From Staff Reports
Michigan Daily
U. Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Following the recent trend of mainstream movies, the producers of "Mission: Impossible 2" have put together a rock soundtrack full of original songs performed by established acts. This soundtrack leans toward the heavy end of the rock spectrum and features tracks from Limp Bizkit, Metallica and Rob Zombie, as well as several less-excitable acts such as the Foo Fighters, Chris Cornell and Tori Amos.
The first three songs on "Mission: Impossible 2" are the album's big draws. Limp Bizkit opens up the compilation with a reworking of the traditional "Mission: Impossible" theme. The song has the standard Limp features, including pounding guitars, screamed vocals, and the obligatory mention of "little girls," thrown in for no apparent reason. Guitars replace the synthesized melody of the old television show theme, and lyrics are thrown in at no extra charge, with entertaining results.
The next song on the soundtrack is "I Disappear," Metallica's only soundtrack contribution to date. "I Disappear" has the same sound as the band's most recent original albums, 1996's "Load" and its follow-up "Re-load." Like many of the songs from those records, radio does not do Metallica's newest track justice as the intense bass and layering of the song can be much better appreciated on a home system.
Rob Zombie follows Metallica with another original submission, "Scum of the Earth." The trademark Zombie sound remains unchanged for the soundtrack, consisting mainly of heavy guitars and Rob's growling voice. These, as in every other Zombie tune, are driven by booming percussion and backed by electronic noise and group shouts of encouragement from an invisible supporting cast.
After "Scum of the Earth" come two impressive tracks from less popular artists. The first is "They Came In" by the recently forgotten Butthole Surfers. "They Came In" is a blend of guitars and electronically enhanced instruments and vocals, a combination which works well for the band.
The following track, "Rocket Science" by The Pimps, is a gritty, fast-paced declaration of independence and is a commendable piece of music from little-known artists.
After starting off with five fairly good songs, the album falters and never quite recovers. Tracks from the Foo Fighters, Chris Cornell and Buckcherry are uninspired and leave much to be desired.
Mediocre tracks from underexposed artists like Apartment 26, Diffuser and Tinfed do little to make up for the failure of some of the album's big names.
"Not My Kinda Scene," a Radiohead-like offering from Powderfinger, leads the small group of pleasant tracks that close the soundtrack. "Carnival," a trippy melody from Tori Amos, follows and an instrumental from Brazilian guitarist Heitor Pereira closes.
While "Mission: Impossible 2" does offer some worthwhile music, it burns itself out after only 20 minutes and barely coasts from there.
A few highlights do not fully compensate for the album's failure to sustain the listener's attention and boredom may set in well before the end of the disc. As a result, Powderfinger, Amos and Pereira are cheated out of an opportunity to impress new audiences while mainstream artists are given even more publicity.
It's a shame, but sometimes that's how the music industry works.
