Blade II
Marco Beltrami
" Vampires... I hate vampires... "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Blade of Stephen Norrington, starring Wesley Snipes as half vampire half human was a hit amongst the comic book fans. Enough a hit to create 2 sequels of it. Blade II and Blade Trinity. Blade II was directed by Guillermo del Toro, and oddly enough, despite receiving a lower fan rating, it was a stronger movie (at least for me). Of course what's not to like. Blade makes a pact with the vampires he's sworn to destroy, a new enemy unveils itself with mouthwatering results and Del Toro hires Perlman to inject a doses of fun into an already explosive project. Plus the make up effects are staggering, and we get the chance to hear Marco Beltrami add another Gothic level to his sound.
Thing is, it doesn't start that way. In "Nomack the Knife" we are treated to a suspenseful and atonal rhythm pleaser. In this track Beltrami already turns up the action with shrieks and stings of the orchestra. "Waiting for the Sun" paints another picture, a more somber one while we wait alongside Whistler for the upcoming sun. But which somberness can touch the literally zany tone of Marco Beltrami's main theme in "Blade II (Main Title)". Electronic beats, trumpet shrills and electric guitar coolness deliver us a bad ass sound for the hero himself. And honestly, I quite dig it.
Beltrami's familiar sound reappears soon enough though. His long dramatic lines in "Nyssa Sucks" appear to be familiar, as is his percussive work in "Suckheads Infiltrate" and "B Slice". One of the profound assaults on the senses comes from "House of Paincakes" though. Here there's enough atonal horror music to fulfill the horror enthusiast within you, and Beltrami throws in anything but the kitchen sink.
Luckily sometimes Beltrami strikes gold too, and it happens here in the middle of the album. "Family Feud" finally delivers Beltrami's Gothic sound. Meaning his already impressive drum rhythm is overpowered by a fantastic fanfare only he can deliver. It's powerful, fast and absolutely brilliant in the motion picture. Beltrami's taiku drumming continues after that in "Blade's Discharge" and the fanfare laden "Nomack Snacks". The final word is given to Nyssa's ethnic tilted theme in "Nyssa Over Easy".
Blade II has enough fine moments for a Beltrami fan, but after the amazing "Family Feud" cue, we are left with brief anecdotes that barely deliver the same thrill. Meaning Blade II doesn't finish in style, and I wonder if everything important is truly on board here. I'm sure some of the mixing could have altered the experience a bit, but Blade II just misses more of those taiko drum delights, or more of Beltrami's familiar Gothic sound. It's not Mimic, far from it, but from time to time Blade II is just deliciously sharp nonetheless.
Tracklisting
1. Nomack the Knife (3.31)
2. Waiting for the Sun (2.30)
3. Blade II (Main Title) (3.02)
4. Suckheads Infiltrate (2.19)
5. Nyssa Sucks (1.52)
6. B Slice (1.10)
7. House of Paincakes (4.53)
8. Blade Pops a Cold One (0.54)
9. Family Feud (2.21) Excellent track
10. Charge of the Light Grenade (3.03)
11. Blade's Discharge (1.35)
12. Priest Splits (1.23)
13. Nomack Snacks (1.19)
14. Back in Black (0.46)
15. Nyssa Over Easy (1.31)
16. Wind & The Willows (Abayo) (1.21)
Total Length: 33.30
Thing is, it doesn't start that way. In "Nomack the Knife" we are treated to a suspenseful and atonal rhythm pleaser. In this track Beltrami already turns up the action with shrieks and stings of the orchestra. "Waiting for the Sun" paints another picture, a more somber one while we wait alongside Whistler for the upcoming sun. But which somberness can touch the literally zany tone of Marco Beltrami's main theme in "Blade II (Main Title)". Electronic beats, trumpet shrills and electric guitar coolness deliver us a bad ass sound for the hero himself. And honestly, I quite dig it.
Beltrami's familiar sound reappears soon enough though. His long dramatic lines in "Nyssa Sucks" appear to be familiar, as is his percussive work in "Suckheads Infiltrate" and "B Slice". One of the profound assaults on the senses comes from "House of Paincakes" though. Here there's enough atonal horror music to fulfill the horror enthusiast within you, and Beltrami throws in anything but the kitchen sink.
Luckily sometimes Beltrami strikes gold too, and it happens here in the middle of the album. "Family Feud" finally delivers Beltrami's Gothic sound. Meaning his already impressive drum rhythm is overpowered by a fantastic fanfare only he can deliver. It's powerful, fast and absolutely brilliant in the motion picture. Beltrami's taiku drumming continues after that in "Blade's Discharge" and the fanfare laden "Nomack Snacks". The final word is given to Nyssa's ethnic tilted theme in "Nyssa Over Easy".
Blade II has enough fine moments for a Beltrami fan, but after the amazing "Family Feud" cue, we are left with brief anecdotes that barely deliver the same thrill. Meaning Blade II doesn't finish in style, and I wonder if everything important is truly on board here. I'm sure some of the mixing could have altered the experience a bit, but Blade II just misses more of those taiko drum delights, or more of Beltrami's familiar Gothic sound. It's not Mimic, far from it, but from time to time Blade II is just deliciously sharp nonetheless.
Tracklisting
1. Nomack the Knife (3.31)
2. Waiting for the Sun (2.30)
3. Blade II (Main Title) (3.02)
4. Suckheads Infiltrate (2.19)
5. Nyssa Sucks (1.52)
6. B Slice (1.10)
7. House of Paincakes (4.53)
8. Blade Pops a Cold One (0.54)
9. Family Feud (2.21) Excellent track
10. Charge of the Light Grenade (3.03)
11. Blade's Discharge (1.35)
12. Priest Splits (1.23)
13. Nomack Snacks (1.19)
14. Back in Black (0.46)
15. Nyssa Over Easy (1.31)
16. Wind & The Willows (Abayo) (1.21)
Total Length: 33.30