Tomb Raider fan and artist Dean Kopri has long been well known and respected in the Tomb Raider community. Now he has come up with another breathtaking music project: a 40+ minutes long musical suite, the “Ultimate Tomb Raider Musical Suite“, inspired by the Tomb Raider games, and by the original Tomb Raider music written by composers Nathan McCree and Peter Connelly.
About The Artist
Dean Kopri is a musician from Croatia. He works in a primary music school and creates epic Tomb Raider inspired tracks and Nightwish piano covers. It started all back in 1996 after his father took young 11 year old Dean to a local arcade store during a cold Christmas evening. The store was closed, but there were TV’s behind the store’s windows streaming demos from several games. And what really caught Dean’s eye was, of course, the very first Tomb Raider game. Dean remembers, as if it was yesterday, that he was standing in the snow, watching a girl exploring cold caves, fighting bats, wolves and bears. And as soon as the store re-opened, Dean bought the game immediately and played it for the first time. For him, Tomb Raider felt so different from the rest of the games in 1996 – the atmosphere, music, graphics, and Lara.
The Spark Was Lit
Back in the day, having a PC AND an Internet connection was a luxury, and Dean didn’t have a clue about Lara, her character bio, studios or the game – the only important thing was what was happening on the screen. Dean remembers returning home from the arcade, instantly sitting by the piano and figuring out the notes of that beautiful tune. Since then, he has finished all of the Tomb Raider games many times. But the one thing that got stuck with him was and still is THE MUSIC.
Since Dean has heard that recognizable Tomb Raider motif for the very first time, he has played it on his piano, keyboards, and tambura (croatian traditional instrument). He is very sure about the fact, that his entire family (and neighbors) must have heard it countless times in different arrangements and variations. Lara (and Tomb Raider) became sort of a muse to him. Today, 24 years later, Dean still adores that nostalgic feeling whenever he is working on another Tomb Raider inspired musical piece and he is very greateful that an „inspiration spark“ was lit so many years ago, which still keeps burning bright.
Tomb Raider Music Collaborations
During the last couple of years Dean collaborated on different Tomb Raider (music) projects. One of the most recognized is the extraordinary “Tomb Raider: The Dark Angel Symphony” album by composer Peter Connelly in which Dean was featured as a guest musician with his track „Beyond the darkness“. Dean has also created the music for the famous fan remake “Tomb Raider II – Dagger of Xian” by Nicobass. He has also collaborated with the outstanding artist Inna Vjuzhanina who creates amazing Lara Croft artwork. These are just some of the examples of the Tomb Raider projects that featured Dean’s music. Dean considers himself incredibly thankful that those amazing people included his fan-made music in their works.
Most recently, Dean has joined the team of Tomb Raider fans patching the canceled “Tomb Raider – 10th Anniversary Edition” game from Core Design’s era as a music composer and arranger. You can check out his new arrangement of the main theme here:
The Ultimate Tomb Raider Musical Suite
The Ultimate Tomb Raider Musical Suite by Dean Kopri is a homage to different versions of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games and consists of most of the Tomb Raider inspired tracks Dean created over the last 12 years. His goal was always the same – honoring original music but also bringing something fresh and different, in which he, in our opinion, has again succeeded without compromise!
Now get ready for a trip down memory lane, sit back, relax and enjoy this fantastic piece brought to you by Dean Kopri.
Connect with Dean
Listet below, you can find some of Dean’s social media links. Make sure to check out his work and leave some love:
TOMB RAIDER WEB 