"John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" Soundtrack Lyrics

"John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you escalate “gun-fu” for round three without repeating yourself? The music answers with harder edges and sleeker lines. Composers Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard carry over the franchise’s synth-rock chassis, then tighten the low-end motor, add cutting guitar, and thread in ceremonial colors for the Ruska Roma and High Table. The result: forward motion you feel in your chest, even when the camera glides.

The album (Varèse Sarabande, 24 tracks, ~65:36) is primarily score with one in-album song (“Dance of the Two Wolves”). Several memorable cues (“Cycle Samurais,” “The Glass House,” “Shotgun Hot Tub”) track set-pieces beat-for-beat, while non-album placements—Bush’s end-title “Bullet Holes,” ballet-class piano, and a J-pop needle-drop—expand flavor. Release rolled out digital day-and-date with the film and a physical edition weeks later (as noted by Wikipedia and label listings).

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard returned for the third film.

What label released the album and when?

Varèse Sarabande; digital on May 17, 2019; CD followed in early June 2019.

Does the retail album include the end-credits rock song?

No. Bush’s “Bullet Holes” plays in the film/credits but is not on the score album.

Any source-music highlights inside the movie?

Yes—ballet-class piano (“Grand Allegro”) and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s “Ninja Re Bang Bang” in Zero’s sushi bar.

Who handled music supervision?

Kevin Edelman is credited as music supervisor.

Is there a vinyl version?

Yes—Varèse later issued trilogy vinyl sets collecting Chapters 1–3.

Notes & Trivia

• Album runtime ~65:36 across 24 tracks; the score leans heavier than Chapters 1–2.
• Only one in-album song appears (“Dance of the Two Wolves”); most other songs are film-only placements.
• End-title “Bullet Holes” by Bush was released as the lead single for the band’s later album.
• Kevin Edelman’s supervision keeps needle-drops minimal and surgical.
• Trilogy vinyl editions landed later in 2019, bundling the first three films’ scores.

Genres & Themes

Industrial-electro & guitar-driven score → relentless focus and mechanical precision; pairs with close-quarters fights and chases (knife museum, stables, cycles on the bridge).

Orchestral undertow → Ruska Roma and High Table scenes add ritual weight; low strings and chant-like figures suggest debt and duty, not comfort.

Source cues as world-building → ballet-class piano = discipline and tradition; J-pop in Zero’s shop = playful menace under a polite smile.

Tracks & Scenes

"Parabellum (Opening Titles)" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Opening titles slam down as the city turns against Wick. The cue primes the chase with clipped motifs and sub pulses. Non-diegetic. {opening; 0:48}.
Why it matters: Announces the rule change—war footing from frame one.

"Excomunicado" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: 6:00 p.m. strikes; every screen lights with the bounty. Non-diegetic. {early act; 1:25}.
Why it matters: Meter tightens, synths harden—this is the “hunt” switch.

"Antique Gun Assembly" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Museum melee; Wick builds a working revolver from antique parts mid-fight. Non-diegetic. {early act; 1:25}.
Why it matters: Brisk, modular writing mirrors the tinkering—the music “clicks” pieces into place.

"J.W. Horse Whisperer" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Stable fight and street gallop; kicks, reins, and headlights. Non-diegetic with diegetic hoofbeats. {early act; 2:05}.
Why it matters: Percussion patterns sync to hoof rhythm—momentum becomes character.

"Cycle Samurais" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Katana motorcycle pursuit across the bridge. Non-diegetic. {mid act; 4:06}.
Why it matters: Four-on-the-floor pulse under cold synths makes speed legible without chaos.

"Grand Allegro" — Søren Bebe
Scene: In the Director’s ballet school, dancers rehearse while Wick seeks safe passage. Diegetic (class piano). {~00:27–00:28:00}.
Why it matters: Discipline and debt in one image; the cue’s formality frames the favor. (as listed by ScreenRant)

"Dance of the Two Wolves" — Julia Aks
Scene: Ruska Roma ritual ambience around the Director’s domain. Diegetic flavor. {early-mid; 1:47}.
Why it matters: Folk-tinged color that hints at history and hierarchy.

"Ninja Re Bang Bang" — Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Scene: Sushi bar meeting—The Adjudicator recruits Zero while bubbly J-pop floats over razor steel. Diegetic. {~00:45:00}.
Why it matters: Cheerful surface, lethal subtext; the franchise’s signature contrast, now with candy-colored menace.

"Continental Morocco" / "Desert Walk" / "Elder Tent Offering" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Casablanca alliance to desert trek and audience with the Elder. Non-diegetic. {mid}.
Why it matters: Harmonic austerity and wide intervals strip the world down to vow and consequence.

"Deconsecrated" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: The Adjudicator lifts sanctuary; gunfire erupts at the Continental. Non-diegetic. {late act; 3:18}.
Why it matters: Textural “cold” replaces groove—this is procedural violence.

"Shotgun Hot Tub" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Armor-piercing rounds in the Continental corridors; Wick and Charon reload into oblivion. Non-diegetic. {late; 3:22}.
Why it matters: The cue’s punch-in accents map to reload beats; satisfaction via structure.

"The Glass House" → "Glass House Fight" → "Zero vs. Wick" — Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard
Scene: Mirror-bright finale; stair climbs, blades, and breath in a crystal maze. Non-diegetic. {finale; 4:37 → 4:12 → 4:44}.
Why it matters: Metallic timbres and suspended harmony turn reflections into a rhythm instrument.

"Take You Back" — Frank Stallone (street singers)
Scene: Outside the New York Public Library, buskers croon the Rocky tune while Wick races the clock. Diegetic. {early; cameo placement}.
Why it matters: Street-level irony—an underdog anthem as a legend sprints past.

"Bullet Holes" — Bush
Scene: End titles roll. Non-diegetic. {end credits}.
Why it matters: A bruised, anthemic exit; written for the film and later issued as the band’s single.

Music–Story Links

The chapter’s arc moves from survival math to ceremonial obligation, and the palette follows: engines and grit in New York, ritual tones around the Director and Elder, then chrome-clean textures for the Continental siege and glass-box duel. When source cues take over—ballet piano, J-pop—the world talks back to Wick; he’s not driving the scene, he’s navigating rules that already have their own rhythm.

How It Was Made

Bates and Richard deepened the established Wick language—distorted guitars, sequenced bass, tight percussion—while expanding ceremonial textures for Ruska Roma and High Table beats. Kevin Edelman’s supervision kept needle-drops purposeful: a class piano piece to gild Wick’s debt, a winkingly bright J-pop track for Zero’s lair, and a rock single to stamp the exit. (per AllMusic credits and Wikipedia’s album entry)

Reception & Quotes

Score-focused outlets praised the album’s propulsion and its smart integration of new colors into the Wick sound; mainstream reviews also flagged the music’s role in the slick, kinetic style.

“Edgy, fast-paced, and it fits the film’s world perfectly.” Film Music Central

“Adds new thematic ideas and mixes them expertly with the originals… the best Wick score so far.” Zanobard Reviews

“Heavy metal and electronic elements generate propulsive forward energy.” Variety

Availability: wide on digital platforms; CD and later trilogy vinyl sets circulated via Varèse Sarabande.

Additional Info

• Album title: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack); 24 cues; ~65:36.
• Digital release May 17, 2019; CD early June 2019; trilogy vinyl November 2019.
• Not on the album but in the film: “Bullet Holes” (Bush), “Take You Back” (Frank Stallone), “Grand Allegro” (Søren Bebe), “Ninja Re Bang Bang” (Kyary Pamyu Pamyu), classical excerpts.
• Personnel highlights: percussion Greg Ellis; drums Gil Sharone; mastering Patricia Sullivan.
• Music supervisor: Kevin Edelman.

Technical Info

• Title: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2019
• Type: Film score with select source cues
• Composers: Tyler Bates; Joel J. Richard
• Label: Varèse Sarabande (digital 2019-05-17; CD 2019-06-07)
• Runtime/Tracks: ~65:36; 24 tracks
• Notable placements: Ballet school (diegetic piano); sushi bar J-pop; Continental siege; Glass House duel; end-title single.
• Vinyl: Trilogy 2×LP issues bundled Chapters 1–3.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia (album & film entries); AllMusic credits; ScreenRant song list; IMDb soundtrack & connections; Spotify & retailer listings; Loudwire; Pitchfork; Vague Visages; Soundtrackradar; Muziekweb.

November, 12th 2025