Two Steps from Hell

Musical production duo Two Steps from Hell – formed in Los Angeles, California in 2006 – is comprised of Thomas Bergersen (from Norway) and Nick Phoenix (from England). The two composers initially formed their musical union to create music demos for movie trailers, which they would then license to film companies. They compose their music individually but share the publishing together. In the late 2000s, they became major players in the industry, providing trailer music for money-making franchises such as Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek, and Twilight. Initially recorded exclusively for use in the movie industry, their music caught the attention of fans, and after much demand, they began to release their music commercially. Their first two albums – Invincible (2010) and Archangel (2011) – which featured the best of their previously used trailer music. Halloween (2012) was a collection of their horror-themed music while SkyWorld (2012) was an album created specifically to be released commercially. The duo’s work for music trailers decreased and Two Steps from Hell began to focus on creating music for their own albums. Between 2010 and 2019, eight of their albums reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart. Their 2015 album Battlecry – which included one of their most well-known songs, “Victory” (featuring Merethe Soltvedt) – was their first to reach Number 1 on the Classical Albums chart with Unleashed reaching the top spot two years later. Outside of the duo’s commercially available output in the US, they’ve also issued many demo albums, several Japanese-only compilations, and an impressive number of solo releases. In 2022, Two Steps from Hell released their 12th studio album, Myth. The album featured 17 tracks and included guest appearances by Merethe Soltvedt, Felicia Farerre, Tina Guo, Ajša Kadrić, and Úyanga Bold. Myth reached Number 17 on the Classical Albums chart.