Various Artists
“The Retaliators” O.S.T.
Rock/Alternative
Release: 21st October 2022
Via Better Noise Music
“The Retaliators” is a horror/thriller movie that debuted at Arrow FrightFest London in 2021 but only now has had an official theatrical release, hence the soundtrack and publicity. Several music videos from the soundtrack have been rolling on YouTube for about two years though, probably in order to promote the movie for the aforementioned film festival. Being the huge Hollywood Undead fan that I am, the new version of All Good Things’ “For The Glory” featuring Johnny 3 Tears and Charlie Scene was the one that alerted me to the movie. But I wasn’t really impressed with the song; both Johnny and Charlie give it a spirited twist, yes, but not enough to make it something I’d like to hear more often. So I let it go, until more rock songs and partnerships started popping up, some of them already known, like “Scars That I’m Hiding” by From Ashes To New with In Flames–Anders Fridén or “Wolf Totem” by The HU featuring Papa Roach–Jacoby Shaddix, others with new treats (Bad Wolves‘ “If Tomorrow Never Comes” now featuring Ice Nine Kills–Spencer Charnas or a remastered version of that ominous “The Ending” by Papa Roach) and some which seem to be featured only in this soundtrack – even if I’m not sure if they were exclusively written for it – like Hyro The Hero’s “Who’s That Playing On The Radio?” with Asking Alexandria–Danny Worsnop and Mötley Crüe–Mick Mars and the spicy “Blow” by Eva Under Fire and Spencer Charnas. The one obviously written for this is the movie theme, “21 Bullets”, an overwhelming track written by Nikki Sixx and James Michael, meaning Sixx A:M:, but performed by Nikki’s other band, Mötley Crüe; however, Vince Neil only does backing vocals (his high pitch in the chorus is undeniable), the lead being sung by Danny Worsnop, Spencer Charnas and From Ashes To New–Matt Brandyberry.
There are some songs without guests (I’ve already mentioned “The Ending” but that’s not the only one), but I think it’s all these collabs, especially the ones between musicians of different genres, that make this soundtrack so extraordinary. The digital version is already available on streaming platforms, including some lines from the movie (I believe these are linked to the scene where we can hear the song that comes next) but the physical CD will be released only on October 21st. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but given that two of the producers are Allen Kovac (who also produced “The Dirt”) and Michael Lombardi (also the main actor), and the cast features a lot of the rock stars in this soundtrack, I’m sure each song fits the scene it plays to – just as I’m sure Tommy Lee will ace in his role as DJ at a strip club…
9/10
by Renata “Pieni” Lino
Valkyrian Music 