I'll elaborate a little on why I listen to so much music. I love dissecting both instrumentation and lyrics, as well as overall music composition. It really helps me to visualize my stories.
A perfect example is this song by Shadow of Intent.
I was creating a dialogue between my main character and a primordial/sidereal being. I was kinda stymied on how to actually make the being speak.
Enter this song, and the vocal part at 1:38 and 3:28. Ben Duerr unleashes absolute hell and presence with his deep gutturals and I knew...this is how the being speaks, with this intonation, power, and brutality.
The lyrics of this song are pretty high concept. But the main lyric that called to me was this "No remorse. For the creatures of the earth."
Then let us dive into the instrumentation. Now, for the uninitiated into this style. It is Symphonic Technical Deathcore. At first listen, it may sound a cacophony. But have no doubt, this song is crafted expertly and would be extremely difficult to play. Accompanying the times I mentioned above, the sound of the other instruments dives down to near silence, allowing the vocals to draw you in, and then barrage you once again with sheer power.
This song really creates an atmosphere, dark and powerful. Which was exactly how I wanted the scenes in Dragon Sparking episodes 40 to current to feel.