Punchy, modern rock and electronic fusion that hits with seventh-gen console clarity. Dead or Alive 5 on PS3 and Xbox 360 pushed the series forward and the soundtrack brought a grittier tone to match. "Polluted Air" has this industrial weight to it, "Knock You Down" delivers exactly what the title promises, and "The Storied Journey of the Boy and the Drunk" is genuinely one of the best track names in fighting game history.
Read more
"Cheerful Buddhist Priest" stands out too. It is weird and fun and completely its own thing in the middle of all the intensity. The main theme "The Way is Known" and closer "I'm a Fighter" bookend everything with real confidence.
If you want a fighting game OST that sounds like it knows exactly what it is doing, DOA5 delivers.