These Animals Hunt Back (arc-animals.it)

 Completed December 1997.

Of all the songs I composed, this one isn’t my favorite, but it probably has my favorite title. This song is about paintball, which the Pro and I were kind of obsessed with. Our paintball field of choice was Action Paintball, a forested field in nearby Fort Lewis (now known as Joint Base Lewis-McChord). When you enter the forest, there is a sign that reads “Warning: These Animals Hunt Back.” Hence the song title.

We organized six “paintball excursions” to Action Paintball in the late 90’s. We also organized two smaller mini-excursions for the day after Christmas (one of which was around the time I made this song).

Unlike paintball arenas, the forest at Action Paintball resulted in slower, more tense games. The most basic game type they had was just called “gong.” Each team had a bell station at either end of the forest, where they were expected to start. The goal was simply to penetrate the enemy team’s base and ring their bell first (with a hammer, not by shooting it). The game began when one team would ring their own bell, and the other team would respond in kind. In this song, you’ll hear the bells ring near the start and at the end.

I tried to capture the mood of these gong games. There was always tension when the match was about to start, and then a huge adrenaline rush when the bells rang and the players on offense charged through the forest. A firefight in the middle of the forest would typically happen when the teams met up. Then, things would slow down as you cautiously approached the enemy base - but then you would have to make a break for the enemy bell station.

In the game that inspired this song, I was on offense and somehow managed to escape the middle firefight unscathed, and undetected. I had no idea how many defenders were at the enemy base when I arrived, so I spent a minute or two building up my nerves (I tried to capture this in the music near the end). Then, I decided to make a break for it, going straight for the bell without firing back at the enemy unless necessary. It turns out there was only one defender, too far away to be able to get an accurate shot on me. I rang the bell, and upon returning to the main plaza, I learned that I was the only player left on my team, and was congratulated by my teammates. It was a triumphant moment.

Musically, the influence Music Contest 5 had on me was clear. Samples came from some of the veteran category songs like Time Flows by the Zapper and digital ritual by Basehead and Hunz. I went for a military feel with the snare drum at two points in the song, including the introduction, which was appropriate given the nature of the sport and the paintball field’s location.
- arcturus