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Resident Evil is one of the very first games you think about that would work great on the big screen. For the most part bits and pieces of the game, have been inspired by movies, so the jump seems more than logical. Finally, after more than four years of waiting, we are getting Resident Evil on the big screen. While I hope the movie satisfies the legacy of the games, the soundtrack left me strangely disappointed.

Let me just go on a small rant here. Why must you edit songs on soundtracks? I mean, come on, the movie is obviously rated R, meaning that no one under 17 should be in there without a parent (in the perfect world), so why butcher half-way decent songs on the soundtrack to make you feel like you are listening to a mid-day radio show? I mean radio stations around the country have the balls to say “shit,” “fu*k,” and various other words on the air, albeit, late a night when everyone from the FCC is sleeping, but why on a CD such as this one.

I think I was somewhat lenient in my score, I originally wanted to give the album a 2.0 for the fact that I don’t appreciate being sold an edited album to appease corporate suits who just want to be able to market something with the Resident Evil name to children. You market the games, that’s bad, you market the R rated movie, that’s worse, so make the CD clean and make everyone happy? No, it doesn’t work that way.

As for the material itself, the CD still manages to make up some ground, but not much. Marilyn Manson’s “Fight Song” has been remixed, although it doesn’t sound as great as the original version, Manson’s lyrics are so washed up and faint in this Slipknot remix, it is almost impossible to hear anything but the banging of drums and guitars. To their own credit, Slipknot’s original song, “My Plague (New Abuse Remix)” is a great lead off track. The rest of the CD features regurgitated songs from Static-X, Adema, and The Crystal Method. While all great songs, nothing I don’t already own.

The Mudvayne song “Dig” is remixed here also, and comes up sounding great, the song is very strong to begin with, but the remix adds to the intense feeling of the sound. Next up in the “What the Hell” category is what the hell is Method Man doing on this CD? I would just love an option to scratch that part of the disc off, the song is horrible, who even employs this “artist?”

Rather than releasing a separate score and soundtrack, Sony opted to have them both included on one record, a nice bonus to the end of the CD is the four track score produced by Marilyn Manson. If only the entire CD was composed of great stuff like this, it might be a higher score up there.

In any event, I am hoping that the movie doesn’t let me down like the soundtrack did, but if you are really a fan of the series, and have to have all the RE merchandise (like me), then pick up the CD today, it may not be the best, but it sure isn’t Glitter.

Orange County’s soundtrack, as mentioned in our movie review, has an elective mix from a number of high profile bands lending new music to the movie. Headlining the effort is a brand-spanking new track from fellow Californians The Offspring. Their new track “Defy You” does just that. It is an anti-establishment sediment that literally gives the finger to the man, stating that “I am alive.”

While The Offspring’s new track is leading the CD, don’t you think it will stop there. The new Foo Fighter’s track “The One” has been getting massive airplay as we await their new disc this summer.

Crazy Town is also featured on the soundtrack with their past hit (read: old) “Butterfly.” Also making an appearance is the generally poppy Cake with “Shadow Stabbing” and punksters Bad Ronald with “1st Time.” The ladder track feature some generally funny lyrics about a man’s first time.

Brian Wilson’s new track “Lay Down Burden” is a very mellow track that seems to fit nicely in the middle of the CD. While I was disappointed with the poor quality of Social Distortions live rendition of “Story of my Life,” it is always nice to hear from Social D.

Most of the tracks featured on this soundtrack are actually in the film (a rare occurrence these days) so if you see the movie and like the music, you can bet it will be on here. Over all a very good, if not average, soundtrack.

Is there one thing that makes this album rock? Yes, and it is called track number one. To hear Marilyn Manson’s cover on “Tainted Love” is worth the price of this CD. Sure you could use Kazaa or some other P2P device to download the track, but while the Manson track is what you paid for, the rest of the CD comes along as a bonus, and a worthy one at that.

While most of the tracks have appeared else where, or have been around a while “The Metro” by System of a Down appeared on the Dracula 2000 Soundtrack, and Orgy’s rendition of “Blue Monday” appeared on their excellent Candyass disc, this is the first time all of these tracks have been together, legally.

While the Smashing Pumpkin’s cover of “Never Let Me Down Again” comes up strangely disappointing, the rest of the tracks on the disc stand out as well known 80s songs, covered and re-mastered by some of today’s hottest names in rock.

The disc never really fails to disappoint, and the 4 out of 5 [Editor’s Note: Under our old rating system] rating is only because a great many of these tracks have appeared elsewhere, are aren’t dramatically new. It seems as though the producers of this album would have rather used old recordings from these bands, than have some new ones recorded. While Mest does make the cut on the CD, I would have liked to seen some more punk bands (since we know they do the best covers) of the likes of New Found Glory, Offspring, and maybe sprinkle in some Green Day for added flavor.

All in all, superior disc, and one of the best soundtracks in years.

Pennywise’s music is like something good you know will always be there. No matter what disc you put in your player, or what track you listen to it is still as good as the first time you heard it, I guess that is why this is the band’s seventh studio album, and why it doesn’t look like they are slowing down.

The disc starts off with the irreverent lead up to the band’s first single “Fu*k Authority” that has garnered a lot of playtime on the radio airwaves as of late. The single (a bash on the government none the less) is one of the CDs most striking tracks along with “Divine Intervention,” and “Who’s On Your Side.”

While the disc doesn’t offer as many lingering tunes as 1999’s Straight Ahead or 2000’s Live at the Key Club, Land of the Free? does offer the one thing that Pennywise is known for, all out punk music in a rebellious, yet contained explosion that keeps this album in your CD player for months to come.

While the album predated the terrorist attacks of September 11th, it should not be held down or back in any way for the negative spindle it launches upon the organized government of the United States. Would you rather have someone sing their troubles as an outlet, or plummet a 747 into a building?

One thing that Pennywise does make more than a few references to on the new disc is that of disorganized religion in the song “My God.” While I won’t go into details here (I don’t want to die a martyr at this time) the disc lives up to the true nature of the first single, and does want to totally fu*k authority.

Unfortunately, for the industry as a whole, the album doesn’t offer anything totally new that we haven’t heard before in the genre, which at the moment I believe only Bad Religion did with their New America album in 2000. Still, like I stated earlier, the more Pennywise we get the better, and this CD definitely fits in with that.

This is where it all started for me and punk music. This CD brought me into the wonderful world that we call punk, rebellion, alternative, or just “fast-talking-noise.” With Smash The Offspring shed the shackles of the underworld to be brought into the eye of society and show that they had more than enough talent to compete with the “talented” bands of the early 90s.

To current day, Smash is the biggest selling rock album from and independent label, Epitaph Records, as well as it should be. Even today songs like “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem,” and “Gotta Get Away,” are still tearing up the airwaves a full eight years since they were released.

The three afore mentioned songs are the best on the album, but the CDs title track “Smash” is also my favorite of the disc. So good, in fact, that I based an entire school essay on the lines. “I’m not a trendy asshole / Do what I want / Do what I feel like / I’m not a trendy asshole / Who gives a fuck if it’s good enough for you / because I am alive.” Just those simple lines open so much for discussion and homage.

There may be some that now call the Offspring hypocritical because they are just the thing they said they weren’t, trendy, but I tend to disagree. The Offspring have swayed their style in the past few years to a more light hearted tone, leaving the dark wayward songs of “Come Out and Play,” a take on a gang war and “Self-Esteem” about a man and his user girlfriend looking to score all the time. With the release of Americana and to some extent Ixnay on the Hombre The Offspring have proved that they can change with the times, so they aren’t fazed out, much like grunge was.

The song’s most interesting, and true to life road rage experience “Bad Habit” will have you listening to the words over and over again, as the song is a perfect example of some less than perfect driver “showing his piece.”

Smash is the perfect album for someone looking to enjoy a good 40 minute CD and be introduced to punk music. It is not as hardcore as some of the other punk bands out there, so it is great to ease you in on the experience.

I don’t believe that the Offspring are sellouts even though they did leave Epitaph for the bigger, more financially secure Columbia/Sony. There is only so far you can go on a independent label (don’t tell that to Pennywise, because they have proved me wrong already), but the Offspring saw a changing in the wind and decided to leave the home of Smash and release Ixnay on the Hombre as a full commercial release with the help of a major label.

What people did was label the CD, without listening to the music on it, and this CD is certainly not Smash II proving that The Offspring still have it, even on their fourth album release. Ixnay features both catchy punk tunes (“Don’t Pick It Up,” “Meaning of Life”) and songs that almost seem like 80s hair-band rock ballads (“Gone Away,” “Amazed”). The Offspring continue to change up what they are doing to stay with the times, while not compromising who they are.

Ixnay on the Hombre further diversifies the Offspring’s music. With “Don’t Pick It Up” they speak of not always believing what something is until you further examine it, or they could mean you shouldn’t think a piece of shit is really a candy bar. With “Gone Away” (my personal favorite song) lead singer Dexter Holland tells of losing a love, and asks to trade places with his lover who has passed.

Trendy or not, the songs on Ixnay show that the Offspring have the staying power to be around eight years after the release of Smash.

While Ixnay on the Hombre doesn’t diversify upon what has already been done in the punk genre, it further intensifies that the Offspring are a band to contend with, and they will continue to make good music far into the next century.

The Offspring’s last release was panned by critics and some fans as a turning for the band. Since their highly publicized departure from Epitaph Records to the Sony owned Columbia, they have been labeled sell-outs, traitors, and trendy. But it just goes to show that a band’s real fans are the one’s who stand by them no matter how bad an album they put out, or how different they change.

I am a true Offspring fan, and I totally loved their last CD, Americana. Sure, it wasn’t their best CD (that honor belongs to their breakout hit, Smash) but they made an honest effort to return to the style that made them famous with the afore mentioned Smash and Ixnay on the Hombre.

Conspiracy of one was originally intended to be released online through the band’s website in MP3 form in order to show their support for Napster and the whole file-swapping digital revolution online. Sony didn’t like that idea much. But the band did manage to release their first single from the album, “Original Prankster” on their site to help promote the disc and it’s impending release. The Offspring are only one of the bands (Including Limp Bizkit and others) that have publicly stepped up and supported the near-defunct swapping pioneer service.

Conspiracy of one features everything the Offspring are known for. There is the catch “Original Prankster” that reminds you more of “Why Don’t You Get A Job” and “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” than traditional old-school Offspring. But the CD does have it’s share of hard hits. “Special Delivery” brings back the days of Smash’s “Bad Habit” and “Million Miles Away” brings you back Ixnay on the Hombre’s “Staring at the Sun” and “Gone Away.”

If anything the Offspring have the ability to test different styles of music, just as they did with “Pay the Man” on Americana. While the disc is not their best effort, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still good. Smash was so good that they would be hard pressed to find a way to top it, but I’m egger to see if, and when, they do.

People once thought that American techno bands couldn’t stand up to the bands of Britain with the likes of the Chemical Brothers, and Fluke as well as the all American Gearwhore. The Crystal Method emerged four years ago to prove that American’s could come out and deliver to the genre. While their first album showed amazing promise (and was very good, still in my CD player) critics and techno fans could tell of the Chemical Brother influence.

The techno duo, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, returned to their aptly named studio, The Bomb Shelter, to produce their second major-label record. With collaborations from the likes of Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave) and Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), the Method reemerged this year with one of the most hardcore albums I have ever heard.

The discs first single “Name of the Game” is a hard bass pumping, guitar ripping tune that reintroduces the world to a band they have missed for the past four years. The song sounds tremendous playing on even a not-so-decent sound system with heavy bass and guitars provided by Morello.

The second single, and new video, is for the Weiland collaborated “Murder” which features a return to the rock influenced sound that was featured on Vegas.

While the album isn’t the most revolutionary, or as stunning as the duo’s first label CD, it does feature plenty of the standard Crystal Method flair that will keep fans of the first CD happy, while attracting a new audience with the new sounds pumping out of your stereo. The Crystal Method has broken the staple of just being another Chemical Brother’s rip off, they have found their own sound, and I like it.

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