Mick Gordon (composer)
{{Short description|Australian composer, producer, and sound designer}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Mick Gordon
| image =
| caption = Gordon in 2017.
| image_size = 200
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|07|07|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Mackay, Queensland, Australia
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Composer
- sound designer
- musician
- record producer
}}
| years_active = 2002–present
| website = {{URL|mick-gordon.com}}
}}
Michael John Gordon (born 7 July 1985) is an Australian composer, record producer, musician, and sound designer, composing music primarily for video games.
Gordon has composed for several first-person shooters, including Atomic Heart, LawBreakers, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Prey, the soft reboot of Doom and its sequel Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and the first two seasons of the 2013 fighting game Killer Instinct.
Career
=Video games=
Gordon began his musical career as a jazz/blues guitarist in his teens.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C2bpMe7nh8|title=Mick Gordon Interview - DOOM Eternal Composer|date=28 November 2019 |via=YouTube|access-date=30 April 2021|archive-date=1 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201191120/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C2bpMe7nh8|url-status=live}} He first began to work as a sound designer with Pandemic Studios, where he contributed additional sound design for Destroy All Humans! 2. In 2013, he scored the first season of the fighting video game, Killer Instinct, a reboot of the original 1994 title. The following year, Gordon scored the second season of Killer Instinct and the action-adventure first-person shooter Wolfenstein: The New Order (developed by MachineGames). He returned to the Wolfenstein series in 2015 to compose the score for Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order.
In 2016, Gordon completed the score for the science fiction first-person shooter, Doom, a soft reboot of the franchise, developed by id Software. His score for Doom won a number of awards including a D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition,{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-wins-dice-game-of-the-year-full-nominees/1100-6448157/|title=Overwatch Wins DICE Game of the Year, Full Nominees List|first1=Eddie|last1=Makuch|first2=Jason|last2=Imms|date=23 February 2017|accessdate=18 November 2022|work=GameSpot|archive-date=25 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225135610/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-wins-dice-game-of-the-year-full-nominees/1100-6448157/|url-status=live}} SXSW Gaming Award for Excellence in Musical Score,{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-4-wins-game-of-the-year-at-sxsw-awards/1100-6448819/|title=Uncharted 4 Wins Game Of The Year At SXSW Awards|first=Eddie|last=Makuch|date=19 March 2017|accessdate=18 November 2022|work=GameSpot|archive-date=29 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829042743/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-4-wins-game-of-the-year-at-sxsw-awards/1100-6448819/|url-status=live}} The Game Awards for Best Music/Sound Design, and was nominated for a BAFTA Games Award for Best Music.{{cite news|last=Erica Webber|first=Jordan|date=9 March 2017|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/09/bafta-games-awards-2017-inside-and-uncharted-4-lead-the-way|title=Bafta games awards 2017: Inside and Uncharted 4 lead the way|work=The Guardian|accessdate=18 November 2022|archive-date=9 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309105936/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/09/bafta-games-awards-2017-inside-and-uncharted-4-lead-the-way|url-status=live}}
In 2017, Gordon completed the score for the horror first-person shooter, Prey, developed by Arkane Studios. He also worked alongside Martin Stig Andersen to again return to the Wolfenstein series, scoring Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, developed by MachineGames.
In 2020, Gordon completed the score of Doom Eternal; while the music for the game was once again well-received, circumstances around the soundtrack release led to a public falling out between Gordon and id Software and a parting of ways.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/doom-eternal-composer-distances-himself-from-the-n/1100-6476272/|title=Doom Eternal Composer Distances Himself From The Newly Released Soundtrack|access-date=23 June 2020|archive-date=26 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626162956/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/doom-eternal-composer-distances-himself-from-the-n/1100-6476272/|url-status=live}} Both sides posted open letters alleging wrongdoing.{{cite news|last=Valentine|first=Rebekah|title=Doom Eternal Composer Alleges Unpaid Wages and Abuse in Lengthy Soundtrack Controversy Response|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/doom-eternal-composer-alleges-unpaid-wages-and-abuse-in-lengthy-soundtrack-controversy-response|access-date=18 November 2022|website=IGN|date=9 November 2022|archive-date=10 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110225947/https://www.ign.com/articles/doom-eternal-composer-alleges-unpaid-wages-and-abuse-in-lengthy-soundtrack-controversy-response|url-status=live}}
=Production work=
On 23 June 2020 British rock band Bring Me the Horizon announced they would be working with Gordon on their upcoming release.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDYiw1v0P98|title=10BMTHS2-mick gordon-.mp4|date=23 June 2020 |via=YouTube|access-date=18 November 2022|archive-date=13 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113181615/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDYiw1v0P98|url-status=live}} Vocalist Oliver Sykes discusses how he fell in love with the Doom Eternal soundtrack during quarantine. Being heavily inspired by Gordon's work, the band decided to reach out to him and offer a collaboration. The resulting work, titled "Parasite Eve", was released on 25 June alongside an accompanying music video.{{cite web|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|title=Bring Me The Horizon tell us about their new 'survival horror song' 'Parasite Eve' and ambitious 'Post Human' project|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bring-me-the-horizon-parasite-eve-post-human-new-album-oli-sykes-interview-2694847|website=NME|date=25 June 2020 |accessdate=18 November 2022|archive-date=28 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628070525/https://www.nme.com/news/music/bring-me-the-horizon-parasite-eve-post-human-new-album-oli-sykes-interview-2694847|url-status=live}} The collaboration then expanded into the commercial release, Post Human: Survival Horror, released on 30 October 2020.
Gordon produced the song "Paralyze" with industrial metal band 3Teeth in 2021. On 3rd May 2023 3Teeth released "Merchant of the Void", and on 31st May released "Slum Planet" again collaborating with Gordon.{{cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/3teeth-team-up-with-doom-composer-mick-gordon-for-new-music/|title=3TEETH team up with DOOM composer Mick Gordon for new music
|first=Emily|last=Carter|date=3 May 2023|accessdate=13 May 2023|work=Kerrang}}
Musical style and inspiration
According to Gordon's official website, he "utilises a broad range of modern musical sound design and traditional composition techniques in order to be unconstrained by any singular genre,"
and that it is "inspired by the connection between the audience and the experience."{{cite web|title=About – Mick Gordon|url=http://mick-gordon.com/about/|website=MICK GORDON|accessdate=4 November 2016|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719114614/https://mick-gordon.com/about|url-status=dead}}
Gordon's work "considers the role of music as a translation of the world in which it exists rather than a simple accompaniment."
Discography
= Soundtrack albums =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! Title ! Release date ! Label ! Format |
| A Day in Pompeii
| 21 August 2012 | Self-released | Digital download |
| Killer Instinct: Season One Soundtrack + Original Arcade Soundtrack
| 14 October 2014 | Microsoft Corporation | CD, digital download |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order (Original Game Soundtrack)
| 19 May 2014 | Bethesda Softworks | CD, digital download |
| Doom
| 28 September 2016 | Bethesda Softworks | CD, digital download |
| Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
| 16 March 2018 | Bethesda Softworks | CD, digital download |
| Doom
| 27 July 2018 | Bethesda Softworks | Vinyl |
= Production credits =
| class="wikitable" |
| width="33"| Year
! width="170"| Artist ! width="200"| Album ! width="170"| Title(s) ! width="220"| Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="6" | 2020
| rowspan="6" | Bring Me the Horizon | rowspan="6" | Post Human: Survival Horror | "Dear Diary," | rowspan="2" | Additional production |
| "Parasite Eve" |
| "Obey" (with Yungblud)
| Percussion, synthesizer, additional production |
| "Itch for the Cure (When Will We Be Free?)"
| rowspan="3" | Additional production |
| "Kingslayer" (featuring Babymetal) |
| "One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death" (featuring Amy Lee) |
| 2021
| 3Teeth | EndEx | "Paralyze" (featuring Ho99o9) |
| rowspan="2" | 2022
| {{N/A}} | Co-production |
| Motionless in White
| Scoring the End of the World | "Scoring the End of the World" | Guest appearance{{cite news|url=https://www.kerrang.com/motionless-in-white-unleash-cyberhex-from-new-album-scoring-the-end-of-the-world|title=Motionless In White unleash Cyberhex from new album Scoring The End Of The World|work=Kerrang!|date=11 March 2022|access-date=13 May 2022}} |
| rowspan="5" | 2023
| rowspan="4" | 3Teeth | rowspan="4" | EndEx | "Merchant of the Void" | Co-writer, co-production |
| "Slum Planet"
| Co-production |
| "Higher Than Death"
| Co-production |
| "What's Left"
| Co-production |
| Architects
| The Sky, the Earth & All Between | "Seeing Red" | Additional Production{{Citation |title=Architects - "Seeing Red" | date=4 December 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YxNiEl_Fic |access-date=2023-12-06 |language=en}} |
| 2024
| Gravemind | Introsphere | "Failstate" | Guest appearance |
Works
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Ceremony ! Category ! Work ! Result |
| 2006
| Game Developers' Association of Australia | Best Audio | Destroy All Humans! 2 | {{Won}} |
| 2012
| Game Audio Network Guild | Best Audio, Other | A Day in Pompeii | {{Won}} |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| Game Audio Network Guild | Best Interactive Score | Killer Instinct | {{Nom}} |
| Game Audio Network Guild
| Best Original Song, Vocal (Pop) | Killer Instinct ("Touch Me and I'll Break Your Face") | {{Won}} |
| Game Audio Network Guild
| Best Original Song, Vocal (Pop) | Killer Instinct ("I'm Back to Rise") | {{Nom}} |
| 2016
| Best Music/Sound Design | rowspan="5" | Doom | {{Won}} |
| rowspan="4" | 2017
| Game Developers Choice Awards | Best Audio | {{Nom}} |
| SXSW Gaming Awards
| Excellence in Musical Score | {{Won}} |
| D.I.C.E. Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | {{Won}} |
| British Academy Games Awards
| Best Music | {{Nom}} |
| rowspan="2" | 2018
| New York Game Awards | Best Music in a Game | rowspan="2" | Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | {{Nom}} |
| D.I.C.E. Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | {{Nom}} |
| rowspan="2" |2020
|Best Score and Music |rowspan="2" |Doom Eternal |{{Nom}} |
| Steam Awards
|{{Won}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://mick-gordon.com/}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Mick}}
Category:Australian male composers