Trent Reznor, who did the soundtrack of the first Quake (1996), didn't want to do it for Quake II because the game "lacked atmosphere", in his interview with Insider Magazine.
He wanted a soundtrack that was less explosive, less metal-driving-the-game-experience like the heavy metal Doom and Doom 2 used, but more like John Carpenter or David Lynch movies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n8iU7abqkQ
Noah Caldwell-Gervais essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBDI35NjQg
