The Crow: Movie Soundtrack

Various Artists

Atlantic Records

By Rob M. Gooz‚e

Arizona Daily Wildcat

When the spirit of vengeance knocks, one usually listens. Such is the premise of the new music from "The Crow" soundtrack, harmonious salvation granted by the year's most pleasantly rabid tunes.

Brandon Lee's final film role is set to hit theaters later this spring, but the brooding music of "The Crow" has already landed in local record stores. The 14-song compilation is this reviewer's pick as the best movie soundtrack of the year. It may seem early in the year for such a pompous declaration but here are a few reasons why_

The Cure begin the dark parade with "Burn," an adrenaline charger built upon a contagious bass and percussion arrangement. As with Queen's "One Vision" from a soundtrack bird of a different feather, "Burn" begins with a few sampled voices and sound effects before giving way to an equally catchy rhythm. Bet on hearing this song tearing up the airwaves at MTV and local radio stations soon.

Machines of Loving Grace follow with a musical prayer of torment common only to the "Golgotha Tenement Blues." Combining a bellicose guitar riff and numerous tempo changes into an eerie instrumental medium, the song drives right through the listener.

"Big Empty," already adopted into heavy rotation on local radio, finds Stone Temple Pilots again rambling to the top of college music charts. Scott Weiland's charismatic vocals lead this grunge monster complete with buzzing guitars and ripping drum blasts.

Nine Inch Nails' "Dead Souls" rides upon a beat slightly reminiscent of the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House," but the similarities end there. Visceral vocals explode into a chaos of guitars that lead to Trent Reznor's crucified lyrics.

Now, that's the lowdown on the album's first four songs.

Other highlights include the numbing melody of the Violent Femme's "Color Me Once," Helmet's lucidly militant "Milktoast," and the sampling madness of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's "After The Flesh."

Amidst these great tracks, hot, iron-blooded metal-heads should rejoice accordingly to the Rollins Band's classic "Ghostrider" and Pantera's drill-instructor-on-acid-like rants found on "The Badge."

This soundtrack runs like a 64-minute rollercoaster ride to Hell and back, and ends poignantly in the midst of a solemn acoustic harmony. One part ballad and one part epitaph, Jane Sieberry's "It Won't Rain All the Time," turns the cover on "The Crow's" music book of flaming pages.

Now if the movie is half as good as the music, it could be this movie is not a 'crow' after all, but a motion picture phoenix for the late Brandon Lee. As far as the music goes, "The Crow" can do no wrong. Read Next Article