I too miss the instrumental film and television scores for the parkwide/atmosphere stuff. I think Frailty was in 2010! I remember 2012 used some tracks from Angels and Demons. I can't quite remember what the specific track was or its origin, but there was a terrific spooky synth used heavily around the park in 2009. That one's still drilled in me.
I do think the track list last year was a major step up from the screamo/punk/rock bands we'd been getting for a while.
Back in my day, it was all about Midnight Syndicate (and Nox Arcana)
Last year's music loop was really nice, had some great bangers (with one song which amusingly felt right at home with classic Hulk in IoA.) and more importantly it felt long so it didn't seem like I heard a bunch of repeats over and over.
The latter is pretty crucial, since while I was fine with the music in 2022, that loop was less than an hour which led to Sticks & Stones ad nauseum.
its like, I understand trends change and the event evolves.
I understand that tastes change and people want different things, and universal wants to try different things,
but if they are using the movie properties for houses, and merchandise and promotional material already, ( as well as the lagoon show)
it would also be really cool if they used the movie soundtracks in the park to really surround you with that IP. uni can do the metal and synth stuff they have done for the past few years ( and turning hhn into a party)
but it could have been cool if you enter the park and you heard the music of the last of us or quiet place or Ghostbusters or all the others as soon as you enter the park.
when you visit universal during the day, that's kind of how it always goes. the music is not just inside each ride, but around the entire park
I feel like that's a big part that is missing recently. yeah the techno and metal are cool, but it would have been more immersive and surrounding to have movie songs at least at the entrance and around the non scarezone areas.
( look at potter with the death eaters)
the scarezones could always have their unique music, but universal has been missing that other aspect of using the IPs.
(specially the entrance of the park, that's the part I miss the most)