Several cuts are nothing more than techno instrumentals. The sole lyric on “Prime Audio Soup” is “Set me free.”
“Bad Blood” (by Ministry) gives a subtle plug for drug use by looking “for answers in those catatonic, bloodshot eyes.” Besides being riddled with the f-word, Marilyn Manson’s “Rock Is Dead” states, “God is in the TV/A thousand mothers are praying for it/We’re so full of hope/And so full of s—.” On “Wake Up,” Rage Against the Machine promotes violent anarchy. Rammstein’s bitter contribution, “Du Hast,” (playing off a German homophone) rejects marital fidelity. Bleak and angry, “My Own Summer (Shove It)” could be interpreted as Deftones’ fist-shaking diatribe against God. On “Dragula,” the devilish Rob Zombie growls about death, while the lead singer for Lunatic Calm desires to push someone past the breaking point (“Leave You Far Behind”).
As dreary as the futuristic film that inspired it (an R-rated, extremely violent mind patrol of the border between reality and illusion), The Matrix soundtrack is preoccupied with malevolence. Repeated exposure is like a recurring nightmare. And the producers of this disc have trotted out some of the industry’s most abysmal artists to champion its dark cause. Marilyn Manson. Rob Zombie. Rammstein (a favorite of the boys responsible for the recent massacre in Littleton, Colorado). Avoid all things Matrix.
