In the ’70s/’80s heyday of Dungeons & Dragons, there wasn’t ever an official soundtrack. No one thought to make soundtracks to tabletop games back then. Nerdy kids just had to have bands like Rush or Asia on in the background during their campaigns. But these days, the D&D folks are a little bit savvier. Via Polygon, we’ve learned that in conjunction with Wizards of the Coast’s recently released Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, they’ve also released a full-length soundtrack album called Spelljams to go with it. And it is free to stream and download.
The new campaign was partially inspired by the 1980 sci-fi film Flash Gordon. Yes, the one with the awesome theme song by Queen. Spelljammer is an over-the-top space opera where the players have to fight to save their home planet from an evil Elven Empire that wishes to destroy it. Just like the Queen score was crucial to Flash Gordon, the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space soundtrack is just as crucial to the game.
![Artwork from the album cover for the D&D Soundtrack to Spelljams.](https://legendary-digital-network-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/17163156/DD-Spelljams-Album-Cover.webp)
Chris Perkins, the story architect, worked with The Decemberists’ guitarist Chris Funk, who curated the album. The different artists were tasked with coming up with music and themes for things such as space clowns, space vampires, and space whales. Who could say no to that? If a 1970s van with airbrushed art of a warrior maiden on a pegasus had a sound, it would be one just like this.
“Arena of Blood” in particular sounds like a track that Stranger Things’ Eddie Munson would rock out to during a Hellfire Club get-together. The album will also be available in a vinyl collectors’ edition. The coolest part? It will have a triple gatefold LP cover that will also function as a Dungeon Masters’ screen. You can pre-order the vinyl edition right here. And you can check out the full tracklist below.
- “Seeds Of Destruction” — Magic Sword
- “Arena Of Blood” — Osees
- “Space Is A Place” — Reggie Watts
- “Visible Lights” — TEKE::TEKE
- “Far” — Black Marble
- “Left Hand Path” — Mikaela Davis
- “Love is the disaster” — Lucius
- “Xedalli” — Penny & Sparrow
- “Moon Dancer” — Y La Bamba
- “Light of Xaryxis” — Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
- “Spacefighters” — MonoNeon
- “Crystalline Climbers” — Cardioid & pink paint
- “Me and The Moon” — Devon Gilfillian
- “Endless Sea” — Red Fang
- “Ghost Of The Nautiloid” — Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band
- “Forgotten Land” — Deru, Arooj Aftab
- “Topolah’s Song” — Wizard of Waz
- “chaotic.evil.astral.elves” — Califone
- “The Door To Endlessness” — Shabazz Palaces