Rusalka

Although only slightly educated in music from two years of piano lessons in high school, to messing around while in attendance at his alma master's music building's practice rooms, Tom became a master of all trades. From coding his own game, to designing and crafting the very music that brought it to life, what Tom has accomplished with Axiom Verge is not only a milestone in his own career, but a literal cornerstone in gaming history that will stand the test of time, which is large in part due to its music.

Apocalypse

Axiom Verge isn't just a game or an experience, it's a transformation of one man's own dreams into a reality. Most people might have hired on a musician to help them during the development process and help shape their creation in an even more artistic way -- however, Tom's approach to the kind of work he does is so inspiring. As mentioned in the liner notes of the amazing pamphlet included in this release, Tom's view on this matter is summed up quite perfectly: "Would they pay someone to eat their dessert? To go skiing on their behalf? To do whatever it is they love doing?" See Tom's passion in what he does transcends the medium in which he creates. The dedication and love that he has for any project he works on is just contagious; breathing new life into every aspect of his work. Axiom Verge is the embodiment of that work ethic, and is one of the reasons why I believe this soundtrack is quite possibly one of the greatest we have seen come out of the indie games scene.

Cellular Skies

From pulsing bits, to heart pounding bass, what Tom has achieved here with Axiom Verge is just astounding. While watching the 2 Player Productions documentary, and subsequent unedited interview with Tom, I was able to garner a greater understanding for his work on Axiom Verge as a whole. About halfway through the long-form interview, the moment I had been waiting for happened: he was asked about it's music, and the burning questions I had were soon to be answered! The way in which Tom talked about the musical process was kind of exhilarating. The music, while effortless according to him, was relaxing and much more so than the work that he was used to. This sort of catharsis that drove his compositions is something that I think can be felt in its execution. Every song on this album just broods in the otherworldly ambiance and synthetic drones, all while being wholly reminiscent and nostalgic of great works such as Yuzo Koshiro's Streets of Rage, which Tom references directly as a huge inspiration for him. Among others referenced are the likes of the original Mass Effect and Bionic Commando Rearmed. Axiom Verge's music breeds and begins to germinate in your mind, and before you know it, Tom has completely infected your brain with brilliant fluctuating tones.