Various Artists – Punisher: War Zone

Punisher: War Zone, with its vigilante justice and ultra violence, is clearly not meant for the Woody Allen crowd. Furthermore, its hard rock soundtrack is a million miles away from that director’s beloved Dixieland and other jazz forms. There are acts on this soundtrack, in fact, that many music fans steer clear of; the way drivers go the long way around to avoid an accident scene. Although I once suffered through a Slipknot set at an Ozzfest (not recommended), I can proudly say there isn’t one Slayer CD in my vast collection. Well, now I have one track, at least.

Sorting through this 14-song collection might seem like dumpster diving for some. A little Slayer, after all, goes a long way. But there are treasures in this trash, although you’ll need to put on gloves and old clothes to rescue them.

One pleasant surprise is Seether’s “Fallen.” Who knew Shaun Morgan had such a great, scratchy voice? Certainly not I. In addition to its abundance of metal, this disc also includes a few fast and furious punky songs, including Rise Against’s “Historia Calamitatum”, which is far better than its overly pretentious title, as well as Senses Fail’s “The Past Is Proof”. Although it features an instrumental track a little on the techno side, Pendulum’s “Showdown” has a fine punk vocal going for it, also.

You wouldn’t expect anything beautiful (smelly, yes; pretty, nah) alongside all this garbage, so discovering something as sweet as “Bulletproof” by Kerli is a shockingly pleasant surprise. The song is not about a hard-as-nails dude, by the way, but concerns human vulnerability, instead. Similarly, this soundtrack shouldn’t ever be your first stop on any search for dance music. But, alas, Machines Of Loving Grace’s “Butterfly Wings” carries with it a bone-crushing industrial groove. This particular song dates back to the early ‘90s, but it still stands up well. Its chorus’ admonition, “Don’t place faith in human beings,” sadly holds true today, unfortunately. This track is followed by buzz-worthy dance act, Justice, which gives us “Genesis”.

Metal, the kind that usually fills multiple stages at Ozzfest, is this soundtrack’s primary focus. So in addition to Slayer, Hatebreed lays it down low and fast with “Refuse/Resist”, Rob Zombie gives us the title track with its speedy metal guitar solo, and Static-X’s contribution features a shouted vocal over a lumbering hard rock groove. This disc closes with the appropriately titled “Days of Revenge” by Ramallah.

A title like Punisher begs the sarcastic question: Who exactly is being punished? For those raised on a steady diet of classic rock or college radio, they might very well feel victimized by the bludgeoning music filling out this noisy CD. But even the snootiest alt.rock snob may reluctantly admit to liking some of these songs. Sure, there are too many heavy bass lines and Neanderthal vocals. But there are also flowers pushing up through this maze of concrete and asphalt, which makes the jack hammering all around somehow worthwhile. Does that mean I’m now going to buy Slayer’s catalogue? Not on your life! But I now have at least a little respect for Slayer and their kin.

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