HUGEnews ARCHIVES
12/21/06
HUGE new presence on MySpace
Clean layout, slick graphics, a few photos and some great music. Check it out and get connected here: Chance Thomas Music
12/07/06
SoundtrackNet article spotlights Thomas' work on King Kong and Left Behind
Popular film music site SoundtrackNet has published an article discussing Chance Thomas' original music for King Kong and Left Behind: Eternal Forces. Here are a few excerpts: "I admire Thomas' score to King Kong: The Game; indeed, I believe the theme he devised for "Kong, the Tragic Hero" is even more appropriate and effective than the themes James Newton Howard gave the big ape in Peter Jackson's film... King Kong proves that he is an accomplished writer with a knack for good themes with majestic and intense cues like "Fury and Heroics" and "Kong, the Tragic Hero"." Commenting on Left Behind, the article says, "Most of the cues make extensive and almost exclusive use of the traditional Western orchestra, [but] "Of Earth and Heaven" begins with an Evanescence-inspired intro for big electric lead guitar, electronic beats, and string ensemble... The album is book ended by a performance of "Amazing Grace" by Tata Vega over ominous orchestral passages. The action sequences, such as "Street Fight", are reminiscent of Thomas' adventurous confrontations from King Kong and will remind hard core film music fans of the action music of John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams on a smaller scale."
12/01/06
Chance Thomas feature headlines in Oklahoma
Oklahoma's statewide newspaper, The Daily Oklahoman, has published a feature story on Chance Thomas, headlining its Arts and Entertainment section. The article revisits Chance's high school rock band "Manta", and traces the development of his music career through advertising, videogames and film scoring. Special attention is given to his soundtracks for the recently released titles, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Left Behind: Eternal Forces. Read the full story here: OK Feature
11/28/06
HUGE verdict for Left Behind: Eternal Forces music score
Composer Chance Thomas is winning high marks from the press for his Left Behind: Eternal Forces music score. IGN, Film Music Bulletin, GameShout and many more have posted highly favorable reviews of the music. Click on our PRESS link for specifics.
11/06/06
Marvel:Ultimate Alliance music wows press
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance continues to haul in rave reviews for the music score. From GameSpot, "A soundtrack that's just fantastic." Yahoo Games gushes, "The music is beautifully orchestrated, melding perfectly with each map's motif." Game Daily says simply, "The music's great!" Browse through our online music player (click "MUSIC" below) to sample some of the music from the game.
11/06/06
HUGE update complete
We've completely updated our site's automated online music player. You'll find it packed with music tracks from Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, X-Men III, King Kong, Quest for Glory V, Earth and Beyond, Robota: Reign of Machines, SWAT II, The ChubbChubbs, and of course, the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online. Click the "MUSIC" link on the bottom of the page to go there now!
10/25/06
HUGE music reviews for Marvel:Ultimate Alliance
The first official reviews are out today and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance looks like a winner. More importantly for HUGEsound, it sounds like a winner too. Game Chronicles calls it "one of the best soundtracks in recent memory." IGN says, "The score is epic and amazingly varied." Team XBOX raves, "With a soundtrack that sounds like it was plucked straight from a Hollywood movie, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance grabs your attention from the first frame."
10/07/06
Live sessions with Utah orchestra
Live recording sessions were held at the Soularium Recording Studio in Alpine, Utah this week for the opening and closing movies in Left Behind: Eternal Forces. Sweetening the score were 18 violins, 3 trombones, 2 trumpets, flute, piccolo, bass flute, clarinet and oboe. Chance Thomas conducted the orchestra and produced the sessions.
09/22/06
Left Behind soundtrack in the news
Music4Games, Game Daily, Yahoo Financial News, PGNX and other media outlets are carrying the news of the new Left Behind: Eternal Forces soundtrack release. Soundtrack reviews should be rolling in soon, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, you can check it out for free preview or download purchase right here:
09/21/06
Guest appearance at the Hollywood Bowl
HUGEsound Audio Director and composer Chance Thomas was a special guest at the Hollywood Bowl's Video Games Live concert tonight. Chance signed autographs and handed out free soundtrack CD's to hundreds of fans at the pre-show event.
09/20/06
iTunes releases Left Behind: Eternal Forces Original Soundtrack by Chance Thomas
Left Behind Games has announced the commercial release of Chance Thomas' original soundtrack for the much anticipated PC game, LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces. The dramatic orchestral soundtrack is available now.
07/30/06
Chance Thomas scores Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Activision, Inc. announced today that award-winning composer Chance Thomas (King Kong, X-Men, Lord of the Rings) is creating music for the upcoming, critically-acclaimed Marvel: Ultimate Alliance videogame. Thomas heads the list of "dream team" composers on the project which also includes amazing talents Cris Velasco (God of War) and Mark Grisky (Chronicles of Narnia).
07/12/06
Stargate Worlds gets HUGE sound
HUGEsound has been contracted to provide audio services to Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment for their upcoming game, Stargate Worlds. Stargate Worlds is an MMORPG based on the TV series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.
06/26/06
First listen to Left Behind: Eternal Forces score
Check it out! Here are the first mp3 samples posted from Chance Thomas' original music score for Left Behind: Eternal Forces, due in stores October, 2006: [Score Samples] Be sure to listen all the way through as three of the tracks showcase the new HUGEmusic STAX proprietary music system. This system delivers seamless, anytime music transitioning based on changing game states.
06/23/06
High Voltage Software gets HUGE workshop
Chicago-based High Voltage Software, developer of such games as Zathura, Hunter: The Reckoning, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, hosted an orchestration workshop today featuring HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas.
06/19/06
6th Annual Half-Dome Conquest a HUGE success
The waterfalls were roaring and alive. The day was perfect, a cloudless deep blue sky and mild temperatures all day long. The view from the top was overpowering in its beauty. The Alpenglow on the face of Half-Dome at the end of the day was magical. Difficult hike, but an unimaginable feeling.
Attending this year were (L to R) Simon Pressey, Technical and Artistic Director of Audio for Ubisoft; Chance Thomas of HUGEsound; and Chris Brayman, Audio Programmer for Sony Computer Entertainment of America. Said Pressey, "Nothing can compare to the spectacular view and sense of achievement I felt in climbing the stunning natural beauty in Yosemite. It has carved out a memory that will outlive me. When I told my wife I wanted to climb Half-Dome she said, 'Well, I suppose it's better than getting a sports car.' As usual, she was right. After Half-Dome, a sports car now looks like a rusting lump of metal you have to wash."
06/12/06
Left Behind: Eternal Forces gets HUGE score
Chance Thomas has delivered a 66-minute orchestral score for the upcoming RTS game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces. The score ranges from neo-classical to modern rock, with an ever-present martial underpinning. Ethereal moments and ethnic sounds are peppered throughout. The score was recorded at the Soularium in Utah and at HUGEsound in California.
06/08/06
Tia and the Terminator
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger invited Tia Thomas, regional Spelling Bee champion from central California, to meet with him today. Tia and her mother, Pamela Thomas, had a private audience with Governor Schwarzenegger discussing California's charter schools, spelling, and the pursuit and attainment of goals and dreams.
06/01/06
HUGE performance on ESPN
HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas' daughter Tia Thomas took center stage today in front of a nationally televised ESPN audience for the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. Tia placed 22nd out of a field of 275 regional champions. She correctly spelled such words as ORSTEIN, TOTIPALMATE, VELOCIOUS, CAPHARNAUM, MARMOREAL and others before being tripped up by THEREMIN, which she spelled with an "a". She was in good spirits afterwards, already thinking about a run at next year's competition. Way to go Tia!!! Check it out: Tia's Official Results
05/30/06
Planet X-Men posts HUGE Chance Thomas interview
Just in time for the simultaneous release of the new X-Men film and game, Planet X-Men has posted a wide ranging interview with game composer Chance Thomas. Thomas rolls out some exciting innovations in game music design, discusses the current state of game scoring, reflects on his career, and of course, comments on his work for X-Men: The Official Game. Read the full interview here: Planet X-Men
05/17/06
Chance Thomas scores Left Behind: Eternal Forces
GameShout has announced that Chance Thomas is creating a full orchestral score for Left Behind: Eternal Forces. The upcoming RTS game, based on the popular Christian book series "Left Behind" by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, is slated for an October 2006 release. Read the announcement article here: Left Behind
Left Behind: Eternal Forces is attracting attention from mainstream media worldwide - BBC, CNN, ABC and USA TODAY to name only a few. As an example, check out this story that recently ran on the front page of the Los Angeles Times: LA Times
05/03/06
KONG score gets HUGE review on M4G
"Composer Chance Thomas has been able to consistently latch onto the spirit of films and create entirely new, stellar game scores... What’s great about this particular soundtrack is it has the epic aura of a cinematic score but is highly functional and pivotal to the player’s enjoyment and progression in the game. That’s what you call the best of both worlds." Read the full review here: Music4Games
03/29/06
Interview with X-Men game composer
X-Men: The Official Game composer Chance Thomas discusses scoring music for Wolverine, the influence of the film score, his early days as a young composer and more. Read the exclusive SuperHeroHype interview here: X-Men
03/27/06
Chance Thomas delivers score for X-Men: The Official Game
This morning, Activision announced that X-Men: The Official Game will feature a dynamic musical score created by Chance Thomas, renowned composer of "King Kong", "Lord of the Rings" and "Unreal" videogames. Chance joins Zak Penn, co-screenwriter for the film, comic book writer Chris Claremont, and sound company Womb Music in what Activision is touting as a "world class" collaboration. Read the press release here: IGN
03/23/06
King Kong wins at G.A.N.G. Awards
King Kong was a HUGE winner at the Game Audio Network Guild's 4th annual awards show Thursday night. Kong's main theme, an original composition by HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas, won the prestigious G.A.N.G. Award for Best Original Instrumental. In a field dominated by instrumental music scoring, this a great and unexpected honor. A resounding THANK YOU to the many hundreds of audio professionals in the Game Audio Network Guild for this deeply appreciated recognition.
03/08/06
Chance Thomas featured in new ENDGAME music library
Associated Production Music, the world's largest supplier of music exclusively for use in film, television and new media, is set to unveil ENDGAME, a brand new collection of music by Chance Thomas and other top game composers. Check it out: APM Press Release
03/01/06
Fresno State University hosts HUGE Master Class
HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas will give a Master Class presentation on March 11 entitled "Getting In The Game" to students at Fresno State University. Thomas' presentation offers university students an inside look at the rapid fire world of video game development, and specific instruction on state of the art music design and deployment techniques.02/20/06
King Kong makes HUGE rumble at GANG Awards
Chance Thomas' original orchestral score for King Kong picked up several nominations today from the Game Audio Network Guild (GANG) Awards. King Kong was named a Finalist for Music of the Year, Best Original Instrumental Composition, Best Live Performance Recording and Audio of the Year. Kong's sound team also picked up nominations for Sound Design of the Year and Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround. Special thanks to the development and marketing teams at Ubisoft, The Northwest Sinfonia, the Seattle Choral Company, Studio X, and especially our peers in the Game Audio Network Guild for this unexpected honor.01/10/06
KONG scores in Gamers Choice Awards
More than 6 million voters participating in the Gamers Choice Awards have named Chance Thomas' original music score for Peter Jackson's King Kong their Runner-Up for Best Original Score of 2005, across multiple platforms.01/10/05
HUGE interviews, features and music reviews
Several interviews, features and score reviews are newly online featuring Chance Thomas and the game music from King Kong. Here are a few links...
Business Week / Adrenaline Vault (scroll down) / IGN Music / Deseret News / RPG Vault / SoundtrackNet / Screen Sounds / Gamasutra / Kong is King / Fresno Bee / TraxZone / Hollywood Reporter
01/09/06
IGN honors KONG game score
IGN has honored Chance Thomas' original score for Peter Jackson's King Kong in its annual Best of 2005 Awards. Thomas' tribal-orchestral epic snagged the GameCube channel's Runner-Up Award for Best Original Score of 2005, and is currently in the running for top honors in the fan polling.01/02/06
KONG score hits TOP 5 of 2005
Popular film music site SoundtrackNet has named the King Kong game soundtrack a winner in its prestigious TOP 5 of 2005 selections.
11/30/05
Kong game music getting HUGE reviews
Chance Thomas' original game score for Peter Jackson's King Kong is receiving very generous reviews from the media. Click on the updated PRESS link above to check 'em out.
11/11/05
Ubisoft Unveils Unprecedented Music Site for King Kong
Check it out: KONG Music Site
10/03/05
Chance Thomas signs with APM
Associated Production Music, the world's largest music library, has signed composer Chance Thomas to a creative agreement for the composition and production of new, original music tracks.
09/21/05
King Kong TV spot gets HUGE treatment
HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas has created and delivered the music score for a new television commercial advertising Peter Jackson's King Kong video game by Ubisoft. Look for the commercial to air across the United States and Canada soon!
08/29/05
Thomas makes HUGE impact in German concert
Opening ceremonies of the 2005 European Games Convention featured a live symphonic performance of Chance Thomas' "Valor of Men Suite" from his original Lord of the Rings game score. Maestro Andy Brick, who conducted the orchestra, had this to say about the performance, "Chance, your "Valor of Men Suite" from the Lord of the Rings was stunning. I loved the piece and it sounded superb in concert!"
08/16/05
Kong gets HUGE treatment in Seattle
The game score for Peter Jackson's King Kong wrapped Saturday, August 13 in Seattle, Washington. Chance Thomas' original score for the game was performed by the Northwest Sinfonia, the Seattle Choral Company and many talented individual artists. Solo vocals were performed by long-time Thomas collaborator Jenny Jordan (Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth Online, Quest for Glory V). The score was recorded and mixed at Studio X in Seattle, with additional recording at the Soularium in Utah, and HUGEsound in California.
05/26/05
KING KONG takes Best of Show at E3.
Game Spy has honored Peter Jackson's King Kong with their Best of Show award at E3 for XBOX games.
05/11/05
Chance Thomas scores KONG for Ubisoft.
HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas has been selected to score Peter Jackson's King Kong, the console game based on Universal Pictures' upcoming film from Academy Award™ winning director Peter Jackson. The game is being developed for XBOX, Playstation 2, Game Cube, PC and next generation console by Ubisoft Studio in Montpellier, France (www.ubi.com).
04/30/05
Symphonic concert adds HUGE title to program.
The 2005 Symphonic Game Music Concert, held annually in Leipzig, Germany, has announced the inclusion of Chance Thomas' original music from Lord of the Rings (Vivendi-Universal Games) in this year's show. The concert will be held in the Gewandhaus Concert Hall in Leipzig, Germany on August 17, 2005. The symphony orchestra will perform Chance's "Valor of Men: Thematic Suite", which includes the movements "Noble Graces", "The Free Peoples of Middle-earth" and "Fanfare of the Pelennor". (You can hear excerpts of Chance's original recordings of these movements on this web site. Just click "Launch the HUGEmusic Player" at the bottom of the page). Please also visit the following link for more information about the show, including how and where to buy tickets online: Symphonic Game Music Concerts
04/19/05
HUGE dance tracks delivered for historic musical.
Chance Thomas has delivered new dance tracks for the historical theatrical musical, "Nauvoo". The tracks are based on traditional Celtic and early American dance forms, such as the Highland Fling, Irish Jig, British Reel, and American folk dancing. Says Thomas, "I've always loved these traditional idioms. I come from a musical family, and we would often perform American folk music together when I was a kid. And of course, being married to an honorary Irishwoman, I think the Celtic spirit is permanently imbedded in my blood, not to mention all my work on The Lord of the Rings in the same vein. So yes, I'm having a great time with this project!" The stage musical "Nauvoo" is tentatively set to open in the historic tourist village of Nauvoo, Illinois during the summer of 2005.
03/21/05
Chance Thomas to speak at Brigham Young University.
Brigham Young University is hosting HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas on Friday, March 25 for a special Master Class on music for games. Thomas' presentation will address the concepts of hierarchical music design and matrix composition, as well as touching on relevant business issues for young composers considering a career in interactive media. Thomas is a 1987 graduate of BYU's music and recording program.
02/10/05
GDC session with Chance Thomas and Nobuo Uematsu.
Details have been announced by the Game Developers Conference for the date and time of Chance Thomas' exclusive GDC interview with renowned Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu. For those attending GDC this year, be sure to block out your calendar for Wednesday, March 9 from 2:30 pm until 3:30 pm for an opportunity to catch a rare inside look at one of the more successful creative and entrepreneurial talents in gaming today. The Game Developers Conference will be held in the Moscone Conference Center West in San Francisco, California.
02/07/05
TraxZone posts HUGE interview.
Parlez-vous français ? If so, head over to TraxZone and check out the new interview with HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas. Chance took the opportunity to brush off his old French language chops and answer a wide ranging interview about his career, his approach to thematic development, and some new particulars about his work on the Lord of the Rings. Lots of good information for those interested. But by far the most impressive aspect of the interview is that Chance managed to write every word of every answer to every question... in French! And even managed to do so without completely butchering the language. Très impressionnant! Madame Smith from Northeast High School in Oklahoma City would be so proud.
02/01/05
HUGEmusic Player named as finalist in Game Audio Network Guild Awards.
The Game Audio Network Guild announced tonight that HUGEsound's new HUGEmusic Player is an Awards Finalist in the category, Best Website Audio. The HUGEmusic Player stores over 50 excerpts of Chance Thomas' original music, sorted by style and organized into play lists. The Player's intuitive layout makes it easy for prospective clients and music enthusiasts to find exactly the kind of music they want to hear right away. Click the "Launch" button at the bottom of the page and check it out for yourself!
01/18/05
HUGE interview published in Meridian Magazine.
Meridian Magazine has published a generous and entertaining article about HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas. The article entitled, "As Chance Would Have It: Thomas Makes Award-winning Music in California Mountain Retreat" is written by long-time record company manager and educator Ron Simpson, and details Simpson's visit to HUGEsound last September. The article weaves together various threads of Chance's personal and professional life offering an interesting and engaging look behind the scenes at one of gamings most decorated composers. Simpson currently heads the Media Music department at Thomas' alma mater, Brigham Young University, and paints much of his portrait of Chance from that perspective. The article is informative and personal, offering rare glimpses of Thomas' background, family life, faith, and fun-loving personality. And Simpson is obviously having a good time in telling this story, which makes it a fun and flavorful read.
10/04/04
Chance Thomas speaks to Berklee College of Music.
The Berklee College of Music hosted HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas in a special 2 hour Master Class on game music today. Broadcast from the third floor theater at Dolby Labs in Burbank, California, Chance spoke simultaneously to a gathering of students at Berklee in Boston, and to dozens of alumni in the Burbank theater. Topics ranged from creating an adaptive music score to surviving in the turbulent world of interactive games. Music Production and Engineering Chairman Rob Jazko who attended the event called Chance "a natural educator" and described the event as one of their "best yet."
09/28/04
HUGE Lord of the Rings themes surpass 1,000,000 downloads.
Chance Thomas' original themes for VU Games' Lord of the Rings series have officially surpassed one million downloads. The grand total recorded by VU's servers as of August 31, 2004 was 1,080,213. This is a HUGE milestone for game music. As Chance told www.Music4Games.net in an exclusive interview, "This isn't Green Day or Britney Spears or The Black Eyed Peas we're talking about. It's a bunch of middle-aged guys playing violins - orchestral, choral, and acoustic underscore written and produced exclusively for games. I'm not sure if anything like this has ever happened before." The Game Audio Network Guild has also included the story as the top item on their news page. Read the full story here.
05/11/04
Chance Thomas wins Platinum Best of Show at Aurora™ Awards.
Composer Chance Thomas picked up a belated honor this week from the international Aurora™ Awards competition. The Aurora™'s voted to honor his original score from The ChubbChubbs with their coveted Platinum Best of Show award. Says Thomas, "I'm very happy that The ChubbChubbs' music has been recognized in this way, and I'm thrilled to win another Aurora™. Next to the Oscar™, I think they are the best looking awards in the business." Details on this and other awards here.
03/27/04
Hobbit soundtrack takes home HUGE prize.
The Hobbit took home the top prize for Best Original Music Soundtrack at the second annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards. The award was presented at a gala event at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA in conjunction with the Game Developer's Conference. All five members of the music team were on hand to accept the award, including composers Rod Abernethy and Dave Adams, orchestrator Jason Graves, music director Chance Thomas, and audio director Marc Schaefgen.
02/25/04
Chance Thomas celebrates eight G.A.N.G. Awards nominations.
The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) awarded 8 nominations today to the original music in Vivendi-Universal's Lord of the Rings game series. "This is absolutely HUGE," said Thomas, Music Director over the nominated games and composer for the main theme tracks used in the series. "I am thrilled beyond belief, literally - gratified and amazed by the Guild's generosity to us. It's an exciting day for me, for VUG, and for all the incredibly talented people who have worked on this music, including fellow composers Rod Abernethy and Lennie Moore."
03/24/03
HUGE night at the Oscars™!
The ChubbChubbs won the Academy Award for "Best Animated Short Film" Sunday night! Director Eric Armstrong accepted the award on behalf of the team, which included HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas and sound designer Tim Larkin. According to Armstrong in an interview after the ceremonies, The ChubbChubbs eventually opened on 10,000 theater screens worldwide for both Men In Black II and Stuart Little II. For those interested in a behind the scenes look at the music and sound underscoring this Oscar™-winning short film, here are copies of the original HUGEnews items we posted this past summer: