Meet the Composer of the Doom: The Dark Ages Soundtrack: Finishing Move, the Team Behind Borderlands 3 and Halo Wars 2

by Tom January 24, 2025

The composer of the soundtrack for Doom: The Dark Ages has been unveiled as Finishing Move, the music production team recognized for their work on Borderlands 3 and Halo Wars 2. Consisting of Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White, Finishing Move has a longstanding collaboration with Microsoft’s games, having contributed to titles such as Halo 2: Anniversary Edition, Grounded, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. The announcement was made by game director Hugo Martin during Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct, where he described the soundtrack as an intense blend of metal and medieval influences. The switch to Finishing Move follows a dispute between id Software and former composer Mick Gordon. The highly anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages is set to release on May 15, 2025, for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Meet the Composer of the Doom: The Dark Ages Soundtrack: Finishing Move, the Team Behind Borderlands 3 and Halo Wars 2

– The composer of Doom: The Dark Ages’ soundtrack has been revealed to be Finishing Move, known for their work on Borderlands 3 and Halo Wars 2.
– Finishing Move, formed by Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White, has a history of creating music for Microsoft games.
– The switch to Finishing Move came after a dispute with the previous composer, Mick Gordon, over the mixing of Doom Eternal’s score.

The composer of Doom: The Dark Ages’ soundtrack has been unveiled as Finishing Move, the music production team celebrated for their work on Borderlands 3 and Halo Wars 2. Consisting of Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White, Finishing Move has been closely tied to Microsoft’s games over the past decade, contributing to titles such as Halo 2: Anniversary Edition, Grounded, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Most recently, they created the score for the survival horror game The Callisto Protocol.

The announcement was made by Doom: The Dark Ages game director Hugo Martin during Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct. Martin described Finishing Move’s soundtrack as “a metal soundscape that’s loaded with guitars, medieval vibes, and pure adrenaline.” Based on the snippets of gameplay that have been released, it’s difficult to dispute this description as the guitars roar joyously in sync with the Slayer’s intense action.

This move to Finishing Move comes after a complex dispute between The Dark Ages developer id Software and composer Mick Gordon, who composed the award-winning score for 2016’s Doom revival. The disagreement initially centered around Gordon’s involvement in the final mixing of Doom Eternal’s score sequel. However, the dispute escalated over time, with Gordon accusing the developer of withholding payment and accusing executive producer Marty Stratton of abusive behavior. Bethesda, id Software’s parent company, promptly responded to these allegations, dismissing Gordon’s account as unjust and inaccurate.

As a result of this fallout, id Software decided not to work with Gordon again, leading to Andrew Hulshult and David Levy taking on soundtrack responsibilities for the DLC expansion of Doom Eternal, The Ancient Gods. Fans speculated whether Hulshult and Levy would be chosen to handle The Dark Ages’ score, but id has ultimately opted for Finishing Move instead.

The Doom series has always been synonymous with its metal soundtracks, with Bobby Prince’s original score from 1993 ranking among the most iconic in gaming history. Finishing Move undoubtedly aspires to join the esteemed ranks of both Prince and Gordon when The Dark Ages launches later this year.