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Army of the Dead (Music From the Netflix Film)
Soundtrack album by Tom Holkenborg
Released	May 21, 2021 (2021-05-21)
Recorded	2020–2021
Genre	Film score electronic
Length	48:42
Label	Maisie Music Publishing Milan Records
Producer	Tom Holkenborg
Tom Holkenborg chronology
Godzilla vs. Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021) Army of the Dead (Music From the Netflix Film) (2021) Army of Thieves (2021)

Army of the Dead (Music From the Netflix Film) is the soundtrack album to the 2021 American film Army of the Dead, directed by Zack Snyder. The soundtrack was released by Milan Records on May 21, 2021, coinciding the day with its global release on Netflix. It features 12 tracks from the original score composed by Tom Holkenborg, also known as Junkie XL, and the Elvis Presley song "Viva Las Vegas" (performed by Richard Cheese and Allison Crowe). In addition, a limited edition 2-disc vinyl set of the soundtrack was released on September 10.

Development

"Army of the Dead was a chance to start something very new and fresh, which is certainly ironic for a movie about the undead! It was such a fun project as we got to rip up the rule book, and really re-examine what a zombie movie could sound like. It's a lot of fun!"

Snyder's norm collaborator and Dutch composer Tom Holkenborg confirmed on a Reddit AMA in May 2020 that he would be composing the film's score. This marked his third film with the director after 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). In an interview, Holkenborg recalled that Snyder told him to make the music "modern, make it unworldly, make it as emotional as you can with soft, dark, underlining haunting elements." To accomplish this, he created a "totally electronic score packed with adrenaline-pumping music" that Snyder later said he enjoyed.

While Holkenborg was expected to contribute to the music of the prequel Army of Thieves (also released in the same year) and the tie-in animated series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, the former's director Matthias Schweighöfer announced that Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro will serve as composers for the film, replacing Holkenborg. He is also expected to return for the direct sequel, whose title Planet of the Dead was announced in October 2021.

Release

Army of the Dead (Music From the Netflix Film) was released to streaming and digital download on May 21, 2021, coinciding with the Netflix release. Before the album's release, the track list consisting of 12 songs being launched on May 13, and a preview single from the album, the Elvis Presley song "Viva Las Vegas" (performed by Richard Cheese and Allison Crowe), was released the same date. The album was released in physical formats on July 9, 2021. In addition, a limited edition 2-disc vinyl set of the soundtrack was announced by Waxwork Records, the co-distributor of the vinyl CDs and pre-orders for the vinyl album began on May 28. This limited edition soundtrack consists of 180-gram neon pink and yellow disc vinyl, consists of six tracks each. A new artwork design by Oliver Barrett and exclusive liner notes were also contained in this edition. The vinyl edition released in US on September 10.

Track listing

All music is composed by Tom Holkenborg

Additional music

Additional music that is not listed in the soundtrack album includes Presley's "Suspicious Minds" and "Night Life", Thea Gilmore's cover of "Bad Moon Rising", Control Machete's "Sí Señor", "The End" by the Raveonettes, Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "Siegfried's Funeral March" from Götterdämmerung, and the acoustic version of the Cranberries' "Zombie".

Reception

The soundtrack received mostly positive reviews. From Decider, Anna Menta commented that she found the soundtrack album to be "consistently perfect" and said "Each song seems to capture the grizzled but colorful vibe of killing zombies in the desert—like a western that knows how to have fun". Writing for the PopSugar website, Divya Meena called it as "an exceptionally great soundtrack that not only enhances the cinematic experience but also drives the emotion home" and also hailed it as "one of 2021's best soundtracks".

Contrarily, a reviewer from Film Music Central gave a negative review saying that "the music crashes together in a rising crescendo that, if it takes place in the moment, where music and picture work together perfectly". Movie Wave-based critic James Southall wrote: "It’s no surprise to hear music in this style written for a movie like this, but it is odd that Snyder used pretty famous tuneful songs (albeit cover versions) for so much of the movie and asked for such dark, relentless music from Holkenborg for the score. And the thing with film music is that because it can be essentially any style of music at all, if it’s in a style you don’t like – then it doesn’t really matter how well it may be written, the album isn’t going to be for you."

Charts

Notes

1. Also known as Snyder Cut
2. Holkenborg was originally intended to score for the theatrical version of Justice League, before being replaced by Danny Elfman following Snyder's departure and Joss Whedon's arrival. When Snyder got the chance to finish and release his version of the film, Holkenberg was brought back and decided to rescore the film from scratch, with Elfman's score being disregarded.

References

1. Fogarty, Paul (May 21, 2021). "Army of the Dead soundtrack: Explore the movie's songs, music and score". HITC. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
2. ^ Chitwood, Adam (May 13, 2021). "Exclusive: Tom Holkenborg's Army of the Dead Soundtrack Set for May Release; Listen to a Preview Track Now". Collider. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
3. ^ Miska, Brad (May 27, 2021). "Waxwork Records Infected by Junkie XL's 'Army of the Dead' Original Motion Picture Score [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
4. ^ "Army of the Dead". Waxwork Records. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
5. "Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) to Score Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead". Film Music Reporter. May 15, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
6. "Composer Tom Holkenborg on Throwing Out His Original 'Justice League' Score for The Snyder Cut". Collider. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
7. Guttmann, Graeme (April 13, 2021). "Army of the Dead Prequel Movie Title Confirmed As Army Of Thieves". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
8. Schweighöfer, Matthias (August 12, 2021). "I am beyond excited to announce that I have the honour to work with the legendary and incredible Hans Zimmer, along with co-composer Steve Mazarro! They will be composing the score for ARMY OF THIEVES, the Zack Snyder-produced ARMY OF THE DEAD prequel, starred and directed by me" (Tweet). Retrieved August 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
9. Shepherd, Jack (October 27, 2021). "Army of the Dead 2 title revealed by Zack Snyder – get ready for Planet of the Dead". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
10. Tom Holkenborg - Army Of The Dead (Music From The Netflix Film), May 21, 2021, retrieved March 28, 2022
11. Hough, Q.V. (May 21, 2021). "Every Song In Army Of The Dead". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
12. Menta, Anna (May 24, 2021). "The Army of the Dead Soundtrack Is Consistently Perfect". Decider. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
13. Meena, Divya (May 24, 2021). "Army of the Dead's Soundtrack Will Be on Repeat Until the Zombie Apocalypse Arrives". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
14. Central, Film Music (June 1, 2021). "Soundtrack Review: Army of the Dead (2021)". Film Music Central. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
15. Southall, James (May 22, 2021). "Army of the Dead Soundtrack Review". Movie Wave. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
16. "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
17. "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2022.

• 2021 soundtrack albums
• 2020s film soundtrack albums
• Film scores
• Army of the Dead (franchise)
• Junkie XL albums
• Milan Records soundtracks