Year: 2011
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Paweł Błaszczak
Number of tracks: 29

★★★★★

Dead islands don't rock

Dead Island was released in 2011 ... not in Germany. Because of the high level of violence against the digital undead, the game was indexed and therefore not allowed to be sold. That may be the main reason why I had no contact with it. As far as I know, it has since been removed from the index, but did we miss anything here? Fans and critics will probably argue about it. I have no idea. As for the soundtrack, I can say: not really.

Paweł Błaszczak unfortunately only delivers average material here without any noteworthy accents. The score falls into the old music-without-identity trap that so many violence orgies have already fallen victim to. Everything is actually there: a nice variety of instruments such as guitar meets piano, strings for the melancholy and drama orchestration of the Modern Warfare-brand. However, there are no recognizable melodies or even themes. The main theme Dead Island is the most impressive, as it at least builds up a kind of suspense in its four and a half minute duration.

Other tracks such as Zombie Rising, They’re Coming or Ram Attack also hint at the direction I had expected the score to take, but unfortunately remain the exception. Even more emotional pieces like Sanctuary or Mechanic get lost in the crowd and can't save the more average action material (Smash, Shoot, Bite, Jungle Danger) or ambient sprinkling that attempts to be creepy (Hollow, Wetwork). My conclusion may be due to my position as a frequent listener and critic, but soundtrack novices may well enjoy the mix, which is reminiscent of Borderlands in its best moments. For me, however, the result remains like the game's protagonists: anemic.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Dead Island	Paweł Błaszczak	4
02	Surrounded by Zombies	Paweł Błaszczak	2
03	Damned Places	Paweł Błaszczak	3
04	ACT 01 Loading	Paweł Błaszczak	2
05	Dead Water	Paweł Błaszczak	2
06	Zombie Rising	Paweł Błaszczak	4
07	Remortalized	Paweł Błaszczak	3
08	Lifeguard Theme	Paweł Błaszczak	3
09	Below Banoi	Paweł Błaszczak	3
10	They're Coming	Paweł Błaszczak	4
11	Entering Moresby	Paweł Błaszczak	3
12	Ram Attack	Paweł Błaszczak	4
13	Sanctuary	Paweł Błaszczak	3
14	Hollow	Paweł Błaszczak	1
15	Out of the Darkness	Paweł Błaszczak	3
16	Through the Dark	Paweł Błaszczak; Kasia Roscinska	3
17	Wetwork	Paweł Błaszczak	1
18	Teeth and Claws	Paweł Błaszczak	2
19	Approaching City Hall	Paweł Błaszczak	2
20	Undead Mayhem	Paweł Błaszczak	1
21	Smash, Shoot, Bite	Paweł Błaszczak	3
22	Broken Remains	Paweł Błaszczak	1
23	Another World	Paweł Błaszczak	2
24	Mechanic	Paweł Błaszczak	3
25	Jungle Danger	Paweł Błaszczak	3
26	Sad Village	Paweł Błaszczak	3
27	Soldier of Fortune	Paweł Błaszczak	3
28	Despondency	Paweł Błaszczak	2
29	Leaving Banoi	Paweł Błaszczak	2