With several songs from the Devil May Cry games being remastered in the Devil May Cry Netflix series, more and more people are exposed to Dante and friends’ unique brand of demon-kicking tunes. But as iconic as songs like “Devil Trigger” and “Bury The Light” are, Capcom should be cautious about assigning its characters definitive theme songs.
Many Devil May Cry songs are tied to a specific entry
Taking Casey Edwards and Victor Borba’s “Bury The Light” as an example, the song serves as Vergil’s battle theme for Devil May Cry 5 and revolves around Vergil’s situation at the time. As the son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda and the human Eva (“My family crest is a demon of death”), Vergil’s family was attacked by the Prince of Darkness Mundus and his followers. But while Eva managed to find Dante and protect him from their attackers, she died before she could get to Vergil. Believing that his mother abandoned him, Vergil defeated the demons and lived a life of solitude where he began to reject his humanity (“Bury the light deep within, Cast aside, there’s no coming home”).
Vergil’s story is further expounded on in Devil May Cry 5. After separating his demon and human halves into Urizen and V respectively, the only way Vergil manages to restore himself is with the help of Dante and Nero. (“Two souls once lost, and now they remember”). Nero’s Devil May Cry 5 battle theme “Devil Trigger” (composed by Casey Edwards and performed by Ali Edwards and Cliff Lloret) also draws parallels to “Bury The Light,” as certain lyrics of the former (such as “There’s no way to contain, This storm swelling inside me”), play off the latter (“I am the storm that is approaching,”).
While thorough dissections of “Bury The Light” and “Devil Trigger” deserve their own articles, this shows instances of Devil May Cry songs working within the context of their specific entries. Using “Bury The Light” in a sequel where Vergil has reconciled his two halves would cause dissonance between the story and lyrics. Both Capcom and the composers put a lot of thought and effort into the songs used in the Devil May Cry franchise, which is part of why so many fans love them.
Giving other artists a chance to put their spin on a Devil May Cry character/entry is good for the franchise
As memorable as Devil May Cry tracks are, there is always more room for more songs, composers, and artists. For example, fans did not know that Casey Edwards, Victor Borba, Ali Edwards, and Cliff Lloret would be able to deliver such great tunes for Devil May Cry 5. The same can be said for Shawn “Shootie HG” McPherson and Jason “Shyboy” Arnold, who provided the lyrics and vocals for iconic songs like “Devils Never Cry” and “Shall Never Surrender” respectively.
Fans loved Devil May Cry 5’s Jukebox mode where they could set the Battle Tracks for Nero, V, Dante, and Vergil. Being able to set tracks from the latest title as well as past games felt like they were celebrating the franchise while shooting up demons.
By allowing new composers and artists to provide their takes on the series, Capcom gives the Devil May Cry soundtrack library room to grow. Fans can revisit old songs either in-game or through their preferred listening methods, but pigeonholing a character to a specific theme could limit how the franchise’s music evolves together with the story.
Devil May Cry 5 is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows (Steam).
