By: Matthew Kayser
Online comic fans will see the HELL Universe launch on January 31, 2027. But before they’ll have time to learn the characters’ backstories or the rules governing the new world’s magic, they’ll recognize that world by ear.
The HELL Universe has its own original score, and it’s inseparable from its illustrated comic series and YouTube content. At Hellmann LLC, the soundtrack is a key driver behind the storytelling.
“So much of the story is told through the music,” says Walid De Sousa, Founder and Creative Director of Hellmann LLC. “You’ll be drawn into an expansive universe centered on four players in a tabletop role-playing game. Music is uniquely qualified to carry both the world-spanning quests and the personal feelings of tension, laughter, doubt, grief, and hope around the table.”
How Hellmann LLC’s music production team approaches original soundtrack storytelling as world-building
Most people approach world-building as a kind of architecture. They lay a foundation by imagining how a city looks or what a faction believes.
In the HELL Universe, world-building also means giving characters, locations, and turning points distinct musical identities. The themes hint at who someone is becoming and what they refuse to say out loud.
De Sousa explains the score as a thematic tool. “We use the complexities of sound to explore themes and elaborate on the subtleties of each character. A melody can be triumphant on the surface while the harmony underneath quietly destabilizes it. A motif can return altered, like a memory you can’t quite trust. A location can have a musical signature that tells you instantly whether you’re safe or not.”
In a story dealing with new worlds and destiny, each small choice echoes. A character’s fear can hide inside a joke. A victorious moment can carry grief beneath it. Music expresses those contradictions simultaneously.
To make that work, the composers cannot be contractors delivering a track. They write character arcs in sound and collaborate as full-fledged storytellers in the writers’ room.
De Sousa says his composers are up for that challenge. “Our music lead, Troy Scarlett, is a rising star in his industry. His jazz background and hunger for constant improvement show in the final product. He employs a fusion of genres to mirror a story that moves through space, magic, and time while staying grounded in four human viewpoints. Through it all, his jazz fluency brings a sense of improvisation, tension, and surprise.”
Why Hellmann LLC’s music gets the same creative investment as the independent comic series
A lot of studios talk about valuing music. Hellmann LLC backs it up with equal creative weight.
For an independent studio, investing that much in music is a statement. The studio is not building a comic plus some extras, but a universe designed to be experienced through multiple senses, with sound connecting them all.
De Sousa goes so far as to say that the soundtrack carries as much value as any other part of the project. “The sphere we exist in is deeply musical,” he observes. “We tend to respect music as much as, if not more than, the media itself. Imagery comes and goes, but sound sticks in the head.”
The importance of a simultaneous multimedia launch with original soundtrack storytelling
Transmedia projects often roll out piece by piece. Fans may see the comic first and the game later. The soundtrack comes eventually. Hellmann LLC is aiming for something more unified because the story demands it.
“Ultimately, it’s a bit of a requirement,” explains De Sousa. “The comic itself has both musical and animated portions throughout, so the simultaneous launch needed to reflect that.”
Team Catabasis and the soundtrack as a gateway to the multimedia universe
Hellmann LLC’s YouTube content division, Team Catabasis, will act as a bridge into the broader IP. The team features a comedy gaming YouTuber, a competitive gaming YouTuber, a video essayist, and an illustrator. They’re also the faces fans will see in the actual play webcomic.
Catabasis means “a descent into the underworld.” It’s a promise that once fans find their way into this new universe, they will follow that thread into the comic and, of course, the music.
De Sousa says the team plans to drop theme songs for the four main characters before the January 31 launch. “We hope the sneak peek will wet your palates,” he says. “When you make your descent into the HELL Universe soon, we want you to find a world and four characters you can already recognize even with your eyes closed.”
