# The Music of The Uncanny X-Men!

**Source:** Stern Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-10-22  
**Duration:** 1m 26s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AnjfBh9zdA

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball's audio designer discusses the music composition strategy for The Uncanny X-Men pinball machine. Composer Charlie Benante created era-appropriate 1980s music (thrash metal, rock, new wave, industrial) for the past/present gameplay, while future modes feature post-apocalyptic dance-oriented tracks. The music is designed to immerse players and drive engagement through flow state.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Charlie Benante composed music for The Uncanny X-Men pinball machine — _Speaker directly credits Benante for composition work_
- [HIGH] Past/present gameplay features 80s-style thrash metal, rock, new wave, and industrial music — _Explicit listing of music styles integrated into game design_
- [HIGH] Future modes feature post-apocalyptic, dance-oriented music as a twisted version of past themes — _Designer describes conscious thematic choice for future/alternate timeline gameplay_
- [HIGH] The audio design strategy aims to create immersive flow state where players forget they're playing — _Speaker describes intended psychological effect of music integration_

### Notable Quotes

> "Charlie Benante absolutely knocked it out of the park with the different styles that you would have heard in that time"
> — **Stern audio designer**, opening
> _Direct endorsement of composer quality and era-appropriate execution_

> "the songs are driving you to play harder once you start playing it a song kicks in and you forget you're playing the game because you're so into the music"
> — **Stern audio designer**, mid-content
> _Describes intended immersive audio design philosophy and player psychological engagement_

> "the ' 80s was such a great time for music and I think going back to the 80s for this game was really important to the sound and the feel of the game"
> — **Stern audio designer**, closing
> _Emphasizes thematic coherence between IP period and audio design strategy_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| The Uncanny X-Men | game | Stern pinball machine; features licensed Marvel X-Men IP with 1980s-themed gameplay |
| Charlie Benante | person | Composer for The Uncanny X-Men pinball soundtrack; known for thrash metal background (Anthrax drummer/composer) |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer producing The Uncanny X-Men pinball machine |
| Andy | person | Audio design partner mentioned by speaker; contributed to future/post-apocalyptic mode music direction |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Audio/music composition and design, Game immersion and player psychology, 1980s aesthetic and thematic coherence, The Uncanny X-Men pinball machine features
- **Secondary:** Post-apocalyptic future gameplay modes

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Speaker expresses clear satisfaction with composer's work and confidence in audio design strategy. Enthusiastic about era-appropriate music selection and immersive player experience goals. No critical concerns or reservations expressed.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Stern intentionally leverages era-appropriate music (1980s thrash metal, rock, new wave, industrial) as a core immersion mechanism for X-Men pinball gameplay (confidence: high) — Designer explicitly describes music selection as 'really important to the sound and the feel of the game' and states era selection was deliberate thematic choice
- **[announcement]** The Uncanny X-Men pinball includes thematically distinct past/future soundtrack design with post-apocalyptic audio variant modes (confidence: high) — Speaker details two-timeline audio approach: 80s era for past gameplay, dance-oriented post-apocalyptic for future modes

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## Transcript

so main play in this game is in the past the 80s and we needed a music that sounded accurate to that era and Charlie Benante absolutely knocked it out of the park with the different styles that you would have heard in that time there's definitely an Anthrax or a thrash metal feel to some of these songs so we have 80 style metal an 80 style Rock an 80 style New Wave an 80 style Industrial Music in the future it's a little bit more post-apocalyptic it's a twisted version of the past and the music reflects that me and uh my partner Andy we kind of talked about it I think he went more dance oriented I was like yeah this is this feels right that way to go with the pinball game the songs are driving you to play harder once you start playing it a song kicks in and you forget you're playing the game because you're so into the music and you're just going with the flow the '80s was such a great time for music and I think going back to the 80s for this game was really important to the sound and the feel of the game

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 4fbadf4a-9588-471f-816d-a8f9b1b4a71f*