Deep, dark and brimming with talent
Soundtracks are always fun to review simply for the reason that no matter how bad the majority of the OST is, there will always be two or three fantastic tracks which make it worth the money you paid.
However, every so often you come across a soundtrack that just reeks of aptitude and Saw is one of these. Raw, intense and dripping with evil, the score is supported by songs by the likes of Chimaira, Fear Factory, Caliban and Illdisposed. Not that the score is weak- far from it- because with legendary NIN/A Perfect Circle's Danny Lohner on guitar duties alongside Page Hamilton, the dark brooding feeling found in the film itself carries on effortlessly. It's clear that Clouser and Lohner are cut from the same block of black talent for their work together on this OST is flawless.
'Last I Heard' is a morbid twist from the vaguely upbeat 'Bite The Hand That Bleeds' contributed by Fear Factory. Its placement between this track and the following 'Action' by (Troy Leeuwen's new side project) Enemy doubles the intensity but it can't match 'Reverse Beartrap'- a brutal onslaught of all the finest things about horror music. If your spine doesn’t tingle whilst listening to this CD, you're obviously far from human and if there was ever a song to play whilst camping in a forest miles from home, this is it. Just like NIN at their most brutal (think 'Pilgrimage' tenfold), this is scary stuff.
Pitbull Daycare take over with 'You Make me Feel so Dead' which, compared to the sinister blackness of Clauser's work, sounds like a nursery rhyme. And just like the best nursery rhymes, there are still mentions of the darker human side. From here, things appear to take a turn for the best- the soothing sounds filtering through under the name of 'X Marks the Spot' is almost comforting until you remember you're listening to a horror films soundtrack.
If this sounds good to you, you're in for a treat- the second half of the album is filled with much the same- talented bands, chilling instrumentals and bloodthirsty titles. Psycho Pomps' addition is an exhilarating anthem under the name of 'Wonderful World' which would sound perfectly at home in a grimy underground metal club. However, it's Caliban's 'The Beloved and the Hated' that steals the show unexpectedly. Melodic enough to keep weaklings such as myself happy, yet pumped full of enough ferocious growls to allow it's fury to shine through, it's the perfect example of the fine music found around at the moment and this means Caliban can easily stand up against the more well known names found throughout this soundtrack.
Regardless if you're a film fan or merely a compilation lover, this is definitely a Soundtrack worth paying out for…