Russell Brower

Game Music

BlizzCon 2009: Audio Director Russell Brower Digs Deep With StarCraft II Details and Career History

August 24, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on BlizzCon 2009: Audio Director Russell Brower Digs Deep With StarCraft II Details and Career History Share this

A trip to BlizzCon wouldn’t be complete without a chat with Russell Brower, the Director of Audio at Blizzard Entertainment. We checked in with him to get an update on the progress of all the titles that are currently being developed at Blizzard, and he has some interesting information regarding the score for StarCraft II in particular.

Later in the interview, we touch on his background, digging into his history at Disney and how his work there was helpful in working on World of Warcraft. We also find out what his favorite Disney ride is as well as his favorite track that he’s created for Blizzard Entertainment over the years.

It’s definitely an interesting discussion with lots of juicy details, so join us for our interview after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 2009: StarCraft II is Sounding Pretty Good!

August 24, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since BlizzCon 2008. The Blizzard sound team has certainly accomplished a lot, however, including live rock recording sessions and orchestral sessions at the Skywalker Ranch for the 2010 release of StarCraft II.

We had the opportunity to check out a bit of the single-player campaign and hear one theme from each race in the skirmish mode, and I’m quite impressed with what they’ve done. With Glenn Stafford and a host of live players handling the Terran, Derek Duke on the Zerg, and Russell Brower on the Protoss, I think you should rest assured that they’re on to something here.

Read our impressions of the game and the various themes from the BlizzCon 2009 build after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Wrath of the Lich King’s Exclusive iTunes Tracks: Difficult Decisions Ahead (Review)

December 15, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Wrath of the Lich King’s Exclusive iTunes Tracks: Difficult Decisions Ahead (Review) Share this

Remember the three exclusive tracks we mentioned in our review of the collector’s edition Wrath of the Lich King Soundtrack? Well, we didn’t want to leave you in the dark about what was being offered through iTunes, and figured it’d be nice to tell you a little about the three exclusive tracks that can’t be found on the physical release.

One each from composers Glenn Stafford, Derek Duke, and Russell Brower are featured, and I must say that I’m having trouble deciding which trio reigns supreme! It’s almost as difficult as having to choose between Sylvanas and Alexstraza in the photo above if you know what I mean (actually, they’re both kind of creepy). Perhaps you’re going to have to treat yourself to both releases, or maybe you can use our impressions to determine which set suits you best.

Read our thoughts on the iTunes exclusive tracks after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Wrath of the Lich King Soundtrack: Meet Pedro’s Duduk and Cajsa’s Nychelharpa

November 21, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Seven hours of music. That’s a whole lot! If you read our interview with Russell Brower and the audio team last week, then you know that’s how many hours of music are featured in the latest WoW expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. We also told you guys that the collector’s edition shipped with a soundtrack album, and after being thoroughly impressed with the soundtrack album from The Burning Crusade, I was excited to get my hands on this one.

The album definitely does not disappoint. As one would expect from the harsh lands of Northrend, the score ranges from abstract and sparse to warm and epic. A slew of performers along with the Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra make their mark on Wrath of the Lich King, and show yet again that Blizzard doesn’t slack off when it comes to polishing every aspect of their games. Even more, there are three exclusive tracks featured on this album that are not available on the iTunes release, which has three exclusive tracks of its own.

So, what do we think of the Wrath of the Lich King Soundtrack? Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Game Music

BlizzCon 08: Interview with Audio/Video Director Russell Brower

October 21, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Yeah, I know, BlizzCon ended over a week ago, but we’re still not done! We were able to get some time with Russell Brower, the audio and video director at Blizzard Entertainment whose name you may recognize from the “Diablo III Overture” that was released for free last month.

Well, we talk about that particular piece along with a number of other topics. We get confirmation that Wrath of the Lich King will feature over 7 hours of new music, and we also get an idea of who will be handling the music for the individual races in StarCraft II. Finally we discuss how the “Diablo III Overture” will appear in the completed game.

Which of Blizzard’s upcoming titles are you most looking forward to? Would you buy a 20-volume soundtrack for World of Warcraft?

Read our BlizzCon interview after the jump! (more…)