Original Tomb Raider I-III soundtrack albums legally unable to proceed as the Tomb Raider Suite project comes to an end

The Tomb Raider Suite newsletter distributed by legacy franchise composer Nathan McCree (Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II & Tomb Raider III) has today detailed a legal block on intended original soundtrack publications. This follows a 7-year license agreement made between McCree and current franchise developer Crystal Dynamics which resulted in the The Tomb Raider Suite Project and its voluminous output of live concert(s), album publications and other media & merchandise.

Outstanding - unfortunately - for the first three entries in the franchise, as promised beyond the Kickstarter fundraiser's original offerings, remastered, and set to include previously unreleased cut-scene & FMV score, no original soundtrack albums have been published to date. McCree sheds light on the completed albums that the composer has repititiously teased previously, citing "legal reasons" as inhibiting:

"We [...] completed the fully remastered original soundtracks for Tomb Raider 1, 2 and 3 - another one of our stretch goals from the Kickstarter campaign - which included all the music from the Cutscenes and Full Motion Video sequences. Unfortunately [...] for legal reasons we were unable to release them.

Now that our 7-year License Agreement with Crystal Dynamics has ended, at this stage we’re not sure if we will get a chance to release [...] the remastered soundtracks, but if we can find a way to do it, we will." - Nathan McCree

The Tomb Raider Remastered TV documentary that was also detailed in the Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter fundraiser was also completed but is also not able to published for the same reasons. The Tomb Raider Suite project at one stage suffered financial delays and unethical allegations, but backers were eventually delivered all other promised goods. Now that the license with the current franchise developer has come to and end, the ownership of the music returns to Crystal Dynamics. Tomb Raider IV-VI composer Peter Connelly made a similar license agreement in 2018, which resulted in the Tomb Raider: Dark Angel Symphony Project and, conversely, did include remastered original soundtrack albums.

Aside, the music for Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (2024) recently saw publication in another capacity as a poorly-curated "Official Soundtrack" & "Greatest Hits". The composer and the developer(s) did not collaborate on this title nor its enclosed release(s). This is catalogued in MoTR's Commercial Discography, and to boot, a new and more comprehensive compilation exists in our Community Discography.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered enclosed "Official Soundtrack" album release(s) are, unfortunately, a veritable botched job

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (2024) presented a unique opportunity to not only remaster the original game's score but also publish original Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III (1998) soundtrack album(s) for the first time. Whilst the former was not a successfully pursued collaboration by either publisher Aspyr, developer Sabre Interactive or the composer Nathan McCree, the latter became evident with the announcement of Deluxe & Collector's Editions of the definitive preserved collection. Unprecedented in nearly thirty years of the franchise, these special retail editions were set to include an "Official Soundtrack" compilation spanning music from all three original titles. The publication is an enclosed release only featured in the said physical editions of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered - both a 2 CD collection (Collector's), a digital download (Deluxe), plus a “Greatest Hits” CD (Deluxe) in territories outside the United States.

 
MoTR reached out to current franchise developer Crystal Dynamics earlier this year with respect to the track-listing and artwork for these albums as well as any additional PR information, including intended standalone distribution or publication outside of these enclosed releases (i.e. on digital music storefronts or streaming services). In the end, no information was received prior to release (please note accurate album art recreation above courtesy of fellow fansite Lara's Home). Today, however, consumers have opened their Deluxe Edition products and, sadly, this is not such a momentous occasion as anticipated and deserved. There may be more disappointment for fans to come in March 2025, where the same content is set to be enclosed in the USD$199 Collector's Edition.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Collector's Edition featuring 2 CD album

 
It appears little-to-no care or consideration has been made to (a) curate and order the content of these albums, (b) title the tracks in line with the composer's identification, (c) correctly label, spell nor uphold grammatical parallelism of the tracks (and in the case of certain levels, erroneously name tracks) nor (d) produce a corresponding track-list printed on the physical CD sleeve. The album also fails to comprehensively include Peter Connelly's restored "Willard Boss Theme". On the "Soundtrack Greatest Hits", confusingly, the track-list is only 7 tracks short of the full soundtrack published. This challenges the necessity of both albums, especially where ambient tracks appear to have been prioritised over music irrespective. The whole package remains, unfortunately, a questionably and poorly handled publication - perhaps stemming from the aforementioned lack of collaboration. The audio content albeit intact and perfunctory.

 
Nonetheless, full track-listing after the jump below, the albums represent the first releases ever of the original Tomb Raider soundtracks in an official publication capacity. As such, the album(s) have been added to MoTR's commercial discography which prides itself on cataloguing and preserving what is largely missing works of art - especially where the first continuation of the franchise is (still) concerned. Following this release, our more comprehensive and beloved community discography albums are not yet obsoleted (as amended with McCree in 2014) - as such, MoTR has gone one step further, curating an in-catalogue compilation of what should have been, plus taken the liberty of adding Peter Connelly's track.

 
We can only hope in the interest of preserving the art that the composer, following multiple teases over the years, is still able to proceed with plans to finally release remastered soundtrack albums for each of the original games and feature the unreleased FMV & cutscene scores. That, and for Peter Connelly's dedicated remastered albums to supplant musical material in the recently announced Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (2025) due up next. Folks, let's hope Lara Croft's second continuation gets the auditory treatment it deserves.

Nathan McCree not involved with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered

Original Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III (1998) composer Nathan McCree has not been approached by publisher Aspyr nor developer Sabre Interactive to contribute to Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, a restored compilation of the first three entries in the franchise starring Lara Croft. Tomb Raider I-III Remastered publishes on February 14th, 2024 in an unprecedented updating of the classic titles.

Ah you have misunderstood. The re-recorded/remastered soundtracks I am releasing have nothing to do with the remastered games which Aspyr are releasing. I do not know what their plans are for the music/audio in the Remastered Games. I have nothing to do with that.

— Nathan McCree (@nrpmccree) January 18, 2024

There has been no official word on how the games' existing music may be considered in this trilogy of remasters, as with other contemporary re-releases featuring full re-orchestrations (e.g. Halo Anniversaries or Age of Empires Definitive Editions) or at minimum a remastering process of the audio. MoTR did however receive a press preview copy of the game(s) and can confirm following embargo(s) today that the original soundtracks are indeed intact (and, if anything, tidied up a little).

Aside, McCree, following numerous mentions over the years, reportedly still plans to finally release remastered soundtrack albums for each of the original games. This, separately, could be as soon as this month. Again, however, this material will not feature in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. This is an unequivocal missed opportunity, not only for the presentation of the music in these modernised releases, but also in the interest of preservation.

My release is a new recording, using the original MIDI files i created back in '96 with the same synths I used back then. The new recordings have been newly mixed and mastered at 96kHz 24bit. The musical content is unchanged. And I've isolated the music from the video sequences.

— Nathan McCree (@nrpmccree) January 19, 2024

To date, none of the original music tracks from McCree's Tomb Raider games have been published officially in a dedicated standalone capacity. Including, as the composer alludes, score to the cutscenes and FMV sequences in its isolated form. McCree procured the rights prior to a 2017 Kickstarter, which ultimately resulted in the Tomb Raider Suite (2018) material medleys & the accompanying Synth Mixes (2021), the latter being the closest representation to original soundtrack albums - these being promised in original stretch goals.

Conversely, Peter Connelly (Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Chronicles & Angel of Darkness) followed suit in 2019 with The Dark Angel Symphony project (& accompanying MIDI Demos in 2021) which actually featured the original soundtracks to his titles remastered. As soon as the Tomb Raider I-III original soundtracks see the light of day, MoTR will be sure to include these in our commercial discography catalogue.

Nathan McCree releases The Tomb Raider Suite Synth Mixes

The Tomb Raider Suite: The Synth Mixes double album hits the project's digital store today and this is something to celebrate, being the closest thing ever to an album release of the original Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998) soundtrack(s). The latter - the publication of the original soundtracks themselves - is still planned, according to composer Nathan McCree. This collection consists of and authentically reproduces the expanded Tomb Raider Suite (2018) material to mimic the feel and timbre of the original video game soundtracks.

Presented as the near identical Tomb Raider Suite track arrangements, the 94-minute Synth Mixes have been "lovingly recreated using 2 x Roland JV1080 synthesisers" - the exact equipment used to produce the electronic soundtracks to the original nineties classic era games starring the titular character Lara Croft. While the digital release is available in lossless quality, a physical CD and Vinyl is slated as possible, but only if demand suffices.

The crowd-funded production and historical release of the Tomb Raider Suite marked the first standalone, commercially available music by original Tomb Raider composer Nathan McCree. A world tour of the orchestral show was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but a feature documentary is still in the works.

The Tomb Raider Suite Synth Mixes joins MoTR's commercial discography catalogue and the ever-growing collection of officially sanctioned franchise albums. Full track-listing after the jump below.

Digital Tomb Raider Suite album released in high fidelity to backers, McCree assures physical pledge rewards en route

Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III (1998) composer Nathan McCree updates The Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter backers this week, many of whom are still waiting for their tiered physical rewards such as deluxe tin CDs and vinyl pressings of the album. The update follows recent allegations that the 2016-funded project has financially stalled.

McCree today assures that manufacturing of vinyl and deluxe tin CDs has now been ordered. The Tomb Raider Suite album is also distributed to backers in high resolution digital formats today, including free lossless audio codec (FLAC). Check your emails to download this package, as provided.

Available for streaming and digital download at all good music retailers, with general release of the CD album purchasable now, The Tomb Raider Suite encompasses the music of the legacy trilogy starring Lara Croft, realised for the first time with extended material as recorded by a full orchestra.

Allegations made by The Tomb Raider Suite ex-Production Manager include that the project has financially stalled

Following months upon months of delays to promised goods, ex-Production Manager on The Tomb Raider Suite, Tracie-Anne Swift, has published an open forum post alleging that the project has run out of money. She requests all affected backers (who have not received their pledges since the project was funded in 2017) contact her to establish the magnitude of any wrongdoing.

"The Tomb Raider Suite has no money left, it really is as simple as that. And it hasn’t had any funds for a very, very long time." - Tracie-Anne Swift

The Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter has been updating its backers regularly over the past 2 years, detailing production delays throughout this time. Last we heard from composer Nathan McCree, all jewel CD cases had been shipped to backers. Those pledges promised deluxe tin CDs, vinyl albums and more, are still affected by manufacturing delays. The allegations subsequently leave those in waiting concerned.

The Tomb Raider Suite team including Swift, McCree & Meagan Marie

As well as lack of pledge fulfillment for some supporters, Swift alleges that for high-tier backers the San Francisco buffet event is compromised as deposit(s) made have been absorbed into the project's mismanagement and financial delays. Complaints of inappropriate conduct have also been made.

The Tomb Raider Suite exceeded its fundraising goal of £180,000 in 2016, backed by 2,615 fans. The project consists of the 2016 premiere Tomb Raider - Live In Concert, the digital album released in late 2018, a yet-to-be-released documentary film entitled Tomb Raider: Remastered as well as a promised world tour of the live show slated to kick-off in Australia.

Update, 21st June 2019: Nathan McCree has made an official response through an update on the Kickstarter platform (full post after the jump below). The allegations still stand in the original open forum.

We are aware that some unfounded allegations have been made against the Tomb Raider Suite. Please note these are not correct or accurate. If clarification is needed please see our latest Kickstarter update or contact Nathan directly. Thank you.

— Tomb Raider Suite (@TRSuiteOfficial) June 20, 2019

The Tomb Raider Suite album to launch digitally October 26th, 2018 - theme track, album artwork & tracklisting revealed

Following numerous production delays throughout 2018, The Tomb Raider Suite album is finally seeing the light of day. Composer Nathan McCree has today released to backers of the Kickstarter-funded project their copies of the digital album, with a general (digital) release to the public this Friday October 26th. The Tomb Raider Suite will hit all good digital music retailers and streaming services.

The Tomb Raider Suite consists of re-recorded and extended material from Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III (1998). Jessica Curry's Classic FM had the privilege of premiering "The Tomb Raider Theme" from The Tomb Raider Suite earlier this week:

The manufacturing and release of other merchandise, including the CD and Vinyl albums, are to be detailed in future updates. The album artwork features above and the full tracklisting for The Tomb Raider Suite is revealed as follows, also catalogued in MoTR's commercial discography:

1. The Temple Of Xian [2:18]
2. Tomb Raider Theme [3:14]
3. Where The Depths Unfold [1:54]
4. A Friend Since Gone [3:00]
5. The T-Rex [3:07]
6. A Long Way Down [3:26]
7. Longing For Home [3:09]
8. Time To Run [3:24]
9. Tomb Raider 2 Theme [3:08]
10. Vertigo [3:34]
11. Venice [2:57]
12. Lara [3:50]
13. The Skidoo [3:05]
14. Precious Moments [5:45]
15. Tomb Raider 3 Theme [2:20]
16. The Puzzle Element [3:55]
17. Something Spooky In That Jungle [3:46]
18. Tony (The Loon) [2:58]
19. The Cavern Sewers [3:06]
20. She's Cool [3:07]
21. In The Blood [3:57]
22. Tomb Raider Medley [7:26]
23. Tomb Raider 2 Medley [7:44]
24. Tomb Raider 3 Medley [8:28]

Total Running Time: 93 minutes

Further delays to The Tomb Raider Suite album production

Following delays to a May 1st release date, last we heard The Tomb Raider Suite album was slated to arrive this month. However, composer Nathan McCree announces further delays to the project much to the dismay of Kickstarter benefactors, citing the commencement of manufacturing today. The digital download was previously indicated to be (possibly) released prior to August, however, this has also been delayed due to a lack of distribution method:

"I am very happy to tell you that we have finally gone into our manufacturing phase of the project... The artwork for the front and back covers of the Jewel Case CD, Deluxe Tin CD and Vinyl, along with the 16-page booklet, is now finalised and ready for printing... After a considerable amount of research and fact finding we now believe we have the right solution to be able to distribute the Digital Download to you all in a couple of weeks’ time. We will most likely do this via our website... To honour the support you have shown us in backing this project, we are planning on giving the Digital Download to our backers first, a couple of days before our main retail digital release." - Nathan McCree

The Tomb Raider Suite project consists of the promised album of re-recordings of further embellished material from Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III (1998), a feature documentary Tomb Raider: Remastered as well as the Tomb Raider - Live in Concert show scheduled for its second performance ever at the London Royal Festival Hall, Monday 17th September, 2018. Full update below.

New live performance scheduled for The Tomb Raider Suite; documentary still incoming & album release on track for August

After a sell-out premiere live performance in December 2016, The Tomb Raider Suite project has scheduled a new Tomb Raider - Live In Concert show ahead of an imminent world tour announcement. The concert will be at the London Royal Festival Hall, Monday 17th September, 2018. Nathan McCree, the original Tomb Raider composer (Tomb Raider I-III), last hosted a very successful night at Hatfield House (aka Croft Manor) for the London composer buffet on April 28th, 2018, where The Tomb Raider Suite album debuted in its entirety.

Having been more-than-successful with a crowdfunded production at Abbey Road Studios, originally The Tomb Raider Suite album release was delayed due to the preparation of the San Francisco composer buffet - an event promised to certain tiered backers, to premiere the album, just as with the London equivalent. McCree previously indicated that the digital release of the album could occur prior to the physical due the disappointment surrounding this, however, today it has been announced that the American composer buffet has also been delayed to December 2018 or 2019:

"While we have been pushing to organise the San Francisco Composer Buffet Reception for the 14th July, we were determined not to delay the album any further, and as a result, we have decided to postpone that event. Hopefully close to Christmas or failing that, the early part of next year.

I’m sure you will be glad to hear that we are still on track for an August release for the album... We are still working towards releasing the Digital Download as soon as possible (and hopefully sooner than August) but there are some dependencies which are beyond our control, so again I must ask you to be patient. We are getting closer every day." - McCree

While there's been no update to determine otherwise, we could expect The Tomb Raider Suite album's indicated release date of August 1st 2018 to shift yet again. McCree has also indicated that the documentary Tomb Raider: Remastered is still in production:

"As you know we have been filming our entire project at the various stages as we go in preparation for the documentary, and this is moving into its next phase now. The footage we have so far is really great and those of you who attended the Composer Buffet Reception saw a rough edit of some of this on our big screen at Hatfield House. We plan to start editing the documentary itself in a couple of month’s time so we can start preparing for a DVD/TV release hopefully next year." - McCree

The Tomb Raider Suite recording material premieres at UK composer buffet reception & physical album release delayedUpdate: digital album to be released 1-2 weeks after UK CBR

After its mixing and mastering at Abbey Road Studios, Nathan McCree's The Tomb Raider Suite album was slated for release on May 1st, 2018. The composer announces today (April 11th, 2018) a 3-month delay, namely around the composer buffet reception. As guests to the UK and US receptions are to experience the premiere of the material, the delay accommodates for those patrons of the San Francisco event being held on July 14th, 2018. The Tomb Raider Suite album will now release on August 1st, 2018.

Update: Many fans who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the album without desiring to attend these dinner events have felt left out. McCree had made a statement which can be read in full after the jump, but was quick to make it clear in a subsequent statement that the delay is due to the vinyl production, "immense work load" and not "for the sole reason" of San Francisco:

"I am sorry to tell you that we have decided to delay the release. This was not an easy decision to come to but I feel it is the right one under the circumstances... After the recording at Abbey Road Studios in October last year, we managed to get booked back into the studio for mixing at the end of January 2018, and then for Mastering at the end of February. Since then, the team has been working round the clock on the preparations for the Composer Buffet Reception and we are simply unable to juggle the final stages of the album production so close to the launch party... We are also aware that by releasing the album on the 1st May as previously planned, it somewhat spoils the Premiere airplay we had planned for the Composer Buffet Reception in San Francisco on 14th July 2018, and so delaying the release until after this makes it more fair for our friends in the United States. I appreciate this may be a little disappointing but rest assured we are moving forward as quickly as possible... The fundamental misunderstanding that has occurred is that we actively chose to delay the release of the album for the sole reason of the San Francisco CBR, this is simply not the case." - Nathan McCree

The composer has since indicated that the digital release of The Tomb Raider Suite album will now follow the UK composer buffet reception by 1-2 weeks, while the physical editions of the release remain in delay. We have attempted to clarify this further with McCree.

Meanwhile, a series of videos leading up to the UK buffet reception have been filmed at Hatfield House, the Croft Manor exterior from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and The Cradle of Life (2003) where the first composer buffet reception will be held on April 28th, 2018. The last official Lara Croft model Alison Carroll returns to feature (see the embedded below). The promotional shorts are accompanied by "She's Cool", "Lara" & "Time To Run" - the first tracks we've heard from The Tomb Raider Suite.

The community-funded Tomb Raider Suite project has been a fandom phenomenon and the album marks the first commercial release of music to Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian (1997) & Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998) in the history of the video game franchise. The Tomb Raider Suite embodies the classic music with full orchestration - McCree is yet to announce the release of the original soundtracks, which were limited by the software of the era, within his 7-year license.

Nathan McCree livestreams The Tomb Raider Suite album mixing & mastering sessions from Abbey Road Studios

Nathan McCree has held a livestream on the Tomb Raider Suite Facebook page documenting the mixing and mastering sessions for The Tomb Raider Suite album at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios.

The first part is from The Front Room mixing suite, where McCree and Paul Pritchard talk about the technical insights into the mixing process, featuring exclusive previews of some of the mixes from the album. The crew then take viewers on a live tour of Studio One and the control room for a rare behind-the-scenes stream of where the recording sessions for the Tomb Raider suite happened.

"We’re really excited to tell you that we’ll be live streaming direct from The Tomb Raider Suite Mixing Session in The Front Room at Abbey Road Studios and later for a behind-the-scenes chat in Studio One. Join Nathan and our production team with Paul Pritchard, our Abbey Road Mixing Engineer, talking live about The Tomb Raider Suite project.

We welcome you to feel part of the team and to join us for a coffee and a chat. We are truly honoured to have Abbey Road’s permission to do this, so don’t miss out and take part in our journey, as we head towards the UK Album Launch Party at Hatfield House on Saturday 28th April and the album’s official release on 1st May!" - Nathan McCree

The Tomb Raider Suite album launches May 1st, 2018. Watch the live-stream video after the jump below!

The Tomb Raider Suite album lands May 1st, 2018, website live; Tomb Raider Suite world tour to start in North America 2018 & Tomb Raider Remastered documentary in development

The Tomb Raider Suite website is now live! With the launch by composer Nathan McCree and his team, there comes a flurry of announcements to digest about the unprecedented Tomb Raider music project:

• The Tomb Raider Suite album launches on May 1st, 2018 - if you missed out on the 121%-funded Kickstarter campaign, you can now pre-order the album and many other goodies via the Tomb Raider Suite shop
• Due to the success of Tomb Raider Live In Concert, The Tomb Raider Suite will now be going on a world tour starting this year in North America (dates to be added as venues confirmed)
• Album producer David Burns is sill developing a television documentary about the making of The Tomb Raider Suite entitled Tomb Raider Remastered

The community-funded project is expanding admirably in its success which is incredibly exciting news for all classic Tomb Raider fans. The soundtracks to Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian (1997) & Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998) will be commercialised for the very first time in over 20 years of the Tomb Raider franchise. The Tomb Raider Suite is determined to embody the nostalgic video game music with full orchestration and subsequently not be limited by the software of the era.

Read the full statement from Nathan McCree after the jump:

Mixing & mastering ahead for The Tomb Raider Suite album

Almost a year on from its original live debut, there have been delays to the intended November mixing, mastering and manufacturing of The Tomb Raider Suite album which finished recording sessions in October at the world famous Abbey Road Studios. Composer Nathan McCree updates:

"We have ... been working very hard to confirm the mixing and mastering sessions. My intention is to do both of these at Abbey Road – quality has always been my top priority. It’s a case of getting the right people in the right place, for the time that’s needed to complete the album in the vein that we started. I am therefore continuing to work with Abbey Road to secure the right engineers and mixing/mastering suites as soon as possible.

... our original plan for a November release has been pushed back 2 months as we were 2 months later getting booked into Abbey Road than we had planned. We are still hopeful the release will be in the early part of next year..." - Nathan McCree

At any rate, the unprecedented release is in the pipeline - expect the long awaited Tomb Raider Suite to debut in 2018, releasing material from the original Tomb Raider video games for the very first time.

Update: December 20th, 2017 McCree has successfully booked the mixing & mastering sessions:

"...we are now booked back into Abbey Road Studios for the Mixing & Mastering sessions. I have chosen Paul Pritchard as our Mixing Engineer who was the assistant engineer to Sam Okell for the recording. Paul is a whizz-kid on Pro Tools and being very familiar with our project now, is the best choice for this next step of the process.

For Mastering I have chosen Geoff Pesche. Geoff has a list of credits as long as your arm. Infamously at Tape One, Geoff cut the vinyl lacquers for the best selling 12” record of all time – New Order's iconic Blue Monday, as well as the platinum selling Dire Straits album Brothers In Arms. He’s also responsible for cutting the most played radio record of all time, Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.

Out of the Mastering Engineers recommended by Abbey Road, for me Geoff has the necessary hybrid experience to master The Tomb Raider Suite, not only for CD but for that precious Vinyl album too." - Nathan McCree

Nathan McCree's The Tomb Raider Suite album wraps recording production at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios

Nathan McCree, Meagan Marie & co. making the Abbey Road Zebra Crossing

The music of Tomb Raider has filled London's famous Abbey Road Studios for the first time in 15 years. Interestingly, the first instance was Peter Connelly's score to the sixth franchise entry Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness in 2002. This gig constitutes, for the first time, the recording of Nathan McCree's The Tomb Raider Suite - a Kickstarter-funded project of reworked material from Tomb Raider I, II & III (1996-1998) as originally envisioned by a full orchestra and not limited by the software of the times.

McCree's work is being performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as conducted by Robert Ziegler with orchestration by Adam Langston. While mixing, mastering and manufacturing are now in the pipeline, the release date of the recording as slated for November 2017 could be delayed. The Tomb Raider Suite album will mark the first commercially available version of the material in the history of the franchise, with the software-symphonic soundtracks to the original Tomb Raider games remaining officially unreleased.

Following the sold-out December 2016 debut of Tomb Raider - Live in Concert, The Tomb Raider Suite album boasts an "extraordinary new recording of Nathan McCree's original Tomb Raider I, II & III music played by a full orchestra and choir" presented on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming platforms. A tantalising preview of the recording sessions has been distributed via the official Tomb Raider social media:

Preview of today’s recording session at @abbeyroad. We can’t wait for you to hear the #TombRaiderSuite in full! pic.twitter.com/0fEZDTeLkS

— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) 17 October 2017

The Tomb Raider Suite set to record album this October

Lara's been to Abbey Road before - for "Angel of Darkness" in 2002

Original Tomb Raider legacy composer Nathan McCree's more-than-successsful Kickstarter campaign, funding the live recording of his music to Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998), is set to kick off this October. The Tomb Raider Suite album will result.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler, will be performing McCree's work as orchestrated by Adam Langston. Recording at the world famous Abbey Road Studios is booked across five sessions for Monday & Tuesday, October 16th & 17th, 2017. The release date of The Tomb Raider Suite was slated for November 2017, but this could meet delays to allow mixing, mastering and manufacturing.

"At the moment the estimates are looking very promising. I can safely say that we will be increasing the size of the choir from 20 to 40 voices. This should have a dramatic effect on the final sound. We will also be booking a 5th recording session at Abbey Road which gives us more rehearsal time and the capacity to record more takes. This will have a significant impact on the final recording - quality being our main goal here." - Nathan McCree

Following the sold-out December 2016 debut of Tomb Raider - Live in Concert, The Tomb Raider Suite album boasts an "extraordinary new recording of Nathan McCree's original Tomb Raider I, II & III music played by a full orchestra and choir" presented on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming platforms. The Tomb Raider Suite's album release will also mark the first independent commercialisation of the music from the classic Tomb Raider video game soundtracks in twenty years of the franchise.

The Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter succeeds at 121% funding

Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) and Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998) composer Nathan McCree has successfully funded a campaign through Kickstarter to produce a studio-recording album release of The Tomb Raider Suite, marking the first commercialization of McCree's iconic original Tomb Raider music in the history of the two-decade franchise. The project was backed by 2,615 contributors at 121% of the £160,000 goal in 30 days:

"Well done everyone. What an amazing performance. Not only did we get funded we knocked it out of the park! One of the best days of my life.

And so we go to Abbey Road.Thank you for making this dream come true!" - Nathan McCree

The album follows the sold-out December 2016 debut of Tomb Raider - Live in Concert. An "extraordinary new recording of Nathan McCree's original Tomb Raider I, II & III music played by a full orchestra and choir", The Tomb Raider Suite will be released on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming platforms. The material will be performed by the world renowned Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, and the album is set for release in the third quarter of 2017.

There is still no word on the third leg of McCree's Tomb Raider Suite Project, a documentary film tentatively titled Tomb Raider: Remastered. The composer now holds the license to his music for the next seven years, however, and anticipates taking Tomb Raider - Live in Concert on a world tour.

The Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter launches at £160,000 goal;reward tiers and products announced, now available to back

Nathan McCree's The Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter is now live! The project requires an all-or-nothing backing of £160,000 by June 27th to proceed and has an implicated release in November 2017:

"Our goal is to do a studio recording of The Tomb Raider Suite with one of England's leading orchestras in England's most famous recording studios, Abbey Road in London. Now that Nathan's themes and cues from the first three games have been fully orchestrated for a 76-piece orchestra and 20-voice choir, it is ready to be recorded to the highest standard. We are aiming for a release in the Fall of 2017. This is a unique opportunity for all of us Tomb Raider fans to finally own and hear a world-class recording of the music as Nathan McCree had always intended it."

Rewards up for grabs to backers include signed concert goodies, a selection of T-shirts, The Tomb Raider Suite album in digital download, jewel double CD, deluxe double tin CD and double vinyl and even an invitation to a buffet dinner with Nathan McCree and guests. Select your rewards (shipping anywhere in the world) and support this historic Kickstarter here. Full reward tiers listed after the jump below.

Tomb Raider Suite album Kickstarter fund to launch May 26th

Following Tomb Raider - Live in Concert's sold-out December 2016 debut, composer Nathan McCree has announced the launch of a Kickstarter approach to fund The Tomb Raider Suite studio-recording album release following his financial loss on the concert. The official Tomb Raider Suite Website also opens.

The Kickstarter aims to fund the "extraordinary new recording of Nathan McCree's original Tomb Raider I, II & III music played by a full orchestra and choir" to be released on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming platforms. The recordings will be performed by the world renowned Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, and the album is set for release in the third quarter of 2017:

"THE TOMB RAIDER SUITE
When Nathan McCree wrote the extraordinary and iconic music for the first three Tomb Raider games between 1996 and 1998, it was recorded using the synthesizers available at the time. But for 20 years he dreamt of hearing his music performed by a full orchestra and choir and with the 20th Anniversary of the release of Tomb Raider in 2016, the timing was perfect to realise his dream.

TOMB RAIDER: LIVE IN CONCERT
On Sunday 18th December, 2016, The Tomb Raider Suite received its World Premiere in London. Performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the City of London Choir, it received a standing ovation from the nearly 2,000 fans who attended the concert. It was an unmitigated success and the final event in the Tomb Raider 20th Anniversary celebrations.

OUR GOAL
Our goal is to do a studio recording of The Tomb Raider Suite with one of England's leading orchestras in England's most famous recording studios, Abbey Road in London.

Now that Nathan's themes and cues from the first three games have been fully orchestrated for a 76-piece orchestra and 20-voice choir, it is ready to be recorded to the highest standard to release as an album in the summer of 2017.

This is a unique opportunity for all of us Tomb Raider fans to finally own and hear a world-class recording of the music as Nathan McCree had always intended it."

McCree now holds the license to his music for Tomb Raider for the next seven years and this will mark the first ever commercialisation of his work on the franchise. The Kickstarter starts May 26th, 2017, with funding tiers yet to be announced. The following promotional video has been released to spread the word:

Composer Nathan McCree interviewed by Community Manager Meagan Marie on The Tomb Raider Suite live on Instagram

Meagan Marie, Senior Community Manager at Crystal Dynamics, sat down with Nathan McCree, composer of the music to Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997) & Tomb Raider III (1998), for a live interview on Instagram in McCree's Czech Republic studio. The complete video was recorded and made available later via McCree's YouTube (above), including some samples from the Tomb Raider Suite.

Marie and McCree also managed to indicate some of the Kickstarter tier rewards in their discussion:

"There'll be CDS, deluxe version CDs, Vinyls, serveral different kinds of Vinyl releases and lots of merchandise which you can buy to do with The Tomb Raider Suite. You can even come out to dinner with me, if you fancy. There's also going to be some other celebrations to attend and also Shelly [Blond]... there's lots of things there at all different price ranges. I'm pretty sure there'll be something there for everybody. So please do support the project. We do need your support on this to make it happen. By supporting the project you will be able to be a part of this historic recording." - Nathan McCree

The Tomb Raider Suite studio-recording album is set to release in Q3 2017. The first ten minutes of the interview are transcribed after the jump below!

Nathan McCree publishes live recording of "In The Blood"

Franchise legacy composer Nathan McCree (Tomb Raider through Tomb Raider III) has published a promotional video recording from Tomb Raider: Live In Concert, December 18th, 2016, featuring a new track entitled "In The Blood" from The Tomb Raider Suite.

Performed live at the Eventim Apollo in London by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra & The City of London Choir, the piece is a new Tomb Raider entry composed by Nathan McCree, arranged by Adam Langston, conducted by Robert Ziegler & produced by David Burns & Tommy Pearson.

As well as a Tomb Raider Suite studio-recording album release, McCree is planning to have Tomb Raider - Live In Concert return for more shows. Plans for the production or release of the intended Tomb Raider: Remastered video documentary of the concert are yet to be addressed.