This Community Spotlight focuses on Erik Peabody (a.k.a Viking Guitar) an audio engineer and composer who has worked with many notable and exciting projects professionally over the years. He has also made a considerable contribution to the video game music community, appearing live on stage at events such as MAGFest and PAX. We are proud to highlight the great work that Erik has consistently delivered over the years here on Shinesparkers.
Viking Guitar
I’m an audio engineer and composer based out of Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my music appear in licensed Disney and Marvel properties, in advertising for Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, and a number of smaller projects. I’ve been on the audio team for Mafia III, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Yoku’s Island Express, and my mixing and mastering work has appeared everywhere from nationally televised professional wrestling events to the front page of the iTunes store.
Under the “Viking Guitar” banner, I make metal covers of video game music. My live band (including Grant “Stemage” Henry, Ryan “Mega Beardo” Postlethwait, Dan “Chunkstyle” Taylor, and Adam Henry) has performed on the main stage at multiple MAGFest and PAX events, as well as a number of smaller venues and conventions. As “Viking Guitar,” I’ve released five full-length albums, a live album, multiple singles, and have been on many community collaborative projects (see below for links).
I have a long history of being a gamer, starting with borrowing an NES from my neighbor back in Santa Cruz, CA in 1989 to play on the weekends. The nostalgic aspect of game music has fuelled a lot of my work, both as covers and in original compositions, and I tend to gravitate towards music with strong melodic content that speaks towards themes of struggle and heroism, as well as emptiness and despair. As all of these are themes that are prominent in the Metroid series, it should come as no surprise that I’ve covered music from that game, both on Shinesparkers projects and elsewhere.
Currently, I’m working on freelance audio production and composing projects, and am accepting new clients in those areas (feel free to email me!) I also have several personal projects in the works (some Viking Guitar-related) and am performing locally in the Pittsburgh area.
Our Thoughts
Darren
Erik contributed to our first album, Harmony of a Hunter. His support was massively appreciated, providing some fantastic metal tracks that were fuelled by his passion for music and the Metroid franchise. I was thankful at his flexibility and openness to collaborate with other musicians involved in the project, and he really gave it his all. It’s due to people like Erik that we had such a successful album that continues to be enjoyed by Metroid fans today. I have nothing but respect for him, and I wish him the very best of luck for the future.
Videos
For more of Viking Guitar’s works, please visit one of the links below:
Viking Guitar
Bandcamp
@VikingGuitar
Viking Guitar
Viking Guitar