# Legendary Guitarist Scott Ian discusses Black Knight Sword of Rage Pinball **Source:** Stern Pinball **Type:** video **Published:** 2019-05-30 **Duration:** 2m 9s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOTXFfaLZ5g --- ## Analysis Scott Ian, legendary guitarist from Anthrax, discusses his involvement creating the metal soundtrack for Stern's Black Knight Sword of Rage pinball machine. Ian describes his creative process drawing inspiration from the Black Knight character and game artwork, highlights 'March of the Sand Worm' as his favorite track, and expresses enthusiasm for the aggressive tone of both music and gameplay. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Scott Ian composed the soundtrack for Black Knight Sword of Rage pinball machine — _Direct statement from Scott Ian in official Stern Pinball video; confirmed by his description of the creative process and musical tracks he created_ - [HIGH] Scott Ian's music inspiration came from the Black Knight character and game artwork/videos provided by Stern — _Scott Ian: 'My inspiration for the music was the Black Knight, it was the character. Stern sent me over photographs and little videos of what they were doing with the machine and the artwork'_ - [HIGH] Scott Ian identifies 'March of the Sand Worm' as his favorite track on the Black Knight soundtrack — _Scott Ian: 'My favorite track is the one that comes to mind first is "March of the Sand Worm" because it's just huge—it sounds like these Leviathan type creatures'_ - [HIGH] Scott Ian is primarily a pinball enthusiast rather than a video game player — _Scott Ian: 'I've always been a pinball guy over a video game guy. I've never been a video game guy at all—it's always been about pinball for me'_ ### Notable Quotes > "I got the email asking if I wanted to be involved and as a lover of pinball I thought it would be a great crossover—playing pinball with like thrash metal behind it just sounded like a lot of fun" > — **Scott Ian**, opening segment > _Explains his motivation for accepting the project; demonstrates crossover appeal and enthusiasm for combining music and pinball_ > "My inspiration for the music was the Black Knight, it was the character. Stern sent me over photographs and little videos of what they were doing with the machine and the artwork and I just kind of started imagining this Black Knight character and the different situations he gets himself into" > — **Scott Ian**, mid-segment > _Describes his creative process and how visual/thematic elements drove the musical composition_ > "My favorite track is the one that comes to mind first is 'March of the Sand Worm' because it's just huge—it sounds like these Leviathan type creatures" > — **Scott Ian**, mid-segment > _Highlights specific track and compositional approach; demonstrates attention to thematic detail_ > "Look at this thing—it's so badass. The attitude of the game and the attitude of the music go hand-in-hand" > — **Scott Ian**, late segment > _Expresses satisfaction with final product and articulates philosophical alignment between game design and soundtrack_ > "I've always been a pinball guy over a video game guy. I've never been a video game guy at all—it's always been about pinball for me" > — **Scott Ian**, late segment > _Establishes credibility as authentic pinball enthusiast rather than opportunistic celebrity endorsement_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Scott Ian | person | Legendary guitarist from Anthrax; also plays in Motor Sister, Slayer, Pearl Jam; composer of Black Knight Sword of Rage soundtrack; self-identified pinball enthusiast | | Anthrax | organization | Thrash metal band that Scott Ian plays in; part of his professional musician identity | | Black Knight Sword of Rage | game | Stern Pinball machine featuring metal-themed soundtrack composed by Scott Ian; described as aggressive and intense game with character-driven narrative | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; initiated collaboration with Scott Ian for Black Knight Sword of Rage soundtrack; provided artwork and reference materials for creative inspiration | | Motor Sister | organization | Band/project that Scott Ian plays in | | Slayer | organization | Metal band that Scott Ian performs with | | Pearl Jam | organization | Rock band that Scott Ian has performed with | ### Topics - **Primary:** Celebrity musician involvement in pinball soundtrack/game design, Black Knight Sword of Rage game and design philosophy, Music composition process for pinball games - **Secondary:** Crossover between music industry and pinball gaming, Pinball enthusiast community and cultural positioning ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.92) — Scott Ian expresses strong enthusiasm and satisfaction throughout the video. Uses superlatives ('so badass,' 'huge'), emphasizes the quality of the final product, and articulates genuine passion for both the pinball medium and the creative collaboration. No critical or negative commentary present. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Stern Pinball leveraging celebrity pinball enthusiasts and musicians to build credibility and cultural relevance within broader entertainment/gaming community (confidence: medium) — Scott Ian self-identifies as lifelong pinball enthusiast ('I've always been a pinball guy'); Stern's initiative to engage him suggests strategy to elevate pinball's cultural status - **[design_philosophy]** Black Knight Sword of Rage employs thematic coherence between aggressive game mechanics and matching metal music composition; design philosophy emphasizes attitude alignment across gameplay and audio (confidence: high) — Scott Ian: 'The attitude of the game and the attitude of the music go hand-in-hand' and describes music inspired by character/gameplay situations - **[licensing_signal]** High-profile celebrity musician (Scott Ian from Anthrax) commissioned to create original soundtrack for Black Knight Sword of Rage, indicating Stern's investment in premium audio production and celebrity partnerships to enhance game prestige (confidence: high) — Scott Ian's involvement confirmed by official Stern Pinball video; describes being recruited by 'a good friend of mine who works at Stern Pinball' to create 'a super metal soundtrack for the new Black Knight machine' --- ## Transcript I'm Scott Ian and I play in anthrax and I playing the damn things I play motor sister I playing Sode play with pearl I play lots of guitars a good friend of mine who works at Stern pinball thought it would be a cool idea to have a like super metal soundtrack for the new Black Knight machine I got the email asking if I went on to be involved and as a lover of pinball I thought it would be a great a great crossover playing pinball with like thrash metal behind it just sounded like a lot my inspiration for the music was was the Black Knight it was the character Sternwood send me over like photographs and little videos of what they were doing with the machine and the artwork and I just kind of started imagining this Black Knight character and the different situations he gets himself into throughout the course of the game and that was the inspiration some of the creatures like the sandworms or the the hell hand or it was all that kind of stuff that inspired the actual wrists my favorite track is the one that comes to mind first is Christian Marche of the sand worm because it's just it's so huge it sounds like these Leviathan type creatures oh man I think you can love the fight can I swear I love the final product look at this thing it's so badass the attitude of the game and the attitude of the music go handle him I've always been American Pinball guy over a video game guy I've never been a video game guy at all it's always been about pinball for me it's just something that's been a part of my life for so long why can I kicks ass it's a it is a very aggressive intense game hi my name's Scott Ian and I'm a professional pinball er I'm American Pinball Mag _(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f252eaca-a826-44b2-b8a2-e64caaa62d0b*