Transformers – The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack (The Reformatted Edition)
Release Date: 24th July 2026
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
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Genre: Soundtrack, 80s Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal.
FFO: Vince DiCola, Stan Bush, Brittney Slayes, Sebastian Bach, Robert Tepper, Paul Hertzog, Lion.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
On July 24th, Transformers and metal fans won’t want to miss the collaboration between Reigning Phoenix Music and Hasbro, The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the film. Original composers and performers Stan Bush and Vince DiCola return, backed by The Knights of Unicron, a fictional hair metal “bot ‘n roll” band from Transformers lore, brought to life by Gus Rios (Gruesome), Matt Harvey (Exhumed/Gruesome), and Ross Sewage (Exhumed/Ghoul). The soundtrack also features guest appearances by Sebastian Bach, Mark Osegueda, Francesco Cavalieri, Brittany Slayes, and Torch. The Reformatted Edition is heavier, with more of an edge than the original, and it’s sharper than Laser Beak’s metal maw.
The Touch is the main anthem of the film. Every 80s kid who saw this in the theater, and the kids of the generations who came after us, have this track embedded in their psyches. I’ve heard this song described as hopecore, and I suppose that’s as good a label as any. Even though the Autobots were getting hammered and looked like they were about to be destroyed, Optimus Prime arrived and turned the tide. The Touch is newly re-recorded by original performer and co-writer (with Lenny Macaluso), Stan Bush, for The Reformatted Edition. There are some changes to the arrangement, and the vocal lines are a little different, but Bush delivers them with panache. The guitar tones are more modern, and there is more finagling in the solos, but it retains the aesthetic of the original. It still sounds hopeful, and it still has that epic feel. Almost like you really could play this song during your darkest hour and feel uplifted.
Instruments of Destruction features Francesco Cavalieri of the Italian power metal band Wind Rose. Power metal is the cousin of hair, or glam metal if you prefer, so of course, you already know this is going to work. However, ironically, I feel like this track, originally by the band N.R.G., is channeling more of a Megadeth and Metallica vibe than hair metal, although they certainly looked the part back then. This track is to the Decepticons what The Touch was to Autobots. Poor Prowl gets wasted, and we see Megatron finally means business. This is a great update, and Cavalieri gets the vocals exactly right. We even get the high-pitched screech at the end, which highlights the part in the film when Iron Hide grabs Megatron’s foot and gets one in the dome for his trouble. Knights of Unicron also do it justice, firing off those 80s guitar squalls that will take you back 40 years, assuming you were there. If not, you’ll feel like you were.
Death of Optimus Prime brings back original film composer Vince DiCola for an update on this instrumental track, primarily fueled by piano and synth. It always reminds me of some dramatic scene in a reality TV show or a soap opera. It almost leans into being a bit too schmaltzy in places, but it never quite crosses the Rubicon. Plus, I can’t lie, it does the job. There are some genuinely haunting moments in this arrangement. You can really picture Optimus Prime’s final moments through this track: handing off the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod snatching it before it hits the floor…Optimus turning grey. I’m literally not joking when I say this song was playing at the moment that scarred a generation of kids. Hasbro is calling their 40th Anniversary theater screenings and other events “The Apology Tour” for a reason.
I prefer the 1986 version of Dare, although I can’t fault this track because it absolutely keeps the spirit of the original, and Knights of Unicron continue to crush these remakes with flair. They’ve really outdone themselves updating iconic tracks without being too modern, which would have completely killed the vibe. They respect the source material, but it also helps that the original composer and performer, Vince DiCola, is on board. I just feel like Stan Bush is having a hard time trying to top himself from 1986. The vocals are not as smooth as they are in The Touch, but frankly, I’m staggered he can still belt out those higher notes. The instrumental break is particularly good in this track, with plenty of synthesizer and fiery guitars.
I could be wrong, but I feel like Nothin’s Gonna Stand In Our Way is going to rile the purists. Originally performed by Canadian metal band Kick Axe (a.k.a. Spectre General), the cover features Sebastian Bach from Skid Row, who is a hair metal god himself. He sounds quite good here, but the vocal line in the verse is not quite the same as in the original. It seems to go up when it should go up and down when it should go down, which is an odd choice. The chorus was just as it should have been, and Bach is in rare form here, nice and gritty. For some reason, they didn’t do the harmony on the vocals at the end, which would have been nice, and there’s no reason Bach couldn’t have done it. Knights of Unicron gave this track more of a modern metal edge, and the solos felt a bit different, too, more expansive somehow.
However, any purists who got bent over Nothin’s Gonna Stand in Our Way will surely be pleased by The Transformers (Theme), which features Brittney Slayes from Unleash the Archers. I was skeptical at first, since the original was done by Lion, which featured Scottish vocalist Kal Swan, formerly of Tytan. Say what you want about hair metal, but Swan gave an incredible performance on this track that was going to be a hard act for anyone to follow. However, to my delight, Slayes absolutely kills this. She is a proper alto, landing both the lower tenor notes and the higher mezzo notes like a champ. These harmonies are darn near perfect. If you listen to nothing else on this album, do not miss the new take on the theme. The guitars are nice and crunchy, and the 80s guitar tone on the instrumental sections is glorious. The solos rip like these guys were born to play them. Well done.
Escape is another instrumental, this time by Knights of Unicron. In this version, the guitars generally take the place of the synthesizer from the original. That’s not to say that there were no guitars in the original, or that there is no synthesizer in the remake. Both tracks include synth and guitar, but this version is more guitar-heavy, while the original is more synth-heavy. This song begins after Galvatron’s coronation, when the Decepticons return to Earth to continue their attack on Autobot City. The title refers to the Autobots’ dramatic escape to space in their shuttles. One thing I particularly like about this version is the sound of more instruments. The horns have a marching band sort of vibe that I’m still not convinced I like, but I appreciate the different textures they’ve brought in to add to the drama of the scene.
Hunger is the second track that was contributed to the original soundtrack by Kick Axe. Knights of Unicron, featuring Mark Osegueda (Death Angel and Kerry King), bring this scene to life. It takes place just after the Quintessons drop Hot Rod and Kup into the water to be devoured by Sharkticons. The Dinobots arrive in the nick of time, and Grimlock asserts his dominance, forcing the Sharkticons to follow him instead. The track was already pretty heavy, especially for what was essentially a children’s film, but Knights of Unicron make it even heavier. They keep the vocal harmonies, and the chorus is as melodic as ever, but the verses feel much more aggressive, the solos are savage, and Osegueda tears this thing up and spits it out. The juxtaposition between the verse and the chorus is much more striking. Hunger is another track you definitely don’t want to miss.
Autobot/Decepticon Battle is the final Knights of Unicron instrumental track on the album, and it actually takes place earlier in the film than the tracks that came before it. However, it’s one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie, so I can see why they would save it until closer to the end. Originally composed by Vince DiCola, this track plays from the beginning of the Battle of Autobot City and ends after the fight in the communications tower between Soundwave and Blaster’s mini-cassettes. The symphonic elements in the track really give the scene its intensity. The original was plagued by a bit too much over-the-top 80s synth, which this version thankfully tones down. The guitars and drums are more forward, but the arrangement is faithful to the melodies of the original. I was initially confused about the fade out, but the original does that also, so that is a nice touch.
Cold Slither’s Torch joins Knights Of Unicron to take on Dare to Be Stupid, originally by “Weird Al” Yankovic. This track was on Weird Al’s album of the same name, but it was used in the Transformers film because the pop-culture references fit the TV-talking Junkions. I have to admit, I liked this one a lot more than I expected to. There’s no doubt they had some heavy shoes to fill covering Weird Al, but Torch’s vocals are just quirky enough to make it work without sounding like he’s trying too hard. Knights of Unicron kept the Devo-esque vibe of the original, but it feels even more frantic and off the rails.
Overall, this album is a fitting tribute to the original soundtrack. They didn’t shy away from the heavy metal tropes we loved in the original; they leaned into them. We got more big hooks, more squalling guitars, and more dramatic vocals. If you grew up with this soundtrack, you may still love the originals a bit more, whether from nostalgia or a personal preference for 80s metal. However, there’s no doubt Rising Phoenix Records and Hasbro went all-out to make this something fans of all ages can appreciate. Knights of Unicron are not rehashing the past. There are echoes of it, certainly, and as I noted earlier, they respect the source material, but they aren’t married to it. Even if you couldn’t care less about the film, Slayes, Cavalieri, Osegueda, and Bach are a good enough reason to check out The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, streaming everywhere on July 24th.
(4 / 5)
