Two Steps from Hell

American trailer music company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Two Steps from Hell was an American production music company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 2006 by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, a pair of composers born in Norway and England, respectively.[1][4] They created the company to make trailer music demos to be circulated exclusively within the movie advertising industry for the purpose of licensing;[5][6] and were partnered with Extreme Music who handled licensing arrangements.[7][8] The duo were among the most successful in their field,[9][10][11][12][13] having supplied background tracks for thousands of film trailers and TV commercials.[7][14] They composed separately but released their creations together.[1][4] Typically, their music was orchestral and choral based, but with modern complements[15] and structured similar to pop songs.[1][8] The stentorian nature of their works led the frequent use of a contemporary label, "epic music", to define their style.[a]

Quick Facts Company type, Industry ...
Two Steps from Hell
Company typePrivate
IndustryProduction music
Founded14 February 2006 (2006-02-14)[1]
FoundersThomas Bergersen
Nick Phoenix
FateDe facto dissolution 8 April 2024 (2024-04-08)[2][3]
Headquarters,
ProductsTrailer music
Commercial music
E-books
Merchandise
Websitetwostepsfromhell.com
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They established themselves as a major player in the market of the late 2000s, providing tracks to trailers for major film franchises such as Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek and Twilight.[b] As the public became exposed to their music, the pair gained a cult following online who pleaded for their compositions to be made available to purchase;[6][8][22] Two Steps from Hell soon released their first two public albums, Invincible (2010) and Archangel (2011), collections of their most popular demo music to date.[15][23] These were followed by the album SkyWorld (2012), this time consisting entirely of brand new music straight to commercial release.[24] With these albums all successful,[7][6] the duo organized their first concert, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, in 2013.[5][15]

A waning demand for traditional trailer music in the movie industry emerged by the mid-2010s;[4][25] the pair has since focused increasingly on creating further public albums consisting of new and more varied compositions, with far less of an emphasis on composing demos for trailers,[4] while continuing to release more of their back catalog commercially as well.[26][27] Such music performed well in the United States; 13 of their releases reached the top ten of the Billboard Classical Crossover Albums charts, 3 of which peaked at number one: Battlecry (2015), Unleashed (2017),[19] and Myth (2022), the first also charting on the Billboard 200.[28] The 2020s began with the group consolidating their popularity by organizing their first tours in Europe.[4][10] However, in 2024, it was announced that Bergersen and Phoenix were going their separate ways, ending Two Steps from Hell.[2][3]

History

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Two Steps from Hell was founded in early 2006 when Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix joined forces to write original music for movie trailers. The two have composed music for over 1,000 major motion picture trailers.[29]

With the founding of the company in 2006, Bergersen was looking for a name that would draw attention with the old adage in mind, "All PR is good PR." The idea for the name came from "Two Steps From Heaven",[30] a Norwegian nightclub that, according to Bergersen, had a similar theme going on.[31]

Despite the company finding success with its music, the tracks were not officially released to the public until the May 2010 release of the commercial album Invincible. Invincible was approaching Gold record status.[citation needed] As of January 2017, Two Steps from Hell has published 10 public albums in addition to 20 demonstration albums, with almost 1,000 unique tracks in total.

Invincible was followed by Bergersen's first solo album, Illusions, then Archangel and Halloween, both primarily compilation albums of industry tracks. Next, SkyWorld was released as the first public album to feature mostly new tracks, followed by the primarily compilation albums Classics Volume One and Miracles.

In 2013 Nick Phoenix released his first solo album, Speed of Sound.

The album Sun, which was released on September 30, 2014, is the second solo album from Thomas Bergersen. Preview tracks were released from the album, titled "Cry" and "Sun", the former of which can be downloaded from Bergersen's official website.[32] An official music video for "Sun" was also released on YouTube,[33] preceding the announcement of a signed limited deluxe edition CD release set to include additional tracks and notes from Thomas, as well as a large-size poster featuring his artwork.[34]

Additionally, in July 2014 Two Steps from Hell released an e-book known as Colin Frake on Fire Mountain, which features a 75,000-word novel written by Nick Phoenix with illustrations by Otto Bjornik, as well as an original score also made available via a soundtrack release.[35] A sequel entitled Colin Frake: Asclepius was released in April 2017.[36]

2015 saw the release of Battlecry featuring all new songs. This album proved to be a huge success for the company, charting at position 183 on the US Billboard 200.[37] This was followed by the compilation album Classics Volume Two in 2015, and the all new albums Vanquish, Unleashed, and Dragon in 2016, 2017, and 2019 respectively.

In 2020 Bergersen released the first two chapters (out of seven) of his Humanity album. These featured mostly new tracks, with several reworked tracks from older releases.

Two Steps from Hell's main graphic artist is Steven Gilmore,[38] who has created album covers for almost every promotional and public release, including the logo of the company, with the only exception being the 2009 DVD release of their library, for which the album cover was created by Paul Zeaiter.[39] Additionally, Thomas Bergersen's Illusions solo album features design by Jesper Krijgsman,[40] while its sequel, Sun, features artwork created by Thomas himself.[41]

Their success has also been reflected in platforms such as YouTube, where they have millions of subscribers [42] and over a hundred million views on popular soundtracks such as "Victory".[43]

In April 2024 the duo of Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix announced they would be pursuing solo careers and Two Steps From Hell would end.[44]

Main appearances

The company's music has been featured in:

Concerts

Two Steps from Hell hosted a live concert on June 14, 2013, at the Disney Hall, in Los Angeles, California, performing some of their most popular songs, such as "Heart of Courage," "Protectors of the Earth," "To Glory," "Strength of a Thousand Men," "Black Blade," and "Breathe," as well as "Ocean Princess," '"Age of Gods," and "Remember Me" from Bergersen's album Illusions.[48][unreliable source?]

The second live concert happened on April 20, 2018, and was organized by the Film Music Prague Festival. The concert was performed by Praga Sinfonietta, which was conducted by Petr Pololáník, Kühns mixed choir, Merethe Soltvedt and Kamila Nývltová as solo singers. Thomas Bergersen participated on several songs playing on violin or piano. Performed were these songs: "Strength of a Thousand Men", "Fill My Heart", "Protectors of Earth", "Everlasting", "Heart of Courage", "Fire Nation", "Ocean Princess", "Master of Shadows", "Flight of the Silverbird", "Blackout", "Winterspell", "Stormkeeper", "Evergreen", "Neverdark", "Victory", "Fall of the Fountain World", "To Glory", and as an encore "Remember Me".[49]

2020 was supposed to see the start of the Two Steps From Hell European tour, but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]

On June 15, 2022, Two Steps From Hell started their European tour in Brussels and visited other European cities. The concert was performed by Odesa Opera Orchestra assisted by ReChoir, a professional Polish choir. Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix participated on several songs.[50]

Discography

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Commercial albums

US charts key:

Studio albums

The group's paramount publicly released music:[51]

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary Peak US chart positions
200 CLS CLX HEA IND
Invincible 2010 First collection of popular tracks from previously private demo albums.[c]
Archangel 2011 Second collection of popular tracks from previously private demo albums. 36 28
Halloween 2012 Themed album. Collection of horror tracks from previously private demo albums.[c]
SkyWorld First album consisting entirely of new tracks straight to public release.[d] 10 9 19
Classics Volume One 2013 Third collection of popular tracks from previously private demo albums.[c] 10 9 23
Miracles 2014 Themed album. Collection of dreamy/ethereal tracks from previously private demo albums.[c] 3 2 9
Battlecry 2015 Second album consisting entirely of new tracks straight to public release.[d] 183 1 1 1 9
Classics Volume Two Fourth collection of popular tracks from previously private demo albums, plus 10 new tracks. 7 6
Vanquish 2016 Third album consisting entirely of new tracks straight to public release. 9 8 5 34
Unleashed 2017 Fourth album consisting entirely of new tracks straight to public release. 1 1 18 41
Dragon 2019 Fifth album consisting entirely of new tracks straight to public release. 2 2 12 29
Myth 2022 Sixth album consisting entirely of new tracks straight to public release.[d] 17 1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart, are unknown to have charted, or were not released in that territory.
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Solo albums

Albums created by only one composer; "part of the Two Steps catalog",[52][53] but released under the individual composer's name:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Creator Summary Peak US chart positions
200 CLS CLX HEA IND
Illusions 2011 Bergersen First solo studio album. 13[e]
Speed of Sound[52][54] 2013 Phoenix First solo studio album. Epic sci-fi electronica and orchestral music.
Sun 2014 Bergersen Second solo studio album. Follow-up to Illusions. 157 3 3 3 27
American Dream[55][56] 2018 First symphonic suite. 6[57] 6[58]
Seven[59][60] 2019 Second symphonic suite. 1[61] 1[62] 15[63] 39[64]
Humanity - Chapter I 2020 First in seven album series; third solo studio album. Start of follow-up to Sun. 3
Humanity - Chapter II Second in seven album series; fourth solo studio album. 4
King of One[25][65] 2021 Phoenix Second solo studio album. Mix of classic and modern rock.
Humanity - Chapter III Bergersen Third in seven album series; fifth solo studio album.
Humanity - Chapter IV Fourth in seven album series; sixth solo studio album. 4
Wide World[11][65] 2022 Phoenix Third solo studio album. Follow-up to King of One. Classic rock; big orchestra.
Humanity - Chapter V[66] 2023 Bergersen Fifth in seven album series; seventh solo studio album. 3
Underdog[67][better source needed] 2024 Phoenix Fourth solo studio album. Follow-up to Wide World. Rock.
Heart of the Ocean Fifth solo studio album. Epic and orchestral music. Consists of new tracks straight to public release.[d]
Insurgent Public release of parts of the demo albums Insugrent, Mind Tracer and Open Conspiracy.
A Christmas Carol Bergersen Third symphonic suite.
It Starts at Zero 2025 Phoenix Sixth solo album consisting entirely of new tracks.
Humanity - Chapter VI TBA Bergersen Sixth in seven album series; eighth solo studio album. Future release. Not yet released.
Humanity - Chapter VII Seventh in seven album series; ninth solo studio album. Future release.
Creatures of the Forest[68] Details TBA. Future release.
Barbarian Phoenix Upcoming epic, orchestral release.
"—" denotes releases that did not chart, are unknown to have charted, or were not released in that territory.
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Anthology series

A series of previously private demo albums released for public purchase; modified to consist of just their residual tracks not yet available on other public studio albums:[27]

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary Peak charts
CLS CLX
Battlecry Anthology 2017 All Battlecry alternative version tracks not previously commercially available. 15 12
Nero Anthology[69] Most of the remaining Nero back catalog yet to be made commercially available. 15[70] 12[71]
Heaven Anthology[72] All of the remaining Two Steps From Heaven back catalog yet to be made commercially available. 6[70] 4[73]
Power of Darkness Anthology Most of the remaining Power of Darkness back catalog yet to be made commercially available. 10 9
Illumina Anthology[74] 2018 All of the remaining Illumina back catalog yet to be made commercially available. 23[75] 15[76]
Legend Anthology 2019 Most of the remaining Legend back catalog yet to be made commercially available. 19
Dreams & Imaginations Anthology[77] 2020 Most of the remaining Dreams & Imaginations back catalog yet to be made commercially available.
"—" denotes releases that did not chart, are unknown to have charted, or were not released in that territory.
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Soundtracks

Albums featuring the group as the composers of another media's soundtrack:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary Peak charts
CLS CLX
Colin Frake on Fire Mountain[78][79] 2014 Standalone release of the soundtrack for the e-book of the same name. 22[70] 10[80]
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Live albums

Albums consisting of tracks recorded live:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary Peak charts
CLS CLX
Live – An Epic Music Experience[13][81] 2022 Live recordings of tracks performed during their 2022 European concert tour. 5[82]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart, are unknown to have charted, or were not released in that territory.
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Japan-exclusive albums

Albums compiled for release only in Japan:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary
Legacy[83][84][85] 2015 Compilation of popular tracks from all public albums as of release date.
Impossible[86] 2018 Compilation of popular tracks from all public albums released since Legacy.
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Mobile-exclusive albums

Miscellaneous albums only available on mobile devices:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary
Demon's Dance[87] 2012 Collection of tracks from previously private demo albums; only available via the group's (since discontinued) mobile app.
Two Steps from Hell: Ringtones[88] 2016 Collection of popular tracks, edited/truncated for use as ringtones; only available via Google Play. Since discontinued.
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Demonstration albums

Main catalog

The group's demo albums released exclusively to clients in the motion picture and advertising industry for the purpose of licensing. Much of the music originating from these demos has since been made available for public purchase on the commercial albums listed above.

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary
Volume One[89] 2006 First ever album, featuring various genres.
Shadows and Nightmares[90] Horror genre album, and a sound effects library.
Dynasty[91][92] 2007 Epic genre album.
All Drums Go to Hell[93] Percussion album.
Pathogen[94][95] Science-fantasy/metal album, composed by Phoenix.
Nemesis[96][97] Epic genre album, composed by Bergersen.
Dreams & Imaginations[98] 2008 New-age album.
Legend Epic genre album, with some tracks composed by Troels Folmann.
Ashes[99][100] Horror genre album.
The Devil Wears Nada[101] 2009 Light-hearted and humorous album.
Power of Darkness 2010 Epic genre album.
All Drones Go to Hell[102][103][104] New-age drones and soundscapes album; also known as Mystical Beginnings.[105]
Illumina[102][106][107] New-age album.
Balls to the Wall[108][109][110] 2011 Percussion album, with some tracks composed by Alex Pfeffer.
Nero[111][112][113] Epic genre album, with some tracks composed by Alex Pfeffer.
Two Steps from Heaven[114][115] 2012 "Inspiring, emotional, and adventurous" album, composed by Bergersen.
Burn[116] Dubstep remixed tracks, composed by Bergersen.
Cyanide[117] 2013 Percussion album.
Crime Lab[118] Electronic album.
Open Conspiracy[119][120] 2014 Electronic-hybrid album, with some tracks composed by Hitesh Ceon and Nick Kaelar.
Amaria[121] New-age/drama album, composed by Bergersen.
Too Big to Fail[122] Sound effects library / Trailer toolkit.
Empire[123][124] 2015 Mostly consists of tracks from Classics Volume Two, composed by Phoenix.
Stronger Faster Braver[125] "Extreme sports music"; motivational, energetic and driving compositions, composed by Phoenix.
Hammerfist[126][127] 2017 Percussion album, composed by Bergersen.
Trapstar[128] 2018 Experimental hip-hop album, composed by Phoenix.
Greatest Hits Remastered[129] 2020 Collection of remastered popular tracks from all public albums as of release date.
Catch Me[130] Vocal music, composed by Bergersen.
Landscapes[131] Atmospheric drone album, composed by Bergersen
Mind Tracer[132] Synths and strings album, composed by Phoenix and Hitesh Ceon.
Neon Nights[133] Electronic and synthwave album, composed by Bergersen and Øivind Rosvold.[134]
Daybreak[135] Epic/dramatic album, composed by Bergersen.
Insurgent[136] 2021 Electronic-hybrid album, composed by Phoenix and Hitesh Ceon.
Maze of Dreams[137] 2023 Epic/dramatic album composed by Phoenix.
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Third-party albums

A handful of albums have been released under the Two Steps from Hell name which are creations entirely by third-party composers; consequently, they are not considered part of the group's primary catalog:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary
Sinners[138][139] 2010 Electronic rock album, composed by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic.
Faction[140] 2011 Dark drones and soundscapes. Putative creator is Brad Rue.
Solaris[141][142][143] 2013 Epic futuristic album, composed by Alex Pfeffer.
Orion[144][145][146] Epic hybrid album, composed by Michał Cielecki.
Quarantine[147] 2014 Sci-fi electronica album, composed by Brad Rue.
Chaos Theory[148] 2020 Epic/dramatic hybrid album, composed by Alex Pfeffer.
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Singles

Commercial singles

Singles available for public purchase that are not on any public album or were initially released as pre-release tracks. All of the following pieces are written by Bergersen, except where noted:[149][150]

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary
"A Place in Heaven" 2011 Pre-release singles from Illusions.[151]
"Ocean Princess"
"Starvation"
"Promise"
"<3" Made to raise money for the Red Cross in response to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.[152] Later included as "Heart" on Two Steps from Heaven[115] and Miracles.
"The Hero in Your Heart" 2013 Made to raise money for the Red Cross in response to the Typhoon Haiyan disaster in the Philippines. Lyrics performed by Merethe Soltvedt.[153] Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"Autumn Love" 2014 Emotional, piano-based track.
"That's A Wrap" Adventurous orchestral track created in ten days, entirely from Bergersen's proprietary sample library.[154]
"Into Darkness"[155] Fusion of neo-orchestral and EDM styles. Lyrics performed by Bergersen.[156]
"Final Frontier"[157] From Sun.
"Stay"[158] Pre-release singles from Miracles.
"Miracles"[158]
"Children of the Sun" 2015 The original vocal version of "None Shall Live" from Battlecry;[159] lyrics performed by Merethe Soltvedt.
"Christmas Medley"[158] Orchestral medley of various Christmas songs. Also known as Two Steps From Xmas.[160]
"Threnody for Europe" 2016 Intended as "a musical contemplation on the current unrest in Europe."[161]
"You Are Light" 2018 Ethereal vocal track; lyrics performed by Felicia Farerre. Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"Imagine" Ethereal vocal track; lyrics performed by Sonna. Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"In Orbit" Epic rock vocal track; lyrics performed by Cinda M. Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"Brightest Smile" Ethereal vocal track; lyrics performed by Natalie Major. Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"Catch Me" 2019 Epic pop vocal track; lyrics performed by Sonna. Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"Next to You" Ethereal vocal track; lyrics performed by Sonna. Later included on Catch Me.[130]
"Little Star" Ethereal vocal track; lyrics performed by Audrey Karrasch. Later included on Humanity: Chapter III.
"So Small" 2020 Pre-release single from Humanity; included on Chapter IV.
"The Stars Are Coming Home" Pre-release single from Humanity; included on Chapter II. Lyrics performed by Audrey Callahan.
"Love Suite" 2021 Pre-release singles from Humanity: Chapter III.
"Red"
"Wings for Ukraine" 2022 Made to raise money for UNICEF in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[162] Later included on the EP, Humanity: Songs for Ukraine.
"Shield of Love"
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Non-commercial singles

Songs that are not on any public album or were initially made available for public listening via the group's official social media channels, but not available for public purchase at the time of publishing. All of the following pieces are written by Bergersen, except when noted:

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Summary
"Bird A Short Lived Life" 2002 Demo tracks created using the EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra.[citation needed]
"Celebration"
"Underneath the Sea"
"Finding the Treasure" 2003
"Percussion"
"Welcome to Inkareth"
"Rise With the Angels" Demo tracks created using the Vienna Symphonic Library.[citation needed]
"Evolutionary Progress" 2004
"Itineris Spiritus" 2005 Demo track created using the EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Choirs. Dedicated to his friend Ryan Miglierina who passed away in a car accident.[citation needed]
"Thomas J. Bergersen's first L96 mix" 2007 Demo track created using the Samplicity IR-Library 2: "L96".[citation needed]
"Soaring Over Hollywood" 2009 Demo tracks created using the EastWest/Quantum Leap Hollywood Strings.[citation needed]
"Just Another Happy Ending"
"Tower of Mischief" 2011 Intended as a preview track from Two Steps from Heaven,[163] instead included on Nero.[113]
"My Freedom" Considered for release on Illusions,[164] instead included on Nero[113] and Miracles. Lyrics performed by Merethe Soltvedt.
"Benedictus" Intended as a preview track for Sun,[165] instead included on Two Steps from Heaven.[158]
"Where Are You" Pop-trance track with acoustic elements. Lyrics performed by Bergersen.[166]
"My Soul, Not Yours" 2012 Experimental dubstep track. Later included as "Not Your Soul" on Burn.[167]
"Hymn to Life" Published in celebration of Bergersen's birthday.[168] Later performed under the title "Hymnus Vitae Dedicatus".[169]
"To Die on Halloween" Preview track from Halloween. Composed, and lyrics performed, by Phoenix.[170]
"Sun"[171] 2013 Preview tracks from Sun.
"Cry"[172]
"Colin and Petunia" 2014 Preview track from Colin Frake on Fire Mountain.[173] Retitled as "Colin Frake" for its album release.
"Freedom Ship"[174] 2015 Preview track from Battlecry. Composed by Phoenix.
"Neverdark"[175] Preview track from Classics Volume Two. Composed by Phoenix.
"Dear Mr. Alien" 2018 Inspired by a news report showing a video of children being shot, whilst censoring the man filming it who was cursing. Bergersen summarized, "this absurd hypocrisy baffles me to no end."[176] Later released on Humanity: Chapter IV.
"One Million Voices" 2019 Published in celebration of one million Facebook fans and as a preview track from Humanity;[177] released on Chapter IV.
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Other media

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E-books

Two Steps from Hell have expanded their catalog of creations beyond music by also releasing a series of e-books, each written by Phoenix. All are part of a planned pentalogy of sci-fi fantasy novels called Colin Frake. The series follows the adventures of the adolescent protagonist of the same name, set in the fictional world of "Reanne". Each book is accompanied by an orchestral soundtrack created by the group, and a collection of hand-drawn illustrations by artist Otto Björnik.[178][179]

More information Title, Year ...
Title Year Publisher Pages Notes
Colin Frake on Fire Mountain[178][180] 2014 BookBaby 400 Features 46 drawings. Soundtrack had a standalone release in 2014.[79]
Colin Frake: Asclepius[179][181] 2017 218[f] Features 38 drawings.[f] Soundtrack has no standalone release. Purchase also includes book one.
Colin Frake: Sumava[78] 2022 TBA TBA Confirmed third book. Future release.
Colin Frake 4 TBA Planned fourth book. Future release.
Colin Frake 5 Planned fifth book. Future release.
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Mobile app

On 5 June 2012, Two Steps from Hell announced they would soon be launching an official mobile app for iOS and Android devices.[182] The app was subsequently released three weeks later. Downloading the app gave users access to "news, promotions... videos, photos and albums", but most notably, 19 tracks of previously private demo music available in a new limited-time digital album called Demon's Dance.[87] Gergely Vilaghy of Trailer Music News concluded that the app's creation was not revolutionary but that "it was unseen in the trailer music scene before".[12] It has since been discontinued.

Notes

  1. Also features a negligible number of all-new tracks straight to public release.
  2. Also features a negligible number of tracks from previously private demo albums.
  3. This figure actually refers to the World Albums chart position, as it was not classified on the Classical Albums chart.
  4. Apple Books and Goodreads state 618 pages and 84 drawings. However, the purchase includes both books one and two packaged together as one single e-book. It can therefore be deduced that book two consists of 218 pages, since book one consists of 400, and features 38 drawings, since book one consists of 46.

References

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