Frank Klepacki

Frank Klepacki (; ) is an American musician and video game composer, best known for his work on the Command & Conquer series. Having learned to play drums as a child, he joined Westwood Studios as a composer when he was 17 years old. He has scored several games there, including the Lands of Lore series, Westwood Studios' Dune games, The Legend of Kyrandia series, Blade Runner, and the Command & Conquer series. His work in Command & Conquer: Red Alert won two awards.

He lives in Las Vegas, where he has shaped a solo career and played and produced for several local bands. His personal and band work touches upon several genres, including orchestral, rock music, hip hop music, soul music, and funk. He has dubbed the style of music he writes as "Rocktronic". His work has appeared in various media, including the Spike TV program The Ultimate Fighter.

Klepacki is currently the audio director of Petroglyph Games, where he scored Star Wars: Empire at War. Klepacki was contacted to score Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, but was too busy with Petroglyph to take the project, and declined to mention the offer. Klepacki composed three songs for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 by EA Los Angeles. His solo CD entitled Viratia is packaged with a comic he helped produce. He drew art as a hobby, but music prevailed in his early interests. He received his first drumset at age 8 and began performing professionally by age 11. Among his early influences were electronica and heavy metal groups, including Depeche Mode, Afrika Bambaataa, AC/DC, and Iron Maiden. Seeking to master guitar, bass, and keyboards, he formed local bands and created a demo tape of original material by age 17. His impetus for diversifying his instrumental abilities was "not being able to communicate with other band members on ideas...for original songs." His first piece of audio gear was a TASCAM 4-track cassette recorder, which he used to record demos, band practices, and live shows. The growing company enlisted him as a composer for the NES port of DragonStrike and the computer game Eye of the Beholder II. In 1992, he helmed the audio of Dune II, attempting to complement the music of the original Dune. He later noted that he pushed the sequencing program on his Amiga to the limit while scoring the game. While working on Disney's The Lion King in 1994, he and the Westwood team were shown sketches of the unfinished feature film. Film composer Hans Zimmer later praised Klepacki for reworking his scores. After finishing the third entry into The Legend of Kyrandia series, Malcolm's Revenge, Frank Klepacki met with Westwood leaders to discuss the upcoming game Command & Conquer, the first in a series which would bring him wider fame and critical acclaim.

While working on Covert Operations, Klepacki composed "Hell March", from the idea of "a rock tune to marching boots," finishing the song in one day after inventing the guitar riff. Upon listening, director Brett Sperry insisted this song be used as the signature theme of Command & Conquer: Red Alert. In preparing to compose, Klepacki acquired new sample libraries for unique and strange sounds. Particular creative moods would result in a few songs at a time. He first wrote heavy songs like "Workmen" and "Crush", then composed neutral, synthesizer-laden music, such as "Vector" and "Roll Out". Klepacki also composed "Fogger" and "Mud", one of his personal favorites, before finishing with "Militant Force" and "Radio 2". He took breaks from working to make cameo appearances as a Soviet soldier killed by Kane and an Allied commander in the cut scenes of Red Alert. He previously appeared as a Nod soldier and the voice of the commando in Command & Conquer and would voice bit parts in future Westwood games.

After completing Red Alert, he took a short break to review his work. He concluded that some songs could be enhanced, but Red Alert had already gone gold, precluding new versions. As of 2005, Red Alert was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for selling several million units, bringing Klepacki his widest audience. He wrote additional music for the game's expansion packs, Counterstrike and Aftermath. He attributed the success of Red Alert to an infusion of modern styles not found in other games. Klepacki initially wrote off the popularity of his music, assuming that his music "must only appeal to die-hards." Klepacki considered 2000 to be a more definitive work than Dune II, which was constrained by software and hardware limitations. Coincidentally, one of the trailers for Command and Conquer 3 featured "Stomp" as the soundtrack. Westwood instead wanted Tiberian Sun to feature darker, more moody music, and "Stomp" was shelved in favor of the current sound. Bereft of ideas due to the stark change in direction, Klepacki asked Mendelson to collaborate; he regards tracks they both worked on as the best. Tiberian Sun ultimately featured dark, ambient techno music and ambient space music suited to the game's post-apocalyptic and futuristic setting. Klepacki cited the piece "Mad Rap" as his favorite. An avid Star Wars fan, he enjoyed scoring cut scenes featuring James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader. Klepacki scored the game with a Korg TR Rack, Novation Nova desktop, and Roland XV-5080. Red Alert 2 included a remix of "Hell March". The return to high-energy songs was owed in part to fan criticism of Tiberian Sun. Klepacki's last contribution to Westwood Studios was the music of Earth & Beyond, comprising four albums of material. Acquired by Electronic Arts in 1998, Westwood was liquidated in 2002 and the remaining employees were relocated to EA Los Angeles. Several Westwood founders left the company. Though Klepacki offered to score Command & Conquer: Generals, and submitted a demo to EA, he was not offered the job.

Petroglyph Games

Klepacki took a brief hiatus to work on solo albums, then joined Petroglyph Games as full-time audio director in 2004. A die-hard fan of the Star Wars franchise, Klepacki enjoyed complementing John Williams's style as he worked with sound effects used in the feature films.

left|thumb|Klepacki at his Petroglyph office (c. 2009)|alt=Musician Frank Klepacki holding the neck of his guitar to the camera wearing sunglasses, collectibles on shelves in the background

For the Forces of Corruption expansion pack, he took greater creative liberty with the Star Wars feel by writing an original theme for the new criminal faction. He composed six pieces for the expansion total, including the finale theme. In line with the criminal theme of the game, Klepacki borrowed motifs and recreated the mood from scenes involving Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. His score for the expansion pack was accepted upon first submission to LucasArts. Klepacki was contacted to score Command & Conquer 3, but was too busy with duties at Petroglyph and declined to mention the offer publicly. an EA community manager at C&C 3s forums suggested that the audio team studied Klepacki's music and tried to recreate his style. Klepacki feels that Command & Conquer is a significant part of his life and that he would like to return to the Tiberian era.

Klepacki's next project was a game collaboration by SEGA and Petroglyph named Universe at War: Earth Assault. Klepacki "began by taking into account what songs were identified as fan favorites in...past related work". His office included one of the fastest computers at Petroglyph and a vocal booth where unit responses and other vocalizations were tested and tweaked before voice actors performed finishing work.

Klepacki next composed three songs for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, including "The Red Menace", "Grinder 2", and "Hell March 3". "Hell March 3" was recorded with the aid of a four-piece rock band alongside the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and Choir at the Skywalker Sound scoring stage; the choir also sang in Russian for an updated version of "Grinder" from Red Alert 2. He remarked in 2008 that he would never grow tired of "Hell March", and was thankful it had resonated with so many fans. Formed from the rhythm section of local band Shatterbone, I AM released one album in 1995 and broke up. Founded in 1989, Home Cookin' commercially debuted with Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, in 1997 (which featured a number one hit) and released a second album (Pink in the Middle) in 2000 before disbanding following a tour in California. Towards the end of its run, the band played at Quark's Bar in Star Trek: The Experience and at the Boston Grill and Bar. The group sometimes opened shows with a four-member funk act named Junkfood. Home Cookin' was popular by readers of Las Vegas Weekly, winning several awards over its history—including "Best Horns" in a band. Klepacki boasted that turnout for the band at clubs was usually above four hundred people. In 2003, he formed The Bitters, a trio composed of Klepacki, bassist Vinny Moncada, and guitarist Jeff Murphy. With a style described as metal and jazz fusion, the group has released one album as of August 2006.

Klepacki's solo work debuted in 2002 with Morphscape. Production began in 1996 with the song "Cybertek", though an album was not planned at this time. The rest of Morphscapes songs were composed after Red Alert 2. Klepacki composed the album's title track while working on Command & Conquer: Renegade, and feels the game's style is visibly present in Morphscape. Klepacki took a hiatus from composing video game music to write two other solo albums, the first of which is entitled Rocktronic. Released in 2004, the album was described as dark, edgy, and heavy in a way that will appeal to Command & Conquer fans. Klepacki sought out specific samples and instruments used in the Command & Conquer soundtrack for use in the release; the title "Rocktronic" was an attempt to name his style of music. His solo album Infiltrator was released in April 2009. According to Klepacki, the album was inspired by his recent work on the Red Alert series.

Work and beliefs

When composing for video games, Klepacki spends a few days to compose and master one song on average. He feels writing music for games is somewhat difficult as only early software builds are available to play; he sometimes must compose songs based on vague descriptions. He advises those wishing to get in the video game business to attend conventions and investigate developer companies.

thumb|Image of Klepacki from Rocktronic (2004)|alt=Stylized image of Frank Klepacki at his office wearing sunglasses and sticking his hand to the camera, red and green neon glow effects around his hair, hand, and sunglasses

Klepacki runs a personal website featuring a biography, archived interviews, and a playlist of songs streamed in 128 kbit/s mp3. His music is also available from iTunes. As a Star Wars fan, he has extensively written about the film premieres of the last two prequels on his website. He maintains an account at YouTube and has posted three videos of his work with other bands. He is an ardent supporter of digital cinema, believing the medium to be the pinnacle of quality. He has scored two short films, and won a CineVegas award for his work with Unreel Invasion. Klepacki believes that the genre of video game music is more respected than it has ever been. He notes that complex and quality music comes at a higher cost, prompting certain producers to simply "get somebody who could cop the Hollywood sound" instead of nurturing original style. Klepacki has declared pop music as having become the "largest farce in music history—soul-less, mechanical, and only made for the sole purpose of making the fastest dollar possible, with more emphasis on imagery than the music." Stating that he would not compromise his work for popularity, he believes that "the only artists that have any longevity are the ones that pioneer a movement—not follow one." Conversely, he notes that artists—who "don't get as much money as you think"—need to be compensated for their work.

Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons

The band consists of:

Frank Klepacki – guitar, keys, drums
Tony Dickinson – guitar, keys, bass, frontman
Connor Engstrom – guitar
Travis Moberg – drums
Max Noel – bass

The Tiberian Sons minus Klepacki have released the albums Conquering MAGFest (2015) and Collateral Jammage (2016). In 2020, they all collaborated to produce Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons: Celebrating 25 Years of Command & Conquer for the remastered collection.

Works

thumb|right|Klepacki at the Game Developers Conference 2019, as part of a Command & Conquer retrospective panel

Video game music

Eye of the Beholder II (Westwood Studios, 1991)
Dune II (Westwood Studios, 1992)
Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Westwood Studios, 1992)
Order of the Griffon (Westwood Studios, 1992)
DragonStrike (Westwood Studios, 1992) <small>(NES port only)</small>
The Legend of Kyrandia (Westwood Studios, 1992)
Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos (Westwood Studios, 1993)
The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate (Westwood Studios, 1993)
The Lion King (Westwood Studios, 1994)
The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge (Westwood Studios, 1994)
Young Merlin (Westwood Studios, 1994)
Command & Conquer (Westwood Studios, 1995)
Monopoly (Westwood Studios, 1995)
Command & Conquer: The Covert Operations (Westwood Studios, 1996)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert (Westwood Studios, 1996)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Counterstrike (Westwood Studios, 1997)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert: The Aftermath (Westwood Studios, 1997)
Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny (Westwood Studios, 1997)
Blade Runner (Westwood Studios, 1997)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Retaliation (Westwood Studios, 1998)
Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor (Westwood Studios, 1998)
Dune 2000 (Westwood Studios, 1998)
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (Westwood Studios, 1999)
Lands of Lore III (Westwood Studios, 1999)
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun – Firestorm (Westwood Studios, 2000)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (Westwood Pacific, 2000)
Nox (Westwood Studios, 2000)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge (Westwood Pacific, 2001)
Emperor: Battle for Dune (Westwood Studios, 2001)
Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat (Westwood Studios, 2001)
Command & Conquer: Renegade (Westwood Studios, 2002)
Earth & Beyond (Westwood Studios, 2002)
Star Wars: Empire at War (Petroglyph Games, 2006)
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption (Petroglyph Games, 2006)
Universe at War: Earth Assault (Petroglyph Games, 2007)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (EA Los Angeles, 2008)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising (EA Los Angeles, 2009)
Panzer General: Allied Assault (Petroglyph Games, 2009)
Guardians of Graxia (Petroglyph Games, 2010)
Mytheon (Petroglyph Games/True Games, 2011)
Rise of Immortals (Petroglyph Games, 2011)
Battle for Graxia (Petroglyph Games, 2012)
Coin a Phrase (Petroglyph Games, 2013)
End of Nations (Petroglyph Games/Trion Worlds, cancelled)
Grey Goo (Petroglyph Games, 2015)
8-Bit Armies (Petroglyph Games, 2016)
8-Bit Hordes (Petroglyph Games, 2016)
8-Bit Invaders! (Petroglyph Games, 2016)
Lethal League Blaze (Team Reptile, 2018)
Conan Unconquered (Petroglyph Games, 2019)
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (Petroglyph Games/EA, 2020)
Modern Warships (Artstorm FZE, 2022)
9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far (Petroglyph Games, 2024)
Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks/2B Games, 2025)
Stormgate (Frost Giant Studios, TBA)
Earthbreakers (Petroglyph Games, TBA)

Band, film, and solo music

There's a Home (I AM, 1995)
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, (Home Cookin, 1997)
Unreel Invasion (short film, 1999)
Pink in the Middle (Home Cookin', 2000)
Essence of the Force (short film, 2002)
Morphscape (2002)
Rocktronic (2004)
Virtual Control (2005)
The Bitters (The Bitters, 2006)
Awakening of Aggression (2006)
Grudgement Day (The Bitters, 2008)
Infiltrator (2009)
Viratia (2009)
Conquering 20 Years (2012)
Digital Frontiers (2016)
Game On! (Tina Guo, 2017)
Transform (2018)
Coded Number (2020)
Quarantine Sessions (2021)
Initiative (2023)
Greetings from 1986 (2024)

Commercial music

MTV (1997)
Cupid (abc, 2000)
Miller Genuine Draft (2001)
Ultimate Fighting Championship Pay-per view (Fox Sports, 2003–2006)
The Ultimate Fighter (Spike TV, 2005–2006)
Ultimate Fight Night (Spike TV, 2005–2006)
Amp'd Mobile (Spike TV, 2005–2006)
Inside the MMA (HDNet, 2007)
HDNet Fights (HDNet, 2007)