AA.VV.
Queen Of The Damned OST

THE REVIEW

As most people surely know, the soundtrack of "Queen of the Damned" was written by Jonathan Davis (singer of Korn) and composer Richard Gibbs. Apart from the actual value of the film (a dud), what piques interest is HIV's debut (as Jon is "affectionately" nicknamed by the rest of the band) in the complex world of soundtracks. Let's get straight to the point: in the end, it can be said that he managed quite well.

The songs he wrote (and unfortunately couldn't perform due to a record label that didn't want to distract from the imminent "Untouchables") are nice, although they are steeped in that pseudo-dark aura that even Korn themselves succumbed to. "Not Meant for Me" (performed by Wayne Static of Static-X), "System" (Chester Bennington/Linkin Park), "Redeemer" (M.Manson), and "Slept So Long" (Jay Gordon/Orgy) are good tracks, mostly played at very low speeds with keyboards always in prominence. But the real revelation is "Forsaken", masterfully sung by David Draiman of Disturbed, who truly pours his soul into making an already well-thought-out chorus even more captivating.
The rest of the album presents tracks from various groups, more or less famous, that nonetheless deserve at least a mention: Deftones-"Change" (as great as ever), Papa Roach-"Dead Cell" (passable...), Godhead-"Penetrate" (I just can't stand industrial), Disturbed-"Down with the Sickness" (great song, also featured in the remake of "Dawn of the Dead"), Static-X-"Cold" (same sentiment as for Godhead), Earshot-"Headstrong" (never heard them before, Tool+Korn), Dry Cell-"Body Crumbles" (very similar to Linkin Park), Tricky-"Excess" (brilliant), Kidneythieves-"Before I'm Dead" (great female voice in a sound heavily indebted to PitchShifter).

In conclusion: a worthy debut of Jon Davis (also featured in a cameo in the film) in the world of soundtracks, even though there's still a ways to go to reach the brilliance of Trent Reznor in "Lost Highways".