PRIMITIVE WAR is a 2025 Australian science fiction action horror film directed by Luke Sparke and based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Ethan Pettus, who also co-wrote the film. Starring Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler and Jeremy Piven, the film is set in a Vietnam jungle valley during 1968 and follows a recon unit who carries out a rescue mission for a US Army Special Forces platoon and are attacked by de-extinct dinosaurs.
Watch the PRIMITIVE WAR Trailer:
Q: Your film, PRIMITIVE WAR, was based on Ethan Pettus’ novel, and I understand you read his book prior to beginning scoring the film. How did that film give you a prelude to what you were considering for the film’s music?
Frederik Wiedmann: I didn’t know anything about this, so when I got the book and I started reading it, I realized how intricately more graphic and violent that it is than JURASSIC PARK, for example. It’s very graphic in its description of the scenes and the bloodbath and devouring of humans and all that. So, from that point I set the tone for what we were going to do, but it was funny, because that’s the mindset I had after reading the book, and then I got the first footage from Luke and I looked at it realized that maybe this isn’t as much horror as I thought it was, and maybe it was a little bit more KING KONG/SKULL ISLAND-ish with the creatures and give it a little bit of an adventure. We started working with it, focused on that, but then quickly realized we needed to rain us in and keep it dark and scary, because we don’t ever want to let the audience off the hook and thinking this is something cool and beautiful – this is terrifying!
War alone is already a terrifying experience, especially in the jungle of Viet Nam and whatever else is roaming around in those jungles, with the heat and the soldiers gone through all this trauma, which is a big storyline in the movie. Then adding dinosaurs to the equation, this is grim, this is dark, dinosaurs are out to get them, they haven’t eaten in a while, they’re hungry, they’re ruthless, they’re smart, especially the raptors, they’re very smart, that hunt in packs, they know how to attack and when to attack, so you’ve got all that going for yourself against those few couple of humans with machine guns, and no knowledge about how to fight dinosaurs or even be in that terrain because it’s very foreign to them. I think that was the big, overall global idea was to keep it dark, keep it scary, way more horror than action-adventure, which is clearly what other dinosaur movies were more gravitating towards; especially JURASSIC PARK – I feel that, lately, it’s become more of a family experience. The first one, I was a massive fan of, and I remember it was really scary, like that scene in the cafeteria with the raptor poking through the closet and almost getting the kids – that was a horror movie! The music, everything about it was super terrifying and I remembered those moments in terms of thinking of a reference on how we’re going to treat our dinosaurs. It was the spirit of horror that was very dominant in that first movie. Based on what we’ve been reading online in terms of comments on the trailer, people seem to be hungry for something like that.
Q: Tell me in some detail about how director Luke Sparke reached out to you to score his film, PRIMITIVE WAR, and how the two worked together on the film’s musical treatments?
Frederik Wiedmann: Luke and I – this is our fifth movie together. He reached out to me years ago when he did this sci-fi movie called OCCUPATION RAINFALL, an over-ambitious indie project that he did – I call it a little indie project because it’s little in terms of financing but massive in scale! This is similar to that in terms of his being inclined to achieve something on a shoe-string budget that others wouldn’t be able to. So, he reached out to me because we have been collaborating on his past five films, and it seemed to make sense to work together again, and we always have a good time doing so. He reached out to me, knowing I had read the book by that point. He hadn’t shared much with me in terms of the script of anything like that, he held that close to his chest. Once he had dailies and first assemblies he sent it over, and asked “what do you think?” This is where we had our first conversations. He had some of the Skull Island stuff in the temp, and, as I said earlier, we started going in that direction, but then he was watching it, thinking, you know what? Then he sent me some cues from ALIEN, and I said, ah! I understand what you’re trying to do! This is more ALIEN than KING KONG!
Yes, the dinosaurs are big and they’re ominous and hungry and overwhelming to the small humans, but it’s not that – they are alien creatures, we don’t know how they react, we’ve never been in their habitat, everything we know about them has been scientifically created from artifacts that we think this is how they would behave, without ever having footage of them. So, why would we even have that? That’s why I think the ALIEN refence was spot-on. In this very foreign and very strange, and they are extremely efficient hunters, sharp teeth, big mouthed, big hunger, so throwing vulnerable humans at them, I feel that the closest reference to ALIEN could not be overlooked. So, I thought of looking at a lot of James Horner aliens, actually; that was one of the main places that I went to for inspiration, and to just see how James does an attack in outer space, where there’s multiple aliens attacking the crew, and the music is chaotic, the streets are all over the place, and that’s what we wanted to do. There are a lot of these really chaotic string stuff that you can’t ever feel a rhythm in it, it’s so all over the place. I think “The Cave Attack” is one of them, that’s a big one that gets pretty chaotic, and that’s where we ended up, and once we had a couple of scenes worked out this way, that seemed to stick, and Luke agreed that this is the way he wanted it to be, this is the way from reading the book.
The very beginning of the film is very quiet, maybe quasi jungle-ish instruments, to show the strangeness of the environment that they’re in. There used to be a big scene there, but that’s all gone. It’d always great when you have a filmmaker who’s willing to experiment and try things, and you bounce off of each other and you end up with the right tone. It’s a great experience to collectively find the norms are what’s needed in the film. With Luke it’s always this way.
(* see my interview with Frederick Wiedmann on OCCUPATION RAINFALL in the second interview on Soundtrax: Episode June 2021).
Q: Tell us how you worked with David Byrne (Music Preparation) and Henrik Astrom (TechnicalScoring Engineer and Score Mixer) on this project?
Frederik Wiedmann: It starts with Gemma Wiedmann, my orchestrator, and she’s the orchestrator of this project, too. She had her work cut-out for herself, a ton of notes and we had to do a real choir too, which requires an extra focus on orchestration because of that. She’s my wife, obviously, and she’s orchestrated everything I’ve ever done, and I can’t imagine doing this kind of stuff without her. She understands my music more than anybody else, there’s very little I have to say to her because she says “Yeh, I get it, I know what you want to do hear!” Some of this stuff if really difficult to mock-up, especially the crazy chaotic strings, like when you do that on a mini keyboard it sounds terrible; I was lucky Luke was kind enough to accept those demos because he’s been through this with me – and it was all good at the end! Don’t worry! He’s been through this with me! – and having someone like Gemma to get it right and put it on the page, and then hearing it – yeh, this is exactly what I had in mind, and more, is invaluable to me. She’s always a key component of the process. David and Henrik, they both work for me – Henrik started off as my assistant, but he’s now really my score mixer for a lot of my stuff, including this one, he does a lot of prep for the sessions. He’s my wingman on the technical side of things. And David is fantastic with music prep, he does parts for me, he does light orchestration when there is something else needed beyond what Gemma is doing.
Overall, it’s a well-oiled machine. It’s really just the four of us on a project of that scale, and it works great. We all know what are jobs are and we do that extremely well and efficiently. We have a system in place where my computer syncs with everybody’s overnight, so everybody wakes up with a pile, ready to go, and we have online places where we can track each other’s progress and we’re sure we’re all on track. I love that I can really just focus composing and everything else just gets done! It’s a beautiful thing! It frees me up because I’d much rather spend all my energy and time fiddling around and figuring out what to do in the music and making my mock-ups sound as good as possible, so we have a good representation, and we don’t have to worry about anything else in the scoring process. I’m very grateful for this team for allowing me to do it this way.
Q: What was your instrumental palette for the film – and what did the project’s budget permit?
Frederik Wiedmann: Well, it is low budget – low-er budget than it looks, because Luke is an incredibly resourceful filmmaker; he wrote this film, he directed it, he edited the movie too, and he did visual effects supervision. I’m just happy he doesn’t know how to compose music! He’s very hands-on, to me he’s like a true filmmaker. He’s spent every aspect of it, including music, he’s knows with every conceivable score and he’ll reference cues from long ago. Thankfully I’m a film music nerd myself so I know everything he throws at me. He’s extremely knowledgeable in music, filmmaking, and everything else. It’s amazing to have him run this film. I always try to be as resourceful in return, so he can get the best bang for his buck. Having done a lot of low-budget stuff in the past, I’m very good at making it work, so that whatever he offers me I can stretch it to the absolute maximum and make sure that everything gets recorded that can be – and more – to get the result that we want. I think we’ve done a really good job, allocating every cent in the right place so we have recorded most of it live, including the choir.
The movie deserves it, and it sounds as good as it can be. I don’t think this could sound better, I don’t think we’ve been compromised, and that’s kind of my big thing. I’m confident we didn’t compromise. We recorded every cue with a 40-piece orchestra, and a good chunk of it had real choir with 20 singers on it as well. I had my solo guys here in L.A. and they did vocals, I had a bunch of woodwinds, crazy ethnic stuff, flutes, bamboo, pipes, PVC pipes, you name it! Everything’s in there, distorted, pitched down, pitched up. We wanted this sort of quasi ethnic, or a kind of tribal feel, in the jungle fog, especially. That’s what I focused on with those elements, and also these things can be very creepy if you use them right, actually suspenseful even, if it’s a flute, and you layer it or pitch it down, it can be quite ominous. We did all those things we were able to do, and I think it’s as good as it should be.
Q: What can you tell me about the film’s main theme that you’ve created for this film?
Frederik Wiedmann: There are a couple of themes in this. The first one is the Vulture theme, for the soldiers. Our group of heroes who venture out into this valley – it starts out as a rescue mission to find a lost platoon of Green Berets that have vanished from radio. The soldiers don’t know that dinosaurs are out there. That team is called Ventures, and they are our heroes. They’re introduced to us in the beginning of the film, they’re noble but they’re also a bad ass killing machine; they don’t mess around. Then we have a theme for Sophia Vaugner (Tricia Helfer), our Russian girl who is the female protagonist, and plays a big role in the story and her relationship to the soldiers, because she comes in from the enemy side, basically, helping them achieve this mission. Then we have what I call the main theme, which I think, in its biggest form at the very end, when the big battle is done and we reveal the dinosaurs roaming through the valley, it’s our little Jurassic Park moment. We were actually playing around with doing something more triumphant orchestral Williams’ish, but it didn’t work. It felt too out-of-place with everything else we had done leading up to this. We abandoned that pretty quick; it’s a nice little theme but it’s not nearly as intricate, orchestrally, like a John Williams’ piece or something like that. But that’s the main theme and we use it throughout in key moments, especially when there’s a victorious bit, and also when there’s a sad bit, I have a very sad version when one of our main soldiers dies – (Spoiler alert!).
There’s a string version, also, that leads us into that moment. And then the last version, which is another kind of hero theme. It starts off with this final battle toward the end of the film. There is this insane sequence, it’s like six minutes long and it’s the final, big showdown, the battle between humans and dinosaurs and it’s beyond epic! That was one of those pieces that I wrote very early on before much else had been composed, because we needed to know what to do here. It’s almost like a trailer piece, it’s large all the way through. It’s called “Requiem for Soldiers” on the soundtrack (Track 25). That theme comes back a few times throughout the movie, too - especially through the more successful shootouts with the dinosaurs when things don’t go completely haywire. Also, the Russians have a good theme; our lead Russian who is the bad guy, arguably, he has this thing. We actually recorded the choir singing in Russian, every time we are talking about the Russians, and every time we’re not with the Russians, it’s just big music with choir, we’re singing in Latin. I don’t know if anyone will ever notice, because it’s so mixed in with the score, but that’s what we did! So Russian choir means we’re talking about the bad guys, and every time it’s Latin, it’s unrelated, it’s just musical glory in bigness!
Q: You brought in the F.A.M.E.’s Project as your recording Orchestra and recording the Choir on this project. What can you tell us about working with that well-known Studio Orchestra on this project?
Frederik Wiedmann: Oh, they are fantastic. I was one of the first people to record there, in 2012 when they just opened business. I’ve used them ever since. They’re a fantastic group and I love them dearly. They always deliver top quality for everything I need, no matter how difficult they will always take their time and get it done. They have a conductor whose name is Oleg Kondratenko, who’s been doing most of my sessions, with a few exceptions. Oleg is so good at figuring out how to get this orchestra to perform more beautifully; he knows the players, he knows us composers, and he’s just really good at getting it done. If there’s a passage that they don’t know how to read intimately quite well, he’ll go through it and point, ‘you do this, you do this, at this speed,’ and within five minutes they can play it! The musicianship is outstanding, and they have a fantastic choir which I’ve used three times now – once for SUPERMAN RED SUN the DC movie, I used the choir for DOOM: ANNIHILATION, and this one.
Q: I’m interested in your process of working here with Victoria Beaumont (Solo Vocals), and Kristin Naigus (Solo Winds).
Frederik Wiedmann: Kristin is out of state, overwise I would have her in my studio probably all the time! She’s one of those people who plays every conceivable wind instrument you can imagine, from bassoon to the craziest PVC metal pipe, I don’t even know! She had a room full of things, and she always sends me when she has something new. She’s an incredible musician, and she’s as curious as I am about finding new sounds and interesting new instruments. She’s been on DRAGON PRINCE forever, for me, and many other projects. It’s just great because I can ask her for something low and breathy, what can you recommend? She’ll go: how about this and this and this? It’s like a sandbox of fun toys, just pick something and then mess around with it. To me that’s real creative collaboration, and I always appreciate that. And it’s very similar with Victoria. She reached out to me with a cold email, which I hardly ever read because there are so many of them, and she said I’m a singer, I do this kind of stuff, and if you ever need somebody let me know. I clicked on it and started listening and, damn, I do a lot of stuff like that, and this is really good. So, I started talking to her and we started working on DRAGON PRINCE 2, and just like with Kristin, she’s a vocal chameleon, with a quick turnaround she just jumps right in when I sent her an assignment, and comes back beautiful and perfect and better than I could imagine, with alternate versions that sometimes are unexpected but extremely well companied, and it’s another great creative collaboration, and they both have become part of my pallet and my team. Very new projects go by where I don’t use both of them. I also have some cello people and violin people here in LA that I use on a regular basis as well. The best thing I think you can do as a composer is surround yourself with great musicians and the rest is just fun!
Q: How did you create “Requiem for Soldiers” for the film’s final conclusion?
Frederik Wiedmann: That was one big scene, the grand six-minute finale, where we really didn’t know what to do with this. I just started playing, I think I wrote a minute of it, and as I sent it to Luke, I said “what do you think of this? What if we do something like this, and guide the audience through those beats with those kinds of musical content?” It’s like a Two-Steps from Hell kind of track, like a trailer track, it’s really heavy and dense. And Luke said he loved it, let’s do it! So, I started composing this piece and I sort of worked my way through it, bit by bit. It was a minute first, then about half the scene I sent it back to Luke and said, “are we still on the right track, what do you think?” And he gave me some notes, and then I finished it, and he gave me some more notes, I did my last past, and I think this was one of the very few times when he wrote back with swear words about how much he liked it! That was very rare to get that, but that was the process! It was a tough nut to crack – it’s not horror any more, we’re in a different emotional place now, these soldiers are trying to survive, they’re trying to get out of there, and they’re doing their last big badass stand, and it’s extremely heroic, there’s a lot of noble suicides during this bit, it’s in slow motion and it’s raining and it’s night time, dinosaurs are coming from all directions, it’s insane! I don’t even know how Luke pulled this off – if I had read this in the script I’d tell him there’s no way you can make this unless you have $200,000 dollars! Musically, it was really a fun one to score, just because it’s so visceral, visually, it was a very fun one to get done, but not easy, because we came from this dino-horror, dark, crazy, frantic strings and what not, and suddenly we’re in this place. But it worked, I don’t think it’s holey out of it, especially because I was able to tease that theme a few times leading up to this point, throughout the two-hour movie. It doesn’t hit you over the head like cold water, suddenly! Hopefully!
Q: What’s coming up next that you can mention?
Frederik Wiedmann: We’re doing a new film for Luke Sparke, called SCURRY. It’s an interesting one because it’s a single-shot movie from a technical perspective, about two strangers who find themselves trapped underground when the city is attacked by a monstrous threat. Badly injured with limited resources they must navigate a treacherous, narrowing tunnel in hopes of finding an exit. It’s a very interesting concept, it’s about two actors, practically, in a cave trying to survive. I’m a big sucker for things like this, with simple ideas but well executed, and I always appreciate it when they do that. So, this is kind of like that. Do you know that film with Ryan Reynolds called BURIED, where he’s buried in a coffin for the whole movie and he’s trying to get out. It’s an hour-and-a-half and the whole movie’s about that. It’s so fun and interesting, and the twists and turns keep you guessing. You really aren’t seeing anything super-exciting except him, you know, for the whole movie. While this (SCURRY) is a little bit more dramatic, because we’re going through the caves and we’re seeing the creatures and all that stuff, so there’s a lot more happening, but it’s similar in turns of the idea of it, like a very simple story, simple idea, but a really fun experience. So, that’s a cool one that’s coming up.
Watch the PRIMITIVE WAR Scoring Session 2:
Thanks again to Frederik Wiedmann for providing the opportunity to discuss in detail the creation of this score!
In theaters in New York and Los Angeles October 10, expanding October 17: AFTER THE HUNT is a gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light. AFTER THE HUNT is written by Nora Garrett, directed by visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, with cast of: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stulbarg, Chloë Sevigny. Composers are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The film is a Psychological Thriller with a Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
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In Theatres October 24, 2025,? and based on the bestselling book, REGRETTING YOU introduces audiences to Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace) as they explore what’s left behind after a devastating accident reveals a shocking betrayal and forces them to confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other. Directed by Josh Boone, REGRETTING YOU is a story of growth, resilience, and self-discovery in the aftermath of tragedy, also starring Dave Franco and Mason Thames with Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald, in theatres this October. No composer indicated as of yet.
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From Nainita Desai is music from the short film, SHADOWS IN SUNLIGHT, which had its world premiere on Sunday night at HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles. “Thank you to brilliant director Ruhi Hamid for inviting me onto the project, I’m thrilled to have worked for Grain Media and the great work that the Nobel Prize do…,” she said. Synopsis: In the backstreets of the city of Peshawar in North East Pakistan, a team of armed security guards gather in the morning light. Their mission is to protect Ishrat Rahim and her female colleagues - health workers on a mission to vaccinate the city’s children against Polio. Ishrat is one of almost 400,000 women working across Pakistan and if she and her team can succeed, it could finally rid the world of this dreaded disease.
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We're excited to announce that HOSTILE TAKEOVER, scored by our award-winning versatile client composer Kevon Cronin, will be in select theaters and on demand starting August 8th! It will also be streaming on Starz. Pete Strykyr (Michael Jai White) is a top-tier hitman with a knack for talking his way out of trouble—until a deadly mix-up puts a target on his back. Hunted by the city's deadliest killers, Pete’s forced into a wild, brutal night of improvised combat, dark humor, and survival. With fists flying and bullets blazing, he battles through the chaos to clear his name—only to face one last twist.HOSTILE TAKEOVER, starring Michael Jai White & Dawn Olivieri, is the the very first Indie Feature Film in history to be shot 100% on and inside an LED Volume. For those that may not know what LED Volume is, it's a large, immersive environment created by arranging multiple LED panels to form a seamless, high-resolution screen.
Breaking news from La-La Land Records. New titles launching late next month.
THUNDERBALL: REMASTERED & EXPANDED LIMITED EDITION (2-CD SET) LLLCD 1665
Music composed and conducted by John Barry
Limited edition of 5000 units
RETAIL PRICE: $32.98 STARTS SHIPPING LATE SEPTEMBER
“BLACK SUNDAY: REMASTERED LIMITED EDITION”
Music by John Williams
Limited Edition of 3000 Units
RETAIL PRICE: $22.98
STARTS SHIPPING LATE SEPTEMBER
“THE ISLAND: 20th ANNIVERSARY REMASTERED AND EXPANDED
LIMITED EDITION (2-CD SET)”
Music by Steve Jablonsky
Limited Edition of 3000 Units
RETAIL PRICE $31.98
STARTS SHIPPING LATE SEPTEMBER
Composer Kristopher Carter (also known for working with Michael McCuistion and Lolita Ritmanis, as Dynamic Music Partners) has scored the wonderful Award-Winning short film, HOWL AT THE DEAD (“Our pets are trying to warn us!”). The film was written and directed by Gregg Bishop and has now been released into the wild! Synopsis: When a family moves into a haunted house, their loyal pet dog struggles to protect them from the ghosts that only animals can see. “I’m grateful for all the musicians and artists who brought my music to life,” writes Carter:
Woodwinds: Helix Collective
Flute/picc: Sarah Robinson
Oboe/E Hrn: Phil Popham
Clarinet/Bass Clar: Virginia Figueiredo
Bassoon/CBsn: Paul Curtis
Strings: Fames Project, Oleg Kondratenko conductor
Vocalists: Valerie Tambaoan, Chloe Vaught, Ann Sheridan
Music Prep: Larry Rench, Steven Rader
“The soundtrack album, as well as an expanded version of the main theme, are available to listen on all major digital and streaming services… links in comments,” adds Carter.
Get the HOWL AT THE DEAD soundtrack.
Watch the HOWL AT THE DEAD trailer:
FX AND HOLLYWOOD RECORDS RELEASE THE SOUNDTRACK TO
“ALIEN: EARTH” - COMPOSER JEFF RUSSO UNVEILS AN EMOTIONAL AND INNOVATIVE SCORE TO THE SCI-FI HORROR SERIES’ SOUNDTRACK
STREAM IT: SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC | AMAZON MUSIC | YOUTUBE MUSIC , “ALIEN: EARTH” IS STREAMING NOW ON FX Today FX and Hollywood Records released Alien: Earth(Original Soundtrack), the companion soundtrack to the first of the Alien franchise to take place on Earth. While introducing new elements, Emmy-winning composer Jeff Russo also pays homage to the scores from the first two films, maintaining the eerie and tense atmosphere of the original, as well as the feeling of propulsion found in the second film. The series, staying true to the foundation of Ridley Scott’s original creation from 1979, breathes fresh intrigue into the lore. The stakes are high with the setting placed on Earth where the battle against the alien monsters and struggle for humanity will be epic. Russo says of his score, “I used voices along with real instruments to humanize the score where you might not feel human. One of the things I was trying to do was to find the connection between alien, human and hybrid and express that in the score, all while staying in the tonality of those first two films.”
See my interview with Jeff Russo about ALIEN: EARTH in my July 25, 2025 Soundtrax:
Lakeshore Records Releases DUSTER—Original Series Soundtrack, Music By Laura Karpman (AMERICAN FICTION), Main Theme by J.J. Abrams. The Series from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan is streaming now on HBO Max. Karpman merges propulsive dramatic orchestration with ‘70s funk creating a vintage-sounding backdrop to the nostalgic thriller series. Creator J.J. Abrams created and performed the series’ main theme. DUSTER follows Jim Ellis (Holloway) – a gutsy getaway driver for a powerful Arizona smuggling syndicate on the cusp of becoming an empire. Amid the political, social, and cultural upheaval of 1970s America, Jim navigates life like he drives – fast and furious – always leaving the cops in the dust… until Agent Nina Hayes (Hilson) arrives fresh from the FBI Academy. Nina is on a mission to take down the syndicate and prove her worth in a job where too many want her to fail. As Nina’s investigative fearlessness collides with Jim’s increasingly high-risk escapades, these opposites build a tentative frenemy-ship – all while outmaneuvering colorful enemies, pulling off outrageous heists, and surviving hair-raising shoot-outs. Notes Karpman: “The music from ‘Duster’ is an homage to the great Lalo Schifrin as well as the funkiest grooves from the ‘70s. I had a blast working on this with J.J. and LaToya. Special shout out to my fabulous muse, flutist Elena Pinderhughes.” Purchase / Stream:
Watch the DUSTER Trailer:
What would you sacrifice to become the greatest of all time? From Oscar® Winner Jordan Peele And Monkeypaw Productions, producers of the landmark horror films GET OUT, US, CANDYMAN and NOPE, comes a chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, idolatry and the pursuit of excellence at any cost, featuring an electrifying dramatic performance from Marlon Wayans (AIR, RESPECT). HIM stars former college wide-receiver Tyriq Withers (ATLANTA, the upcomingI KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) as Cameron Cade, a rising-star quarterback who has devoted his life, and identity, to football. On the eve of professional football’s annual scouting Combine, Cam is attacked by an unhinged fan and suffers a potentially career-ending brain trauma. Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), a legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar, offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife, Elsie White (Julia Fox; UNCUT GEMS, NO SUDDEN MOVE). HIM is directed by Justin Tipping (KICKS) from an acclaimed Black List screenplay by Zack Akers & Skip Bronkie (creators of the sci-fi crime series LIMETOWN) and by Justin Tipping. Genre:Horror, Composer: The Haxan Cloak.
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Hollywood Records announces the release of Marvel Animation’s Eyes of Wakanda Original Soundtrack with music by EMMY®-nominated composer Hesham Nazih (Marvel Studios’ “Moon Knight”). The digital soundtrack is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and other digital platforms. Continuing his collaboration with Marvel Studios, Hesham Nazih’s score blends instruments and vocal textures from a range of global traditions, including flutes, strings, deep percussion, and experimental vocals, many used for the first time in his work. Each of the four episodes features a distinct musical identity, building toward an epic final chapter. Commenting on the score, Hesham Nazih notes, “It was a journey of many firsts, my first time writing music for animation, and my first time exploring African, Greek, and Asian musical traditions. Almost everything was new to me… and that’s where the magic truly lived. Eyes of Wakanda gave me the chance to explore musical landscapes I never imagined I’d step into. I’m beyond excited for fans to finally hear this music, every note carries the wonder, challenge, and joy of discovery.” Marvel Animation’s new action-adventure series Eyes of Wakanda follows the adventures of brave Wakandan warriors throughout history. In this globe-trotting adventure, the heroes must carry out dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts. They are the Hatut Zaraze and this is their story. Eyes of Wakanda is helmed by director/executive producer Todd Harris, with Ryan Coogler executive producing. Eyes of Wakanda is now streaming on Disney+.
Hesham Nazih is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning Egyptian composer best known for his unique style, interweaving melodies from different cultures to create an authentic genre all his own. He marked his first major English-language project with his Emmy-nominated score for Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight on Disney+, a superhero story rooted in ancient Egyptian deities and mythology, for which he was invited to become a member of The Television Academy.
Watch the Eyes of Wakanda trailer:
Sometimesthe most place for dangerous a dad is a family vacation! Bob Odenkirk returns as suburban husband, father and workaholic assassin Hutch Mansell in the new chapter to NOBODY, the hit 2021 bare-knuckle action-thriller that opened at number one at the U.S. box office. Suburban dad Hutch Mansell, a former lethal assassin, is pulled back into his violent past after thwarting a home invasion, setting off a chain of events that unravel secrets about his wife Becca's past and his own. NOBODY 2 is an 87North/Eighty-Two Films/Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment production, directed by Timo Tjahjanto (THE NIGHT COMES FOR US, THE BIG 4). Composer Dominic Lewis (THE KINGSMAN, VIOLENT NIGHT, THE FALL GUY, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS) provided the score.
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Silva Screen Records releases the soundtrack album from the BBC Television series HUMAN, with music by Paul Saunderson. In this new series paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi reveals our incredible story across 300,000 years of human evolution and how – with the help of the latest discoveries – we’re learning that the story is stranger and more surprising than we ever imagined. The composer’s task was especially challenging: “Approaching the score to BBC’s latest landmark show HUMAN, we wanted to create a score filled with awe and wonder and raw human emotion. Some of the earliest instruments found were flutes made from bones known as the Neanderthal flutes. HUMAN tells the story of ‘us’, and our earliest beginnings, so the score needed to bring the audience on a journey back in time.”
When Homo sapiens emerged in Africa we were not alone: there were at least six other human species alive at the time. Across five episodes, HUMAN examines how we went from being just one of many types of humans to the dominant form of life on the planet. It’s an extraordinary story, spanning many millennia, but for 99% of it we have no written record of what happened. Now, following breakthroughs in DNA technology and remarkable fossil evidence, Ella Al-Shamahi is able to tell us this story in startling detail: from the discoveries in Africa revolutionizing our understanding of how our species began, to the caves of the Americas where we hunted ferocious ten foot tall prehistoric bears, and the stories of the other human species - like Neanderthals - and the role we played in their demise. And she’ll draw on the latest scientific evidence to learn how the lives of our ancestors shaped who we are today.
The broad range of the series presented many opportunities for the music. “Our focus was to create a score that felt primal and earthy whilst also carry the tropes of a large BBC landmark TV show. To do this I combined lots of interesting woody percussion such as log drums, rattles, sticks, leaves, jaw bones, bull roarers, buffalo drums played with friction mallets (to name a few) along with a variety of flutes, vocals, solo cello and a range of smaller bowed instruments such a Rubec and a Tagleharp, all supported by a 22 piece string orchestra to add scale and epic-ness. Most importantly we didn’t want the music to be linked to any specific culture or location or anything that by today’s point of view we would associate with a culture…. we are going back hundreds of thousands of years where such musical identifiers didn’t exist. The result is a rich, emotionally driven and raw primal score with sweeping melodic themes and other worldly textures.” More info Here.
Lakeshore Records Set to Release BUTTERFLY—Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack digitally August 15 - Music by Curtis Green & Min He. Butterfly is a character-driven spy thriller that explores complex family dynamics within the treacherous world of global espionage. It is centered on David Jung (Kim), an enigmatic, highly unpredictable former US intelligence operative living in South Korea, whose life is blown to pieces when the consequences of an impossible decision from his past come back to haunt him, and he finds himself pursued by Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), a deadly, sociopathic young agent assigned to kill him, and Caddis, the sinister spy organization she works for. Butterfly is based on the BOOM! Studios graphic novel series created by Arash Amel. Ken Woodruff (THE MENTALIST, GOTHAM) serves as showrunner and co-creator for the adaptation alongside acclaimed novelist Steph Cha. Kitao Sakurai directed the first two episodes of the series. “We had a blast scoring ‘Butterfly’—it has a powerful energy and drive that is reminiscent of so many great spy movies and series,” said Green. “The score launches in the first 15 minutes of episode one - accompanying an electrifying, fast-paced sequence that propels viewers through the streets of Seoul. It served as the ideal canvas to introduce the central character themes and establish the sonic identity of the series — a fusion of heavily processed Korean percussion and interweaving melodic textures.”
Single “Butterfly (Main Title Theme)” is available now, music by Curtis Green.
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In DO NOT ENTER (horror film), a group of explorers investigate an old, abandoned hotel, encountering a strange supernatural being and a competing group searching for a legendary hidden treasure. Directed by:Marc Klasfeld, based upon: The Book ‘Creepers’ by David Morrell, Cast: Jake Manley, Adeline Rudolph, Francesca Reale, Shane Paul McGhie, Kai Castert. Synopsis: The Creepers are thrill-seeking urban explorers who love pushing things to the edge, and their latest stunt – livestreaming from New Jersey’s abandoned Paragon Hotel – is their biggest yet. With its mobster past, supposed ghosts, and rumored stash of $300 million, the Paragon is catnip to the Creepers, a surefire way to increase their fanbase. But fear has other plans. Daring to enter the Paragon, not heeding the warnings, the Creepers fend off deadly rivals while supernatural creatures stalk them from the shadows, testing their endurance, sanity, and willingness to pay fame’s heavy price. Score composed by Blitz//Berlin, a group of three Juno Award winning film composers. The trio is best known for Jordan Peele's "Scare Tactics", "Blade Runner 2036", "The Void", and "Psycho Goreman", as well as numerous other films, television shows, video games, and film trailers.
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Composer Raphaël Gesqua has remade his soundtrack to TOKI – JUJU (?? Juju Densetsu 2018) with all new original music, and rearrangements of the arcade music version, ICE PALACE, an original videogame soundtrack. The Game is by Pierre Adane & Philippe Dessoly (Mr Nutz Studio), produced by produced by Microids.
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FX and Hollywood Records have released ALIEN: EARTH (Original Soundtrack), the companion soundtrack to the first of the Alien franchise to take place on Earth. While introducing new elements, Emmy-winning composer Jeff Russo also pays homage to the scores from the first two films, maintaining the eerie and tense atmosphere of the original, as well as the feeling of propulsion found in the second film. The series, staying true to the foundation of Ridley Scott’s original creation from 1979, breathes fresh intrigue into the lore. The stakes are high with the setting placed on Earth where the battle against the alien monsters and struggle for humanity will be epic. Russo says of his score, “I used voices along with real instruments to humanize the score where you might not feel human. One of the things I was trying to do was to find the connection between alien, human and hybrid and express that in the score, all while staying in the tonality of those first two films.”
STREAM ON APPLE MUSIC HERE
STREAM ON SPOTIFY HERE
Film/TV, and games composer Michael A. Levine reports that OUTBREAK has broken out! Or at least the soundtrack to the “zombie movie with a twist” he scored last year which was, recently, the #2 most watched film on Hulu. Besides my contributions there are songs from Royd Haston and Wolfe Hybrid. Wolfe Hybrid, perhaps not completely coincidentally, is the recording act led by the director of Outbreak, Jeff Wolfe.
Lakeshore Records releases THE TOXIC AVENGER — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, featuring a wildly eclectic score and original songs by composers Brooke and Will Blair. In this unhinged reimagining of Lloyd Kaufman’s 1984 cult classic, the Blair Brothers capture the chaos, the silliness and the triumphant heart of the original Troma trilogy. The guitar-drenched orchestral score careens from surfy crime-jazz and occult rock to Bossa Nova, classic super Hero motifs, and an unhinged take on Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” (featured in the original Toxic Avenger) — complete with burps, farts, and the Prague Philharmonic. The pair also deliver original songs, including the nu-rap/slop-rock hit “(We Are) Crazy and Dangerous” from on-screen goth villains The Killer Nutz, their B-side “My Baby is an Axe,” and the classic Doo Wop ode to young lovers “The Good Things” by fictional '50s group The Whoopsie Dews.
Over 120 musicians in eight countries contributed to the soundtrack including Medirecon, a 16-piece Kyiv-based string ensemble who recorded by generator after Russian forces cut power to the city’s power grid during the early days of the occupation. The year-long composing effort resulted in a soundtrack that’s as fun and messy and moving as the Troma film that inspired it. “The original Toxie soundtrack was such a bonkers mash-up of styles,” says Will Blair. “Dancey-pop songs would be followed by punk rock, then go immediately into big orchestral pieces followed by weird electro score — and it not only worked, it became part of the Troma experience. We trusted it would work with Macon’s version of Toxie, and we’re grateful he cut us loose to throw everything we had at it.”
Screenplay by and directed by the Blairs’ older brother Macon Blair, and starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon, The Toxic Avenger follows janitor Winston Gooze, who — after a freak toxic accident — mutates into an unlikely hero battling corporate overlords and corruption to save his son and his community. Produced by Legendary Entertainment and Troma Entertainment, Inc. and released by Cineverse in the United States and Canada, The Toxic Avenger is in selected theaters now.
An exclusive 1xLP vinyl edition in “Toxic Green and Black” vinyl with glow-in-the-dark splatter will be available October 3. It’s housed inside a silver mirror board sleeve with a glow-in-the-dark eye and features liner notes by Macon Blair, Brooke Blair and Will Blair. Retails at $35. Preorder Here.
View artwork Here.
Penka D Kouneva - I'm super-excited to announce the release of the original soundtrack "APPLEWOOD: House of Secrets" on Notefornote Music label. I invited and collaborated on "Applewood" with a young, exceptionally gifted film composer, Deniz Aktas. The film is a haunting ghost story / family drama that takes place in current times and in late 19th century in the South, calling for a lush, expressive orchestral score in the tradition of Philippe Sarde's "Ghost Story." I'm forever grateful to Paul J. Salamoff, Rob Hollocks and Amy Bailey for this opportunity, and to Bryon Davis and Peter Hackman for releasing the soundtrack. The film is available on VOD, and I recommend it highly - great characters, great drama, riveting story, beautiful visuals. (Story: A young widow's latent psychic powers reveal dark secrets inside of a Victorian mansion, forcing her to solve its mysteries before it takes her sanity and her life.)
Lakeshore Records announces the release of THE TERMINAL LIST: DARK WOLF—Prime Video Original Series Soundtrack digitally, August 29, featuring music by Ruth Barrett (LAW&ORDER: ORGANIZEDCRIME). Barrett’s use of thunderous and atmospheric percussion offsets ominous strings to create a dark backdrop to the espionage thriller series. Starring Taylor Kitsch, Chris Pratt and Tom Hopper, The Terminal List: Dark Wolf is streaming globally now on Prime Video.
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Searchlight Pictures and Hollywood Records are thrilled to release THE ROSES(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)featuring an emotionally resonant score from Emmy-winning composer Theodore Shapiro. The highly anticipated film arrives in theaters on August 29. Speaking about his approach, Shapiro shares: “The score to THE ROSES is based around two simple themes— one of them where the two notes of a chord come together, and one where they drift apart, following the trajectory of Theo and Ivy’s marriage. The sounds of the score are unstable— steel drums, guitars with extreme chorus effects, and ondes martenot— all of them unstable in pitch and reflecting the wobbly foundations of the marriage.” Adding even more magic, music icon Susanna Hoffs lends her voice to two brand-new duets: “Happy Together” with Rufus Wainwright, and “Love Hurts” with Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats and Bonny Light Horseman.
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Scott Glasgow reports that his Titanic movie, UNSINKABLE, has been re-released. The album was first released missing a key track so with a little fiddling with the distributors/distrokid, all has been corrected! The missing track from original release is track 4, Alain, featuring some nice piano work by Robert Thies. “Also, I decided to add another slower version of the theme for full orchestra and a solo piano version at the end. Listen, and let me know what you think,” Glasgow’s score for UNSINKABLE, also known as UNSINKABLE: TITANIC UNTOLD, is a 2024 historical drama film directed and co-written by Cody Hartman. The film tells the story of the inquiries that followed the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Shot entirely in Pittsburgh, the film stars Cotter Smith, Fiona Dourif, Jayne Wisener, and Karen Allen. The film UNSINKABLE was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on April 12, 2024, and was later added to the streaming service ‘Amazon Prime Video’ in May. Plot: After the RMS Carpathia arrives in New York City with the Titanic survivors, Senator William Alden Smith (Cotter Smith) assembled in New York to guarantee the testimony of all fundamental witnesses during the sinking. Senator Smith and journalist Alaine Ricard (Fiona Dourif) investigates the tragedy as they decipher tales of hurried investigations, political intervention, and the pursuit of corporate responsibility, alongside flashbacks to the gallantry and sacrifice on the Titanic’s deck during the fateful night in April 1912.
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeart radio, and basically all music streaming services are available.
ANNIVERSARY, from Lionsgate; the film is directed by: Jan Komasa, screenplay by: Lori Rosene-Gambino, story by: Jan Komasa and Lori Rosene-Gambino, Cast: Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Madeline Brewer, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Mckenna Grace, Daryl McCormack, Dylan O’Brien. Synopsis: In this gripping thriller, a close-knit family is caught in the turmoil of a controversial rising movement known as “The Change.” Ellen and Paul (Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler) witness their lives fall apart when Ellen’s former student Liz (Phoebe Dynevor) reappears and starts dating their son (Dylan O’Brien). As Liz becomes a part of the Taylor family, tensions rise, and loyalties are tested. Liz’s role in “The Change” brings simmering conflicts to the surface, unraveling the fabric of the family just as the nation itself stands on edge during an alarming and challenging time of uncertainty. Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans are scoring the score.
The film will be released on October, 2025.
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Lakeshore Records announces the release of WATCHMEN Chapter I & II—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack composed by Tim Kelly, arriving on all major digital music platforms. The score accompanies Warner Bros. Animation’s two-part feature films directed and produced by Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Young Justice), which reimagines the groundbreaking Watchmen graphic novel through a meticulously faithful yet sonically bold lens. Vietti’s Watchmen adaptation captures the essence of the legendary 1986 comic created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins, while pushing the medium into new territory. In keeping with this unique vision, Tim Kelly’s score boldly diverges from the orchestral superhero norm, embracing the analog synth textures and atmospheric soundscapes reminiscent of late '70s and '80s film scores. Drawing inspiration from genre-defining composers of the era while injecting his own cinematic instincts, Kelly crafted a score that is both a nostalgic homage and a daring new interpretation, perfectly suited to the dark, complex world of Watchmen’s alternate reality. “I’m very proud of my work on the Watchmen movies,” said Kelly. “I had a lot of leeway to be creative musically and to help support the mood and arc of the story as best I could. I think of it as a highlight achievement for me as a film composer. I feel honored and privileged to have contributed, at least in some way, to the legacy of such an iconic piece of literary history.”
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Broadway Records is set to release the National Theatre’s production of CORIOLANUS—WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING, with Original Music by Angus Macrae. The soundtrack is available digitally on August 22. The production is directed by Lyndsey Turner and Starring David Oyelowo and was performed at the Olivier Theatre. CORIOLANUSis available tostream worldwide on National Theatre at home, The National Theatre’sPioneering Streaming Platform.
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CORIOLANUS (World Premiere Recording): Choose your preferred music service: Download the Album Here
Lakeshore Records announces the release of THE RAINMAKER: SEASON 1—Music from the USA Original Series digitally today, August 15, with an original score by Clinton Shorter (DISTRICT 9, THE EXPANSE TV series, CONTRABAND, 2 GUNS, DISTRICT 9, TRIBES OF EUROPE TV series, BOSS LEVEL). Shorter’s understated atmospheric score utilizes strings and acoustic instrumentation to create a compelling backdrop to the high intensity drama series. Based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham, Rudy Baylor, who is fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond as well as his law school girlfriend, Sarah. Rudy, along with his boss, Bruiser, and her disheveled paralegal, Deck, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client's son. Cast includes Milo Callaghan, John Slattery, Lana Parrilla, Madison Iseman, P.J. Byrne, Dan Fogler, Wade Briggs and Robyn Cara. Notes Shorter: “It’s been an amazing collaborative experience to once again work with Michael Seitzman. He wanted to infuse a country element in the score but maintain a sense of freshness to match the show. It was a fun ride and hopefully there are more seasons to come.”
Episodes are available to stream on Peacock the day after air.
Buy/Stream/Soundload the Album: https://lnk.to/therainmaker
Watch THE RAINMAKER Season 1 Trailer:
Non-Film Music Works by Film Composers
Maximilien Mathevon has released PICTURES, his third electronic music album this year (after TOTEM and PATCHWORK). It will be available for streaming and download on August 22nd.. PICTURES was inspired by the works of Impressionist painters, especially by the Nympheas by Monet. I tried to translate the colors and compositions of the paintings into musical concepts and electronic sonorities. The music is a blend of electronic soundscapes and acoustic instruments samples. I also added some Japanese instruments influences (one of Monet inspiration).”
PICTURES will be available on all streaming platforms (and for digital download also). PICTURES can be preordered from amazon (for streaming: no CD):
A YouTube link will be up shortly before release.
Frank Ilfman, film composer, created of noes and noises, artist and member of SONITUS MORTIS and SHEFFIELD ’78 offers his latest digital track: “60 / 106” “A warm summery, nostalgic and subtly hypnotic new track, blending organic electronics with some poly harmonies,” said Ilfman. “Gear used : Juno 60 / 106, Minimoog, space delay and a VHS machine.” The digital track was released August 26, 2025, available for streaming and download from bandcamp:
WaterTower Music proudly announces the first-ever digital release of ROME (SOUNDTRACK FROM THE HBO® ORIGINAL SERIES) [EXPANDED EDITION], celebrating the 20th anniversary of HBO’s groundbreaking series. The album features Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff Beal’s acclaimed original score from both seasons, along with previously unreleased tracks that capture the epic scope and intimacy of ancient Rome. At the time of its debut, ROME was HBO’s most ambitious and expensive series, setting new standards in television production. Beal’s score was central to its impact, blending historical research with a bold, modern sensibility. Jeff Beal describes creating the musical sound of ROME: “20 years ago, I was given one of the most fascinating and challenging assignments ever in my scoring career. Since music was not notated in this ancient time, we didn't know much about the sound of Roman music. I researched what we knew about music from this time, the instruments which were available, and the sensibilities of a rich empire. I collected and learned many new instruments I'd never played before from all over the world and used them in creating the sound palette for this show. Some of these were Oud, Rababa, Zerna, Duduk, and percussion. Being a brass player, I also played all of the trumpet and French horn.”
With this digital release, fans and scholars can revisit the music that helped shape one of television’s most influential dramas, now preserved in expanded form for the next generation. ROME (Soundtrack from the HBO® Original Series) [Expanded Edition] is available now on all digital and streaming platforms: https://lnk.to/RomeSDTKPR
To celebrate the release of PARENTHOOD: THE GREATEST ADVENTURE—MUSIC FROM THE PROGRAMME on BBC, with music by Tom Howe (TED LASSO, A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON, SHRINKING, KNUCKLES, THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW). Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, each episode showcases stunning animal parenting behavior from around the world with striking imagery that is matched by Howe’s vivid orchestral score. Notes Howe: “The main theme for PARENTHOOD has two sections to it that can play separately or at the same time. The idea being to represent parents and their offspring apart and when together. The organic sounds used in the score also reflect the natural landscape with minimal use of synths. The score was recorded at Abbey Road over 5 days with London’s finest. The score is orchestral in nature with added guitars, banjos, mandolins and solo instruments which I played and recorded in my studio. It was a joyful project to work on.” All episodes are available on BBC iPlayer. The series is anticipated to arrive in the U.S. in 2026.
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Watch LYNX - the PARENTHOOD Episode 1:
Tom Howe has also completed PARENTHOOD: FRESHWATER, Music from the Programme on BBC. Sir David Attenborough Narrates a New Wildlife Series with New Episodes Airing on BBC One - All Episodes Available on BBC iPlayer ABOUT PARENTHOOD: Filmed over three years across six continents and 23 countries, Parenthood showcases astonishing, never-before-seen animal behaviours in stunning 6K ultra high definition. From the remote jungles of Bhutan to the grasslands of Botswana, each episode reveals the unique - and often surprisingly familiar - challenges faced by animal parents around the world. The stakes couldn’t be higher - success for all parents ensures the future of life on our planet. All life needs water to live. Yet water itself is not constantly available, and animal parents must relentlessly adapt to this challenge. Dedication, perseverance and sheer bravery are key to success in the freshwater world. Listen to the Full Album Here.
Lakeshore Records releases 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), with music by Grammy Award-winning composer, sound designer, and score composer Sam Slater. In addition to today’s digital release, a limited-edition 180g vinyl is now available to preorder through Bandcamp featuring an 8-page photography booklet, field recordings of the Ukrainian Frontlines, and a liner-note essay about the record and its context. The vinyl is being released by Mt. Brings Death (distributed via State 51 Conspiracy). The documentary film, from Oscar-winning filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov, integrates frontline documentary footage from Ukraine with immersive spatial sound design. Quiet yet powerfully affecting, the piece foregrounds listening as a means of bearing witness; an approach emblematic of Slater’s interest in the consonance of sound and story. Slater says of the music, “The score for Mstylsav Chernov's new documentary 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA demanded an energy-driven score – blunt, visceral, and aligned with its predominantly first-person perspective. Built around a dry funereal drum feeding back into itself, the score is volatile and relentless. Jakob Vasak’s snarling Kobophon and Kai Whitson’s spectral walkie-talkie textures hover anxiously above it. Voices and strings emerge warped and restless until the closing Mysteria ritual, where Hildur Guðnadóttir, Simon Goff, and Maria W Horn briefly resolve into mournful harmony, grounding us in grief as fallen soldiers’ names are summoned into the air.” Sam Slater is a composer and producer working at the intersection of experimental music, sound design, and contemporary storytelling. Across forms and media, Slater treats sound not merely as accompaniment but as a structural and emotional anchor, constantly probing its potential to reshape attention, space, and narrative.
AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS NOW AND VINYL RELEASE PRE-ORDER HERE. Watch the official trailer:
Nainita Desai has scored the LIMITLESS: LIVE BETTER NOW – the second season of the National Geographic series with Chris Hemsworth on his quest to live a longer, better life. From scaling 600-ft frozen walls in the Swiss Alps to drumming for 70,000 Ed Sheeran fans, the show is as epic as it is inspiring. Nainita Desai: “Huge thanks to my incredible music team: Additional music – Jonny Pilcher Music Thom Robson Hilgrove Kenrick - Composer Robert Treves Javier Blanco-Lago; Music editor – Emelye Moulton; Nutopia Disney+ Hulu National Geographic, Alliance for Women Film Composers, Composers Diversity Collective, The Society of Composers & Lyricists.
Watch the LIMITLESS trailer:
Today, Fatshark Games and Laced Records release the Warhammer: 40,000 Darktide Volume 4 Original Soundtrack by BAFTA award-winning Danish composer Jesper Kyd (State of Decay 3, Warhammer: 40,000 Darktide, Tumbbad, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla & Ezio Trilogy) to digital platforms.
Surpassing 50 Million streams on Spotify, Kyd’s original soundtrack for Darktide features a dark operatic and heavy synth palette, employing his arsenal of vintage analog synths, organic instruments, Eurorack modular synths, and gothic choir, establishing bold new musical directions for the Warhammer franchise. Jesper Kyd: “Volume 4 is a music collection focused on intense and cinematic grimdark EDM music which harkens back to the idea of writing action-infused music while you fight for the Imperium to cleanse the hive city Tertium of chaos worshipping heretics. From an out-of-control speeding train to a ritualistic sermon conquering a Daemonhost, from the Nightmare and Visions expansion to the theme for the new Arbites class DLC, this 7-track collection covers a lot of ground and hits hard.”
The Darktide original soundtracks can be streamed below: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Original Soundtrack Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Volume 2 Original Soundtrack Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Volume 3 Original Soundtrack Warhammer 40,000 Darktide Volume 4 Original Soundtrack
Mondo Music is proud to present the premiere vinyl release of Konami’s METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY soundtrack. Pressed on 140-gram vinyl, this expanded 3xLP release comes housed in a tri-fold gatefold sleeve with original art by Stephen Green. Music by Konami Digital Entertainment. Details for ordering here.
Lakeshore Records is set to release vinyl edition, from the world of JOHN WICK: BALLERINA, Available October 17: Original Score by JOEL J. RICHARD & TYLER BATES. For Immediate Release August 15, 2025: Lakeshore Records is set to release a vinyl edition ofFrom The World of John Wick: BALLERINA with an original score by Joel J. Richards (John Wick Series), and Tyler Bates (John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy). The single LP in “Violet Smoke” colored vinyl with color inserts will be available on October 17. Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Lionsgate’s Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, Angelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, with Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves, is directed by Len Wiseman, written by Shay Hatten, based on characters by Derek Kolstad, and produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski. Preorder the Album Here.
T-65b Records announces the release of the Original Game Soundtrack for Giant Squid’s latest game, SWORD OF THE SEA, with music by multiple award-winning composer Austin Wintory! SWORD OF THE SEA continues the exploration of humanity's relationship with nature. Austin’s score, however, is a departure from their previous work. Instead of the lush impressionist sound of ABZU or the sprawling “global folk” music of The Pathless, his new soundtrack focuses on solo piano and children's choir. It also incorporates solo strings (including cellist Tina Guo), custom-built Native American drone flutes and winds performed by Kristin Naigus, men's choir, and electronics. As with all their games, the music is highly dynamic and adapts to the player's progression. The game comes from studio Giant Squid, with whom Wintory collaborated for beautiful gaming experiences like ABZU and The Pathless. Sword of the Sea is their most intimate collaborative work to date, with a score focusing on piano and children’s choir solo. ABOUT SWORD OF THE SEA: Surf across magnificent waves of sand and glistening waters on an epic quest to restore a lost ocean. From the visionary artist behind ABZÛ, The Pathless, and Journey, SWORD OF THE SEA is an atmospheric surfing adventure with fast movement inspired by classic skateboarding and snowboarding games. T-65b Records releases the Sword of the Sea (Original Game Soundtrack) with music by Grammy and BAFTA winning composer, Austin Wintory. The soundtrack is available to stream today, August 19, to coincide with the game's release on PS5 and Steam.
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Randall D. Larson was for many years publisher of CinemaScore: The Film Music Journal, senior editor for Soundtrack Magazine, and a film music columnist for Cinefantastique magazine. A specialist on horror film music, he is the author of Musique Fantastique: 100+ Years of Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror Film Music, and Music from the House of Hammer. He currently writes articles on film music and sf/horror cinema and has written liner notes on more than 300 soundtrack CDs. Follow Randall on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MusiqueFantast1 or BluSky via larsonrdl@gmail.com or larsonrdl@gmail.com
