Based on the hit comic book about a man who
returns from the dead to avenge his killers, the film adaptation
of The Crow suffered a cruel irony when star Brandon Lee (son of
martial arts superstar Bruce Lee) died during production after a
bizarre onset accident. That event only deepened the film's aura
of death and gothic unease, moods that are brilliantly underscored
by this well-chosen collection of stark alt rock, dark metal, and
industrial dirges.
The opener, the Cure's typically angst-ridden "Burn,"
is about as sentimental as this album gets, bookended by Jane Siberry's
wistful "It Can't Rain All the Time." Sandwiched in between
is a virtual primer on powerful mid-1990s alt and industrial rock,
from Nine Inch Nails hammering Joy Division's "Dead Souls"
into its own image to the blistering snarl of Helmet, Pantera, and
the Rollins Band. So-called pop-song scores often have a cheap afterthought
feel to them; this one, a refreshingly integral part of the film
itself, stands as a great album in its own right.
-Jerry McCulley, Amazon
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