Artist: Various
Album Title: Transformers: Dark of the Moon – The Album
Record Label: Reprise Records
Rating: 
Review by: Bill Jones
Just in time for the latest Michael Bay CGI/explosion extravaganza, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Reprise Records released Transformers: Dark of the Moon – The Album, or, as it would be title if being totally honest, Transformers: Songs Maybe Loosely Associated with the Movie. As the back of the case proudly proclaims/admits, “a number of tracks may not be contained in the film.” Either way, they are available now in three formats.
Reprise released the movie tie-in in three different formats – standard CD, iTunes Deluxe and Game Stop exclusive. The standard format contains 11 tracks, featuring Linkin Park’s “Iridescent,” though only Paramore’s “Monster” and Goo Goo Dolls’ “All That You Are” debut on the compilation. Other bands on the CD are My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Staind, Art of Dying, Theory of a Deadman, Black Veil Brides (2011’s Evanescence), Skillet and Mastodon. The other editions add a few extra bands for a few extra tracks apiece.
It’s an impressive lineup of big-name bands, a lineup that might be expected from a film with as big of a budget as Transformers: Dark of the Moon. To the team’s credit, it’s more than just the heavy rock chords one might expect of a Michael Bay-related compilation. Staind’s contribution begins with sounds akin to what we expect during the debut of a giant metal bot in the film, but otherwise the album is rather tame, rather poppy for such an actiony affair. Even bands like Linkin Park and Mastodon seem to lack their teeth on the tracks provided, and it is all-around disappointing.
The album is presented with some standard screencaps throughout a liner sheet that seems mostly there for all the credits that need to be included for the respective big-name bands and their labels. It’s another disappointment. Film soundtracks (and even album tie-ins) should start taking notes from some of the better video game soundtracks released in recent years, and include some notes on how the songs work as tie-ins to the film, or how the soundtrack was put together. But it simply seems like a way to gain attention for a few bands and make some extra money with the name Transformers: Dark of the Moon, rather than anything significant.
For more info, www.transformersmovie.com
Pads & Panels received a copy of the album courtesy of the record label for review purposes.
June 30th, 2011 at 7:44 am
Bill, with that list of bands, it seems like it should be a pretty good album.
But, why the heck include “a number of tracks may not be contained in the film.” ? Could they not have just added sound effects or commentary or something if there weren’t enough tracks to fill an album?
June 30th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Ha. Only three songs from the standard edition are even in the film. That being said, I might snag the Mastodon mp3 off of Amazon but the rest of this seems like the same type of soundtrack that Hollywood has been pushing from their big blockbuster films for a decade+ now…
July 11th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
LOL at “a number of tracks may not be contained in the film.”
Anyway, I’ll grab the Staind song and perhaps the Goo Goo Dolls and My Chemical Romance songs, and that’s it.