Listeners hoping to hear the Furiosa material from Mad Max: Fury Road deconstructed and given its own origins posture here will be disappointed, because there doesn't seem to be any such intelligence in the design of the prequel score. Instead, this heavily processed extension of first score's lesser action material abandons all of the heroics and barely supplies any drama. The score for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga does open with the same nasty bass string notes, however, and Holkenborg and his team are quick to double down on the terrible distortion effects for any hint of adversity. The music is almost entirely comprised of rhythmic texture, with constant blurts of distorted low brass on key. A pitch slurring effect for horror starts at key and descends or vice versa. As typical with these Remote Control-related efforts, entire cues can simply drone on key with only the modulation of intensity and overlaid sound effects altered. In this case, a deep wailing siren noise often interjects, as at the start of "Dementus' Diatribe" and "The Darkest of Gods," likely as the most intelligent representation of the villain that Holkenborg can muster. There is seemingly a growling lion sound effect early in "The Darkest of Gods," too. Respites from the constantly menacing and unpleasant tone exist but are fleeting. A duduk is the only organic highlight of note, concentrated early in the score. A choir joins sparingly, as in "You Are Awaited." A promisingly dramatic orchestral fantasy crescendo for a moment early in "The Bullet Farm" is followed by a lesser version that tries to emerge early in "Dementus is Gaining" with the choir. Thematically, some motific devices for the chasing do return, but they were never memorable to begin with. A nebulously rising, four-note rhythmic motif occupies the latter half of "You Are Awaited" over militaristic snare and is adapted to brass at the end of "The Bullet Farm." The quick moments of tonality for character development are consolidated into just a few cues, including all of "Wives' Quarters" and "Epilogue" on strings, the first minute of "A Noble Cause" on a less breathy duduk, and the end of "Dementus' Diatribe" on that same instrument. Ultimately, though, it's the mass of oppressively obnoxious, overly processed action droning that defines the score for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and it's a considerable wasted opportunity to build upon or foreshadow the prior score. The tiring album contains narrative dialogue in "The Pole of Inaccessibility" and "Epilogue" that is very nicely mixed, actually, though the latter insertion obscures the tonal string material. Seek only the aggrieved mood from this music, not any greater purpose.  *   @Amazon.com: CD or Download