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The soundtrack for Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans takes me back a few years, and then forward a few years, and then up ahead a bit more. It seems every couple of years I turn my taste in music (and movies) around completely, returning to the sights and sounds of that which helped to get me through those tenderly-torrid years of my youth.
While I haven’t seen the movie itself (I wasn’t a fan of the first and fell asleep through the second), the soundtrack for Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans is a wonderful collection of some rather moody and often dark-sounding tunes that many will label as “goth,” “emo,” or “scene” depending on their age. (Those of you born before the 60s or 70s will no doubt refer to these songs as “shit,” but then that’s that trusty ol’ generational gap for you).
Our electro-industrial album extraordinaire begins with the eye-opening JLE Dub Mix of Puscifer’s “Lighten Up Francis” and then immediately takes it down a notch with “Underneath The Stars” (Renholdër Remix) by one of my all-time favorite groups, The Cure, with a little help from Maynard James Keenan, Puscifer and Milla (as in Jovovich – seriously, it is). Personally, I think this second song should have been saved for the end of the album, as it really brings down the tone that the first track sets us up with.
Next up are “Nasty Little Perv,” by Perry Farrell, and “Hole In The Earth” by the Deftones (both tracks are Renholdër remixes), followed by AFI’s “Miss Murder” (remixed by VNV Nation), and Alkaline Trio’s “Over And Out” (that Renholdër feller again). If I had to pick the weakest song out of the four, I’d choose the latter one.
Moving on, we find ourselves at the seventh track, “Deathclub” (Wes Borland/Renholdër Remix) by William Control (featuring Matt Skiba). Not only does it remind me of that nearly-forgotten, 1983 B-Movie Death Wish Club (for obvious reasons), but it has a certain sound to it that is reminiscent of what Depeche Mode would be like if they were cutters. Frankly, I think this track kicks ass – so there.
Other highlights include the bizarrely titled “Stiff Kittens” (not the kitties, no!) by Blaqk Audio (remix courtesy of Jnrsnchz), “Broken Lungs” (Legion Of Doom Remix) by Thrice, King Black Acid’s “Let’s Burn,” and Ghosts On The Radio’s “Steal My Romance” (the last two being two of the three songs on this entire album that aren’t remixes).
Additional offerings are supplied by Genghis Tron (“Board Up The House” – Renholdër Remix), Comb Christ (“Today We Are All Demons” – Beneath The World Mix), Black Light Burns (“I Want You To”), Drop Dead, Gorgeous (“Two Birds, One Stone” – Wes Borland/Renholdër Remix), and From First To Last (“Tick Tock Tomorrow” – Wes Borland/Renholdër Remix).
While the album does contain its share of weak moments (hey, it wouldn’t be a soundtrack otherwise, right?), Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans still manages to (pardon the pun) rise above the other soundtracks in its field and comes highly recommended.
