Kevin Riepl is an industry leader when it comes to producing music for video games and films. He is known for his horror touch. When a production company is trying to get the wheels turning on a new venture, and they feel that the route they are going to go with the game or movie is going to be that which gives the audience goosebumps, they call Kevin Riepl. He is most recently credited for producing the soundtrack to Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, now available on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. When the team over at Hunted chooses to say “Descend into Darkness” and “The Dark Ages” in their official storyline caption, we know to be on the lookout for Riepl’s taste in music to share the dark, twisted, suspense filled story line.

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Kevin Riepl has a long list of credits. He has worked on both Gears of War, City of Villains, Twisted Metal: Black, Crackdown 2, many film productions, and the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines by SEGA. Riepl was kind enough to speak with us on his current success of Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, past projects, and future slated projects.

Nerd Reactor: After listening to almost every piece of composition, your work definitely brings the dark, sinister, and epic sounds that would fuel anyone into the next level, or scene. With that said, how far do you go to immerse and become inspired in the worlds for which you create music?

Kevin Riepl: First off thank you for taking the time to check out my music. There is quite a bit of it out there. I appreciate that. Usually for each project I like to delve in as deep as I can go. I prefer to live and breathe the content while I’m working on it. For projects like Hunted, I prefer writing in a dark environment. I rely heavily on concept art and the level design from the game. Sometimes I print out some of the concept art and hang them within viewing area while I write. Also, depending on how much of the game is developed, I like to sit down and try to play the game. This helps me understand the pacing of the game, which is an important factor deciding on the rhythm and tempo of any given piece.

Does a composer’s work seem both like the imaginative and managerial type? Dealing with the concept process, and managing components such as: the director, show runner, music supervisor, music editor, programmer, orchestrator, etc?

There is most definitely a managerial aspect to being a composer in any situation where you are relied upon to deliver certain amounts of music within contractual deadlines. It doesn’t matter if you are using a few live players, a full orchestra, or even when the score is all synth and sample-based, to get the music from the first note to final delivery is not always a straight line. There is always a curve ball thrown your way during projects, regardless of the music style or how it’s created. So having a professional business frame of mind is imperative in helping your client have confidence and trust in you to handle whatever is thrown at you and to deliver what is asked of you.

When working on Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, how was the act of mixing fantasy with a deep horror-esque vibe to it? Especially with your love of the horror vibe, is it hard to hold yourself back sometimes or do you use that as a fuse to create the work that you do?

Mixing Fantasy & Horror for Hunted was a blast. I really don’t see it as ‘holding back’. It’s more like injecting just the right amount of horror into the score to not go overboard. Being that I love horror, there’s never any real shortage of that vibe.

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge is in a realm all on its own; dark epic adventure fantasy. When looking into creating a soundtrack like this one, are there moments of “I must put this precaution into it” or “this instrument is a must”? Or do you go about it in an approach where all the other creative departments feed off each other to create the awesomeness that you do?

I definitely do have moments where I say “Oh this sound or instrument definitely needs to be in the score”. It’s usually because that particular sound/instrument has sparked a creative idea that fits perfectly in that world. I also think about what sounds/instruments will definitely not fit into the score at all which could possibly take a listener completely out of the environment.

How does Hunted: The Demon’s Forge compare to other credited work you have been attributed to?

It’s different for sure, but still dark like Gears of War and a lot of my other scores I would say.

From start to finish, how long did it take to complete Hunted: The Demon’s Forge?

It’s tough to give an accurate answer on this one. Sometimes for games you’re brought on early in the development stage to start creating ideas and themes for the game. Sometimes this could be a long iterative process between myself and the creatives on the developer side. A lot of times during this process I’m not writing every day back-to-back. It’s a cumulative process to get to a point where we all agree on what the direction of the music should be. Once there, then I’m off and running, creating music non-stop to feed to them for review and approval. From this point, I had about six months to create the score.

Are there any out of the ordinary instruments (real or virtual) that you used for Hunted: The Demon’s Forge? For example, a pot from the kitchen, which you mention in the Around Dark Corners Trailer?

I actually didn’t end up using the pot. What I did was, a few months prior to starting work on Hunted, I created what I ended up calling ‘The Cello-Bucket’ or as friends would call it, ‘The Riepl-Bucket’. I only named it a Cello Bucket because I used a Cello bow to bow the metal string I had fastened across the top opening of the 5 gallon bucket. It’s not the most intricate or sophisticated instrument I’ve recorded, but miking it various ways then adding different effects and tuning to manipulate an already disturbing sound turns it into something completely different and quite effective in a score like Hunted. I initially experimented with this effect for use on Crackdown 2, but I ended up using more bowed guitar for that score. The sound of the bucket which I blended with the lowest possible rumblings of a trumpet ended up fitting nicely within Hunted’s environment.

What future feature motion picture could you see yourself diving head first into after the success, among other successful projects, of the indie film Clemency?

Well I continue to work with and have become great friends with Joe Albanese the director of Clemency. I can imagine myself happily working on whatever he creates if our paths continue to move in the same direction. Along with that, I’m doing my best to keep myself on the radar of up and coming creative directors whom I think might be great to collaborate with.

I recently saw you Tumblr a photo of your “nerdness” about Star Wars VHS box sets. I am a bit jealous at that. I’ll admit that I have Pizza Hut pizza-boxes laying around of when Star Wars was re-released in the movie theaters digitally re-mastered. No pizza leftover inside by the way. That would be a little sick & twisted. So is Star Wars your ultimate nerd prowess too?

Star Wars is the ultimate, of course! Like many my age and in my generation Star Wars was a HUGE catalyst for creative people. It ignited something in us. It let us know that ‘make believe’ was legitimate and could be awesome and inspiring. I remember going home immediately after seeing the film, I think I was 5, pretending to be Luke or Han and sitting under the kitchen table imagining that it was the Millennium Falcon. It did something to us; it flicked a switch of some sort. It goes without saying that along with film, John Williams’ music inspired my insane passion for music.

Kevin Riepl Tumblr Image: Star Wars VHS Box Set

This might be a little out of the ordinary, but do you ever think that in the near future there will be a craving for live shows, or even music festivals, of composed music in video games and films? Like a Coachella, Bonnaroo, or a Woodstock but filled with gaming booths, orchestrated stages, film screenings and cosplay galore?

I tell ya, E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), although only open to industry folk, is not too far from being that. Video Games Live, which is a live orchestral performance of game music, usually has live shows in and around the area of the expo. There is definitely cosplay as well at these expos. Although a festival created specifically around game music and film music would be awesome. There is definitely an audience for it.

You are currently working on Gearbox’s Aliens: Colonial Marines, by SEGA. Coming from a long list of credits that don’t have any predecessors, do you feel when it comes to something that has been in the realm of video games and films for some time that there is this looming expectation of it? Do you take that, turn around, and use the notion for drive to exceed anything else before and make it your own?

Yes, I definitely think there is looming expectations for this game and its music. Fans are hoping you don’t screw it up or create something that takes them out of the Aliens universe. Without a doubt I take that excitement and use it for inspiration and drive. To blend James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith and a little bit of myself into a score is somewhat of a daunting task not to mention an awesome opportunity. So far, what I’ve created for the game is fitting perfectly within the Aliens universe and franchise. Being a huge fan of the first 2 films, it’s an honor to be able to blend elements of Goldsmith and Horner infused with a touch of Riepl!

On another note, how does it feel to be working on a project that coincidently will hopefully see the light of day through another media, feature motion picture? I am referring to Ridley Scott assigned to helm the Alien 3D prequel which he has said “wanting to surpass” the bar that James Cameron set in Avatar.

I still think there is a lot of speculation on what Ridley Scott’s film is actually going to be, so I can’t really comment accurately. But I do think it’s cool that if the film is directly Alien-related, and that the game is going to be released around the hype and release of his film, it is going to be killer.

Are there any particular game soundtracks that have impressed you with how well they bring life to their respective games?

I’ve said it before, Sascha Dikiciyan & Cris Velasco’s score for Prototype is one helluva soundtrack. I think it deserves more recognition than it ever received. Aside from that, I love Chris Vrenna’s work on American McGee’s Alice games and Garry Schyman’s work on the BioShock franchise. There are a lot of great composers out there that do outstanding work for games. I admire and respect them all.

Have you ever turned down a project, fearing that you couldn’t bring the right vibe?

Never. Even though I love creating a certain style of music, it’s always a blast to do a complete 180° and write in a different style or genre. I’ll leave it up to the developer or director to decide if I’ve hit the mark or not.

What made you want to become the inspiring composer that you are today, and when asked that do The Birth of A Nation, Battleship Potemkin, King Kong, Frankenstein, or Howard The Duck come to mind?

All I can say is that it all started a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Hunted – The Demons Forge

Kevin Riepl

Kevin Riepl Tumblr