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criticalhitparader.com
Critical Hit Parader
@criticalhitparader.com
570 followers 270 following 200 posts
Covering the intersection of music and tabletop roleplaying games.

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Robert Plant & Stephen Colbert on J.R.R. Tolkien Plus Geekerati appearance & Blackfoot conversation @christianlindke.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Robert Plant & Stephen Colbert on J.R.R. Tolkien
Plus Geekerati appearance & Blackfoot conversation
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Critical Hit Parader
spellbookgaming.bsky.social
Appreciate the shoutout @criticalhitparader.com!!!

Give this a read folks, there's some other great projects mentioned here. Music is a huge part of TTRPGs, both for inspiration and at the table. NIN's The Hand That Feeds gave me the title and some vibes for BTH.

www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s...
November 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Clark Ashton Smith TTRPG & Music and Nine Inch Nails-Inspired Bite the Hand plus Plus Olga Kahn's "Echoes from the Barrow-Downs" @spellbookgaming.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
A still image from the Slayer video for "Seasons in the Abyss" showing silhouettes of two riders on camels in front of a setting red orange sun.
November 7, 2025 at 6:38 PM
criticalhitparader.com
New releases from DnD fans Howling Giant & Tolkien-inspired Joy Shannon plus Hüsker Dü Halloween song rec open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Album cover for "Crucible & Ruin" by Howling Giant. It features a painting by Susan M. Davies depicting forest home of some sort with a door and two windows built into a tree. Stone steps lead up to the door. Through a clearing between trees, two wolves are silhouetted in front of a full moon. A white Critical Hit Parader guitar pick sits mysteriously on the bottom right corner of the album.
October 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
criticalhitparader.com
AVTT/PTTN & the Faith No More RPG by @accidentalcyclops.bsky.social plus Grailknights superhero music open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Album artwork for the AVTT/PTTN album. The artwork is by Martin Kvamme, who has lots of album cover credits, including works by The Avett Brothers and Mike Patton. The colors of the artworks are primarily black, and shades of orange. It shows a fiery ring in the sky with lots of clouds. A horizon appears in the ring. Three paperback books that make up the Faith No More Role-Playing Game. They all have black backgrounds. "The Real Thing" has gold text and a gold fish and crown symbol. "Angel Dust" has blue lettering and a bull symbol. "King for a Day" has red lettering.
October 22, 2025 at 2:57 PM
criticalhitparader.com
What Music Is Inspiring TTRPGs These Days? I collected the music references from the personal Appendix N blog bandwagon. @prismaticwasteland.com open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Four vinyl records: 1) Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath featuring smoking angels. 2) Fire of Unknown Origin by Blue Oyster Cult showing members of the Blue Oyster Cult (the Imaginos ones, not the band itself). 3) Tarkus by Emerson, Lake and Palmer depicting an armadillo tank creature. 4) Hall of the Mountain Grill by Hawkwind with an illustration of a derelict spaceship in the mists of an alien lagoon.
October 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
criticalhitparader.com
I just backed Clark Ashton Smith Zothique RPG + Deluxe Illustrated Omnibus on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/mar...
Clark Ashton Smith Zothique RPG + Deluxe Illustrated Omnibus
Licensed by the Clark Ashton Smith estate, Zothique RPG for 5E/DCC/Shadowdark + Illustrated Omnibus. Adventure beneath the dying sun.
www.kickstarter.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Leonard Cohen, OSR Guru - genius post from @thiccmomswag.bsky.social Plus Glitter Wizard and Castle Rat #ttrpg #dccrpg open.substack.com/pub/critical...
A photo of several old school roleplaying game books, two Leonard Cohen books, and a Leonard Cohen album. A white Critical Hit Parader guitar pick lays handsomely (depending on your politics) on top of a Songs of Leonard Cohen vinyl album.
October 8, 2025 at 1:19 PM
criticalhitparader.com
D&D in the New Musical Express plus three "Vital Records" open.substack.com/pub/critical...
A picture of part of a page from New Musical Express 17th January, 1981. It shows an article with a headline of "In Every Fantasy Home A Gnome." It has a bolded excerpt that reads "It's the new thing! It's the game you can play between consenting adults without losing your pants! It's sweeping Middle America and Middle Earth too! It's Dungeon and Dragons!" There is also an illustration that shows two six sided dice and a couple of dragon/phoenix looking creatures and a bunch of floating eyes.
October 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
criticalhitparader.com
D&D-Inspired Music from Hannah Fae & Fairy Doom from Faetooth plus New Loot the Body TTRPG Soundtrack #dnd @lootthebody.bsky.social @sincerelyhannahfae.bsky.social @faetooth.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
The album cover to "You Feel Completely Peculiar" by Loot the Body. It features a colorful drawing of a mushroom in front of a rainbow and psychedelic lettering.
September 25, 2025 at 1:39 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Latest newsletter: Led Zeppelin RPG? Plus Crypt from Trollish Delver Games @voxparlour.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
The contents of the totally real Led Zeppelin role playing game. The photo shows a white box with the 4 band member logos from the band's fourth album. It's totally real. The photo also shows the Austin Osmon Spare tarot deck and the Aleister Crowley Thoth tarot deck that came in this real box for this real game. Last, the soundtrack for the game is shown in a jewel case with the same black and white letters and runes as the white box that this real game really came in.
September 18, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Critical Hit Parader
cirithungolband.bsky.social
We are extremely honored and thrilled to have our legendary song “King of the Dead” featured on the opening sequence of this incredible new series on heavy metal, “Into the Void “ on Hulu!
@metalbladerecords.bsky.social , @paistecymbals.bsky.social , #heavymetal

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRHr...
Into The Void | Official Trailer | Hulu
YouTube video by Hulu
www.youtube.com
September 12, 2025 at 11:56 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Obscure Frazetta Album Covers @bradkyle.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
The soundtrack album to the movie The Night They Raided Minsky's. It features a Frank Frazetta illustration showing a bunch of female burlesque dancers on top of a movie marquee and being dragged into a police wagon along with an assortment of other characters.
September 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Ursula K. Le Guin & music plus Moorcock on Bowie, Bruce & Bob (Dylan) in this week's newsletter... open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Two album covers. The first album cover is for "Music and Poetry of the Kesh" by Ursula K. LeGuin and Todd Barton. It is a gray cover with a short quote and a set of symbols. The second album cover is the album "Reptilian" by Keep of Kalessin with artwork by Marco Vasco featuring a closeup of a dragon's face with gold colored eyes.
September 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Dio-Inspired Megadungeon / Joy Division & Michael Moorcock plus AC/DC concept album ‪@terryherc.bsky.social‬ @rocketboot.bsky.social ‪‬https://open.substack.com/pub/criticalhitparader/p/dio-inspired-megadungeon-joy-division?r=29u7y&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Dio-Inspired Megadungeon / Joy Division & Michael Moorcock
Plus AC/DC concept album
open.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Sci-Fi Rock from Kal-El & “Sam the Brave” by Feuerschwanz plus other Tolkien follow-ups incl. Paul Corfield Godfrey & Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social @onthetrail.tolkienguide.com open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Sci-Fi Rock from Kal-El & “Sam the Brave” by Feuerschwanz
Plus Other Tolkien Follow-ups
open.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 3:18 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Tolkien & Music: Stranger Things & Rise Up Comus plus Tolkien Swann Song: The Road Goes Ever On @riseupcomus.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Tolkien & Music: Stranger Things & Rise Up Comus
Plus Tolkien Swann Song: The Road Goes Ever On
open.substack.com
August 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Rites to Ruin D&D Song & Unusual Michael Whelan Album Cover plus Runehammer Ozzy Event & Diogo Nogueira Connecting the Worlds of Music & TTRPGs @diogooldskull.bsky.social @michaelwhelan.bsky.social @ritestoruin.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Rites to Ruin D&D Song & Unusual Michael Whelan Album Cover
Plus Runehammer Ozzy Event & Diogo Nogueira Connecting the Worlds of Music & TTRPGs
open.substack.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:56 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Robert Plant Shire Music & Ozzy TTRPG Connections plus New Amon Amarth Song @christianlindke.bsky.social @themountaingoats.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
A photo of Black Sabbath's Master of Reality album. It is black with a purple title filling the album cover. A small black and purple paperback of John Darnielle's 33 1/3 book about the same album lies on top of the bottom right corner of the record. A white Critical Hit Parader guitar pick sits like an Orchid on top of the album.
July 30, 2025 at 1:20 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Happy Maybe Day - Robert Anton Wilson Music & TTRPG Connections: Sly Flourish, DJ Steve Fly, The MC5, The KLF, GURPS Illuminati @propanon.bsky.social @bobbycampbell.net @flyagaric23.bsky.social @slyflourish.com open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Happy Maybe Day - Robert Anton Wilson Music & TTRPG Connections
Sly Flourish, DJ Steve Fly, The MC5, The KLF, GURPS Illuminati
open.substack.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:09 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Latest newsletter: Music TTRPGs & Black Sabbath's Gollum plus Cassette Case Game Jam & Story Behind BÖC Song @lackingceremony.bsky.social @birbnerb.bsky.social @bullypulpithq.bsky.social @axiomdelver.bsky.social criticalhitparader.substack.com/p/music-ttrp...
Images from 5 TTRPG products. 1) Umlaut - showing an electric guitar. 2) Ribbon Drive showing a sepia toned empty road. 3) High Strung featuring someone playing a white electric guitar. 4) Rock Opera '79 featuring a cartoon of a rocker playing a flying V guitar. 5) Fiasco World Tour showing a green backstage pass with a picture of an 18 wheeler. 6) Musical Memories showing a thumbnail of the game book.
July 17, 2025 at 1:54 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Latest newsletter: Old Crow Medicine Show & Helms Deep plus Folk Hero TTRPG & Satanic Panic Zine @bobeggleton.bsky.social @critkituk.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Old Crow Medicine Show & Helms Deep
Plus Folk Hero TTRPG & Satanic Panic Zine
open.substack.com
July 9, 2025 at 1:54 PM
criticalhitparader.com
I just backed Satanic Panic Zine from Bloat Games! www.kickstarter.com/projects/eri...
Satanic Panic Zine -
Why parents in the 1980s lost their fuckin' minds over D&D
www.kickstarter.com
July 8, 2025 at 2:15 PM
criticalhitparader.com
This week's newsletter: Skate Wizards Adventure / Soundtrack & Spectacular Guitar Solos plus Gwar & Last Train to Bremen @lootthebody.bsky.social @michaelchsiung.bsky.social @seaexcursion.itch.io open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Skate Wizards Adventure / Soundtrack & Spectacular Guitar Solos
Plus Gwar & Last Train to Bremen
open.substack.com
July 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
criticalhitparader.com
Lost Blue Öyster Cult/Michael Moorcock Collaboration plus Hawkwind's Warriors on the Edge of Time in this week's Critical Hit Parader newsletter open.substack.com/pub/critical...
Hawkwind's Warriors on the Edge of Time & Lost BÖC/Moorcock Collaboration
A recent cover story in Prog magazine delivered a deep dive into the classic Warrior on the Edge of Time album by Hawkwind.
open.substack.com
June 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM