Gamers who log on and play Gala-Net's free online game, Upshift Strike Racer, will drive to an original soundtrack that came from the creative minds of Hollywood film and TV composer Kevin Manthei (Xiaolin Shodown, Halloween H2O) and Anthrax lead guitarist Dan Spitz. When playing the vehicular combat game (http://strikeracer.gpotato.com), which is currently playable in Beta form and goes live in August, gamers will hear seven original tracks that Manthei said "mix choral inspired orchestra with heavy metal guitar riffs to invoke a sense of adolescent frenzy."

Manthei and Spitz took some time to talk to GameDaily BIZ about their first collaboration and discuss how creating music for the burgeoning video game industry is something they'd like to do more of.

BIZ: How have you seen the relationship between games and music evolve over the years?

Manthei: As technology increased in computing and console power, so did the power of music increase in games. As games went from geek to street it brought in a new audience that expected as much if not more than they were used to in other entertainment mediums. It's that combination of the pervasiveness of games in today's culture that has allowed the music in games to grow along with it. Suddenly, record labels – major ones at that – are clawing at the doors of major game publishers to get their next big artist's new single in the game. They see it as a great avenue for advertising and promotions – and it's paid off for many artists. Gone are the simple days of just selling your CD at the local record store. As far as game scores, you now see major film and television composers doing games as sort of an experiment to see if they like it. Many will dabble, but I suspect few will stick with it as games are a very different medium and the composers that do it best are ones who have grown with the industry, know games inside and out, and understand the different nuances that come with being a game composer.

Spitz: My dream was always to find one of the top orchestral composers in the gaming/film industry and create the next level of what I think should drive the industry: music created from scratch by Grammy-nominated artists of heavy metal, such as me, meeting the brainchild of orchestral genius composers like Kevin who can obtain the sounds the gamers are accustomed to hearing... with some butt-kicking heavy guitar-riffing crunch from the creators of a genre of guitar-based music to pound their heads to!

BIZ: What do you like about creating music in this format?

Manthei: Writing music for games is very freeing and artistic. It's like a rich aristocrat hiring a local painter to paint a scene of his choosing with some initial direction. The artist is free to paint as he chooses coupled with the Aristocrat's direction. I think about scoring music for games in the same way. My music begins with the direction and desires of the producer (in this case, John Young of Gala-Net) and the game at hand, but then I am free to explore within that direction. I like not being tied down to what is happening second by second as you are in Television and Film. The art of scoring to picture is very different and challenging in its own way. With games I get to write the same style of music, but I am free to let the music dictate where it should go rather than the film or television scene dictating where the music should go. In Upshift StrikeRacer we got to go the extra distance – working and collaborating with Dan Spitz from Anthrax was a highlight of the project and we were able to freely create. We shared ideas back and forth, some pieces he mixed and produced and others I mixed and produced.

BIZ: How did you go about creating the music for this new game and does playing the game first play a role in how you work?

Manthei: It's a rare opportunity to play the game before working on it. It can be a nice thing, but I don't think it's necessary to actually play it before composing music for it. However, what is important is listening to the producer and honing in on exactly what he or she really wants. John (Young) from Gala-Net knew exactly what he wanted. He asked me to come up with both a sense of transcendence and adolescent frenzy in the music. We did that by incorporating a heavy dose of choral-inspired orchestra and rock and metal-laced guitar riffs. I knew I wanted to have the real deal for the metal side of things so I turned to Dan Spitz the lead guitarist from the heavy metal band Anthrax. Dan and I have wanted to collaborate for years and Upshift StrikeRacer seemed to be the perfect project to work on together. My collaboration with Dan was a thrill and a half! Besides having Dan record all the guitars and mix a few tracks he and I also co-composed a few tracks together, which for me was a new experience. Collaboration can be a tricky thing, but for us it really worked out well as both of our roles are so distinctively different. I am the orchestral guy from LA and he is a rock legend from New York.

Spitz: I don't like to play the game title before I create the riffs and direction necessary. I like to perhaps see some artwork and get a narrative direction from the parent company's objective standing of direction. Then Kevin and I discuss via email as to who will start what objectives. Meaning, I may start the heavier guitar based pieces and flip it to him from my studio (he's west coast, I'm east) with a basic direction of how he should pound out the orchestral feelings. And Kevin may start the more passive transcending moody pieces where my guitar might be more of a filler fatness to beef up the track.

BIZ: What are your thoughts about the whole online gaming phenomenon that's going on today?

Manthei: The concept of the free downloadable game that is still a high quality product is just starting to catch on. Gala-Net's Upshift StrikeRacer is just the kind of game that will really bring a new aspect to the online free-to-play gaming community. Games are needed for those of us who love games but don't have two hours a day to sit and play. Some of us want the rush of the wind in our hair and the excitement of some speed while taking a 15-minute break from our job or evening responsibilities.

Spitz: I kind of live on overclock.net and I'm into the hardware portion of gaming in a big way. The water cooling and over-clocking of processors also applies to my recording studio and using Reaper to its fullest extent to create the music. I think the online gaming phenomenon is just exploding and as the faster online services come to the average consumer at a reasonable rate (we have sick speeds in the recording industry now, but it is very, very expensive for time) we will all see a big breakout. Those here now will prosper in the days to come.

BIZ: Why do you think so many musicians are gravitating to games today?

Manthei: It's an industry that is still relatively young and there are still possibilities and opportunities to get your foot in the door. Plus, many of today's musicians and composers grew up playing video games, so they see games as an equal outlet for their creativity.

Spitz: You know when we (the big four--Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica) were creating this new type of music, we didn't have a name for it. It was labeled thrash metal all on its own. We always said that if we ever heard it on a television commercial someday we'd know we made the impact of creation. Well, it's here now on my big screen. We did not know we were creating anything new. We just wrote what was in our hearts and the underground movement took it from there. The game producers need to realize the potential of original music created by metal masters solely for their fans who sit in front of their flat screens and jam to their games for countless hours. What I'm trying to do is wake up the game companies and show them that if they reach out and find someone such as myself to create the pounding stuff, they will entice and gratify gaming to an even higher plateau. The people playing the games are the same exact people who live and breathe for music and follow in parallel that industry.

BIZ: Can you talk about the role video games play in the music industry today?

Manthei: I think there is a collaborative relationship these days with games and the pop music industry. They help one another out and both benefit from one another. It's similar to song placements in features and television.

Spitz: Well my song is in Guitar Hero so I guess I'm a little biased. I will also have one of my songs in Guitar Hero III. The gaming community and people who produce these wonderful games are finally realizing the potential of the marriage of Metal and Gaming, especially now backed up by the presence and success of something such as the Guitar Hero franchise.

BIZ: What are your thoughts on the Guitar Hero franchise and the impact it's had on people getting into music in a whole new way?

Manthei: I think people love it because it allows them to hear their favorite music, and it allows some of us to listen to some of our favorite music we grew up on. It also lets the players come into the rock star world and, with a bit of imagination, become a rock star themselves. It's a new gaming experience and when something new comes out that catches the imagination of the audience, it's bound to be successful.

BIZ: Rock Band was one of the top games at the E3 show and it introduces a microphone and drums to the guitar/bass aspect of gaming. What are your thoughts about people being able to form bands and play video game instruments together or over the Internet?

Manthei: It's great. Collaboration can be fun and games that allow people to network and meet one another and engage in something that isn't brain numbing is always a good thing!

BIZ: What impact do you think games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band will have on inspiring more kids to get involved in music at a time when most schools have phased out music programs?

Manthei: Guitar Hero really has nothing to do with playing music – if you call tapping on buttons playing music then we will be raising a generation of musical neophytes. Guitar Hero can help with a kid's coordination and rhythm but that is about it. The fact that schools are phasing out band and other music programs is just horrible. Many of my best memories of school revolve around music and band. Many kids will never be able to know the joy of music because of the phase out of these programs – many of them help kids who otherwise could not afford to play an instrument or hire a teacher. I wonder if we are raising a generation of children who think the idea of playing guitar is through an Xbox.