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MUSIC BOX
The best of
MORTAL KOMBAT is a well-known name to males between the ages of 16-25. A powerhouse franchise spawned from a revolutionary arcade game in the early nineties, this martial arts based blood and gore fest caused quite a stir when released for its depiction of graphic violence. So engaging was this phenomenon that two slick movies followed. From those movies came two equally pumping soundtracks; one for MK the first flick and the second for Annihilation, the sequel. Now there is a compilation CD combining tracks from both soundtracks called what else but MK: The Very Best Of.
This record is a pure rush of adrenaline, containing choice cuts of meat from the best of the Industrial/Metal world. Kicking things off is the MK theme, a hard techno track that samples the ominous voice of the video game’s announcer. Electro-Industrialists Gravity Kills follow up with a short, sharp attack called Goodbye. Germany’s Industrial granddaddies KMFDM make the first of their two appearances with Juke Joint Jezebel, remixed by none other then Electro-disco guru Giorgio Mordoer. A renewed guitar assault on this version makes it quite distinct from the original. The Orbital make there presence felt with the epic trip of Halcyon+On+On. The brothers Hartnoll have seemingly perfected the ambient electronic groove with this mantra of chill. Shifting gears from the orbital”s airy soundscapes, ones ears are bombarded with the death disco of Fear factory, here embodied in Zero Signal. Their desolate samples, jackhammer guitar and blitzkrieg drumming is more than music. this is a declaration of total war. goth metal ogres Type O Negative present Blood and fire a dynamic track featuring lead singer Pete Steele’s bass rumble, loud guitar crunch and medieval atmosphere.
The first entry from Annihilation is Encounter the Ultimate, a redux of the MK theme by the Immortals, featuring more of the characters now from the second flick. A track called Fire by Scooter provides some comic relief from all the drama. It is pure enjoyment as its metal guitars and drum machine combo sounds like Eurodisco on speed. KMFDM are back again, this time with Megalomaniac. The second outdoes the first as it’s relentless sampling and acid tinged lyrics are like a bolt of lightning through ones headphones. Danny Saber’s remix of Megadeath’s Almost Honest is a bit of a spoiler as the original’s stellar guitar work is lost here. Germany is well represented Rammsteins incredible Engle is also featured.
Missing from the album are Geezer Butler’s hard-hitting The Invisible and Josh Wink’s percussive hoedown among others, but hey, you can’t get it all for Rs 90 can you? Topping things off is Shaun Imrei’s Two telephone calls and an Air Raid, a manic barnburner that sounds as odd as it looks. If you’re in the market for a head banging, mind blowing substance laden soundtrack, pick up this record. Once more these machines of loving grace rescue us from the age of superboredom. —Qasim Abdallah Moini
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