PC gaming progressive metal project WASD has just released its second album, "Escape" (opens in a new tab), a chunky, progressive reworking of classic hits like Deus Ex and Warcraft 2, along with deep cuts like Turrican and Space Quest 3. Escape" (opens in a new tab). We got a chance to chat with WASD mastermind Austin Green about the album and its cheeky "floppy disk mystery single" version.

"I was toying with the idea of putting all the songs on floppies. Unfortunately, his songs were "unlistenable" because of the audio compression required. To release "Escape" satisfactorily on floppies would probably have required a series of discs, much like video game software in the 1990s. So Green produced a limited run of 50 floppies, each containing two random songs from the album.

This gives you a "not bad" listening experience, but to listen with $200 headphones, you'll probably want to stick with the included digital download album. But this kind of thing isn't about practicality, is it?

It's about the audacity of keeping an outdated format alive in the same way that the indie music scene clings to cassette tape releases. (In 2020, we paid Austin Green to produce The PC Gaming Show 2020 Album (opens in new tab), a free album of his favorite PC gaming music.) [If I were to compare WASD's sound to a progressive metal band like Haken, it has chunky metal guitar riffs, but also the funkiness and playful virtuosity of a 70's band.

The highlight of Escape for me is Green's "Deus Ex" track: Nanotech Outlaw (opens in new tab). This track blends exploration and combat versions of the game's essential UNATCO HQ theme, and I found the WASD style especially well suited to the original music by Alexander Brandon, Mihir van den Bosch, and Dan Gardope.

Green's work focuses primarily on westerns from the formative years of PC gaming, the 90s and early 00s. Green explains, "I think the great thing about PC games from that era is that they were PC games."

There are some gems from that era that were left on the cutting room floor for Escape, and Green may attempt to revisit them in future works. For example, "Myst" is in the middle of Green's preferred era, but he has yet to settle into a style that translates the game's dreamy OST in a satisfying way. Similarly, Green considered covering songs from "StarCraft" and "Unreal Tournament" but ultimately rejected them (the original "Unreal" is included here).

You can listen to Escape in its entirety now on WASD's Bandcamp page (opens in new tab), and since WASD will be playing at MAGFest this January (opens in new tab), you can catch them January 5-8 at the Gaylord in Bar Harbor, MD. If you're anywhere near the Convention Center, you know where to find a good time; you can also follow WASD on Facebook (opens in new tab) and Twitter (opens in new tab).