Zanobard Reviews

Daniel Pemberton channels the sound of the 1980s to amazing effect with his score for Masters Of The Universe, with thunderously epic orchestra, Brian May on electric guitar and a killer main theme altogether making for one of the finest soundtracks of the composer’s career so far!

It is with great anticipation that I have awaited Daniel Pemberton’s score for Travis Knight’s Masters Of The Universe. To call it my most anticipated score of this year is probably accurate, simply for if I was in charge of this movie’s music production, tasked with the challenge of picking its composer – I’d have picked Daniel Pemberton too. His wackily unique compositional style and thematic applications to me would fit the grand character of He-Man and the magical setting of Eternia like a glove, and would likely offer a fresh and intriguing sound to the classic franchise too. Or at least – that’d be the hope, for you never do know quite what you’re going to get. Thankfully though the wait to find out exactly what Pemberton would have in store for MoTU is now indeed over, so let’s waste no further time and dive into his brand new main theme; “Eternia”. Ethereal vocals open the three minute track, echoing a seven note motif that immediately sticks in your head – catchy is a dramatic understatement – with upbeat drums and very ’80s-styled synth then joining the vocals as the music starts to build. At forty five seconds, with the new theme swirling ever-higher in sheer triumph, an enthusiastic electric guitar suddenly also surges into centre stage – and this is a special one, as its played by legendary musician Brian May! With the instrumental stage set, the already eye-opening track then just starts to go.

The main theme practically explodes for the next minute as May’s electric guitar together with Pemberton’s thunderous drums, soaring synth and emphatic vocals all urge it along in unbelievable orchestral grandeur; the impeccably ’80s sound is very prevalent in this faster section, with stylistic hints toward the songs of Queen (unsurprisingly, given Brian May) as well as intriguingly ABBA (in the percussion particularly). In its final minute the track then slows again, blasting a now loudly heroic finishing flourish of the theme with brass and all the aforementioned instrumentation proudly abound, until finally fading to a close. Yeah… wow. In a surprisingly straightforward, less wacky (for Pemberton, anyway) melodic twist, what we have here is an impeccably memorable and aptly grandiose main theme, and with all those ’80s-styled instruments it sounds absolutely phenomenal. Circling back to that ‘if I were in charge of this film’s music production’ scenario earlier; after hearing this, I’d be bloody pleased with having picked Pemberton as composer. He’s absolutely nailed it. It’s exactly the level of sheer power and unapologetic heroism that you’d hope for with a Pemberton approach to Eternia. Though to say it simply meets expectations is putting it mildly; more like shatters them completely. What an album opener!

Twinkles of gently child-like percussion and plucking strings open “Young Adam”, with the now firmly established Eternia theme then echoing through on peacefully medieval-sounding woodwinds. As the cue continues however the instrumental ensemble starts to grow, with hopeful strings and echoing drums dialing up the volume alongside an ethereal choir. The rising hope doesn’t last for long though as “The Battle For Eternos” starts to seed villainy with a dark, slitheringly electronic soundscape for Skeletor. Anxious strings and pounding percussion then usher tense action into centre stage with Skeletor’s electronics giving chase, before rising brass starts to regain the upper hand in the second half with a rather grand new motif seemingly for Idris Elba’s Man-At-Arms and the people of Eternos. This theme receives a particularly striking rendition in the final minute alongside thunderous electric guitars – the power levels of the orchestra here, my goodness – and hints toward the Eternia theme before the action then grinds to a dramatic halt. Aggressively imposing electronics – not unlike the ones used in Across The Spider-Verse – then play worriedly against shrill vocals and strings in the short “You Failed” before the ominous electronic sound of Skeletor returns in the eerie “Skeletor And Kind Randor”, now paired with horror-like strings and low-pitched vocals to further the growing dramatic darkness.

I have to say, I do think it’s a bit of a shame that Skeletor receives more of a style here than a specific theme. You can definitely tell he’s there, the slithering electronics and strings do a good job of showing that, but – if you have a cool hummable theme for the hero, it’s nice to have one for the villain too (see Conti’s 1987 Masters Of The Universe for a good example of that), but oh well. A dramatic pace then occupies “Portal To Earth” with both the Eternia and Man-At-Arms themes intensely intertwined atop surging vocals, drums and brass. A serene piano melody then occupies the ninety second “Boys Don’t Cry” – in fact, it’s exactly the melody behind the titular song, from 1979 by The Cure – before a playful electric guitar then reprises the five note back half of the Eternia theme in the percussive and rather stealthy-sounding “Comic Store Heist”. Solemn guitar notes then pluck away at the start of “Freeway Escape” with the Eternia theme leaping enthusiastically back into centre stage for an explosively frenetic second half, before Brian May returns in the ninety second “Folding Space” with the full Eternia theme swelling in triumph on soaring vocals, ’80s-styled electronics and thunderous electric guitar. ABBA and Queen stylings are very strong here! Things then simmer significantly for the quietly sorrowful “Eternos In Ruins” as forlorn strings and vocals echo the Eternia theme in particularly melancholic form.

A decidedly Queen-inspired percussive beat is the stylistic focus of the boppy “Prison Break”, with an enthusiastic electric guitar in centre stage alongside blasts of spirited brass. This rather playful mood then continues into the similarly propulsive “Conflict Territory” with interspersions of the Eternia theme striding through infrequently on guitar, before an utterly standout moment arrives with the subsequent “The Power Of Grayskull”; here Brian May’s electric guitar returns atop a jaw dropping combination of thunderous orchestra and breathtaking vocals, with the Eternia theme soaring heroically throughout as a result – and much like the theme cue earlier, Pemberton’s style here is absolutely phenomenal. Another treat is then in store for “He-Man Vs Trap-Jaw” as a new theme debuts, and it’s a special one; tense drums thud in the opening seconds before being joined by increasingly triumphant brass and electric guitar playing said theme, which bears a striking resemblance in structure – though it’s not exactly the same – to Shuki Levy and Haim Saban’s iconic theme for the original 1980s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon (and trust me, there’s a good reason for this). The emphatic orchestral heroism then fades for the darker “Get The Sword” with ominous electronics echoing, before another standout moment arrives with six minute action setpiece “Sky Fight”.

Frantic strings and anxious brass open this six minute track, with some rather Spider-Verse styled electronics and pounding drums also joining the fray to drive up the already breakneck pace until the stylistic anxiety finally starts to give way at just before the four minute mark; here the new He-Man theme suddenly bursts grandly into centre stage on blasting brass, a little unsure of itself at first before finding its heroic mojo rather spectacularly in the final minute. Tranquil strings and peaceful vocals are then the focus of “You Are He” alongside quiet echoes of the Eternia theme, with the subsequent “See Another Morning” and “Such Good Friends” floating with similar instrumental melancholy (and the addition of ethereal woodwinds). A powerfully percussive Eternia theme then opens “Journey To Snake Mountain” with emphatic vocals and brass following, before a much colder and more ominous feel seeps into the music in “Enter Snake Mountain” as the creepy electronic soundscape for Skeletor returns. A throaty electric guitar is then the star of four minute action cue “Fight For Snake Mountain”, with a head-bangingly heavy metal vibe crashing frenetically along throughout together with tremendously brassy orchestra holding both the Eternia and He-Man themes proudly high. Things then quieten with a more reserved, almost pensive strings rendition of the Eternia theme in “I Wanted To Protect You” alongside a return to the more solemn, medieval sound from the beginning of the score.

The finale begins with “Battle Cat and He-Man”, firstly with a lurking electronic hint toward Skeletor before He-Man’s theme starts to stir on hopeful brass – and it isn’t long before the thunderous electric guitar and deafening percussion then elevate it to epic (and deafening) heights. Action fully kicks off with “The Witch And The Warrior Goddess” with the heavy metal electric guitar-led style from earlier now leading a tensely determined Eternia theme, and while an ominous reprisal of Skeletor interrupts the growing orchestral power in “Let’s Have A Look”, it doesn’t take long for things to get back on track with the standout “The Sword Of Power”; an ethereal sound once again settles (harkening back to the first few tracks) with high-pitched strings and vocals, before rising orchestral grandeur then practically thunders the He-Man and Man-At-Arms/Eternos themes in for a gorgeously orchestrated moment of sheer fire. “Skeletor Vs He-Man” then echoes eerily at first with Skeletor’s moody electronics and tensely aggressive action – led by pounding drums and low-pitched electric guitar – until the Eternia and He-Man themes at last gain the upper hand towards the end. We then get one last Brian May treat in “Return to Eternia” with the titular theme soaring once again on the impeccably played electric guitar, ’80s percussion and vocals, before Pemberton then floors with final score track “A Job For He-Man”.

The He-Man theme plays low and peaceful at first in this lasting cue before starting to build, and then magically, amazingly – it shifts slightly, becoming a thunderously heroic and impeccably full rendition of Shuki Levy and Haim Saban’s iconic theme from the animated series – with even a few fantastic “He-Man!” vocal chants – as Adam chooses his name and fully becomes He-Man in the film. Rock band The Darkness then follow this phenomenal track with an excellent rock song made specially for the movie, which even utilises some of Pemberton’s instrumental and thematic stylings. Thus ends the album, but intriguingly a few weeks before it dropped there were two singles released, both “Eternia” from the beginning of the score and a longer “End Credits” version of it which oddly doesn’t appear on this current release. Perhaps it will show up at some point in a ‘deluxe’ edition, but it’s a shame not to have it here as ending this already amazing soundtrack with that even bolder, fuller rendition of Pemberton’s Eternia theme would have been the absolute icing on the cake. Oh well, at least it can be added manually if you Spotify playlist this score. I’m going to pretend it’s just part of the album, as it’s technically already released (just in single form).

Overall, Daniel Pemberton’s score for Masters Of The Universe is pure, unabashedly ’80s-styled fun. Drawing heavy stylistic inspiration from the sound of ABBA and Queen, the composer quite literally rocks the house with a sweeping and at times powerfully bombastic instrumental combination of thundering electric guitars, enthusiastic synth & electronics and triumphantly brassy orchestra, and if that wasn’t ’80s enough – he’s also somehow got Brian May too, and man when May goes ham on that electric guitar… it’s mind blowing. Pemberton’s main theme “Eternia” is an impeccable and indeed Standout example of this, with all of the above-mentioned instrumentation together with May’s spectacular guitar work going absolutely insane with a catchy motif, and the result is my favourite piece of film music this year so far; it’s that good. As you can probably imagine, the action music that then results from this phenomenally ’80s style all across the full soundtrack is simply superb, with highlights including “The Battle For Eternos”, “Sky Fight” and “Fight For Snake Mountain” (the third in particular there goes pretty nuts with the heavy metal, I can tell you that). In terms of themes, joining “Eternia” are boppy pieces for Man-At-Arms & Eternos itself, as well as a rather heroic He-Man theme that bears a striking resemblance to Shuki Levy and Haim Saban’s iconic one from the original animated series – until it quite literally becomes it in the final track, all-in an amazing example of ‘earning’ an iconic theme, I must say!

Indeed, my only issue with this score is the music for Skeletor. He doesn’t really have a theme, instead receiving an eerie, slithering electronic soundscape that while serviceable in its ominous tone, sadly isn’t very memorable. A hero is only as good as their villain, and as He-Man and Eternia get such amazing themes here it would’ve been nice for Skeletor too to get a dramatically villainous one to rival them. But oh well. That doesn’t stop what we do get here – a bombastically electric guitar-led powerhouse of a superhero score – from being pretty. Damned. Amazing.

Score: 8.5/10

Standout Cues: Eternia, The Battle For Eternos, Sky Fight, A Job For He-Man

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