Ultrakill P2 Soundtrack

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Rosella Bowlan

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Aug 3, 2024, 4:53:18 PM8/3/24

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A majority of ULTRAKILL's soundtrack was composed by Hakita himself, with the exception of several public domain tracks and a handful of guest artist contributions. The OST is available on Hakita's Bandcamp under the alias Heaven Pierce Her.

Much of the soundtrack is fast-paced metal or rock with breakbeat, mixed with some calm songs interspersed throughout. Many of the songs use MIDI tracks as a base, overlaying actual instruments to add depth, giving the game's soundtrack its classic yet modern feel. Frequently sampled by ULTRAKILL's songs is the Amen break, an insanely widespread drum sample that is frequently used in popular music.

The ULTRAKILL OST is divided into albums corresponding to each of the game's acts, plus addendum EPs released with each Prime Sanctum. The soundtrack for ACT I: INFINITE HYPERDEATH and ACT II: IMPERFECT HATRED are available now. Act 3's soundtrack will presumably become available after it launches.

Originally used only for the intro, to contrast the chaos of the game with a slow, delicate start. It was then reused for the main menu as a placeholder in a later demo version, though it ended up fitting well enough that Hakita decided to keep it.

The title drop stinger samples a chord from an old, low-quality recording of "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Gustav Holst's Planets Suite. The clip is sourced from a later track, "Cerberus", which used to play in the earliest version of ULTRAKILL's intro.

The slow-paced, bass-heavy segment in the soundtrack release originates from early experiments where the soundtrack adapted to the weapon in use, which was scrapped for interrupting tempo and combat intensity. The full unused bass version can be listened to here.

As aforementioned, this track samples a low-quality wax recording of "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Gustav Holst's Planets Suite. The guitar hits are reused from "Threnody for a Mockingbird", by Heaven Pierce Her.

The first loop (sampled from 0:08 to 0:37) is used by all yellow Shop Terminals, while the second loop (sampled from 2:05 to 2:34) is used by the blue Cyber Grind Terminal and in the Cyber Grind results screen, as well as the "Thanks For Playing" Early Access endscreen that appears when the player reaches the end of the currently-released campaign levels.

The low drone at the start of the intro is once more a paulstretched sample from "Sourire d'Avril", even slower than the versions used in the Lust layer, and plays until the first jump pad is taken. This version of the drone also plays in the Sandbox when the "Time of Day" setting is set to heavy fog.

The intro's main drone plays upon taking the first jump pad, and was made with (a soundfont of) an instrument called the Tanpura. The "bass" guitar kicks in when the second jump pad is taken (on either branch of the path), and is actually the original guitar intro from Versus played at 50% speed. This one is the loudest songs in the soundtrack as Hakita found that mixing it with normal levels made the song too weak.

An addendum EP comprised of music added to Act II in the Wait of the World Update, plus "The song that plays in the level colloquially known as 4-S" which was excluded from the Act II OST release due to its tonal dissonance from the rest of the album.

1. After Earthmover gets distracted by another Earthmover for the first time.
2. Activating the yellow Hookpoint.
3. Entering a building with 2 Mannequins and Malicious Face.
4. The battle against 1000-THR Defense System begins.
5. Before entering inside the Earthmover
6. After entering the Earthmover itself.
7. Entering the upper passageway towards the Earthmover's core.
8. During the fight with the core.
9. After the self-destruct sequence starts.
10. When the final fight inside Earthmover starts.
11. After landing on a jump pad to escape.

The soundtrack of ULTRAKILL currently consists of 2 albums, 4 EPs, and other complementary tracks.
Most of ULTRAKILL's soundtrack mixes industrial metal and breakcore, with calmer tracks dispersed inbetween, mostly seen in secret levels.
In game, music acts dynamically, with songs being split into calm and combat variants that switch depending if the player is in combat.

The majority of ULTRAKILL's soundtracks are composed by the main developer Arsi "Hakita" Patala, typically under the alias 'Heaven Pierce Her'.
The full soundtracks are available for purchase on their Bandcamp page, with streaming platform versions omitting tracks not composed or performed by them.
The three tracks contributed by Meganeko, KEYGEN CHURCH, and HEALTH are available on their respective pages. Additionally, the tracks used in the Developer Museum are credited under Hakita's own name.

The first major boss fight of the game has a disappointing score. There is a nice rumbling ambient buildup leading up to it, but the music during the fight itself is a bombastic intro set on a roughly 30 second loop. It sounds cool the first time, but it gets old very fast.

The best quality of this track is the layering of synths that ease you into the digital lust realm of Layer 2. The first thirty seconds or so of the song meshes well with the gritty dystopian cityscape. After that though, the music becomes pretty forgettable, as you move on to something a little more intense.

This level adapts the melodies of Bridgeburner and gives them a stronger backbone. The music feels sleazy, as a realm of lust should be, but again, compared to most of the music in this game, it becomes fairly forgettable.

Here we are. The music from the very beginning of the game. Not only is this the first time you hear the breakcore take on DOOM-like music that ULTRAKILL is known for, but there is also a nice buildup, adding to the anticipation, before being thrust right into the action.

The heat of the desert sun beating down on you introduces a super heavy sludgy sound that fits the level well. There is more of a reliance on drum breaks to carry the intensity of the song forward than the other heavy desert level music, but the unique elements of this track still stand out.

Slaves to Power features a mix of a stereotypical videogame desert level sounds and sludgy metal riffs. Double kicks and grimy guitars will get your head banging while traversing the sands of greed. There is also a healthy does of drum breaks to keep the breakcore theme of the soundtrack tied together, with layered vocals also helping to widen out the track.

Who would have thought that harpsichord and guitar distortion would go so well together? This track moves at breakneck pace, introducing more harpsichord layers and guitar distortion as it progresses. The main melody has a nice chromatic decent making for a perfect cinematic backdrop to a level with lots to explore. It also helps that this tune is super catchy.

The music in A Shot In The Dark is a perfect example of the music of the level evolving with the atmosphere of the level. It starts out with only a small vocal chorus and an eerie marimba. As you explore the pitch black insides of an ancient pyramid, the chorus slowly starts to expand. Percussive elements are introduced, adding to the intensity. Its reserved in its use of percussive elements, which makes it stand out in a soundtrack where fast drum breaks are common. Even a harpsichord joins in at one point. It all comes to a head in the final room, which is a huge disorienting arena with spinning merry-go-round lights. An organ cuts through the track, spinning a dizzying melody that perfectly fits with the grandiose nature of the surroundings.

But then, the boat is flipped over. The level is upside down. Water floods the halls, and the lights are dim, and the music reflects this change perfectly. The track slows down, keeping the same melodies, but with an entirely different rhythm and instrumentation. The harp is really what shines on this track. It sent shivers down my spine when I first heard it. This track creates an eerie and somber mood, perfect for trekking back through the wreckage of a massive ship. The music in Ship of Fools is an excellent reminder of why video games have music in the first place: to make the places you explore feel alive.

An indie FPS might not be the first place you'd think to drop your band's latest single, but it's pretty much the perfect venue for noise rock group HEALTH. The long-running project's latest track, HATEFUL, saw release in the Cyber Grind mode of New Blood FPS Ultrakill and then shortly afterwards on streaming platforms.

HEALTH has been around since 2005 and has an extensive, quality back catalogue, as well as a solid connection to gaming. The band provided the knockout soundtrack to Rockstar's underrated Max Payne 3 (they were going for a different vibe!), and 11 years on Tears remains The Best Song You Can Lift Weights To. A remastered version of that OST is still in the works, but the band has also contributed to GTA V and Cyberpunk 2077's in-game radio stations, as well as the soundtrack for the latter game's Edgerunners spinoff on Netflix. In addition, HEALTH cultivates a bit of a gamer-shitposter vibe on its Discord for fans and social media. I love whatever the hell is going on in this Instagram post.