SYNCED Open Beta Test

Publisher Level Infinite and developer NExT Studios (a division of Tencent Games) have announced an open beta test period for their new multiplayer, rogue-looter third-person shooter game, SYNCED, between December 9, 2022 and January 15, 2023.

Edwin Wendler has been working as the lead composer on this game since 2019, and has recently completed final updates on the music. “It has been a privilege to be working on Tencent’s first internationally-released console game which will soon enter an open beta test phase on Steam. My thanks go to NExT Studios and their amazing creative team, as well as to the wonderful people at music supplier Unisonar who first asked me if I wanted to demo for this game and who have been guiding me throughout the process. Their dedication to excellence has been an inspiration. SYNCED is an exciting game, and I hope the music will help create an immersive experience for the gamer,” Wendler says.

An official release date for the game will soon be announced.

HMMA & NAVGTR Nominations

Edwin Wendler was recently nominated, alongside several other co-composers, for his outstanding work on the video game, Game For Peace. Many thanks to Unisonar’s Vivita Zheng and Thomas Parisch for making it happen!

HOLLYWOOD MUSIC IN MEDIA AWARDS (2020)
Nominee: Outstanding Song/Score – Mobile Video Game

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF VIDEO GAME TRADE REVIEWERS (2020)
Nominee: Outstanding Original Light Mix Score, Franchise

Edwin is very honored and thankful.

"Honor Of Kings, Vol. 1" Album Release (Video)

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Unisonar released the Honor of Kings Original Game Soundtrack, Vol. 1, digitally, on January 25, 2020. The album consists of 16 original tracks by composers Thomas Parisch, Edwin Wendler, Matthew Carl Earl, Neal Acree, Jeff Broadbent, Hiromi Mizutani, Miles Hankins, Moeki Harada, Obadiah Brown-Beach and Hongfei Zhao, whom also serves as music director. There are also rearranged themes from Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe featured on the album. This marks the first time the hit game's music has been officially released internationally.

Edwin would like to thank music producer Vivita Zheng for making this project possible, as well as Thomas Parisch for recommending him to the music team in the first place.

"Against The Odds" Released

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Edwin recently finished work on the Red Bull documentary, Against The Odds. Directed by GrizzlyMug, the feature-length documentary tells the Cinderella story of the esports team, OG.

In 2018, OG hit rock-bottom, devastated by painful departures and scrapping in qualifiers for DOTA 2's “The International” tournament. Against the Odds is the fairy tale of this broken team's shot at gaming’s biggest prize.

"Dead Ant" Score Album Release

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From Notefornote Music:

DEAD ANT: Original Motion Picture Score

LIMITED EDITION of 500 copies.  Signed copies available while supplies last.

CDs should begin shipping between Feb. 20 and Feb. 27. 

A rockin' new score by composer Edwin Wendler from the horror movie, Dead Ant!

Members of a metal band get a chance at a comeback when they are invited to perform at Coachella, er NOchella, that is. When they become stranded in the desert, they have to fight for their lives against giant ants.  Featuring a rousing and rockin' score by critically acclaimed composer, Edwin Wendler.

"Bladed Fury" Soundtrack Release

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NEXT Studios has released a soundtrack album for the game, Bladed Fury, with music composed by Edwin Wendler and Dan Martinez. Extended versions of cues were produced especially for this release. The album is available for free to customers who have purchased the game on STEAM.

Watch the trailer which was scored by Edwin Wendler.

"Dead Ant" World Premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Screamfest, the biggest and longest-running horror film festival in the United States, picked Dead Ant as their opening movie.  The read carpet premiere took place at the world-famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on October 10, 2017.

Composer Edwin Wendler feels honored to have composed the score for this fun movie.  Audience reactions were phenomenal, and we hope the movie will be distributed internationally very soon.

Photos by Peter Hackman

"Dead Ant" Score Completed

Edwin recently finished work on his score for the upcoming horror/comedy feature, Dead Ant. Writer/director Ron Carlson delivers a high-octane, rock 'n' rolling ride of a movie starring Tom Arnold, Sean Astin, Jake Busey, Rhys Coiro, Leisha Hailey, Cameron Richardson, Michael Horse, Danny Woodburn, and an army of murderous ants!

More announcements about the movie's release to follow in the coming months.

"I Spit On Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine" Soundtrack Album Announced

HOWLIN’ WOLF RECORDS TO RELEASE I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III: VENGEANCE IS MINE – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

Featuring Original Music Composed By Edwin Wendler

(November 30, 2015– Los Angeles, CA) – Howlin’ Wolf Records will release the I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III: VENGEANCE IS MINE – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on CD December 11, 2015.  The album features the original music created by composer Edwin Wendler (UNNATURAL, TALES OF HALLOWEEN, NON-STOP).

When approaching Edwin Wendler to score their movie, producer Lisa Hansen and co-producer Adam Driscoll were looking for music that was subtly emotional and contemporary. Wendler stated, “They really liked my music for the movie ‘Broken Angel,’ so we took that as a starting point, and I adapted that concept for this movie. Lisa and Adam responded well to the inclusion of vocals, which I thought would help the audience find a direct, emotional connection to the main character.” Wendler’s knack for unusual electronic textures and his background in vocal performance guided him through the process of creating the score.

During his years in the Vienna Boys’ Choir, Edwin toured the world, singing in hundreds of concerts and dozens of opera performances.  He earned Certificates in Film Scoring and Screenwriting from UCLA Extension in 2000, and was accepted into the prestigious ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in 2004. In 2010, Wendler won a “Best Score” award at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, for his epic score, AZUREUS RISING. Wendler’s feature film credits as a composer include THE INTERIOR, CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C, ESCAPE, TALES OF HALLOWEEN and UNNATURAL. Wendler also composed additional music for the box office hit, NON-STOP, starring Liam Neeson.

Wendler’s credits as an arranger and programmer include movies such as THE NICE GUYS, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, UNKNOWN, LITTLE FOCKERS, THE LOSERS and INTO THE BLUE. Wendler’s television credits include arranging on the 2006 Showtime series, SLEEPER CELL: AMERICAN TERROR, as well as composing additional music for NBC’s popular reality series, FEAR FACTOR.

Since the events of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010), Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) has been tormented by the brutal, sexual assault she endured years ago. She has changed identities and cities in order to start a new life.  Following her therapist’s advice, she reluctantly joins a support group where she befriends a fellow group member. When her new friend’s murderer goes free and the tales of serial rapists haunt her, Jennifer hunts down the men responsible in order to do what the system won’t – make them pay for their crimes in the most horrific ways imaginable. Only this time, no jury may be able to save her.

In order to connect movie watchers to the central character, Wendler made sure that the main theme appeared in key moments of the story. “Jennifer needed a theme that sounded mournful, but also noble and somewhat twisted, all at the same time. Her intentions are very understandable, almost virtuous, so the melody needed to reflect that through a certain amount of beauty and lyricism, yet I asked vocalist Aeralie Brighton to sing as though she was pissed off.  I hope we achieved the right balance.” Wendler went on to say, “I started with the main title, establishing some of the sounds and textures, as well as Aeralie Brighton’s vocals, brittle and almost imperceptible in the beginning.  A quick taste of things to come.”

Anchor Bay Entertainment presents I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III: VENGEANCE IS MINE in theatres nationwide on October 9, 2015. Howlin’ Wolf Records will release the I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III: VENGEANCE IS MINE – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on CD December 11, 2015.

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For more information contact KrakowerPolingPR@gmail.com, or @KrakowerPoling on Twitter

About Howlin’ Wolf Records
Howlin’ Wolf Records is a record label founded by a long time film score collector and enthusiast. The mission of this label is to release select film scores with collectors in mind. All releases will be limited edition pressed CDs with professionally designed printed inserts and liner notes. Most importantly, the label will always strive to present the best possible audio from source materials available for a film score. Initially, the label focused on horror scores, but over the years it has released dynamic scores from all genres of film including action, comedy, & drama.  From synthesizer to orchestra, music that unnerves, warms, and sets your heart pounding, is Howlin Wolf’s passion. The intent of Howlin’ Wolf Records additionally is to introduce some wonderful and innovative composers that may be less familiar to collectors. www.howlinwolfrecords.com

About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading independent home entertainment company celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015. Anchor Bay acquires and releases a wide array of filmed entertainment in the theatrical and home entertainment markets, including STARZ Original series, children’s entertainment, fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports and specialty films on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats. The company has long-term distribution agreements in place for select programming with The Weinstein Company, AMC Networks and RADiUS, among others. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment is a full service distributor in the North American market. Anchor Bay Entertainment is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.


"Unnatural" Soundtrack Album Announced

Updated OCTOBER 12, 2015 with the official press release from Krakower Poling PR.

Varèse Sarabande Records today announced the release of the soundtrack album, UNNATURAL, with music by Edwin Wendler.

From Varèse Sarabande's announcement on Facebook:

"Coming Oct. 16th, composer Edwin Wendler (Tales Of Halloween, Non-Stop, I Spit On Your Grave III) brings us his cold and frightening score for UNNATURAL. A ravenous polar bear rampages through Alaska, eating everyone in its path! Out digitally Oct. 16th. Limited CD will be forthcoming. With every CD purchase you will receive an autographed booklet, compliments of the composer!"

From Edwin Wendler's Facebook page:

"Today, I am very lucky to announce the soundtrack album release of my music for the movie, Unnatural, on Varèse Sarabande Records.  First and foremost, I’d like to thank Peter Hackman for his cheerful can-do attitude and his masterful problem-solving skills, every step of the way.  Supervising Peter at Varèse Sarabande was one of the most experienced producers in the field of indie album releases, the amazing Cary E. Mansfield.  I would like to thank Varèse’s CEO, Darren Blumenthal, for allowing this project to move forward.  Huge thanks to the movie’s producer, Ron Carlson, and its director, Hank Braxtan, for being so supportive of the idea of a soundtrack album.  Thank you to After Dark Films for giving us the fastest turnaround for an artwork approval ever.  It can take weeks or months; they did it within two hours so we could meet our deadline.  A million thanks to the very-patient Alan L Dull for working quickly and precisely on the album’s layout and design.  Many thanks to the wonderful Mark Curry for making my WAV files sound fantastic, and to Chas Ferry for exporting the final master with his incredible attention to detail.

On a personal note, it is not lost on me how thrilling it is, as an avid soundtrack collector, to have a soundtrack album of my music released on THE Varèse Sarabande record label.  I have been a fan of their releases ever since I was old enough to go to a record store, and I own hundreds of them.  Luck is something that can easily run out.  Today, I am very grateful to have had it in spades, on this project, thanks to some wonderful people.

The music itself is creepy, scary, and very aggressive in certain places.  If you are a fan of horror music, I hope to have composed something worthy of your collection.

UNNATURAL (the movie) will be released in theaters October 16.  The digital soundtrack album comes out the same day, with a physical CD release to follow soon thereafter.  I plan on signing every single booklet, with a little note of appreciation."

 

From the official press release, distributed by Krakower Poling PR:

VARÈSE SARABANDE RECORDS TO RELEASE
UNNATURAL – ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

Featuring Original Music Composed By Edwin Wendler

(October 12, 2015– Los Angeles, CA) –Varèse Sarabande will release UNNATURAL – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally and as a limited edition CD on October 16, 2015.  The album features the original music created by composer Edwin Wendler (I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III: VENGEANCE IS MINE, TALES OF HALLOWEEN).

To get the emotion behind the film just right, Wendler composed a main theme, which, in the words of the composer, is “quietly relentless” and “designed to express loneliness and isolation.”  The Alaskan wilderness is a character that drives the movie along with the actors.  For Wendler, the UNNATURAL score is “a chilling trip to some dark, musical places, with the most aggressive music I have ever written.” It was very important to Wendler to create cohesion throughout this striking score. Elements of the main theme can be heard during the action music so that “on a subliminal level, there is a thematic consistency, even in material which, on the surface, has nothing to do with the main theme.”

Before Edwin Wendler started composing music, he spent his early years in the Vienna Boys’ Choir where he toured the world, singing in hundreds of concerts and dozens of opera performances.  He earned Certificates in Film Scoring and Screenwriting from UCLA Extension in 2000, and was accepted into the prestigious ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in 2004.  In 2010, Wendler won a “Best Score” award at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, for his epic score, AZUREUS RISING. Wendler also composed additional music for the box office hit, NON-STOP, starring Liam Neeson.

He also worked as an arranger, programmer, and orchestrator on movies such as THE NICE GUYS, X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, UNKNOWN, LITTLE FOCKERS, THE LOSERS and INTO THE BLUE.  Wendler’s television credits include arranging on the 2006 Showtime series, SLEEPER CELL: AMERICAN TERROR, as well as composing additional music for NBC’s popular reality series, FEAR FACTOR.  Mr. Wendler’s feature film credits as a composer include THE INTERIOR, CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C, ESCAPE, TALES OF HALLOWEEN AND I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III: VENGEANCE IS MINE.

UNNATURAL tells the story of a photographer and his friends who set out in the dead of winter for the Alaskan wilderness to take advantage of the limited, but beautiful daylight.  They are met by an experienced hunter and local lodge owner who instills fear within the group by telling them the legend of Maneater, a bear that has fangs and claws sharper than man-made metal.  This epic tall tale quickly becomes our group’s real, living nightmare.  Nearby, a bioengineering company has genetically altered a polar bear so it can better survive climate change, but the end result is a relentless, deadly, man-eating machine, escaping from the lab and killing everything in its way.

Given the intense plot, Wendler was careful when creating the tonal palette for the movie. “I wanted the music for UNNATURAL to be as cold and unforgiving as the location of the movie: the Alaskan wilderness.”  In order to achieve this feat, Wendler picked sounds that felt like they fit in the environment such as wooden percussion instruments, odd vocals, a banged-up piano, and icy-cold electronics.

After Dark Films presents UNNATURAL in theatres nationwide on October 16, 2015.  Varèse Sarabande will release the UNNATURAL – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally and as a limited edition CD on October 16, 2015.  Every CD purchase will include an extra booklet signed by composer Edwin Wendler.

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www.varesesarabande.com

For more information contact KrakowerPolingPR@gmail.com, or @KrakowerPoling on Twitter

ABOUT VARÈSE SARABANDE RECORDS
Founded in 1978, Varèse Sarabande is the most prolific producer of film music in the world, releasing the highest quality soundtracks from the world’s greatest composers.  From current box office hits and top television series to the classics of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Varèse Sarabande’s catalog includes albums from practically every composer in every era, covering all of film history; from Bernard Herrmann, Alex North and Jerry Goldsmith to Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino and Brian Tyler.

Varèse Sarabande releases deluxe and expanded editions of special soundtracks for the film music aficionado.  The Varèse Vintage imprint specializes in releasing new and re-issued albums by classic pop, jazz and country artists.  Varèse Sarabande Records is distributed by Universal Music Group.

Follow:  twitter.com/varesesarabande
Watch:  youtube.com/varesesarabande
Listen:  open.spotify.com/user/varesesarabanderecords
Like:  facebook.com/varesesarabanderecords
Buy:  varesesarabande.com


"I Spit On Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine" Score Completed

Edwin Wendler recently completed the score for the horror sequel, I Spit On Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine.  The movie stars Sarah Butler (reprising her role from 2010's I Spit On Your Grave), Jennifer Landon, Gabriel Hogan, and Doug McKeon.  R.D. Braunstein directed.  Produced by Lisa Hansen and Paul Hertzberg for CineTel Films, the movie will be released by Anchor Bay Films in October.

"Tales Of Halloween" - "Friday The 31st" Segment

Director Mike Mendez ("Big Ass Spider," "Lavalantula") recently asked Edwin Wendler to contribute music to his segment, "Friday The 31st," for the anthology feature, "Tales Of Halloween."  The resulting score is some of the wildest music Edwin has ever written.  The movie, which consists of 10 chilling stories by 11 visionary film makers, will be released in theaters on October 16 by Epic Pictures.

For updates about the movie, please check the official Facebook page:

"Unnatural" Score Extended

 
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The horror feature, Unnatural, was extended by approx. 3 minutes.

Consequently, Edwin was asked to provide some additional music as well as a new end credits cue, resulting in more than 7 minutes of new material.  Edwin was glad to jump back into this score, which features creepy electronics and processed, orchestral textures.

Also, the movie received its first trailer and a temporary poster today.  For more info, click:

 

"Unnatural" Score Completed

This week, Edwin Wendler finished scoring the horror feature, Unnatural, starring James Remar (Dexter), Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks), Q'orianka Kilcher (The New World), Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves), and Ray Wise (Jeepers Creepers II).  The movie was directed by Hank Braxtan (Chemical Peel) and produced by Ron Carlson (Life Blood).

Edwin would like to thank Hank and Ron for one of the best experiences ever working on a movie.  A release is planned for 2015.

Film Music Journal Article

Philippe Blumenthal of the Swiss magazine Film Music Journal asked Edwin Wendler to write an article about his experiences in the film music business so far.  Edwin took the opportunity to shed some light on some aspects of film scoring which are rarely talked about.

Click here to read the full article in English.

Click here to read the full article in German.