VARIOUS ARTISTS
UNDERWORLD SOUNDTRACK
LAKESHORE
I went to see the movie Underworld the other night. I thought it would be wise to see the movie that the album I was reviewing promotes, strictly for research mind you, not the fact that I’m a sucker (no pun intended) for vampire movies in general, and girls in skin tight vinyl in specific. What you should know about the movie: Two species, in this case vampires and werewolves have been fighting a civil war for centuries. A human is caught in the middle of this, somehow linked to both races. The movie was highly entertaining, and the soundtrack that accompanies the movie is just as impressive, though at times a bit disjointed.

First off, kudos to the producers who decided it was a good idea to let Danny Lohner produce the whole thing. Lohner’s sense of pacing and knowing which song should go where gives the album a fluidity that would other wise would be lacking. The album opens with "Awakening" by The Damning Well, featuring Wes Borland, Richard Patrick, Josh Freese, and Danny Lohner. After which the track listing runs across genres and holds more than one surprise, such as the track "Rocket Collecting," by Milla. As in Milla Jovovich. Her ability to sing was shocking. Okay so it’s more her speaking than actually singing, but its Milla. Another surprise was the Skinny Puppy track "Optimissed." A most welcome surprise indeed, though it tends more toward Ohgr’s solo work than anything that Skinny Puppy did during their career re: it’s more structured than their usual experimental noise. In fact during a preliminary listen I mistook the Renholder track "Down in the Lab" for Skinny Puppy’s contribution.
Some standout tracks on the record were the Renholder remix of A Perfect Circle’s "Judith," to my knowledge the only non-score track off the album used in the movie. Puscifer, yet another Maynard James Keenan side project, contributed "Rev. 22:20," a trip hop tune that has an excellent sense of pacing thanks to Danny Lohner who is featured on the track. The Lohner remix of David Bowie’s "Bring Me The Disco King" gives it an already sad song an even more mournful bend. The complete surprise was the remix of the Trust Company tune "Hover," which was transformed into a piano and strings ballad. "All Of This Past" by Sarah Bettens closes out the album a funeral dirge of a piano ballad.The slip ups on the album come from the tracks contributed by Finch, "The Icarus Line" and "The Dillinger Escape Plan." These tracks did not fit with the feel evoked from the rest of the album, though to Lohner’s credit he is smart enough to put them in the bottom ten of the 19 track album.
So there it is. I’ve given my two cents on the subject. Now why don’t you go out and pick up the album and give it a listen. Well? Go!

----Steve Walker