Rambo: Last Blood (soundtrack)
| Company type | Soundtrack album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | September 20, 2019 |
| Founder | Brian Tyler |
| Products | Film score |
| Parent | Lakeshore Records |
Rambo: Last Blood (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) serves as the film score for the 2019 motion picture Rambo: Last Blood, directed by Adrian Grünberg. This film is the fifth chapter in the Rambo series and features Sylvester Stallone reprising his iconic role as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The soundtrack, composed by Brian Tyler, was recorded at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall and made available through Lakeshore Records on September 20, 2019.
Development
Returning to collaborate with Stallone after his work on Rambo (2008) and The Expendables trilogy, composer Brian Tyler took on the score for Rambo: Last Blood. He characterized the film as a "deeply emotional narrative," necessitating music that aligned with director Grünberg's vision. Tyler developed "emotive and intense themes" that embody Rambo's pursuit of family, justice, and revenge, producing a layered emotional atmosphere. The composition incorporates strings, brass, percussion, piano, and trumpets to express motifs of sorrow, remorse, hope, and vengeance. The recording sessions were held at the Slovak Radio Concert Hall with Tyler leading the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra as conductor.
Release
The soundtrack was officially issued by Lakeshore Records on September 20, 2019, coinciding with the film’s release. Subsequently, it was re-released on vinyl LPs through Lakeshore in partnership with Enjoy the Ride Records, offering several color variants including:
- Clear vinyl with red splatter (2-LP set)
- Black and red swirl (2-LP set)
- Silver (combat knife silver) edition [2-LP]
- Red (Blood Red) for A-side and B-side / Black for C-side and D-side
Reception
Anton Smit from Soundtrack World commended the thematic execution despite a less melodic approach. According to Filmtracks, while it provided less satisfaction than earlier scores in the series, tracks like "Preparing for War" and "Rambo: Last Blood" were particularly notable. Ian Freer of Empire described the composition as an uninterrupted "wall-to-wall score." Duncan Bowles at Den of Geek praised Brian Tyler for skillfully merging elements from Jerry Goldsmith’s original compositions with his own distinctive style. Chris Bumbray of JoBlo.com recognized Tyler’s respectful references to Goldsmith’s motifs, underscoring the character’s persistent darkness despite fleeting moments of calm.
Personnel
Credits as listed in the liner notes:
- Composer – Brian Tyler
- Music production – Brian Tyler, Joe Lisanti
- Arrangements – Chris Forsgren, John Carey, Josh Zimmerman, Kenny Woods, Sarah Trevino
- Orchestra – Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
- Conductors – Allan Wilson, Brian Tyler
- Orchestrations – Brad Warnaar, Dana Niu, Robert Elhai, Rossano Galante
- Score contractor – Paul Talkington
- Recording engineer – Peter Fuchs
- Mixing engineers – Brian Tyler, Frank Wolf
- Mastering – Patricia Sullivan
- Music editing – Kyle Clausen, Seth Glennie-Smith
- Technician – Nathan Alexander
- Score coordination – Stephanie Bryant
- Music preparation – Janis Stonerook
- Art direction – John Bergin
- Administrative coordination – Don Smith, Erica Pope
- Executive producers – Brian McNelis, Darren Blumenthal, Tara Finegan
- A&R director – Eric Craig