Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (soundtrack)

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Music from the Motion Picture)
Film score by
Lorne Balfe
ReleasedMarch 31, 2023 (2023-03-31)
RecordedOctober 2022–January 2023
GenreFilm score
Length90:17
LabelMercury Classics
ProducerLorne Balfe
Lorne Balfe chronology
Ticket to Paradise
(2022) 		Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023) 		Tetris
(2023)
Singles from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Music from the Motion Picture)
  1. "Wings of Time"
    Released: March 10, 2023

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, based on the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The original score is composed by Lorne Balfe which consisted 49-score cues running for over 90 minutes has been released through digital platforms on March 31, 2023 by Mercury Classics.[1] The album is headlined by the lead single — the end credits song, "Wings of Time" by Tame Impala, released three weeks ahead of the film.[2]

Background[edit]

In July 2022, Lorne Balfe was announced as the music composer for the film. In an interview to ComicBook.com, Balfe recalled that: "I used to play Dungeons, so when I heard they were making that, I knew I wanted to be part of the team. Because that was my memory as a child, playing it. So that's fun. And that's in that realm of – they are superheroes. That'll be a fun movie."[3] He added that the score is filled with delicate mystical Celtic journeys mixed with the large cinematic lush orchestra, which helped him to go back to his Scottish roots for the film's score.[1][4]

The film features the original song, "Wings of Time" released on March 10, 2023.[5][6] It is performed by Australian musician Kevin Parker, the frontman of the psychedelic music project Tame Impala and co-written by Nick Allbrook. Parker said that "Being asked to do a track for the D&D soundtrack seemed like an unmissable opportunity to indulge in my long time love of fantasy prog rock".[7] His collaboration with Allbrook had helped him rent a villa in Spain for two nights during a tour for Primavera Sound music festival, and as the villa had a look of a castle, he thought that the location got in the right frame of mind and it went from there, allowing weird ideas and song lyrics.[8][9] On March 19, Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez revealed that the track "l'Emprise" appearing on Mylène Farmer's eponymous album will feature in the end-credits of the song in French-speaking countries.[10]

The 49-track score album was released on March 31, 2023 on the same day of its release by Mercury Classics Soundtracks & Scores label.[11]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."I Wasn't Always a Thief"0:58
2."Finding Zia"1:36
3."Thick as Thieves"2:59
4."Korrin's Keep"2:23
5."Escape the Tower"0:45
6."Dungeons and Dragons"1:35
7."Journey to Neverwinter"1:04
8."Reunited with Kira"1:08
9."Forge Begins"0:44
10."Sofina Starts"0:25
11."That's Why You Came Back"1:29
12."Into the Floor"1:58
13."Execution Escape"0:49
14."Be Gone"1:29
15."Magic Show Melee"1:16
16."Owl Bear"1:38
17."Doric's Story"0:50
18."Szass Tam's Story"0:52
19."Wizardry"1:46
20."Gwynn"1:07
21."Down at the Cemetery"4:23
22."Xenk"1:16
23."Thayan Flahback"1:30
24."Swear to It"1:22
25."The Underdark"3:11
26."Unlock the Helmet"1:38
27."The Ruckus"1:43
28."Themberchaud"2:37
29."Trapped"1:29
30."Swim to the Beach"0:38
31."Goodbye Xenk"0:50
32."Helmet Attuning"1:20
33."Remembering You"1:08
34."Never Stop Failing"3:10
35."The Heist"2:32
36."Forge's Speech"1:42
37."Into the Castle"2:25
38."Simon Does It"2:04
39."Sofina's Trickery"2:48
40."Entering the Arena"1:55
41."The Maze"4:58
42."Beneath the Maze"1:14
43."Sorry Forge"2:43
44."Turn the Ship Around"3:22
45."Final Battle"4:13
46."Fallen Foe"0:45
47."A Red Wizard's Blade"3:30
48."The Reawakening"1:29
49."Forge's Tale"1:31
50."Wings of Time" (written by Kevin Parker and Nick Allbrook; performed by Tame Impala)2:48
Total length:90:17

Reception[edit]

Lorne Balfe's score received positive reviews from critics. Nikki Baughan of Screen International and Helen O'Hara of Empire compared it to the likes of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones music.[12][13] Baughan felt that the score "is at its most effective during the sequences when the foursome really start pulling together, the bombast of orchestral sounds given extra weight by an urgent, spine-tingling chorus of human voices."[13] Marisa Mirabal of IndieWire wrote "Lorne Balfe heightens the tension with a unique mixture of verbal chanting and rhythmic beats that properly enhance the meticulous stuntwork. The score morphs into a creature of its own and is unlike the soothing, sweeping scores of other fantasy films. Balfe also successfully leans into the bard lore of Pine’s character by composing songs that are light-hearted, poetic, and heavy with string instruments."[14] Kate Stables of GamesRadar+ wrote "Celtic-tinged music score that Frodo would feel right at home with".[15] J. Don Birnam of BTL News wrote "Lorne Balfe creates a magnificent little soundtrack that perfectly captures the playful overtones of the movie and its nerdy, fantastical elements."[16] James Vernier of Boston Herald felt that the score "hits the right balance of serious and play".[17]

Filmtracks.com wrote "the score for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves serves the film well enough to recommend, with sufficient highlights to combine into a vaguely Celtic adventure suite. But be careful when you approach this score on album. At over 90 minutes in length, the score-only presentation is slowed by incidental cues of little value, not to mention the full slate of really obnoxious action material. On the other hand, all the snippets of the score's alluring lyrical highlights can be assembled apart from the detractions. High resolution options for the score do illuminate the creative percussive elements and Celtic-flavored soloists, but this benefit dwindles once electronic manipulation and other enhancements ruin the soundscape. This music owes much to Shore and Powell when not regurgitating Balfe's basic action fare, its lovely melodic portions for secondary themes compensating for an otherwise decent but uninspiring adventure narrative. Prepare your best culling strategy for this one."[18] Jonathan Broxton called it as "a fun score, entertaining and engaging, with plenty of bold action, appropriate emotion, and fascinating sonic ideas".[19] In a negative review, Kush Bansal of The Daily Free Press found the score "never compelling beyond the generic medieval adventure music".[20]

Book of the Bard[edit]

Book of the Bard (Music Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)
Film score by
Lorne Balfe
ReleasedJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)
GenreFilm score
Length38:56
LabelParamount Music

A companion album was released on June 23, 2023 with 14 songs inspired by the world of Taverns in Dungeons & Dragons, written by Lorne Balfe with directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.[21][22]

No.TitleLength
1."Finn's Boy"2:06
2."Lads and Lasses"2:01
3."The Nine Hells"2:09
4."Free Kenku"2:11
5."Juice of the Vine"3:10
6."Oak's Tale"3:13
7."Beerzerk"2:58
8."Sweet Emerald Love"3:36
9."Drowing in the Jar"2:49
10."Lasses and Lads"3:43
11."The Dragons Breath"2:33
12."The Warden"3:55
13."Benjamin and Leopold"2:05
14."I Measc na Laochra (Amongst the Warriors) [feat. Róisín Seoighe and Kneecap]"2:27

The Dungeon Master's Jukebox[edit]

The Dungeon Master's Jukebox (Music Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)
Film score by
Lorne Balfe
ReleasedJuly 28, 2023 (2023-07-28)
GenreFilm score
Length33:02
LabelMercury Classics

A second companion album was released on July 28, 2023 with 10 songs inspired by the film, written by Lorne Balfe before filming started based on the script and storyboards.[23][24]

No.TitleLength
1."Holga Kilgore"5:07
2."Edgin’s Journey"2:14
3."Xenk Yendar"2:18
4."Doric’s Theme"3:28
5."Friendship Forged"5:17
6."The Red Wizard"4:06
7."The Gang"3:43
8."Homelands"2:23
9."Kira’s Theme"1:48
10."Holga’s Pride"2:38

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Schube, Will (April 2, 2023). "Listen To The 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Soundtrack". uDiscover Music. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "Tame Impala share uninspired new single 'Wings of Time'". Far Out Magazine. March 10, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons Movie Composer Reveals Why He Joined Project (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. October 22, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Laman, Lisa (March 21, 2023). "Roll The Dice On These Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Facts". Looper. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Singh, Surej (March 10, 2023). "Listen to Tame Impala's new song for 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'". NME. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Goggins, Joe (March 10, 2023). "Tame Impala share song from 'Dungeons & Dragons' soundtrack". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Tame Impala Share New Song "Wings of Time"". Pitchfork. March 10, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "Tame Impala Drops 'Dungeons & Dragons' Track "Wings of Time"". Hypebeast. March 10, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Fu, Eddie (March 10, 2023). "Tame Impala indulge in prog rock fantasies on new song "Wings of Time": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Paramount Pictures France [@paramountfr] (March 19, 2023). "Annonce #DonjonsEtDragons par Chris Pine et @MRodOfficial 📢👇 #MylèneFarmer 🤫 https://t.co/GaoUz9ouzV" [#DonjonsEtDragons announcement by Chris Pine and @MRodOfficial 📢👇 #MylèneFarmer 🤫] (Tweet) (in French). Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Soundtrack Album Details". FilmMusicReporter. March 3, 2023.
  12. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves". Empire. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Baughan, Nikki (March 28, 2023). "'Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves': Review". Screen. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Mirabal, Marisa (March 11, 2023). "'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Review: Magic and Mayhem Reign in This Epic Adaptation". IndieWire. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Stables, Kate (March 11, 2023). "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves review: "turns the board game into a big-screen treat"". Games Radar. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  16. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Review: Chris Pine a Strong Fit for This Charming But Ultimately Forgettable Fantasy Film". Below the Line. March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  17. ^ "'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' rolls the high score". Boston Herald. March 30, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  18. ^ "Filmtracks: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Lorne Balfe/Various)". www.filmtracks.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  19. ^ "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES – Lorne Balfe". MOVIE MUSIC UK. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Bansal, Kush (April 6, 2023). "REVIEW: 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' rolls big on adventure". The Daily Free Press. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  21. ^ "Book of the Bard (Music Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)". Apple Music. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  22. ^ "Calling all Adventurers and Dungeon Masters!". Instagram. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "The Dungeon Master's Jukebox (Music Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)". Apple Music. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  24. ^ "The Dungeon Master's Jukebox OUT TODAY on all platforms". Twitter. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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