Their recording of "Qilyaun" was released on a CD in 2007.

Last year, the director of "The Revenant," Alejandro Iñárritu, was searching for music for the film when he asked Adams if he could look through his music catalog. The director selected the drum piece recording along with another work by Adams.

That selection came as a surprise when Deal and his wife, Clara, saw the film in the theater.

"I had an eerie feeling that I recognized some of the music in the movie as I watched it, but I didn't give it a second thought," Deal said. "My wife always likes to watch the film credits at the end of a movie, and this time her credit-reading habit paid off. While watching the credits, Clara grabbed my arm and said, 'There's 'Qilyaun'!'"

The drum piece is played for about five minutes in the first battle scene of the movie.

Deal and his wife will be rooting for "The Revenant," leading with 12 nominations, during the 88th Academy Awards ceremony Sunday, Feb. 28.