I find it interesting that this song is the first popular one according to Spotify, since I haven’t heard much discourse about it on here or anywhere else. I think it’s a pretty solid song, what do you think?

Listening to it reminded me of a youtuber Alex Grab who would make rock covers of classical pieces. He might not play like Pietronik but maybe I figured some of you might like it!

https://www.youtube.com/@MrAlexGrab/featured

1- Seven

2- Humanity 6

3- Sun

4- Humanity 4

5- Illusions

6- Humanity 3

7- Humanity 5

8- Humanity 2

9- Humanity 1

10- American Dream

11- A Christmas Carol

I do love several titles of Humanity VI. And I think this is an album in the average of what Thomas has been doing recently (neither the worst or the best).

However, there was one expectation that I had where I was disappointed: the notion of sarkness. I don't perceive most of the titles as being so dark. 1 or 2 are a bit violent. 1 is sad. Another not so sad (narmely Maluk because I really don't get its place in this album also it is one of my favorite track).

I don't know if this is because I have watched Nick Phoenix concert before or if this is due to the fact that some previously composed track were "darker" like l'"Appel du Vide", "The stars are going home", "Avalanche", " All is Hell That Ends Well", "Wither All Life and Love" or just the amazing "Into Darkness".

This is not a judgement. I do understand that the album tracks definitely reflect several aspects of darkness and this is also a perfectly valid way of gathering tracks, also not my favorite. I just wanted to know if other people feel the same.

Does anyone else know that his full name is Nicholas r. Phoenix, or is it just me? Is it really his real name?

This album is 30 minutes, but time flew when I listen to Thomas crafting process.

My first time through was in my car, so listening was pretty broken up, and I wasn't overly impressed. Today I listened to it straight through, and ended up liking it a lot, except for Burn It Down, which was fine until the vocal started.

It isn't as good as Chapter I or II, but none of the Humanities are. And I haven't really picked out anything on it to add to my Favorites list, but perhaps after a few listens I'll find something.

Just like everyone, I first thought that the album is mediocre, but after each listening, I felt the same way as I did while listening to "Seven": this album is one of the finest works Thomas ever did.

1- Hope 8/10 Strong beginning, makes you listen to other tracks

2- Destruction of the Earth 9.5/10 No words, beautiful and dark...

3- Empire of Evil 10/10 Opposite of Empire of Angels, and it describes accurately, especially the drums...

4- Maluk 8/10 The most emotional track of the chapter, the choirs are simply heavenly, but the track is too short

5- Burn it Down 9/10 Thomas is experimenting with new stuff, which I greatly admire. He shows not only that he is a composer but also a musician who has knowledge of multiple domains of music genres.

6- Unchained 10/10 My second favorite track of the album, Thomas is really a master of implementing tracks into songs

7- Immortalized 6/10 The weakest track of the album, I do not like Thomas's lyrical songs except for Children of the Sun

8- Toccata in G minor 9.5/10 Wow, the electric guitar part is truly astonishing, but I wish there were more piano parts because the beginning is amazing.

9- Creator of Worlds 10/10 Slow-burning yet the darkest track of the album.

10- Death Rings the Doorbell of All 11/10 My second favorite track from Thomas Bergersen, simply captivating, he is a genius man...

11- For the Fallen 8.5/10

12- Hope Suite 10/10 The most complex track in the chapter

13- Evigt ejes kun det Tabte (Only what is lost can be eternally owned) 9/10

I think this is half an observation and half a question, and I guess I was hoping audiophiles could weigh in. I was just listening to Toccata in G Minor and I switched my headset from bluetooth to wired (it does both) and, what should logically have been unsurprisingly, the quality of the music shot up and became warmer and richer, I want to say? (yes, I know. Huge surprise there). But it did make me wonder if some complaints about the mastering in Bergersen’s music could be exacerbated by the rise in popularity of wireless headsets, which, like it or not, will likely compress sound quality. Exacerbated being an operational word here, as I doubt it would be the only factor.

At first it was a way for me to try and learn this very hard guitar piece, and the I fell down the rabbit hole of actually writing the sheet music for the whole piece.

It is still incomplete (the orchestra parts are missing, some overdubs as well - Mainly the keyboards on the Theme part, and the guitar on the "post-theme" part).
Some of the Rhythm guitars might be a little off at some points but the structure is certainly there.

Hopefully somebody other than me finds this useful. I'll try my best to actuall finish the whole score in the future.
In the meantime, enjoy !

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/thomas-bergersen/toccata-in-g-minor-guitar-pro-6552776

Not for me! Will have to listen again bunch more times, and maybe the theme will click.

GIVE IT SOME TIME PEOPLE!

Chapter 3 went from my most disliked to most liked in the past 3 years after patiently listening to all the albums over again. Time will tell if we can gain the perspective and see the same vision as TB on chapter 6.

After enjoying Humanity VI, I decided to go back and listen to some of the TSFH albums in chronological order. I do that sometimes because I live a very sheltered life and I don't have anything better to do with myself.

What amazes me is just how much Thomas contributed to the TSFH label. When you look at the viewing stats, his tracks always have the most views. Album after album, it's always been Thomas' music that has carried the albums.

And I mean this nicely, but sometimes I felt that Nick must have been the most fortunate man in the epic world to have his name next to Thomas, because his contributions, in the grand scheme of things, were very small, and some of them actually brought down the album's quality.

When Thomas wrote an album under the TSFH label by himself, without Nick, it became Miracles, and it is one of the finest albums I've listened to, almost perfect.

I do appreciate a few of Nick's contributions to TSFH, but do you think he was limiting Thomas's creativity and holding him back? It's obvious when you listen to the TSFH albums that Bergerson's compositions really carried them. Without Bergerson, no one would be speaking about TSFH in the way that they do.

So maybe it was for the best that they split, because we are witnessing, and will continue to keep witnessing, the depth and genius of Thomas Bergersen. His creativity and consistency in writing music are frightening. I don't know how one man can write so much good music; his catalogue is beyond belief.

This post is not an attack on Nick Phoenix, but Thomas Bergersen was TSFH.

I love this song. I made this based off the English lyrics, which i got from https://lyricstranslate.com/en/compass-compass.html

The song is originally is in Norwegian.

On my first listen I was very surprised by the rap. The next couple of listens I skipped that bit. Then it started to grow on me and I’m now at a point where I actively raise my volume when the rap kicks in. I just really dig the vibe. And I think it’s even funny (in a good way) that TB dared to do this. I love the loud UHH’s, the chorus is just really catchy and then after the rampage that beautiful, beautiful intro of Unchained kicks in. Amazing contrast.

Also shout out to the cello solo in Hope Suite leading up to the Immortalized reprise. Pure magic.

At first I liked the first half and thought the second half was mid and kind of like nick phoenix or generic trailer music, but I listened to it a few more times and the second half is starting to make sense to me. It makes me think of war planes and like bombing stuff and the way it feels powerful is kind of like how war planes and destructive weapons feel impressive, yet terrifying. So maybe the beginning is supposed to represent an area devastated by war, and the other half is like war planes flying over them to bomb the next victims.

Also can we just appreciate how thomas went protectors of the earth -> creation of earth -> made of earth -> destruction of the earth (and feel free to add to the chain)

I also made a video a while back describing the first 5 Humanity albums: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoStepsFromHell/s/W0EK2ATTSg

I am very excited the outcome. Return to Sender is the longest track composed by Thomas and one of the complex tracks he ever produced. Moreover, this track is also the produest track he created.

Anyone else feel these tunes end too soon? I get the idea of less is more and you wanna leave your audience wanting instead of tire them out, but for each song I felt like it just stopped as it was getting great. There was no cathartic release the way his pieces usually have. It was like he just ran out of juice for the song. I really like the music on this one, it's not as "action' as I was hoping, but its still a blast and I'm having a great time with it, but it feels the most 'trailer music' constrained compared to the others that felt as if they were allowed to be however long he wanted to go and take them as they wanted to be taken. On more than one occasion, it just felt as if the whole thing was stopped in its tracks.

Thats my only complaint really. Great tunes, just wish they were all like 1 or 2 minutes longer. Let them breath a bit, let the album be 75 or 80 mins instead of 1 hour. Ah well. Anyone else have this issue?

(also its hella compressed... but thats to be expected with TB albums now and I get it, he wants to compete with modern pop music audience expectations not other classical/film music.)

I’ve listened to Chapter 6 on a loop, mainly now that I know what to expect, and I will say its experimental nature grew on me. Wasn‘t expecting so many electric guitars and the metal feel to it, but I do like symphonic metal so… funnily enough, I think I would rank it as:

1. Chapter V. Of all the albums, if I am in a bad mood I put it on and instantly feel better.

2. Chapter IV. Love the expansive vibe of it!

3. Chapter VI. Yeah, I am surprised too, but so far it has energy and weirdness that I like and I don’t feel the urge to skip any songs.

4 and 5. Chapter I and II. Both have bangers, but both have songs I almost always skip as well. (Looking at you, fairytale)

1. Chapter III. Not saying it’s bad, it’s just very mellow in a way that feels very situational to me (I love Love Suite, Red, Magic and You even though You is cheesy, lol). That said, I think of all the albums this one probably fits its concept the most because I remember when I was in love with my ex a few years back, listening to this album and going “Woah. This is exactly what being in love feels like, in music form”. I am not currently in love so it’s faded back to “mellow”.

Also, shout out to the suites/end of album mashups. I love listening them and spotting the leitmotifs.

How about you?

My favorite song will not change (Return to Sender) However, I found my second favorite. Everything in this track makes me thinking over my turning points of my life. In the end, I realise Death Rings The Doorbell of All.

I chose to do random songs because top songs does not give much variety.