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THOMAS BERGERSEN & NICK PHOENIX (Two Steps from Hell)
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- CommentTimeNov 4th 2012
"Skyworld" is a great album. They deliver once again. -
- CommentTimeNov 5th 2012
Artworks wrote
"Skyworld" is a great album. They deliver once again.
AGAIN WITH THE FRIGGIN' SKYF.....oh, you said SkyWORLD.I am extremely serious. -
- CommentTimeNov 14th 2012 edited
There's going to be a Two Steps From Hell concert next year in Los Angeles. They posted this on their Facebook page earlier today:
It's official. Two Steps From Hell is doing a concert, and it's not just any concert. This spring/summer you can experience our music performed live by a massive orchestra and choir in one of the greatest concert halls of the world: Two Steps From Hell - live at Disney Hall, Los Angeles, USA - June 14th, 2013!
http://www.facebook.com/twostepsfromhell
Why are all the great concerts in the states? Hmmm, well... hope they bring this to Europe some day (maybe to Norway? ) -
- CommentTimeNov 27th 2012
I think I like Skyworld better than Two Steps From Heaven. They're both great but Skyworld is a little more varied stylistically.I love you all. Never change. Well, unless you want to! -
- CommentTimeDec 6th 2012
Some dude on filmtracks posted this link to Sonera from Illusions without the vocals. It's actually a much better experience without them. I think that the track is so busy with so much stuff happening, that it doesn't really need the dominating vocals on top.
Peter -
- CommentTimeMar 22nd 2013
Wow! TSFH concert! I'm jealous.
Tickets for the Two Steps From Hell concert in Disney Hall June 14th are now for sale!
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0B004 … rcatid=203 -
- CommentTimeMay 5th 2013
This has been a "band"/company that has been around for a few years, and I've really only been aware of them through their association with various trailers. I've never really taken the time to check them out, which is a bit embarassing -- considering that Bergersen is a fellow Norwegian.
But people rave about them all the time -- people who aren't normally into film music -- and keep sending me mails and posting on my facebook wall etc., so I need to familiarize myself with them.
What is a great album to start with? Preferably something that isn't all-out bombastic, which isn't really my cup of tea these days.I am extremely serious. -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeMay 5th 2013
Thor wrote
What is a great album to start with? Preferably something that isn't all-out bombastic, which isn't really my cup of tea these days.
Then you're shit out of luck with Two Steps From Hell.
The first album anyone should go for is Illusions, which is a solo album by Bergersen and not really officially Two Steps, but same difference. Admittedly it is bombastic, and you won't find a single cue that doesn't eventually go all out, but it's all done so well that the payoffs never feel "cheap". It's not just the usual chanting choirs (though that does figure heavily), there are a lot of vocalists and a lot of electronics and in general there's quite a bit of it that skirts with New Age. But the production values are astounding (Bergersen's balance between vocal, orchestral and electronic elements is seamlessly perfect), the pieces themselves are very melodic and highly memorable and very emotional. One of my favorite albums not just of recent years, but of all time, and there's not a single cue I skip when I'm listening to it.
For a more typical Two Steps experience (albeit even more bombastic) I'd recommend their first public album Invincible, which doesn't contain their most refined stuff , but certainly their most representative - and it has "To Glory", which is my favorite cue of theirs.
Really, though, your (utterly inexplicable) dislike of bombast is probably going to severely limit your enjoyment of Thomas Bergersen and Two Steps. I do hope you give it a shot though. -
- CommentTimeMay 5th 2013 edited
I'm gonna give it a shot, but the bombast and heavy emphasis on action is one of the reasons I've never bothered to check them out much in the last couple of years.
PS. My new "dislike" of bombast has complex reasons, one of which is a chronic tinnitus affliction in my left earI am extremely serious. -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeMay 5th 2013
Thor wrote
PS. My new "dislike" of bombast has complex reasons, one of which is a chronic tinnitus affliction in my left ear
Oh! That explains a lot. But hey, you could always play it quietly. -
- CommentAuthorTimmer
- CommentTimeMay 6th 2013
Edmund Meinerts wrote
Thor wrote
PS. My new "dislike" of bombast has complex reasons, one of which is a chronic tinnitus affliction in my left ear
Oh! That explains a lot. But hey, you could always play it quietly.
On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt -
- CommentTimeMay 6th 2013 edited
Thor,
I'd recommend downloading individual tracks, especially if you want to avoid too much bombast. TSFH has many incredible gems, but there are also several tracks with little to offer but a loud choir on drugs. While most of their stuff indeed kicks buttock, they've also done a bunch of tracks that are new-agy and pop-oriented.
Here is a list with my favourite TSFH tracks.. You can listen to all of these on youtube.
Anyway, if you insist on albums instead of picking out their best gems, I recommend starting with Invincible. I'm not as crazy about Illusions as Edmund is, but it's a fine album.
Peter -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeMay 6th 2013
Only 3.5 stars for "Norwegian Pirate"? You're mad. MAD!!! -
- CommentTimeMay 6th 2013
Hehe, well, that's a mistake. You can see I've rated the same track 4 stars on the Power of darkness album, which reflects my opinion of the track better.
Oh, and my rating method is weird. If I give a track 3 stars, it's okish, but anything from 3½ to 5 I worship. I don't know why my brain works that way. Must be the madness.
In other words, I love Norwegian pirate!
Peter -
- CommentTimeMay 7th 2013
My experience is that the newer albums are less bombast than the older ones. That is why I still think Invincible is their best :-)Editor-in-chief at http://soundtrackworld.com / http://soundtrackwereld.nl -
- CommentTimeMay 29th 2013
James?Love Maintitles. It's full of Wanders. -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeJun 7th 2013 edited
I thought I might belatedly respond to your post, Peter (and also move it to the appropriate thread), since it's good to have a fellow Two Steps nut to properly discuss things with.
plindboe wrote:
Better late than never as they say, so here's the list I made some days ago:
1+2.Legend & The Devil Wears Nada
3.Nero
4.SkyWorld
5.Nemesis
6+7.Dynasty & Dreams & Imaginations
8.Illumina
9.Power of Darkness
10.Two Steps from Heaven
11.Illusions
12.Volume 1
13.Ashes
14.Solaris
15.Shadows and Nightmares
16.All Drums go to Hell, Pathogen, All Drones Go to Hell, Balls to the Wall, Sinners, Burn
I've left out compilation albums like Invincible n such.
Well, might as well post mine for comparison:
1. Illusions
2. Power of Darkness
3. Nemesis
4. Dynasty
5. Legend
6. Nero
7. Skyworld
8. Two Steps from Heaven
9. Illumina
10. Volume 1
11. The Devil Wears Nada
12. Solaris
13. Dreams and Imaginations*
14. Pathogen
15. All Drums Go to Hell
16. Balls to the Wall
17. All Drones Go to Hell
18. Ashes
19. Shadows and Nightmares
* Dreams and Imaginations is only this low because of what a vast and varied collection it is, and some of the more sound-designy pieces drag it down quite a bit. If a 60-90-minute album of my favorite cues from it were to be made it would easily rank somewhere near Skyworld. Volume 1 and Nero suffer from this to an extent as well; cutting about a third out could raise both up a few places.
Obviously we disagree to an extent on The Devil Wears Nada, although I haven't listened to that one in full in a while (maybe I'd appreciate it more now; I'll put it down on my to-listen playlist). I just remember not liking a lot of the outwardly comedic cues and finding that not much of it truly blew me away (except "Clock Tower Parade", natch). Also I prefer Power of Darkness above their other "epic" albums, partially because it's the first Two Steps album I ever listened to (after discovering "To Glory" on YouTube), but also because I think the metal/rock edge adds a dimension that some of the others like Legend lack. And I think "Freedom Fighters" is maybe their most overrated cue (that and "Master of Shadows"); it's good, but not among their very best. Although it is the cue that made Two Steps famous, so there is that.
plindboe wrote:
Anyway, since I made that list I listened more to Illusions, and decided to upgrade the tracks Dreammaker, Ocean princess, A place in heaven, Merchant prince and Femme fatale from 3 stars to 3½ stars. With these higher ratings, the album would probably end up on the 6th place after Nemesis. So thank you for insisting on how good it is, so I could give it another chance. It will never reach no.1 for me though. It's a decent album, but none of the tracks really floor me (except for the version of Sonera without that annoying vocalist, and this isn't even on the official release).
Well, I'm glad about that (although my ratings for those tracks are much higher; 4.5 for all of them and a full 5 for "A Place in Heaven" ). I think the reason I like Illusions so much is because it pretty much takes everything I love about Two Steps and combines it into one transcendent package. It's like a combination of typical trailer music sounds from Nemesis and such with the more New Age stylings of Dreams and Imaginations and Illumina and Bergersen's talent for those big, strong melodies, and I love that.
plindboe wrote:
Hehe, when I'm in a TSFH mood I'm both in a Bergersen and Phoenix mood. Sure, Bergersen often provide the better tracks, but in my mind Phoenix has provided so many excellent tracks that I wouldn't have it without him. I think you'll miss out on a lot of good music if you skip his tracks. Anyway, since I'm in a list making mood, here's a list of Phoenix tracks I quite enjoy:
Everlasting, A small step for mankind, Blink of an eye, Missing letters, Prelude to a nightmare, Master of shadows, Am I not human, Fire nation, Super strength, False king (co-credit), Fill my heart, Velocitron, 1000 ships of the underworld, Breath of Ran Gor, Infinite legends, After the fall, Election daze, Little Ben, Asap, Down with the enterprise, Legions of faith, Shadows of beauty, White witch, The soul that must awaken, Eternal honor, The ancients, The cross of antiquan, Big sky, Front line. Black flowers, Day becomes night, Fragments of deception, Frozen paths, Dynasty, Bleeding, House of fire, Racketeers & Ocean.
Looking at that list I find I've rated most of those tracks around 3-4 stars, so it's not that he's not a decent composer in his own right. It's just that he never writes 5-star tracks for me (the 5-star tracks that Bergersen seems to be able to knock out with ease). Also, I was under the impression that "A Small Step for Mankind" and "Racketeers" (the world's most blatant Pirates of the Caribbean rip ) were Bergersen? Then again I've done a lot of my composer association with Two Steps by ear so I could be wrong. -
- CommentTimeJun 11th 2013 edited
Edmund Meinerts wrote
I thought I might belatedly respond to your post, Peter (and also move it to the appropriate thread), since it's good to have a fellow Two Steps nut to properly discuss things with.
Here's my belated response to your belated response to my belated response.
Edmund Meinerts wrote
Well, might as well post mine for comparison:
1. Illusions
2. Power of Darkness
3. Nemesis
4. Dynasty
5. Legend
6. Nero
7. Skyworld
8. Two Steps from Heaven
9. Illumina
10. Volume 1
11. The Devil Wears Nada
12. Solaris
13. Dreams and Imaginations*
14. Pathogen
15. All Drums Go to Hell
16. Balls to the Wall
17. All Drones Go to Hell
18. Ashes
19. Shadows and Nightmares
* Dreams and Imaginations is only this low because of what a vast and varied collection it is, and some of the more sound-designy pieces drag it down quite a bit. If a 60-90-minute album of my favorite cues from it were to be made it would easily rank somewhere near Skyworld. Volume 1 and Nero suffer from this to an extent as well; cutting about a third out could raise both up a few places.
Obviously we disagree to an extent on The Devil Wears Nada, although I haven't listened to that one in full in a while (maybe I'd appreciate it more now; I'll put it down on my to-listen playlist). I just remember not liking a lot of the outwardly comedic cues and finding that not much of it truly blew me away (except "Clock Tower Parade", natch). Also I prefer Power of Darkness above their other "epic" albums, partially because it's the first Two Steps album I ever listened to (after discovering "To Glory" on YouTube), but also because I think the metal/rock edge adds a dimension that some of the others like Legend lack. And I think "Freedom Fighters" is maybe their most overrated cue (that and "Master of Shadows"); it's good, but not among their very best. Although it is the cue that made Two Steps famous, so there is that.
I think our different listening habits is one reason why we judge albums so differently. Usually I only listen to tracks I've rated at least 3 stars and ignore all the crap. I almost never sit down and play an entire album, as I don't see a reason to listen to the tracks I dislike. So to me, an album like "Dreams and imaginations" ends up like this. A 15 track, 32 minute album filled with tracks I enjoy. There's no in hell I could rank such an enjoyable listen below "Solaris"!
Anyway, I've ranked the albums by counting up the numbers of 3s, 3½s, 4s, 4½s and 5s of each album, and ignoring the lower ratings. So whole-album impressions or nostalgic biases towards certain albums have played no part, and it all comes down to boring math.
Btw, I find "Freedom fighters" to be spectacular. It's a simple track of course, but incredibly effective. Still, nothing beats the Trinity of Awesomeness that is "Clock tower parade", "To glory" and "Undying love".
Edmund Meinerts wrote
Well, I'm glad about that (although my ratings for those tracks are much higher; 4.5 for all of them and a full 5 for "A Place in Heaven" ). I think the reason I like Illusions so much is because it pretty much takes everything I love about Two Steps and combines it into one transcendent package. It's like a combination of typical trailer music sounds from Nemesis and such with the more New Age stylings of Dreams and Imaginations and Illumina and Bergersen's talent for those big, strong melodies, and I love that.
It's curious that I can't connect to it like you do. The melodies just doesn't affect me as much as TSFH normally does, and perhaps the focus on world music vocalists turn me a bit off. "Sonera" is a nice example of this. When the singing was removed and the track got a more instrumental quality, I ended up enjoying it so much more. Anyway, I've been listening to "A place in heaven" since you stated that you gave it 5, and have now upgraded it to 4.
Edmund Meinerts wrote
Looking at that list I find I've rated most of those tracks around 3-4 stars, so it's not that he's not a decent composer in his own right. It's just that he never writes 5-star tracks for me (the 5-star tracks that Bergersen seems to be able to knock out with ease). Also, I was under the impression that "A Small Step for Mankind" and "Racketeers" (the world's most blatant Pirates of the Caribbean rip ) were Bergersen? Then again I've done a lot of my composer association with Two Steps by ear so I could be wrong.
Ah, yes, you are right about "A small step for mankind". "Racketeers" seems to be Phoenix though. "Racketeers" isn't exactly a work of art, but it's fun and indeed an embarrassingly obvious alternate take of "Pirates of the Caribbean".
Phoenix never writes 5 star tracks for me either. "After the fall" is my favourite Phoenix track, with a solid 4 star rating. So I agree that he's not up to Bergersen's standard (not many are), but considering that he has made a lot of excellent music that I enjoy, I still admire him and think he is deserving of kudos.
Peter -
- CommentTimeJun 12th 2013
TSFH's newest public release "Classics, vol. 1" is out now. Available on CDBaby (also as FLAC), iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc.
As far as I can see, the album contains of previously unreleased (to the public) tracks, primarily from Nero and Two Steps From Heaven. -
- CommentTimeJun 12th 2013
Tracklist on "Classics, vol. 1":
1. Nemesis
2. Armada
3. Magnan Imus
4. Jump!
5. Sons of War
6. Return from Darkness
7. Strength of an Empire
8. Eternal Sorrow
9. The Ancients
10. Birth of a Hero
11. Sky Titans
12. Path to Earth
13. Earth Rising
14. Ironheart
15. Fortress of Seduction
16. Clairvoyant
17. White Witch
18. Spirit of Moravia
19. The Cross of Antiquan
20. Asimov
21. Stormwatch
22. The World Is Mind
23. Little Ben -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeJun 12th 2013
There's two new Nick Phoenix tracks but other than that this is all pre-existing cues from all over the place, unfortunately (seriously, why did they need to put on cues from Skyworld? The rest I get, but...). If this goes physical I'll get it anyway to support Two Steps, of course. -
- CommentTimeFeb 19th 2014
A 10 minute synth mock-up track by Bergersen: http://www.thomasbergersen.com/Thomas_B … A-Wrap.mp3
Just for fun. -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeFeb 19th 2014
Where did you find this, Feliz? And what's it for? Is it a preview of an upcoming album? -
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014
Just on Thomas' Facebook page.
"Lots of people ask me what software I use to compose. Well, the reality is that I am lucky enough to have most of my music recorded live, but for the writing process I have created many complete virtual orchestras. This piece was done 100% using my custom sounds and took about 10 days to complete."
"I wrote this piece as a composing exercise to see how long I could keep the action going without running out of steam. It is hard work but lots of fun in the end. It's basically a wedding cake of film musical ideas. All the stuff that's fun to do, without the nagging director, and without explosions and dialogue to bury the music This cue is of course NOT going on "Sun", which by the way is coming along nicely. Thanks for listening!" -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014 edited
Now that I've had a chance to listen to that cue a few times, let me just say this:
How do you make that jaw dropping emoticon? :jawdrop: :holycrap: :amazed: :wtf: :gasp: :astounded: :flabbergasted:
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- CommentAuthorTimmer
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014 edited
Edmund, go to New Members: LOOK HERE FIRST! The sticky at the top of the page, it needs some up-dating but most of the emoticons are there for your perusal.On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt -
- CommentAuthorEdmund Meinerts
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014
Thanks! -
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014
Great music (as always)! I wonder when he will venture into movies? As much as I enjoy his solo and Two Steps From Hell releases, I'd still love to hear what he could with an entire film score. -
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014
Artworks wroteMe too!
...I'd still love to hear what he could with an entire film score. -
- CommentTimeFeb 20th 2014
Feliz wrote
A 10 minute synth mock-up track by Bergersen: http://www.thomasbergersen.com/Thomas_B … A-Wrap.mp3
Just for fun.
Da FUQ! That's an awesome montage of actiony goodness.