Welcome to the real world.

Come with me back to 1999. A simpler time. A time when moviegoers around the world were BLOWN AWAY by the Wachowskis’ groundbreaking The Matrix. The original film raised the bar and set the tone for two decades of action sci-fi.

Yes, Keanu Reeves surprised everyone. Yes, Laurence Fishburne redefined cool. Yes, Carrie-Anne Moss set a new standard for action heroes. Yes, the film spawned two sequels we all like to forget.

But what most people genuinely forget is just how good Don Davis’s score for The Matrix was… and is!

I know what you’re thinking. Don who? Among film composers, Davis might not be a household name. Before The Matrix, he was primarily a TV composer (he actually composed most of the music for the Ron Perlman/Linda Hamilton Beauty and the Beast), and even though he’d won an Emmy for his work on SeaQuest DSV, he certainly wasn’t a big name in ’99.

But in 1996, he collaborated with the Wachowskis on Bound, and the three quickly formed a productive working relationship. Davis went on to score the music for both Matrix sequels, The Animatrix, and a couple video games based on the franchise.

Indeed, his music for The Matrix is Don Davis’s magnum opus, and it’s music he’s still conducting to this day. The Matrix Live! continues to be performed in concert halls around the world.

One listen to the music, and you’re immersed in The Matrix. It’s unbelievable how integral this music is to the film(s). Davis dared to shoot the moon here, and he succeeded in spades. Despite the faults of second and third films of the trilogy, the score isn’t one of them. Davis delivered, and his music still shines.

“The soundtrack album weds Davis’s mastery of musical detail and coloration to a largely atonal postmodern concerto that’s complex, dark and unrelenting.”

And now the score to The Matrix is seeing a brand-new release from Varèse Sarabande Records… on gorgeous picture disc vinyl. (It’s available March 13, but you can preorder it directly from Varèse Sarabande here or on Amazon here.) Granted, this is a niche release that will likely appeal to only a small audience, but that’s kind of by design.

The franchise is far from dead. The Wachowskis are currently developing a fourth installment (scheduled for release in 2021), so we’ve got our fingers crossed. Until then, though, we have the music.

And if you’re a vinyl collector or fan of The Matrix, make sure you’ve got this beauty preordered.