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Underworld (2003 film)
Encyclopedia
Underworld is a 2003 action
-horror
film
about the secret history
of Vampires and Lycans (an abbreviated form of lycanthrope
). It is the first installment (chronologically, the second) in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves around Selene
(Kate Beckinsale
), a vampire who is a Death Dealer hunting Lycans. She finds herself attracted to a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman
) who is being targeted by the Lycans. After Michael is bitten by a Lycan, Selene must decide whether to do her duty and kill him or go against her clan and save him.
While reviewers generally received the film negatively, criticizing the overacting and lack of character development, a smaller number of reviewers praised elements such as the film's stylish Gothic visuals, the "icy English composure" in Kate Beckinsale's performance, and the extensively worked-out vampire-werewolf mythology that serves as the film's backstory.
, an ancient species of werewolf, who are in their human form. The vampires, Selene
, (Kate Beckinsale) and Rigel, specialize in assassinating Lycans. Selene's motivation goes beyond duty; she also wants revenge; Lycans slaughtered her family when she was a child. The vampires believe they defeated the werewolves many centuries ago and killed their leader, Lucian, and that they must kill off the survivors. As the vampires follow the Lycans into a subway station the werewolves open fire with submachine guns and Rigel is killed. After the Lycans retreat from Selene's return fire and the arrival of a third Death Dealer, Nathaniel, she tracks them to their den. Nathaniel is slain by a Lycan named Raze after being ambushed. Upon reaching the Lycan den, Selene hears loud howling and learns that the Lycans have developed a new high-tech bullet to kill the vampires.
When Selene arrives at the vampire coven's mansion she recounts the evening's events and urges an attack on the Lycans, but the vampire regent, Kraven, tells her to drop the matter. Selene determines that the Lycans may have been following a human, Michael Corvin, and continues her investigation. In an underground Lycan lair, a scientist named Singe tests blood from kidnapped descendants of the ancient Corvinus family, trying to find a pure source of the ancient and powerful Corvinus bloodline. Soon after Selene finds Michael the pair are attacked by six lycans, including Lucian. After Lucian bites Michael, Selene helps Michael escape and the two become attracted to each other.
Selene discovers that when Lucian was supposedly killed, Kraven was the only witness. Sensing a conspiracy, she wakes a powerful elder vampire, Viktor, who has been hibernating. Viktor is angered by his early awakening, as it was Markus' turn to rule, not his. Viktor believes Kraven and orders Selene to acquiesce to the vampire hierarchy. Kraven has secretly planned to kill the vampire elder, Amelia, and her companions, with Lucian's help.
Selene tells Michael about the feud and her past. She then chains him to a wall, fearing that when he changes at the full moon he will kill innocent people. Selene captures Singe while Michael is captured by two Lycans. Selene returns to the mansion with Singe, who admits to Viktor that the Lycans are trying to combine the bloodlines of the two species with the Corvinus Strain to create a powerful hybrid. After Kraven flees the mansion because Singe has revealed that Kraven and Lucian are working together, news arrives that Amelia, who was coming to awaken Markus, has been killed by Lycans. Viktor kills Singe and gives Selene the chance to redeem herself by killing Michael.
While Michael is being held captive, he learns that Lucian and Viktor's daughter, Sonja, became lovers. When Viktor learned that his daughter had become pregnant by a Lycan, he killed her to prevent any crossing of the species, which led to the war. Selene arrives with a group of Death Dealers to bring an end to the Lycans and kill Kraven for his treachery. Lucian prepares to fight, but Kraven shoots him with a newly designed bullet intended to kill by poisoning a Lycan's bloodstream. Selene rescues Michael as her allies battle the Lycans, but he is shot by Kraven. Kraven tells Selene it was Viktor who killed her family, and that he would have killed her if she had not reminded him of Sonja. When Selene still refuses to join Kraven, he points his gun at Michael to finish him off. Lucian emerges, injuring Kraven and telling Selene to bite Michael to transmit the vampire virus into his bloodstream. Selene complies and Kraven flees after killing Lucian. Viktor arrives and throws Selene against a wall and then throws Michael through a wall and into a pond below. Viktor admits that Kraven told the truth, but tells Selene that he gave her more than her human family ever could have: immortality, he also reveals the truth of his love for Sonja and that his choice to have her killed was to protect the vampires. Viktor and the hybrid Michael fight, but Viktor gets the upper hand and attempts to strangle Michael. Selene grabs Viktor's sword and kills him with it.
Selene and Michael leave the Lycan lair, now enemies of both species. At the mansion, Singe's blood seeps into the sarcophagus
of the remaining Elder, Markus, a carrier of the original Corvinus Strain. When his eyes open, they are vampire blue but then turn pitch black, the eyes of a hybrid.
and Nancy A. Collins
claiming the setting was too similar to the Vampire: The Masquerade
and Werewolf: The Apocalypse
games, both set in the World of Darkness
setting, and the Sonja Blue vampire novels. White Wolf filed 17 counts of copyright infringement, and claimed over 80 points of unique similarity between White Wolf's game systems and the movie. White Wolf, Inc. also claimed the script was very similar to a story entitled The Love of Monsters (1994) which they published and was written by Nancy A. Collins. In September 2003, a judge granted White Wolf an expedited hearing. The lawsuit ended in a confidential settlement.
. Roger Ebert
said, "This is a movie so paltry in its characters and shallow in its story that the war seems to exist primarily to provide graphic visuals". However, some critics were more favorable: the New York Daily News
praised it as being "stylish and cruel, and mightily entertaining for certain covens out there".
Salon reviewer Andrew O'Hehir gave mixed criticism and praise, stating, "[B]y any reasonable standard, this dark vampire epic — all massive overacting, cologne-commercial design and sexy cat suits — sucks". But O'Hehir also remarks that, "...at least it gives a crap", conceding that despite the movie's flaws, the complex vampire-werewolf mythology back-story "has been meticulously worked out".
Kevin L. Nault writes that one "significant character, Kraven (played by Shane Brolly), was consistently flat or simply off. Almost without fail, he came across with an emotion that I didn't buy, given the circumstances, or merely came across emotionally flat when I was expecting real terror." Nault goes on to note that "a powerful performance by Kevin Grevioux (also one of two writers for the movie) as the werewolf Raze was partially wasted by the fact that I constantly wondered who he was. He was clearly an important part of the werewolf group, but didn't appear to be exactly second in command or anything."
, in which Markus awakens, was released January 20, 2006. The prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
, which gives more detail as to the creation of the lycan species and Lucian's hatred, was released January 23, 2009. A third sequel has been planned with Kate Beckinsale signed to reprise the role of Selene. The films title is Underworld: Awakening and has a release date of January 20, 2012.
and distributed via Roadrunner Records
.
Lohner (born 1970), a bass guitarist, guitarist and keyboardist who has recorded with Nine Inch Nails
and Marilyn Manson
, contributed several songs to the soundtrack under the pseudonym Renholdër. Lohner continued included a song by Skinny Puppy
, a Canadian industrial
band. Lohner also included a song by The Dillinger Escape Plan
, a US band which performs an aggressive, technical style of hardcore punk called mathcore
; a song by US alternative rock/post-hardcore band Finch
entitled "Worms of the Earth"; a song by The Icarus Line
, a band known for its abrasive form of rock music; and Lisa Germano
, an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in alternative rock and dream pop
.
Music critic Bill Aicher notes that the "soundtrack follow[s] in a similar gothic vein" as the visuals and states that it "does an excellent job setting the dark mood" by using "a veritable who's who in the genre" with an "impressive array of metal, hard rock, industrial, and otherwise gothic-themed tracks". Aicher notes that since "a majority of the selections [are] written, produced, or featuring Lohner, the album retains a sense of cohesion throughout, making it much more a complete product than has generally been the case with similarly-themed products." He states that the "album's highest point" is the song with Maynard James Keenan
(from Tool
and A Perfect Circle
), David Bowie
, and guitarist John Frusciante
(of The Red Hot Chili Peppers
), which is entitled "Bring Me the Disco King (Loner Mix)"; he calls the song "[d]ark, brooding, sad, and twitchy".
Track listing
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
about the secret history
Secret history
A secret history is a revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real history which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed, forgotten, or ignored by established scholars.-Secret histories of the real world:...
of Vampires and Lycans (an abbreviated form of lycanthrope
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
). It is the first installment (chronologically, the second) in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves around Selene
Selene (Underworld)
Selene is a fictional character from the Underworld film series. She is the main protagonist in both Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, portrayed by Kate Beckinsale and also by Beckinsale's daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, in Underworld: Evolution in flashback scenes as a child. Selene was created by...
(Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale
Kathryn Bailey "Kate" Beckinsale is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing while still a student at Oxford University...
), a vampire who is a Death Dealer hunting Lycans. She finds herself attracted to a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman
Scott Speedman
Scott Speedman is a British-born Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for playing Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series Felicity and Lycan-Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror/action Underworld films.-Early life:Speedman was born Robert Scott...
) who is being targeted by the Lycans. After Michael is bitten by a Lycan, Selene must decide whether to do her duty and kill him or go against her clan and save him.
While reviewers generally received the film negatively, criticizing the overacting and lack of character development, a smaller number of reviewers praised elements such as the film's stylish Gothic visuals, the "icy English composure" in Kate Beckinsale's performance, and the extensively worked-out vampire-werewolf mythology that serves as the film's backstory.
Plot
Two vampires known as Death Dealers track a pair of LycansLycanthropy
Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...
, an ancient species of werewolf, who are in their human form. The vampires, Selene
Selene (Underworld)
Selene is a fictional character from the Underworld film series. She is the main protagonist in both Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, portrayed by Kate Beckinsale and also by Beckinsale's daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, in Underworld: Evolution in flashback scenes as a child. Selene was created by...
, (Kate Beckinsale) and Rigel, specialize in assassinating Lycans. Selene's motivation goes beyond duty; she also wants revenge; Lycans slaughtered her family when she was a child. The vampires believe they defeated the werewolves many centuries ago and killed their leader, Lucian, and that they must kill off the survivors. As the vampires follow the Lycans into a subway station the werewolves open fire with submachine guns and Rigel is killed. After the Lycans retreat from Selene's return fire and the arrival of a third Death Dealer, Nathaniel, she tracks them to their den. Nathaniel is slain by a Lycan named Raze after being ambushed. Upon reaching the Lycan den, Selene hears loud howling and learns that the Lycans have developed a new high-tech bullet to kill the vampires.
When Selene arrives at the vampire coven's mansion she recounts the evening's events and urges an attack on the Lycans, but the vampire regent, Kraven, tells her to drop the matter. Selene determines that the Lycans may have been following a human, Michael Corvin, and continues her investigation. In an underground Lycan lair, a scientist named Singe tests blood from kidnapped descendants of the ancient Corvinus family, trying to find a pure source of the ancient and powerful Corvinus bloodline. Soon after Selene finds Michael the pair are attacked by six lycans, including Lucian. After Lucian bites Michael, Selene helps Michael escape and the two become attracted to each other.
Selene discovers that when Lucian was supposedly killed, Kraven was the only witness. Sensing a conspiracy, she wakes a powerful elder vampire, Viktor, who has been hibernating. Viktor is angered by his early awakening, as it was Markus' turn to rule, not his. Viktor believes Kraven and orders Selene to acquiesce to the vampire hierarchy. Kraven has secretly planned to kill the vampire elder, Amelia, and her companions, with Lucian's help.
Selene tells Michael about the feud and her past. She then chains him to a wall, fearing that when he changes at the full moon he will kill innocent people. Selene captures Singe while Michael is captured by two Lycans. Selene returns to the mansion with Singe, who admits to Viktor that the Lycans are trying to combine the bloodlines of the two species with the Corvinus Strain to create a powerful hybrid. After Kraven flees the mansion because Singe has revealed that Kraven and Lucian are working together, news arrives that Amelia, who was coming to awaken Markus, has been killed by Lycans. Viktor kills Singe and gives Selene the chance to redeem herself by killing Michael.
While Michael is being held captive, he learns that Lucian and Viktor's daughter, Sonja, became lovers. When Viktor learned that his daughter had become pregnant by a Lycan, he killed her to prevent any crossing of the species, which led to the war. Selene arrives with a group of Death Dealers to bring an end to the Lycans and kill Kraven for his treachery. Lucian prepares to fight, but Kraven shoots him with a newly designed bullet intended to kill by poisoning a Lycan's bloodstream. Selene rescues Michael as her allies battle the Lycans, but he is shot by Kraven. Kraven tells Selene it was Viktor who killed her family, and that he would have killed her if she had not reminded him of Sonja. When Selene still refuses to join Kraven, he points his gun at Michael to finish him off. Lucian emerges, injuring Kraven and telling Selene to bite Michael to transmit the vampire virus into his bloodstream. Selene complies and Kraven flees after killing Lucian. Viktor arrives and throws Selene against a wall and then throws Michael through a wall and into a pond below. Viktor admits that Kraven told the truth, but tells Selene that he gave her more than her human family ever could have: immortality, he also reveals the truth of his love for Sonja and that his choice to have her killed was to protect the vampires. Viktor and the hybrid Michael fight, but Viktor gets the upper hand and attempts to strangle Michael. Selene grabs Viktor's sword and kills him with it.
Selene and Michael leave the Lycan lair, now enemies of both species. At the mansion, Singe's blood seeps into the sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
of the remaining Elder, Markus, a carrier of the original Corvinus Strain. When his eyes open, they are vampire blue but then turn pitch black, the eyes of a hybrid.
Cast
- Kate BeckinsaleKate BeckinsaleKathryn Bailey "Kate" Beckinsale is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing while still a student at Oxford University...
as SeleneSelene (Underworld)Selene is a fictional character from the Underworld film series. She is the main protagonist in both Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, portrayed by Kate Beckinsale and also by Beckinsale's daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, in Underworld: Evolution in flashback scenes as a child. Selene was created by... - Scott SpeedmanScott SpeedmanScott Speedman is a British-born Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for playing Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series Felicity and Lycan-Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror/action Underworld films.-Early life:Speedman was born Robert Scott...
as Michael Corvin - Michael SheenMichael SheenMichael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
as Lucian - Shane BrollyShane BrollyShane R Brolly is an Northern Irish actor, most known for his role as Kraven in Underworld.- Biography :Brolly was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and comes from a family of Irish actors, although he's done most of his film work in the US.He has a brother Clark, and a sister Kathy. He started...
as Kraven - Bill NighyBill NighyWilliam Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
as Viktor - Erwin LederErwin LederErwin Alois Robert Leder is an Austrian actor. He is best known for his role as Chief Mechanic Johann in Das Boot, a 1981 feature film directed by Wolfgang Petersen about a mission of one World War II U-boat and its crew...
as Singe - Sophia MylesSophia Myles-Early life:Myles was born in London. She is the daughter of Jane, who works in educational publishing, and Peter Myles, a retired Anglican vicar in Isleworth, west London. Her maternal grandmother was Russian, and she refers to herself as "half-Welsh, half-Russian". She grew up in Notting Hill,...
as Erika - Robbie GeeRobbie GeeRobbie Gee is a British actor, best known for his Desmond's character "Lee Stanley", and for appearing in Guy Ritchie's crime caper Snatch. He also appeared in the movie Mean Machine playing "Trojan".-Hosting:...
as Kahn - Kevin GreviouxKevin GreviouxKevin Grevioux is an American actor, screenwriter, and comic book writer. He is most known for his role as "Raze" in the Underworld movies.-Biography:...
as Raze - Zita GörögZita GörögZita Görög is a Hungarian actress and model, often credited as Zita Gorog.-Biography:...
as Amelia - Scott McElroy as Soren
- Wentworth MillerWentworth MillerWentworth Earl Miller III is an English-born American actor; model and screenwriter who rose to stardom following his role as Michael Scofield in the Fox Network television series Prison Break.-Early life:...
as Adam
Legal controversy
The film was the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by White Wolf, Inc.White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
and Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has alsowritten for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs...
claiming the setting was too similar to the Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
and Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Werewolf: The Apocalypse is a role-playing game and series of novels from the now defunct World of Darkness line by White Wolf. In the game, players take the role of werewolves known as Garou , as well as other lycanthropes: warriors who are locked in a two-front war against both the spiritual...
games, both set in the World of Darkness
World of Darkness
"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
setting, and the Sonja Blue vampire novels. White Wolf filed 17 counts of copyright infringement, and claimed over 80 points of unique similarity between White Wolf's game systems and the movie. White Wolf, Inc. also claimed the script was very similar to a story entitled The Love of Monsters (1994) which they published and was written by Nancy A. Collins. In September 2003, a judge granted White Wolf an expedited hearing. The lawsuit ended in a confidential settlement.
Critical reception
Critics generally gave Underworld a negative reception. It scored a 30% approval rating at the film-critics' aggregate site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
said, "This is a movie so paltry in its characters and shallow in its story that the war seems to exist primarily to provide graphic visuals". However, some critics were more favorable: the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
praised it as being "stylish and cruel, and mightily entertaining for certain covens out there".
Salon reviewer Andrew O'Hehir gave mixed criticism and praise, stating, "[B]y any reasonable standard, this dark vampire epic — all massive overacting, cologne-commercial design and sexy cat suits — sucks". But O'Hehir also remarks that, "...at least it gives a crap", conceding that despite the movie's flaws, the complex vampire-werewolf mythology back-story "has been meticulously worked out".
Kevin L. Nault writes that one "significant character, Kraven (played by Shane Brolly), was consistently flat or simply off. Almost without fail, he came across with an emotion that I didn't buy, given the circumstances, or merely came across emotionally flat when I was expecting real terror." Nault goes on to note that "a powerful performance by Kevin Grevioux (also one of two writers for the movie) as the werewolf Raze was partially wasted by the fact that I constantly wondered who he was. He was clearly an important part of the werewolf group, but didn't appear to be exactly second in command or anything."
Sequels and prequel
The follow-up story, Underworld: EvolutionUnderworld: Evolution
Underworld: Evolution is the second installment in the Underworld series, following Underworld in 2003...
, in which Markus awakens, was released January 20, 2006. The prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a 2009 American film directed by Patrick Tatopoulos. It is the third installment in the Underworld series, focusing primarily on the origins of some characters and the events leading to the Vampire-Lycan war, depicted in the previous films Underworld and...
, which gives more detail as to the creation of the lycan species and Lucian's hatred, was released January 23, 2009. A third sequel has been planned with Kate Beckinsale signed to reprise the role of Selene. The films title is Underworld: Awakening and has a release date of January 20, 2012.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was produced by Danny LohnerDanny Lohner
Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project...
and distributed via Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
.
Lohner (born 1970), a bass guitarist, guitarist and keyboardist who has recorded with Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
and Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, contributed several songs to the soundtrack under the pseudonym Renholdër. Lohner continued included a song by Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
, a Canadian industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band. Lohner also included a song by The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American mathcore band from Morris Plains, New Jersey. The group originated in 1997 after the disbanding of Arcane, a hardcore punk trio consisting of Ben Weinman, Dimitri Minakakis, and Chris Pennie. The band's current line-up consists of guitarist Ben Weinman,...
, a US band which performs an aggressive, technical style of hardcore punk called mathcore
Mathcore
Mathcore is a rhythmically complex and dissonant fusion style of hardcore punk and Metal. It has its roots in bands such as Converge, Botch, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. The term mathcore is suggested by analogy with math rock. Both math rock and mathcore make use of unusual time signatures...
; a song by US alternative rock/post-hardcore band Finch
Finch (U.S. band)
Finch was an American rock band from Temecula, California. The band released an EP Falling Into Place and two full-length albums, What It Is to Burn and Say Hello to Sunshine before declaring a hiatus in 2006. Finch reformed in 2007, playing a reunion show on November 23 at the Glasshouse in...
entitled "Worms of the Earth"; a song by The Icarus Line
The Icarus Line
The Icarus Line is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California.The Icarus Line was formed out of the ashes of high school punk group Kanker Sores...
, a band known for its abrasive form of rock music; and Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of...
, an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in alternative rock and dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
.
Music critic Bill Aicher notes that the "soundtrack follow[s] in a similar gothic vein" as the visuals and states that it "does an excellent job setting the dark mood" by using "a veritable who's who in the genre" with an "impressive array of metal, hard rock, industrial, and otherwise gothic-themed tracks". Aicher notes that since "a majority of the selections [are] written, produced, or featuring Lohner, the album retains a sense of cohesion throughout, making it much more a complete product than has generally been the case with similarly-themed products." He states that the "album's highest point" is the song with Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
(from Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
and A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
), David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, and guitarist John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
(of The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
), which is entitled "Bring Me the Disco King (Loner Mix)"; he calls the song "[d]ark, brooding, sad, and twitchy".
Track listing
| Track # | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Awakening" | The Damning Well The Damning Well The Damning Well was a rock supergroup comprising Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit on guitar, Danny Lohner formerly of Nine Inch Nails on bass, Richard Patrick of Filter on vocals, and Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle, on drums... (featuring Wes Borland Wes Borland Wesley Louden Borland is an American musician and artist, best known as the guitarist for the band Limp Bizkit. He has been in several other bands as well including: Black Light Burns, The Damning Well, Goatslayer, Big Dumb Face, and Combichrist... , Richard Patrick Richard Patrick Richard Patrick is an American rock musician. He is the frontman for the band Filter, a founding member of the supergroup Army of Anyone, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails.... , Josh Freese Josh Freese Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records.... & Danny Lohner Danny Lohner Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project... ) |
| 2. | "Rev. 22:20" | Puscifer Puscifer Puscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan is the only permanent member and he considers the project to be his "creative subconscious", Puscifer could also be considered a pseudonym for his solo work.... (featuring Danny Lohner Danny Lohner Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project... ) performed by A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums... |
| 3. | "Throwing Punches" | Page Hamilton Page Hamilton Page Hamilton is a guitarist, singer and record producer, mostly noted for his work with alternative metal band Helmet... |
| 4. | "Rocket Collecting" | Milla Jovovich Milla Jovovich Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began... & Danny Lohner Danny Lohner Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project... |
| 5. | "Now I Know" | Renholdër |
| 6. | "Bring Me the Disco King Bring Me the Disco King "Bring Me the Disco King" is a song written by David Bowie in the early 90's. It was first recorded for Black Tie White Noise in 1993 and then for Earthling in 1997, but never made it to the final release of these albums... (Danny Lohner Danny Lohner Daniel Patrick "Danny" Lohner , frequently known as Renholdër, is an American rock musician who plays bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards. He worked with Trent Reznor on numerous occasions, both with Nine Inch Nails and on the now defunct Tapeworm project... Mix)" |
David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s... (featuring Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids... & John Frusciante John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums... ) |
| 7. | "Optimissed" | Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre.... |
| 8. | "Down In the Lab" | Renholdër |
| 9. | "Judith Judith (song) "Judith" is a song by American rock band A Perfect Circle. It was released as the first single from their debut album Mer de Noms. The single was released as a 1-track Compact Disc single in North America, and a 4-track single on both disc and vinyl format in Australia.-Structure:During an... (Renholdër Mix)" |
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums... |
| 10. | "Suicide Note" | Johnette Napolitano Johnette Napolitano Johnette Napolitano is an American singer, songwriter and bassist best known as the lead vocalist/songwriter and bassist for the alternative rock group Concrete Blonde.- Solo career :... |
| 11. | "Baby's First Coffin" | The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American mathcore band from Morris Plains, New Jersey. The group originated in 1997 after the disbanding of Arcane, a hardcore punk trio consisting of Ben Weinman, Dimitri Minakakis, and Chris Pennie. The band's current line-up consists of guitarist Ben Weinman,... |
| 12. | "Hover (Quiet Mix)" | Trust Company Trust Company (band) Trust Company is an American alternative metal/post-grunge band from Prattville, Alabama.-First run :... |
| 13. | "Falling Through the Sky" | Renholdër |
| 14. | "Weak and Powerless Weak and Powerless "Weak and Powerless" is the first single by the alternative rock band A Perfect Circle, from their second album, Thirteenth Step, and is also their highest charting single to date, reaching #1 on both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks.... " (Tilling My Grave Mix) |
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums... |
| 15. | "Worms of the Earth" | Finch Finch (U.S. band) Finch was an American rock band from Temecula, California. The band released an EP Falling Into Place and two full-length albums, What It Is to Burn and Say Hello to Sunshine before declaring a hiatus in 2006. Finch reformed in 2007, playing a reunion show on November 23 at the Glasshouse in... |
| 16. | "From a Shell" | Lisa Germano Lisa Germano Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of... |
| 17. | "Death Dealer's Descent" | Renholdër |
| 18. | "On the Lash" | The Icarus Line The Icarus Line The Icarus Line is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California.The Icarus Line was formed out of the ashes of high school punk group Kanker Sores... |
| 19. | "All of This Past" | Sarah Bettens Sarah Bettens Sarah Bettens is the lead singer of the Belgian band K's Choice. Sarah and her brother Gert Bettens are the two popular faces of the band. She is known for her enigmatic, smoky voice. The band is popular in Belgium, the Netherlands and France, and had toured in the U.S... |