Bride Of Chucky

Soundtrack

CMC International Records, 1998

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/28/1999

Admission number one: I hate horror films. Absolutely hate 'em. I've seen Friday The 13th and Halloween, and that stuff is just not my idea of a good time. If you like it, hey, more power to you.

Admission number two: I'm still a bit of a metalhead at heart. Even though I'm within sniffing distance of 30, and even though when I went to see Motley Crue last year I felt like the sore thumb standing out in the crowd, there's still something about heavy metal that sends shivers up my spine.

When my own personal worlds of love and hate merge, things can get interesting... such is the case with the soundtrack album to my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Bride Of Chucky. (Let's be honest, I'll spell out the only reason I'd see this movie in three words: Jennifer Tilly's breasts. 'Nuff said.)

The soundtrack - which features two songs not in the movie - is an interesting mixture of the more established artists and the up-and-coming groups who could be the next superstars when metal once again rises in popularity. (Don't laugh; I'm not the only critic predicting this.) For the most part, the selections on this disc are well chosen, but there are some surprises.

Surprise number one: the inclusion of The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies, who open the album with "Boogie King". Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a great track that sets the tone for the rest of the album. But I'd be hard-pressed to lump this band in with other acts like Judas Priest and Motorhead (who also appear on Bride Of Chucky).

Surprise number two: Type O Negative's selection is a lot gentler than I ever would have expected. It's still heavy in its own right, but "Love You To Death" has a sound that I never would have expected from this band. (Admittedly, I had not heard them prior to this album, so this was an eye-opening experience in many ways.) If their other work is this good, then I'll be down at the local record store trolling for their CDs.

Surprise number three: A pseudo heavy-metal cover of "Crazy" by kidneythieves. This is the only track on the album that just doesn't work for me, even though taking on an old Patsy Cline song is a daunting enough challenge. Nice idea, but this version is a little listless.

Throughout Bride Of Chucky, the listener is hit on one side with a more groove-oriented form of metal (Monster Magnet, White Zombie - is there any album out there that "Thunder Kiss '65" hasn't been included on?), the other with a more grinding attack (Slayer, Coal Chamber, Static-X). All the while, the listener is taken for an exciting ride that only slows down on the last two tracks (the aforementioned kidneythieves and Graeme Revell).

Bride Of Chucky is a good example of how a soundtrack can move a listener in good ways - but it's still not enough to make me sit through a horror film. Some of us need our beauty sleep.

Rating: B+

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© 1999 Christopher Thelen and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of CMC International Records, and is used for informational purposes only.