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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/photo_21.jpg]]
2->''Music makes you braver.''
3
4An orchestral group known for composing music ''specifically'' for movie trailers. Headed by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix.
5
6Although they began as solely catering to movie producers, starting in 2010 they began also releasing commercial albums, most of them compilations of earlier work but, as time progresses, with more and more original material thrown into the mix.
7
8Excepting their first two forays in commercial music, ''Invincible'' (2010) and ''Archangel'' (2011), which are both solely compiled of tracks pulled from their already-produced demonstration albums (with the exceptions of ''Invincible's'' "Am I Not Human" and "To Glory", both of which then to be released on their industry album ''Nero''), each album they release to the public is a mix of pre-existing (demonstration) work and brand-new, album-specific (studio) tracks. ''Halloween'' (2012), ''Classics: Volume One'' (2013), ''Miracles'' (2014), and ''Classics: Vol 2'' (2015) are (so far) their chiefly demonstration tracks, while their only three (once again so far) mainly-original public albums are ''Skyworld'' (2012), ''Battlecry'' (2015) and ''Vanquish'' (2016). (The only tracks pulled from a demonstration album are "Dark Ages", from ''Nemesis'' (2007) and "Amaria" from ''Amaria'' (2014) (originally as "Welcome to Amaria")).
9
10Both founders have also made solo projects, such as Bergersen's ''Illusions'' (2011) and ''Sun'' (2014), and Phoenix's ''Speed of Sound'' (2013). Recent years have also seen collaborations with, or even full albums from, composers other than the founders, though all come under the TSFH label. ''Open Conspiracy'' (2014), composed with Hitesh Ceon and Nick Pittsinger, fall under the first category, while Alex Pfeffer's ''Solaris'' (2013) and MichaƂ Cielecki's ''Orion'' (2013) are the second.
11
12The music of the group as well as Bergersen's and Phoenix's solo pieces [[https://www.youtube.com/user/TwoStepsFromTheMusic can be found in their official YouTube channel]].
13
14----
15!!This group provides examples of
16* AfricanChant: "Future Guardian" invokes this. The choir sounds more like a tribal chant in this song as opposed to OminousLatinChanting.
17* AutobotsRockOut: "Jump", "Stallion" and "Star Sky" all have an electric guitar solo contained within them.
18* AvianFlute: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Dh3ftkRAs Flight of the Silverbird]]" begins with a soaring flute solo that evokes thoughts of the titular bird.
19* BadassCreed: Their official motto, "[[MusicForCourage Music makes you braver]]".
20* BattleThemeMusic: Many of their dramatic pieces (namely "United We Stand - Divided We Fall") fall in line with this trope.
21* BilingualBonus: "Compass" has lyrics written and sung in Norwegian by Merethe Soltvedt.
22* ChristmasSongs: [[https://youtu.be/qOOaH6BAwvY Christmas Medley]] contains many of these.
23* DescentIntoDarknessSong: Their "Halloween" album was the one mainly filled with songs of this trope, but "Am I Not Human?" and "Inferni" also work.
24* GenreBusting: The group's general process is to make Epic Music from the base elements of whatever genre (NewAge, Industrial, Electronic, Synth...Dubstep...) strikes their fancy. Typically each album centers around a specific type or set of sounds - and from those sounds, they eke as full a range of emotions as is humanly possible. Bergensen really takes the cake with [[https://youtu.be/SxThZpslbhE ''Into Darkness'']], which possesses that singular ''Classical Epic Trance Rock Opera'' vibe...within a single song. ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmN4jzEr7TE One Million Voices]]'' is made from a variety of cultural influences.
25* {{Halloweentown}}: [[https://youtu.be/Wpa8c4kT760 To Die on Halloween]] invokes this.
26* IndecipherableLyrics: "Victory" has English lyrics in it. You might not have been aware of that until we told you, or assumed that the lyrics were in another language because the instruments and resounding of the singing makes them very hard to be understood.
27* MeaningfulName: Depends on your interpretation of the name
28** [[https://youtu.be/-g59hAN8Wco Some]] [[https://youtu.be/yPHeW7MLBbw of]] the tracks literally sound like you're standing outside Hell's gates peering in.
29** However, on the opposing side, Two Steps From Hell could mean that you are in Heaven (with the next two steps being Earth and Hell), which works out for a [[https://youtu.be/dzq6Q-43Tpc good]] [[https://youtu.be/BVe2_0blWkg deal]] of the tracks.
30* MusicForCourage: Invoked, almost verbatim, by their official motto, "Music makes you braver".
31* PleaseSubscribeToOurChannel: Near the end of most of their Website/YouTube videos, the composers provide a link to the song on iTunes and ask in the description for their fans to support their music by purchasing their albums.
32* OminousLatinChanting. All. The. Time.
33* OneWomanWail: Very fond of it, either in mournfulness as in "Mercy in Darkness" or elation as in "After the Fall". Expect it if Merethe Soltvedt or Felicia Farerre provided the vocals.
34** Occasionally inverted, as there are instances where multiple vocalists will be featured on one song ("Outpost" and "Fall of the Fountain World" are some of the more popular).
35* OrchestralBombing: Goes hand in hand with Ominous Latin Chanting.
36* SadBattleMusic: A not-uncommon element in their epic/dramatic themed albums. [[https://youtu.be/j95HZucSj3U Exodus]], for one. It's sorrowful yet intense. Then we have [[https://youtu.be/HPe4G9BiIc4 Black Blade]], which practically oozes doomed-but-valiant.
37* StopAndGo: "Salvation" has a brief pause before the climax - and it makes it that much better.
38* SoundOff: The lyrics to [[https://youtu.be/hKRUPYrAQoE Victory]] sound very similar to this.
39* [[SuperGroup Super Duo:]] Inverted; Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix started the group together but since then both founders have also started to release successful music independently from one another.
40* ThemeAndVariations: Many of their pieces are repetitive versions of the same medley, only with small differences that eventually lead to a large climax. [[https://youtu.be/qOOaH6BAwvY Red Tower]] is a good example of this.
41* TheNotRemix: '''Two Steps From Hell''' releases multiple versions of most of their tracks with very minor differences, for example no drums or no choir.
42* UncommonTime: [[https://youtu.be/6O6Q1OiF6LI United We stand Divided we Fall]] is in 7/4 time as well as several others.
43* VillainSong: [[http://youtu.be/dxNwZ0_xvP8 He Who Brings The Night]] could count.
44* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: The entire ''Skyworld'' album gives off this vibe but the TitleTrack is probably the most [[https://youtu.be/Lq2ANOkfsIA prominent]]
45
46!!Their music has been used in trailers for
47* ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve''
48* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf 2007}}''
49* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''
50* ''Film/{{Inkheart}}''
51* ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime''
52* ''Film/SpiderMan3''
53* ''Film/StarTrek2009'' (specifically "Freedom Fighters")
54* ''The Film/{{Twilight}} Saga''
55* ''WesternAnimation/WallE''
56* ''Series/DoctorWho'' Series 5, 6 and 7 %%As stated on the soundtrack album, DVD releases and BBC's iPlayer
57* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia: Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader''
58* ''Wrestling/{{WWE}} Night of Champions 2010'' (the same song was later [[RecycledSoundtrack recycled]] as the theme song for Wrestling/DanielBryan)
59* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' ("Dark Harbor" in the "Iron Throne" trailer)
60* ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'' trailer for The Sword in the Stone Part
61* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' ("Heart of Courage")
62* ''Videogame/MassEffect3'' ("After the Fall" and "Black Blade" for the "Take Earth Back" trailer, "Tristan" for the Wii U trailer,"Strength of A Thousand Men" for the Omega DLC trailer, "Am I Not Human?" for the "Rebellion" DLC trailer, and, rather appropriately, "Protectors of the Earth" for the launch trailer)
63* The 2012 version of ''Film/AnnaKarenina'' ("Nero")
64* The matches in [[UsefulNotes/EuropeanChampionship Euro 2012]] ("Heart of Courage")
65* ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'' ("Heart of Courage," "Love & Loss" and "Archangel")
66* ''Series/ThePacific'' [[https://youtu.be/hqIcCkvEVlw DVD and Blu-ray trailer]] ("Heart of Courage")
67* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'' ("Final Frontier")
68* ''Series/NathanForYou'' uses "Heart of Courage" in its intro.

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