming and Music
Like movies and television, the gaming industry realized the importance of music when it came to enhancing the experience for gamers. In fact, many musicians went from obscurity as recording artists to recognizable stars that suddenly had a global fan base. Elena Siegman happened to become one of them. Even a fan base that cared nothing for Call of Duty learned about her from an enthused audience who were eager to share her music. Just on YouTube, there are several music videos that feature Siegman’s songs. Some of those videos are related to Call of Duty while others will use the songs for other entertainment purposes.
Although Elena Siegman brought Call of Duty to life as a singer, it was Kevin Sherwood who was the man responsible for the composition and written material. He was also Trecyarch’s producer behind the music, as well as the sound designer. The legacy of Elena Siegman and Kevin Shwrood as the musical geniuses behind Treyarch’s editions of Call of Duty is also accompanied by Clark S. Nova and Malukah. Like Siegman, their contribution to the series as vocalists has also become standout favorites.
Aside from Call of Duty, there are so many games that make good use of rockin’ music. Increasingly, they’ve also been recruiting well-known singers and songwriters to come up with musical material that’s sure to win over a big audience. The development team behind the Doom video game series was even noted for reaching out to as many hard rockers as possible in order to put together the perfect music to suit the game and its soundtrack.
And let’s not forget since 2009 Brutal Legend has been using classic heavy metal music as a weapon against musicians who seek to drown it out with their material. As a fan of that game, I found it highly amusing to hear the voices of Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and Ozzy Osbourne behind some of the characters. It also didn’t hurt there was some incredible music featured in the game that kept me going at it for hours. What added even more amusement was the hero, Eddie Riggs. From head to toe, he was strongly modeled after Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister.
As awesome as Brutal Legend and Doom have been for gamers who also happen to be fans of hard rock and heavy metal music, this was also the case for the Call of Duty franchise. At least this was the case when Treyarch was the development team in charge. Elena Siegman’s musical contribution rightfully earned her a level of recognition, not only as a Guitar Hero but as a star-quality vocalist.
About Treyarch
In 2008, Elena Siegman provided the vocals for the Nazi Zombies soundtrack that was featured in the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games. In 2008 it was for Call of Duty: World at War. It was Call of Duty: Black Ops II in 2012, then 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. She was also the vocal talent behind 2018’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
In 2011, Elena Siegman’s music was released on the Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies Soundtrack as part of the Rezurrection DLC pack. In the soundtrack, some of the songs were remastered from the previous Call of Duty games. There was also additional music material that came straight from Call of Duty: Black Ops II that was released in 2013 on the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies – Origins Soundtrack. This accompanied the Origins map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Longtime fans of Call of Duty will remember Elena Siegman and her contributions as the music behind what has been the best-selling first-person shooter game of all time. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, there have been over four hundred million copies of the game sold as of April 2021. Among the majority of fans of the Call of Duty franchise, Siegman remains the standout favorite when it came to producing the best rockin’ tunes for gamers.
Like Siegman, Treyarch also has an impressive fan following as a game developer. Even as the most recent Call of Duty games have been heavily criticized by longtime fans of the franchise, Treyarch remains the all-time favorite. In addition to Siegman as the vocal talent behind the soundtrack, she also provided the lead and backup vocals for some of the jingles featured in the Zombies game mode. Those jingles were “Juggernog Perk-a-Cola,” “Double Tap Perk-a-Cola,” “Speed Cola Perk-a-Cola,” and “Elemental Pop Perk-a-Cola.”
About Elena Siegman
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Elena Siegman is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and video game producer. Fans of Tijuana Sweetheart may remember her when they were once upon a time known as Vagiant. Before going into music, Siegman started out as a model before moving to Boston.
Along the way, she became interested in game production. She was hired by Treyarch to sing various songs for Call of Duty in what was considered among gamers to be “easter eggs.”
For Siegman, not only did she become a big hit behind the tracks featured in Call of Duty, but was also the lead producer behind Guitar Hero II. Fans may recognize her as the voice behind the character named Samantha. In 2006, she worked with Harmonix, the same developers behind Guitar Hero, to put together yet another successful video game with some classic rock music. This was before she was recruited by Treyarch.
In 2011, she released The Mighty, a debut album as a solo artist before teaming up with Boston’s BrownBoot in 2012. Today, she’s still active as a video game producer and singer. This includes her association with Bungie as of 2014 for its video game series, Destiny. In the gaming industry, Siegman remains one of the key contributors to musical content, as well as narrative.
Songs by Elena Siegman for Call of Duty Soundtracks
Listed in chronological order, there are nine songs Elena Siegman sang for the Call of Duty soundtracks that were written by Treyarch’s Kevin Sherwood.
#1 – Lullaby for a Dead Man
“Lullaby for a Dead Man” was the second track featured in the Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies Soundtrack. Sang by Elena Siegman, this was the death song in Nacht der Untoten as a musical “easter egg” for the zombie map, Verruckt. Written and musically performed by Kevin Sherwood, the game version of this song was activated by the player while on the German side of the map. In order to have the song play, the leftmost toilet inside the map’s bathroom needed to be flushed three times.
If one didn’t want to go through the trouble, the song was also accessed by the game’s main menu, as well as the Safe House in the Music Player belonging to Call of Duty: Black Ops III. It was also in the game’s Zombies Chronicles. The popularity of this song also had it featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, as well as an instrumental version in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Singing as if from the dead, “Lullaby for a Dead Man” offered a cryptic message that life could still be felt from the other side. Considering this song was designed with a zombie theme in mind, it was perfect for the Call of Duty game. As a standalone tune, this became a favorite among fans who found Siegman’s vocal talent too good to resist. If you’re looking for a good Halloween tune to set the mood, “Lullaby for a Dead Man” is it. With over three million YouTube views from a few different channels, this song easily became an all-time fan favorite.
#2 – The One
When Elena Siegman suggested someone’s skin tastes like chocolate in “The One,” it perhaps suggests why zombies have such an appetite for human flesh. This literal view of zombies featured a low growling at the start of the song. Some Call of Duty fans suggests Siegman was either singing this song from the point of view of the hellhounds that were featured in the game or as Sam, the character who controlled them. Other fans suggested this came from the perspective of Fluffy just before killing Sam and Dr. Maxis in the game. This was their conclusion after hearing the female-sounding cries that came out near the beginning and middle part of the song.
Technically, it was a zombie’s reality that the hunger for human flesh was a condition it had to contend with. The only way to be set free from it was a permanent death that would end their suffering. This was why the plea to be killed and set free was so prominent throughout the song. “The One” to do it was seen as a hero the zombie was waiting for as it wallowed in its own brand of anguish.
Just like “Lullaby for a Dead Man,” has over three million views on YouTube from a few different channels that put this song to a video view.
#3 – Beauty of Annihilation
In “Beauty of Annihilation,” Elena Siegman sang she could see threats all around her that needed to be vanquished. The whole point behind Call of Duty, especially with its zombie theme, was to kill off as many enemies as possible before they kill you. This was a song that was performed from a survivor’s point of view.
In order to survive, terrible acts needed to be carried out in order to win a war where surrendering wasn’t an option. In the game, Siegman assumed the role of Samantha as she sang as a human being, as well as someone in demonic form. The shift between the two personalities is what made “Beauty of Annihilation” a standout favorite, even among fans that didn’t play Call of Duty.
“Beauty of Annihilation” was a hard-hitting song that earned well over seven million views on YouTube, making it one of the all-time favorites among Elena Siegman’s fan base.
#4 – 115
Among Call of Duty fans, “115” was a song that referred to Samantha as a ghost. Samantha was the character Elena Siegman voiced in the game. The lyrics mentioned “bring me 115,” which was referencing “Element 115.” That was the source of the game’s ray gun, teleporter, and the creation of the zombie horde themselves.
The song also made biblical references to the end of the world, along with a series of events leading up to it. As a song, “115” was cryptic from start to finish as it dealt with humanity, religion, as well as the classic battle between good and evil that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time.
One of the fastest-paced songs, “115” remains on top as the ultimate fan favorite with over twenty-one million views on just one YouTube channel alone. Another has fifteen million views while a third has nearly nine million.
#5 – Abracadavre
“Abracadavre” was a song that featured Elena Siegman battling against her own conscience as the character, Samantha. The male voice inside her head that drove her mad came from vocalist Clark S. Nova. “Abracadavre” was performed as a classic split personality song that also had the narrator believe she was not responsible for her actions. Even without Call of Duty as the source of this song, the internal conflict shared a sense of vulnerability that made it an easy favorite.
At first, “Abracadavre” started off with a beautiful piano solo before going into some seriously hard-hitting riffs. Back and forth, the momentum of “Abracadavre” accompanied the shift of Siegman’s vocal performance as she lyrically danced between sanity and insanity as two different personalities.
This was also another incredibly popular song with about twenty million views on YouTube between a few different streaming channels.
#5 – Pareidolia
“Paradeiloia” is a sensation felt when someone sees or hears something they deem as valuable when in reality they’re either worthless or nonexistent. In the game, Elena Siegman poses as Samantha who believes the zombies are her friends. Even though it was they who killed her, apparently in death she’s able to control them as she sought revenge against the madman who created them. It was primarily concluded the zombies she thought were real were mainly a figment of her imagination as this belief goes against the laws of physics.
From start to finish, “Pareidolia” was a metaphorical song that had a collection of friends and enemies through the vision of a character that had altered perceptions of reality. Also, from start to finish, the riffs of this tune made it easy to understand why there were nearly ten million views on just one YouTube channel alone.
#6 – Coming Home
In Call of Duty and “Coming Home,” Elena Siegman’s Samantha talked about a promise she made to her father. Singing as a member of the undead, she wanted to become a real person again so that she could and her father could rest in peace together. Bent on revenge, she was also determined to put an end to her misery from a fate that was worse than death.
The appeal behind Elena Siegman’s vocals that won her a loyal fan base ranges from something angelic to demonic as it shifts back and forth in what seems so easy for her to do. The split personality performance was a Siegman trademark as the vocalist for the songs Trecyarch’s Kevin Sherwood wrote.
#7 – Archangel
“Archangel” was considered an Easter Egg song for Call of Duty: Black Ops III and its Zombies map, Origins. Written by Kevin Sherwood, it was performed by Elena Siegman, along with Clark S. Nova and Malukah. In the game, this song was accessible from the main menu or in the Safe House by using the Music Player. In order to activate it, the player needed to hold down the three green meteorite fragments throughout the map.
In addition to “Archangel” featured in the game, it was also on the soundtrack. There was also a theatrical version that appeared in the trailer of the Origins map that was made for Sony’s Playstation. The song itself immersed players into what felt like a battlefield. The whole point behind all of Call of Duty games was to deliver a high-quality first-person shooter game. Add the element of zombies to the experience as a game mode and “Archangel” became a well-fitted edition to a soundtrack that still remains a hard rockin’ favorite.
#8 – Dead Again
When Kevin Sherwood wrote “Dead Again” as one of the songs for Treyarch’s versions of Call of Duty, the idea was to point out the obvious. This was a zombies-themed edition to a first-person shooter game meant to draw in players who also had an appreciation for horror-based storylines. “Dead Again,” as performed by Elena Siegman, laid out the reality of the character she played in the game, Samantha. The dance between life and death was a form of imprisonment she couldn’t escape from no matter how hard she tried. By the end of the song, she realized she’s back in Aether, a realm that refuses to let her go.
#9 – The Gift
The pain was “The Gift” which was offered and delivered by Elena Siegman as Samantha, the troubled character in the zombie storyline featured in Call of Duty. This was the final song installment from Siegman that was written by Treyarch’s Kevin Sherwood. Singing as a backup vocalist was Malukah, another very talented singer that also delivered some great songs for the series.
Fans of the talent behind Treyarch’s legacy as a game developer hope to hear more from Elena Siegman, as well as the rest of its talent pool. Their gift to the gaming community has been through a style of music that keeps players coming back for more. Even among fans who won’t give Call of Duty the time of day, they have no trouble extending their ear to hear Siegman.
How Elena Siegman Songs Rock The Call Of Duty Game Soundtracks article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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