Soundtrack Review: DOTA: Dragon’s Blood (2021)

On March 25th, Netflix released their new original anime DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, with a score by composer Dino Meneghin (Teen Wolf, Lore), based on the massively popular online MOBA video game DOTA 2. Dino is best known for his television score for MTV’s Teen Wolf, adapted from the classic Michael J. Fox films, as well as several episodes of the hit Amazon Prime Original horror anthology series Lore. In addition to his work in television, Meneghin also scored SNL alumni Taran Killan’s action comedy feature film Killing Gunther with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the short films The Tow and Prom.

Although the series is set in the fantasy DOTA universe, the score isn’t the kind of sweeping, orchestral music typically found in the genre. Composer Dino Meneghin wanted a different kind of score more akin to Tangerine Dream or the old Heavy Metal cartoons. Meneghin set to work creating an entirely unexpected score for the series driven by synths and oftentimes abstract but still able to pull the emotional weight of the story.

Speaking about his experience working on the series, Meneghin said:

“DOTA has been one of the best musical experiences of my career so far. Ashley Miller, Netflix, and Studio MIR were collaborative, open-minded, and willing to take chances with the score. Getting a chance to dive so deeply into a world loved by so many players and fans has been an incredible experience, and I hope the viewers will see and hear how much love we put into it.”

The music for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood really isn’t what you’d expect for a fantasy series. I was fully prepared for the full orchestral experience, as that often pairs well with these kinds of stories, but Meneghin didn’t go in that direction. Instead, what he’s put together is more pared down, while remaining intricate. There is a distinct hint of the fantastical if you listen to the music all the way through, but it’s not big and lush like, say, Game of Thrones. No, the music for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood….it almost reminds me of the music for Blade Runner, in spirit if not in actual texture. The way the synths form a background to the melody, it really does remind me of that science-fiction story, and that’s not a bad thing.

This may sound weird, but hearing the synths in the music had me thinking that perhaps the music is, in its own way, paying homage to DOTA’s digital roots as an online game. The synths make me think of a virtual world, which is how DOTA started, and I like how Meneghin weaves the artificial tones in and out of the musical score for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood.

I really enjoyed listening to the music for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, it’s been a pleasant surprise and one that everyone should check out when they get the chance.

Let me know what you think about DOTA: Dragon’s Blood in the comments below and have a great day!