Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever

The bombastic spy thriller/action flick Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever also has an equally overblown, electronica-based soundtrack that includes tracks by Darude, Parrot, and Barry Taylor. Soundtrack veterans the Crystal Method and BT are both represented, with the grinding "The Name of the Game" and a Plump DJs remix of "Smartbomb," respectively. Most of the album is standard-issue pummeling, aggressive big beat with a few trance numbers, such as the John Digweed and Nick Muir collaboration, Bedrock's "Heaven Scent," and Andy Hunter's "Go," thrown in for good measure. For all of its bluster, not much on the album is particularly distinctive, though Curve's sinuous, sinister "Hell Above Water" is a notable exception. Not interesting enough to really distinguish itself as good or bad, Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever is a merely adequate collection of electronica that sounds just as mediocre outside of the film's context. ~ Heather Phares|