Russell Brower Leaving Blizzard

[Oftenwrongsoong]

Fix the title to stop the confusion.

He did not leave Blizzard. Blizzard eliminated his position and he was let go.

There's a big difference between the two.

[DeltrusDisc]

I've never been so saddened by someone's departure from the WoW team and Blizzard overall.

If there was just one segment in WoW that never disappointed me, in their other games as well... one segment that I would listen to on YouTube or from CDs while unsubscribed because I was disappointed with where the other people at Blizzard were taking the game? It was the music. The music always felt amazing, it was perfect for the zones, for this game. I've always been a big music kinda guy, and love my game music, where will we go from here? How can some other composer come in and follow someone who did music for this game for 13 years?

Sad.

[Pakheth]

Also as for your 'lot less music than past expansions' comment.

Legion so far has 7 hours and 2 minutes of music and that's without 7.3's zone and raid music (or 7.2 actually since my listfile is old but according to youtube videos that's another 56 minutes). That does not include the music that's re-used either (something I don't mind since there's no harm in re-using music that many may have last heard 10 years ago and when you have over a hundred hours of music).

WoD had 8 hours and 20 minutes over the entire expansion

Pandaria had 11 hours and 21 minutes over the entire expansion

Cataclysm had 10 hours and 46 minutes over the entire expansion

No quick way to check TBC or WotLK due to how those files are stored now though Youtube says Wrath had 8 hours and 52 minutes of music and TBC was at 9 hours and 10 minutes....and vanilla WoW at 3 hours and 44 minutes.

I would like to point out that while Legion has a lot of music as in numbers of hours, most of the songs in the Legion files are remixes of the same songs, meaning in short there is less variation. There are over 10 different versions of Anduins tracks alone, most with only small differences. This was also common in other expansions, but not to this extent. To be honest I would rather have many individual tracks rather than the same track remixed to oblivion :/

[leviathonlx]

I would like to point out that while Legion has a lot of music as in numbers of hours, most of the songs in the Legion files are remixes of the same songs, meaning in short there is less variation. There are over 10 different versions of Anduins tracks alone, most with only small differences. This was also common in other expansions, but not to this extent. To be honest I would rather have many individual tracks rather than the same track remixed to oblivion :/

I think that may have been intentional on their part though (when it comes to remixes of older songs) and less to do with any force changes or cuts on the music team. A lot of this expansion seemed to be based on nostalgia.

[Isilbêth]

I am thankfull to Russel Brower, one of the two composers of the Lament of the Highborne - Sylvanas' so beautiful song:

[Pakheth]

I think that may have been intentional on their part though (when it comes to remixes of older songs) and less to do with any force changes or cuts on the music team. A lot of this expansion seemed to be based on nostalgia.

Perhaps, but it makes it all sound very samey. And you get tired of the same tracks very fast. Very little variety. You don't always spot the differences easily.

I know that in vanilla to wotlk, but also in MoP music, most zones had obvious day tracks, but also nightime tracks with more subdued sound. They seem to have stopped with this as well. Also no cave music/ambience since WoD. Makes me sad since MoP had some great cave music/ambience.

[Kynario]

I've never been so saddened by someone's departure from the WoW team and Blizzard overall.

If there was just one segment in WoW that never disappointed me, in their other games as well... one segment that I would listen to on YouTube or from CDs while unsubscribed because I was disappointed with where the other people at Blizzard were taking the game? It was the music. The music always felt amazing, it was perfect for the zones, for this game. I've always been a big music kinda guy, and love my game music, where will we go from here? How can some other composer come in and follow someone who did music for this game for 13 years?

Sad.

He'll very likely continue to compose for and work with Blizzard as a freelance composer. I hope?

He just won't be sitting in an office in Blizzard HQ as he did up until now.

[Marema]

So he'll make twice as much as a freelancer working for Blizzard and work half the time. Good for him!

[leviathonlx]

Perhaps, but it makes it all sound very samey. And you get tired of the same tracks very fast. Very little variety. You don't always spot the differences easily.

I know that in vanilla to wotlk, but also in MoP music, most zones had obvious day tracks, but also nightime tracks with more subdued sound. They seem to have stopped with this as well. Also no cave music/ambience since WoD. Makes me sad since MoP had some great cave music/ambience.

I think what may have hurt Legion to many is that most the music we got wasn't like past expansions music and was more dreary like Emerald Nightmare and most the Legion music. In contrast WoD had really loud and heroic sounding music at every turn and MoP had the benefit of being a completely different style. As for the night/day thing. I think there are night/day tracks for some zones such as Stormheim and Hightmountain though they aren't outright labeled as such (just like they aren't for MoP or WoD). Dalaran's is labeled and it gets dawn, dusk, night, and day music.

The amount of zoning areas as well in Legion probably makes the expansion feel like it has less music when you have the zones and all the order halls. I was disappointed in the lack of any new music for Nighthold but then again Blackrock Foundry didn't have special music either nor did Highmaul. Tomb has a fair amount of new music (and actually has the music change with boss fights which hopefully will continue) but continues the dreary Legion like sound that hopefully won't continue into Argus and its raid and dungeon.

[Pakheth]

I think what may have hurt Legion to many is that most the music we got wasn't like past expansions music and was more dreary like Emerald Nightmare and most the Legion music. In contrast WoD had really loud and heroic sounding music at every turn and MoP had the benefit of being a completely different style. As for the night/day thing. I think there are night/day tracks for some zones such as Stormheim and Hightmountain though they aren't outright labeled as such (just like they aren't for MoP or WoD). Dalaran's is labeled and it gets dawn, dusk, night, and day music.

The amount of zoning areas as well in Legion probably makes the expansion feel like it has less music when you have the zones and all the order halls. I was disappointed in the lack of any new music for Nighthold but then again Blackrock Foundry didn't have special music either nor did Highmaul. Tomb has a fair amount of new music (and actually has the music change with boss fights which hopefully will continue) but continues the dreary Legion like sound that hopefully won't continue into Argus and its raid and dungeon.

I just wish there were more calm tracks, and then I mean completely calm all the way through. Cata kinda introduced tracks that went from calm to overly noisy, or just right out annoying to listen to. Like songs that just goes on without actually rewarding you with something good. Uldum music did this a lot and I hated it.
Blizz put a lot of effort into MoP, which make me sad it got so much flak as it did for the silliest reasons. A lot of people missed out on a lot of high quality content, the music being one of them.

Have to agree on the Burning Legion theme music too. It is like 2-3 tracks being overused.
I actually prefer the ambience in the heavy fel tainted areas over the music. The ambience reminds me of the tracks from TBC. They were a lot more ambient and therefore more easy to listen to over longer periods. It sets the tone of the zone so much better than some blasting overly epic music imo.
But yes, the raids really need more varied music. I tend to turn off music when raiding because the music is either too noisy or doesn't fit the mood. The addon EpicMusicPlayer gets in handy as an ingame player of all the ingame music for that reason.

[Master Guns]

Very clearly written with bitterness. He's not happy about this and it's clear Blizzard shewed him out the door. Which is absurdly odd.

[ManOluck]

Bring Back Matt Uelman, he was a way better composer. Russel Browder always did the same shit with loud orchestra while ignoring the immersion that should come with quality sound and music design.

[Kontinuum]

They have so many composers it's hard to tell which one wrote which track.

[Walkerbo]

This is a real shame, the two standing lights of WoW is the music and art production teams.
Regardless of expansion, story and game-play these two teams have always shone through.
Fare the well Russell Brower.

[leviathonlx]

Bring Back Matt Uelman, he was a way better composer. Russel Browder always did the same shit with loud orchestra while ignoring the immersion that should come with quality sound and music design.

Matt is still at Runic Games along with several other old Blizz North people.

Very clearly written with bitterness. He's not happy about this and it's clear Blizzard shewed him out the door. Which is absurdly odd.

Like all things we only have 1 side of the story and Blizz will obviously never say anything for legal reasons. They probably wanted get rid of the Audio Director position given that can all be outsourced and he likely didn't want to take a paycut to continue being a Senior Composer. Hell possible money isn't the reason at all and the demotion in itself just didn't sit well with him.

[Firebyrd]

This really stinks. Russell Brower is a very talented individual and it seems like a foolish mistake to deliberately cut loose someone with both such great technical skills and such an amazing artist (he did sound design on Animaniacs too!). It would be one thing if he'd wanted to go off and freelance like Uematso did when leaving Square-Enix, but for him to get laid off is just complete bull.

[eldric]

WTF Blizzard? Why?!

/cry

[DeltrusDisc]

I just wish there were more calm tracks, and then I mean completely calm all the way through. Cata kinda introduced tracks that went from calm to overly noisy, or just right out annoying to listen to. Like songs that just goes on without actually rewarding you with something good. Uldum music did this a lot and I hated it.
Blizz put a lot of effort into MoP, which make me sad it got so much flak as it did for the silliest reasons. A lot of people missed out on a lot of high quality content, the music being one of them.

Have to agree on the Burning Legion theme music too. It is like 2-3 tracks being overused.
I actually prefer the ambience in the heavy fel tainted areas over the music. The ambience reminds me of the tracks from TBC. They were a lot more ambient and therefore more easy to listen to over longer periods. It sets the tone of the zone so much better than some blasting overly epic music imo.
But yes, the raids really need more varied music. I tend to turn off music when raiding because the music is either too noisy or doesn't fit the mood. The addon EpicMusicPlayer gets in handy as an ingame player of all the ingame music for that reason.

Agree with you intensely. I was talking game music a year ago with my best friend IRL who does not play and I showed him the God damned GARRISON music and how over-the-top bombastic it gets.

They definitely need to figure out a way to go back to Burning Crusade music style, Wrath wasn't so bad, but all those zones from Vanilla and TBC were just PERFECT. That's how zone music should be done.

[ls-]

Agree with you intensely. I was talking game music a year ago with my best friend IRL who does not play and I showed him the God damned GARRISON music and how over-the-top bombastic it gets.

They definitely need to figure out a way to go back to Burning Crusade music style, Wrath wasn't so bad, but all those zones from Vanilla and TBC were just PERFECT. That's how zone music should be done.

Then Blizz need to hire/contract Hayes and/or Uelmen again, they're responsible for the stuff you've just mentioned, Brower's style is all about being/sounding epic.

[DeltrusDisc]

Then Blizz need to hire/contract Hayes and/or Uelmen again, they're responsible for the stuff you've just mentioned, Brower's style is all about being/sounding epic.

Swear I saw his name all over the TBC soundtrack CD, I'll look again, though.

For instance though, a perfect time for the bombastic, would be the music in Quel'Thalas... The Sin'dorei.