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Review: Dean Allen
NOT only did The Matrix revolutionize action cinema in 1999,
paving the way for countless imitations, the soundtrack did the
same.
With its mixture of nu-metal, dance beats and electronica, it's
a format that has been used countless times since - Daredevil,
is Matrix-lite in all respects.
With The Matrix Reloaded Album the mixture is still the same,
albeit with a more subdued feel.
Never a fan of nu-metal, the tracks from Marilyn Manson, Rob
Zombie and P.O.D. are nothing new and feel out of place.
It's significant that most of these nu-metal tracks do not feature
in the film. Linkin Park have taken note with 'Session',
an instrumental piano loop minus the wailing, the rapping and
the heavy guitars.
Rob Dougan provides another slice of mid-tempo dance 'n' strings
that worked so well in 'Clubbed to Death' with 'Furious
Angels'.
Alongside Deftones and Team Sleep, the stand out tracks are these
atmospheric mid-tempo tracks.
Closing out CD1 is Paul Oakenfold's remix of Dave Matthews Band's
'When The World Ends'. Chosen to play during the end credits,
it's another mid-tempo dance remix with a strong piano hook that
suggests a somber ending for the film.
Adding great value for money is CD2, where the score takes centre
stage. Considering you can pick up this 2cd set for £8.99
on the Internet, for once fans are not being ripped off with two
separate soundtracks.
Don Davis returns once again and the 'Main Titles' are
instantly remembered.
The reflective, almost abstract score punctuated by hectic strings
of 'Trinity Dream', will be familiar and is distinctively
the sound of The Matrix.
And then the action starts. If CD2 is representative of the action
cues in the film, then the Wachowski brothers have chosen to use
driving dance beats to propel those incredible fights.
'Treehouse', from Juno Reactor, is reminiscent of the
tribal drum work from Crouching Tiger, with a little didgeridoo
thrown in for good measure.
Rob Dougan appears again with a David Arnold, Bond-like cue for
'Chateau'. Fast and furious.
'Mona Lisa Overdrive' and 'Burly Brawl' are both
collaborations from Juno Reactor and Don Davis and are a mixture
of bass beats and strings. It's not hard to imagine the freeway
chase and Keanu fighting 100 agents during these action cues.
The very nature of a music from and inspired by album means that
it's going to be a hit-and-miss affair. Chances are, at a good
price, there will be more hits than misses.
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