Rock icon Tom Morello, Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo, and legendary Final Fantasy 14 composer Masayoshi Soken have joined forces on Everything Burns. The new FF14 single is a powerful new track featured in Final Fantasy XIV: Into the Mist.
In our interview, the trio break down how the collaboration came together quickly, why the song feels so perfectly aligned with the game’s narrative, and what it means to be part of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises.
Tom Morello Reacts to Collaborating With Final Fantasy 14 Composer Masayoshi Soken
Brent Koepp: Tom, what was your reaction when you heard that such a legendary gaming composer [Masayoshi Soken] wanted to work with you?
Tom Morello: First thing, I admit I am not a gamer. I’m more of a pinball player, Dungeons and Dragons man myself. But I am aware of the potency of Final Fantasy in the world over the decades.
And I thought it’s interesting where the DNA of my Rage Against the Machine riffs have ended up, and the fact that this person, who is legendary for his game compositions, was interested in doing a collaboration. I thought, well, let’s get on it now!
At the time — this is almost a year ago — Soken was like, “Can you come up with something in the next 36 hours?” I was working with producer Tyler Smith at the time, who called his childhood friend Caleb, the Beartooth vocalist, and we concocted Everything Burns.
It really was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. It was, you know, the pressure forged a diamond. And then we were so psyched about the track. But I could not be more proud of the collaboration. Also, the song itself — even beyond the borders of Final Fantasy — it just works. Everything Burns is a sentiment that people living in 2025 can very much relate to, both as a reflection of our times and as a potential warning of things to come.
Caleb Shomo on Joining the Collaboration
BK: What about you, Caleb? Were you into video games or FF14?
Caleb Shomo: I mean, dude, this whole thing for me has been so wild. Yeah. You know, growing up, I’ve definitely been in and out of gaming here and there. And even with Final Fantasy, that was a game very early on in my intro to gaming. You know, my friend actually had it on PS1.
I don’t remember which one it was, but I just remember it looked amazing and was way more complicated than I could understand at the time. But it had cool music. But yeah, the way it all went down for me is I got a phone call at 9 a.m. from my friend Tyler saying, “Hey, Tom Morello wants you to sing on his song. Can you do it right now?”
And I was like, sure, what do you need? He was like, “I need a whole lyric and melody edited and back to me as soon as you can possibly do it. I know you have a studio and you’re a producer. Is there any way you can do this right now?” I was like, absolutely. No question. Yeah. Literally, what else am I going to do? Say no?
So yeah, I finished taking out my trash, made a big old pot of coffee, and he sent me the instrumental. It’s like what Tom said — it literally was lightning in a bottle. There’s just no way this thing would have happened without all these kinds of magical pieces aligning for that one very specific moment. I mean, literally, it was 48 hours. Tom goes and does the instrumental with Tyler, I get the call, and in 36 hours, really, we had it.
Understanding How Much Final Fantasy Means to Players Worldwide
BK: Did you guys know the full scope of the project when making the new FF14 song Everything Burns?
Caleb Shomo: What I’m now understanding after spending time with Soken is the amount of love that has gone into this collaboration from every single angle. It’s just beyond anything people could really understand. The way that they had so much patience and respect curating this moment for us.
The way that we get to share this music in such an unbelievably big way, and such a big deal, with somebody who has so much honor and respect in the gaming community. Like, for me, yeah. Simply put, it is fucking crazy, and I cannot believe that I get to be a part of this. I am honored and kind of mind-blown every single time we do anything revolving in this universe.
Masayoshi Soken on Working With Tom Morello
BK: Soken-san, I know you are a massive fan of Rage Against the Machine. How surprised were you when this FF14 collaboration came together?
Masayoshi Soken: I was so surprised! But again, because it was so secretive and, you know, we couldn’t let anyone know, basically I just crawled into the center of the earth to hide away from everyone and was just surprised all by myself [laughs].
BK: Soken-san, how have bands like Rage Against the Machine been an influence in your previous works — like even from Final Fantasy XIV or something more recent like Final Fantasy XVI?
Masayoshi Soken: So for me, Rage Against the Machine is in my blood. It’s part of me. I create a lot of different types of songs for a lot of different types of games. You know, we use full orchestras with a lot of classical pieces.
But even in those classical pieces, you can feel that thread of rock is in there. And that rock influence is from Rage Against the Machine, because that rock is the emotion that I’m trying to get across. And I learned all of that from Tom and Rage Against the Machine.
How Everything Burns Fits the Final Fantasy XIV Story
BK: I know you guys said this was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Did you guys have any FF14 reference material or story beats to help you create Everything Burns? Because the song works so perfectly narratively in the Into the Mist trailer.
Caleb Shomo: I just got this instrumental from Tom, and it’s literally like, “Just do your thing.” So it was like, just do what you do, but do it right now. When I heard Everything Burns and when I saw it for the first time in the trailer, and with the story moment, I was like, did I know what I was writing? Like, am I sure I didn’t know what I was doing this for?
The final version of the song just feels so specifically curated. But yeah, you know, this is about as lightning-in-a-bottle of an experience in music as I have maybe ever had. And I think that the fact that it fits so well is just a testament to that.
BK: Soken-san, where did Everything Burns kind of fit into your vision for the emotional arc of the Final Fantasy XIV: Into the Mist expansion?
Masayoshi Soken: I can’t talk too much about this because, you know, it’ll be a little bit spoilery. But Everything Burns comes at the perfect moment in Patch 7.4. It specifically comes at the perfect moment in this raid series.
And when you hear it, you’ll understand why. When you hear Caleb’s vocals, you’ll know, because they’re supposed to be there. When you hear Tom’s riffs, they’ll feel perfect because they’re in the right place, and we found the perfect place for them.
Tom Morello on Video Games as a Musical Medium
BK: Tom, you’ve had a pretty lengthy history of having your work featured in video games. The obvious one is Guitar Hero 3. How does it feel to have your music woven into an online MMO kind of experience like FF14, where players are more interacting with your music versus, like, passive listening like a regular music medium?
Tom Morello: Yeah, it’s different. I love the fact that it is much more part of, like, the score of an epic journey than a song that’s on the radio. But whether it was Grand Theft Auto or Tony Hawk or Guitar Hero or some other ones, whatever, it’s an opportunity in this day and age for audiences to collide — and for people who are playing the game to be turned on to the catalogs of Caleb and myself.
And, you know, in this day and age, it’s, I think, one of the best ways for artists to have their music reach audiences outside of the island of where your audience normally lives. And we knew we were in good hands because the composition of this game from beginning to end is one that is taken so seriously.
It’s done with such nuance and such depth and such thoughtfulness. And over the course of the last weeks or so, I’ve been listening to the score and listening to different parts altogether. And it’s just really impressive — the body of work Soken-san has made with the score of Final Fantasy. It’s a real pleasure and an honor to have our jam be a part of it now.
Have Tom Morello and Caleb Shomo Seen the Song in the Game?
BK: Caleb and Tom, did you guys actually get to see the song in FF14 yet? And what was your reaction when you saw it interwoven into the actual game cinematics and everything?
Tom: I’ve just heard about it. I just theoretically know what’s happening with the song in Final Fantasy 14. I haven’t seen it in action.
Caleb: Yeah, I’ve only seen the trailers everybody else has seen. I’m not gonna lie — I’m very excited to experience it the way everybody else is going to experience it. Shy of writing the song, obviously, I’m a little bit privy to that information, but beyond that, yeah, this will be a whole fresh thing for me. But I’m going to get the game and try my absolute best to make it to that point.
Final Fantasy Cameo Question: NPC or Boss?
BK: This last question is going to be a little goofy. But Tom and Caleb, if you guys could choose to be in a Final Fantasy game, would you rather be an NPC — kind of just a regular character in the world — or would you want to be a FF14 boss?
Tom: You know, when I put on my shoes and step out the door every day… if you’re not going to be a boss, you might as well stay home. That’s the way I look at it. Like, what are we doing here if you aren’t trying to be your best? [Laughs]
Caleb: Facts, man. That’s what I am talking about. Amen. Seconded.
Everything Burns can now be heard in the Final Fantasy 14 Patch 7.4 Into the Mist, which is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The post How Tom Morello, Caleb Shomo, and Final Fantasy 14’s Masayoshi Soken Created Everything Burns in 36 Hours appeared first on VICE.
