Bardcore

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So, in my tabletop games, I use Michael Ghelfi's sound effects files when DMing games, which adds a nice bit of ambience. (I actually bought several of his albums from Bandcamp, rather than have YouTube burst into my game with ads periodically -- the files are all 30 minutes long, after all.)

But recently, I've been listening to bardcore songs on YouTube -- remakes of songs made to sound like they're from the Middle Ages, sometimes just with quick MIDI exchanges of instruments, sometimes with real instruments and rewritten lyrics.


My D&D games don't take themselves so seriously that we couldn't have some interdimensional bleed over resulting in pop songs being played on a lute in a tavern. But again, I don't need YouTube deciding to interject with a manscaping or "man soap" ad in the middle of my game. Does anyone know of a compilation of good bardcore covers I could purchase for use at my table?

 

[monsmord]

I stumbled on this 15 years ago: Rondellus ‎– Sabbatum (A Medieval Tribute To Black Sabbath)

It's lots of fun. But it goes well beyond vocals with lute, so perhaps more appropriate for courtly scenes or such. I'm sure some or all of the tracks are online somewhere, if you wanted to sample before purchase. Opening with "War Pigs" as a round pretty much nails it for me.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for, thanks. Ideally, it'd be more mainstream, since that's the joke, but this is the right track.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I saw a few of them, but never noticed a compilation or playlist. Here’s a few.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

FWIW, Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow) started a band with Candace Night back in the 1990s doing madrigals, etc., including the odd cover of modern music in that style. He even did some of his own past work, but it’s not necessarily as “authentic” as the others.

 

[TarionzCousin]

People from the West Kingdom used to say that Ronnie James Dio occasionally attended SCA events. But they also said he didn't sing at the bardic circles.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

People from the West Kingdom used to say that Ronnie James Dio occasionally attended SCA events. But they also said he didn't sing at the bardic circles.

He’d have slayed with “Temple of the King”.

 

[DammitVictor]

hollycarp, Diamonds and Rust is my favorite Judas Priest song.

 

[CleverNickName]

"Holy Diver" by Dio was bardcore before putting -core on the end of nouns became a fad.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While not technically “bardcore”, these performers may still fill a role for you under certain circumstances: