Two Steps from Hell

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
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
ProductsTrailer music
Commercial music
E-books
Merchandise
Websitetwostepsfromhell.com

Two Steps from Hell was a production music company based in Los Angeles, California.[4][5] It was founded in 2006 by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, a pair of composers born in Norway and England respectively.[1][6] They created the company to make trailer music demos to be circulated exclusively within the movie advertising industry for the purpose of licensing;[7][8] and were partnered with Extreme Music who handled licensing arrangements.[5][9] The duo were among the most successful in their field,[10][11][12][13][14] having supplied background tracks for thousands of film trailers and TV commercials.[5][15] They composed separately but released their creations together.[1][6] Typically, their music was orchestral and choral based, but with modern complements[16] and structured similar to pop songs.[1][9] The stentorian nature of their works led the frequent use of a contemporary label, "epic music", to define their style.[a]

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;[8][9][23] 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.[16][24] These were followed by the album SkyWorld (2012), this time consisting entirely of brand new music straight to commercial release.[25] With these albums all successful,[5][8] the duo organized their first concert, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, in 2013.[7][16]

A waning demand for traditional trailer music in the movie industry emerged by the mid-2010s;[6][26] 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,[6] while continuing to release more of their back catalog commercially as well.[27][28] 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),[20] and Myth (2022), the first also charting on the Billboard 200.[29] The 2020s began with the group consolidating their popularity by organizing their first tours in Europe.[6][11] However, in 2024, it was announced that Bergersen and Phoenix were going their separate ways, ending Two Steps from Hell.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b c d Tsouroupidou, Kalliope (August 2013). "Two Steps From Hell, an interview". BURST Magazine. No. 8. pp. 42–45. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Two Steps from Hell legger opp". NRK (in Norwegian). 8 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "史詩音樂團隊Two Steps From Hell宣布解散，創辦人Nick Phoenix、Thomas Bergersen踏上各自的音樂旅程" [The epic music group Two Steps From Hell announced its disbandment, and founders Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen embarked on their own musical journeys]. 4Gamers 官方網站 (in Chinese). 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  4. ^ Monger, James Christoper. "Two Steps from Hell Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e Friedlander, Whitney (2 May 2013). "Two Steps From Hell Creates Music That's in Tune With Trailers". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Oteiza, Gorka (29 October 2019). "Two Steps From Hell – Tour 2020 – Nick Phoenix – Interview". SoundTrackFest. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b Rome, Emily (15 June 2013). "Movie trailer music composers Two Steps From Hell perform live". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Rome, Emily (8 April 2012). "Their movie trailer music is proudly commercial". LA Times. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "Film Trailer Music, Pt. 2: An Interview with Two Steps from Hell". DIY Musician. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Two Steps From Hell Releases New Album 'Vanquish'". EPICOMPOSER. 3 December 2016. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "Two Steps From Hell Live". Eventim UK. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022. The world's number one epic music producers and composers, namely Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, are breaking every streaming and follower record with their California-based production company Two Steps from Hell. With over four billion views on YouTube, one billion plays on other streaming platforms and four platinum albums, Two Steps from Hell are already one of the most successful music entities ever.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference RAN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference tmn080712 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference livealbum1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Two Steps From Hell > About". Two Steps From Hell. Archived from the original on 13 December 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d e Barrera, Sandra (7 June 2013). "Trailer score heroes: Two Steps from Hell brings its epic orchestra scores to the Walt Disney Concert Hall". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  17. ^ Wright, Chris (6 May 2016). "Meet Thomas Bergersen — Master of Powerful, Epic Music". Gear Patrol. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  18. ^ Lebrun, Clothilde (9 October 2014). "Epic Trailer Music: Recording Albums Live". Trailer Music News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  19. ^ a b Upmanyu, Suryansh (3 February 2022). "Thomas Bergersen: The "Epic Music" Creator Behind Interstellar, Harry Potter And The Dark Knight". ED Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  20. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Thomas Bergersen Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  21. ^ "A selection of Two Steps From Hell trailer music for movies, video games and TV series". Two Steps From Hell - Live. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Two Steps From Hell - Credits". trailermusic.info. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Two Steps From Hell: Invincible Review". Trailer Music News. 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  24. ^ Monger, James Christopher. Archangel Review by James Christopher Monger at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  25. ^ Lebrun, Clothilde (28 October 2012). "Two Steps From Hell: SkyWorld". Trailer Music News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ko1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Lebrun, Clothilde (21 June 2015). "Two Steps From Hell: Classics Vol. 02". Trailer Music News. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference anthology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Book, Ryan (8 May 2015). "Two Steps From Hell Bring Action Film Business to Billboard 200 with 'Battlecry'". Music Times. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2022.


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