Deluge Dirge

"Now to introduce "Deluge Dirge," a familiar song in Salmon Run.

Listening to it, I somehow feel like I have to go clock in. It's making me nervous..."

- Squid Research Lab

Deluge Dirge is a song performed by ω-3.

Description
Deluge Dirge utilises cellos, timpanis and electronic production for a war march-like anthem. The different instruments all follow separate rhythms. It is the standard battle music for Salmon Run matches, replaced only by Frantic Aspic during wildcard rotations or Fishing Frenzy and Frothy Waters during Known Occurrences. It can also be heard in Squid Beatz 2 after first hearing it in a Salmon Run shift, with a maximum score of 117 and 339 in Normal and Hard modes, respectively.

The song starts with a timpani following a war march rhythm, shortly followed by an intense cello's frantic playing of a repeated melody; this melody is in turn followed by various sound effects alongside a separate electronic percussion pattern. After the intro, the cello plays a different melody wherein its bowing has been altered electronically. In the post-intermission verse the instrumentation from the intro is repeated, this time accompanied by an additional layer of electronic instrumentation. The cello peaks with high notes, leading into the chorus, which begins with drawn out blares from an electronic instrument alongside a filtered, lower-pitch variant of the cello's melody. The chorus picks up with additional harmonies added to the electronic instrument, which now simulates a warning siren or horn. After the chorus, the intro melody is repeated, now with added harmonic layers of additional cellos, timpanis, and further electronic percussion, creating a very chaotic atmosphere. After this intense verse, the song loops from the start.

See also: Deluge Dirge

This song is also featured as an unlockable track in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It has a chance of playing on Moray Towers, and can also be heard in the Sounds section in the Vault menu.

Surge & Submerge
A version of the track serves as the tutorial music for Salmon Run in both and. It features no timpani instrumentation whatsoever, while the cello melody is plucked rather than bowed, although the electronically made production remains mostly the same. This version appeared as a separate song in Splatune 2 under the name 膏肓 (Kōkō) before it received a localized English name in 2022.

This version of the song lacks the initial timpani intro, instead beginning with a plucked cello playing the central melody. The same electronic percussion present in the original follows as usual, though the associated layer of odd sound effects is absent. In the post-intro intermission verse the cello plucking notably skips a few notes, and the chorus lacks the horn-like instrument. The progression of the song is otherwise the exact same; The lack of timpani and altered cello instrumentation makes the song notably laxer, but its odd rhythm and ominous nature remain. Between loops, the cello melody adds a few improvised notes.

Etymology
Deluge refers to a severe flood, referencing both the flooding of the stages in Salmon Run, and also the large waves of Salmonids could be seen as a flood. Dirge is a solemn song or poem associated with mourning, often connected to traditions carried out at funerals; this could refer to the mass defeat of Salmonids in Salmon Run matches.

Names in other languages

 * Surge & Submerge