Fans will be able to get their hands on ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES on February 12, 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. We recently sat down with the video game’s composer Kevin Riepl to get the inside scoop on the Xenomorph chaos that lurks ahead!

FANGORIA:  The ALIENS film series is obviously one of the most recognizable franchises in cinema history, and your work for ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES has to go down as one of your biggest projects to date. As a composer, did you approach ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES any differently than your previous works and how did it feel to work on a series with such a huge following?

KEVIN RIEPL: Creating the score for ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES definitely required a different approach than previous projects I've worked on, mainly because of it being an existing franchise and having an enormous amount of music that has been established in the previous films. I needed to have an approach where I could reference and pay homage to those existing themes and motifs while at the same time creating an original score for the continuation of the story. Having this task set out in front of me was extremely exciting but also a bit daunting at first, because of the franchise's huge following.  Right from the start I felt that this score had to meet expectations of fans, support the story, sound familiar and be original all at the same time.

FANG: The ALIENS series had a long history of soundtracks and composers for you to draw inspiration from as you were creating a new, original soundtrack for the game. What were you able to take away from previous entries in the series in order to create the ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES soundtrack?

RIEPL:  There are quite a few times in the score where I pay homage to Goldsmith's ALIEN and Horner's ALIENS. I thought it was essential to touch on those previous themes since the story is canonical. The score needed that familiar sound that fans are so attached to, helping to bring the experience right back into the world from where the story had left off. There was plenty of material in the previous scores that influenced how I approached certain aspects of gameplay. Goldsmith's and Horner's use of synths and strange sounds were a huge influence on how I contoured the music for tense and stressful scenes.  The same goes with action sequences. I would write brand new material with both their styles in mind, at the same time keeping my voice as the center piece for the cue. This is something that can be heard throughout the score. I don't believe there is one piece that sounds like it could come out of left field. The score was tailored to fit nicely in with the ALIEN universe.

FANG: ALIENS is a series full of both horror and action, and a score for any movie or game in the series has to create a variety of mood-setting tones in order to be effective. Which original composition was the most difficult for you to create for ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES and why? Also, which of the many songs on the soundtrack was your favorite? Which do you think will quickly become a fan favorite when the game is released?

RIEPL: The most difficult piece to write was the first one. I don't recall what exact cue that was because it went through a few iterations. Finding that right balance of a new original score with influences from the first two films was the challenge. Agreeing on how much influence from Goldsmith and Horner would be in there and how much of Kevin Riepl would be in there… Getting that exact balance was the key.

My favorite track has to be the last track on the album, “Retreat.” The main melody in that track, which is eventually stated fully in the middle of the piece, was heavily inspired by Hicks' spoken line in ALIENS, "Drake, we are LEAVING!" The soaring horn then trumpet melody over the intense orchestra and percussion echoes the cadence and the pitch of the line over the gun fire, explosions and screaming in the film.  

I am unsure of what a fan favorite would be. Main themes are usually the most popular (which is also one of my favorites). There is so much material (over 90 minutes)!

FANG: ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES is not your first venture into shooters, with your resume already including plenty of work on the GEARS OF WAR and UNREAL TOURNAMENT series. What continues to draw you to these types of projects and in what ways does you unique sounds best fit this form of media?

RIEPL: I love sci-fi, action, and horror. These genres have been my favorite since I was a little kid (even before I ventured into music in 4th grade.) To me, it's inevitable that these genres would have some sort of influence in how my sound would be shaped as I grew as a composer. Being a gamer myself and enjoying shooters increases my interest in these styles of games. These three genres combined usually allow a composer to reach outside the obligatory “musical box” and use any technique and method known to create the scores for such a genre.

FANG:  Did you get a chance to play the upcoming release and what did you think of the game? Also, can you tell us a bit about your work with CABIN FEVER: PATIENT ZERO and any other projects that you are currently working on?

RIEPL: I have not yet had a chance to play the finished game. However, I've seen plenty of other people at Gearbox Software play it and it looks amazing. I honestly can't wait to play it.

I haven't started work on CABIN FEVER: PATIENT ZERO yet. That film came about as a result of working with director Kaare Andrews on his contribution to Draft House Films' anthology film ABC’S OF DEATH.

Also being released early this year is Microsoft’s fantasy action title, ASCEND: NEW GODS.

To learn more visit the official sites of ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES and Kevin Riepl.

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