When Masters of the Universe hit cinema screens during summer 2026, amongst the positive praise for the film’s story, its action sequences, and its use of classic Masters characters (of which there were many), there was a great deal of chatter about the film’s soundtrack. The rousing score really hit hard with audiences, with many film fans leaving theatres feeling energised by the thumping, anthemic rock tunes featured in the film.
In particular, a lot of praise was pointed in the direction of the opening track, ‘Eternia‘, which not only set the scene for the movie but was also reappeared a number of times throughout the film. The operatic sound of the song, along with its very catchy nature was a complete vibe, as well as a total earworm that lasted long after the end credits had played out.
And the thing with ‘Eternia‘, is this is the kind of track we simply don’t hear all that often these days. Too many films have lacklustre or forgettable music, which conveys a bit of emotion here or there, but for the most part it’s nuts and bolts stuff.
Masters of the Universe changed things. The soundtrack for the film is arguably a key component of the movie, an additional character if you will, and a lot of this is down to English composer and writer, Daniel Pemberton.
Pemberton is no stranger to delivering big soundtracks for big movies. Some of his past projects have included Project Hail Mary, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Enola Holmes, Yesterday, and All the Money in the World.
On Masters of the Universe, Pemberton wrote the vast majority of the music you hear in the film. So, if you like what you hear, you know who to thank.
There are a few exceptions, most notably the inclusion of iconic pop songs such as ‘The Power‘ by Snap!, ‘Boys Don’t Cry‘ by The Cure, ‘The Man’ by The Killers, ‘Princes of the Universe‘ by Queen, and ‘What’s Up?‘ by 4 Non Blondes, but most of the music is either written by Daniel Pemberton or co-written by him.
And one of the most notable collaborations is with Queen’s, Brian May. Pemberton worked with May on the aforementioned ‘Eternia‘, as well as the tracks: ‘Folding Space (Eternia)‘, ‘The Power of Grayskull’, ‘The Sword of Power‘, and ‘Return to Eternia‘, and the involvement of May is unmistakable.
The Queen guitarist and vocalist brings a bit of magic to proceedings, and really complements Pemberton’s music perfectly. Together, the pair deliver something which feels special, and with ‘Eternia‘ in particular, their collaboration really sets the tone and mood of what is to come in the two-hour-twenty-minute film.
But Pemberton didn’t just work with Brian May, he also worked with The Darkness on their track, ‘Masters of the Universe‘, which they also performed for the film. And including The Darkness on the soundtrack was a smart move, because the British rock band deliver the same kind of energy and eccentricity of Queen, and they completely hit the landing with this bombastic, ’80s-inspired, rock opera of excellence.
It’s fair to say, the soundtrack to Masters of the Universe is a work of art. Pemberton’s music not only captures the spirit of the Masters of the Universe brand, and the spirit of the film, it also brings this ’80s, dad rock vibe to the picture.
Those of us who grew up alongside Masters during the 1980s, will have fond memories of our parents listening to hair metal and endless rock tracks, and these songs became very much the backdrop and the fabric of that time period. So having this style of music brought back for Masters of the Universe, and infused into a picture like this, should never be overlooked.
The Masters of the Universe soundtrack didn’t have to go this hard. The fact it did demonstrates the sheer level of effort put in by all involved to ensure this soundtrack really stands out as a gem from 2026.
__
__
Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Masters of the Universe. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a comment