UFC - Ultimate Beatdowns Volume 1
The Hobo Review
The Ultimate Fighting Championships are
a wonderful opportunity for people to experience real life fighting. Forget
kick-boxing, Taekwondo, pro-wrestling and Judo - this is the real stuff,
where any style, any technique and any fighting strategy can be utilized.
The UFC is not unlike Pride fighting or
other such MMA (mixed martial arts) competitions except that the UFC itself
functions under `no-holds-barred' rules. The fight can only be stopped
by verbal or physical submission, knockout or referee intervention - if
the fighters last the set number of rounds then the decision goes to the
referees' scorecards. Non-championship matches have a time limit of three
five-minute rounds, whereas championship matches are given an extra two
round leeway.
Regardless, the UFC in the spirit of violence,
aggression and empowerment has released a metal compilation album. For
what purposes you ask? Shameless commercialism, I guess.
The album features such aging metal hard-hitters
as Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Sepultura, Slayer, Fear Factory, Killswitch
Engage, Chimaira and Damageplan - with a good level of inconsequential
acts thrown in for good measure. ‘Icepick, Black Flood Diesel, Scars Of
Life, Stemm, UPO’ – has anyone heard of, let alone support these ‘titans’?
After skimming the tracks from these unknowns, I decided to do a little
research on a band that caught my ear – UPO.
U.P.O. apparently attracted `major label
interest' with their demo back in 1997. Three years later they recorded
their debut No Pleasantries with Epic, and released their sophomore
The Heavy this year. Even though I've never so much as heard their
name before, I've been informed they had a top 5 Billboard hit (who the
hell runs those things?) and have toured with the likes of Linkin Park,
Slipknot, Nickelback and Godsmack.
Are they anything to get excited over?
Hell no. In fact, their contribution to the album has left me clueless
as to why they were signed in the first place. Take one part RATM, one
part Soundgarden and two parts uninspired alt-rock - and presto, you've
got an instant EPIC metal giant! Seriously though, why the hell does their
drummer have pigtails? Truly tough stuff.
Icepick’s little hardcore ditty "Born To
Crush You" isn’t a bad little addition to the disc. The Scars Of Life (do
not think Scars Of The Crucifix) track "Dying Here" is fairly soft and
mundane. Black Flood Diesels Lost Cause is shameful, with soft, unenergetic
vocals, boring pseudo-tough lyrics (‘I’ll kill them all’) and the same
goddamn guitar riff all the way though. Stem’s "Face The Pain" is nothing
more than a catchy nu-metal hit.
Quite frankly I had anticipated a much
harder compilation. I mean, when you take the UFC – extreme in the realm
of contact sports – and you add metal – how can you go wrong? Well, apparently
the UFC did. I’m lost as to why anyone would go out and purchase a disc
half full of easily obtainable tracks we’ve all heard before, and half
full of talentless, dry trash that does nothing to communicate the anger,
power, rage and intensity of the UFC.
Come on guys, it’s not like there’s a lack
of metal out there. Choose some more suitable tracks for Volume 2.
CD Info
UFC -
Ultimate Beatdowns Volume 1
Label: DRT
Entertainment
Rating:
Tracks:
UFC Intro (Optimus Bellum Domitor)
Warzone - Slayer
Blunt Force Trauma - Damageplan
Live For This - Hatebreed
Cowards - American Head Charge
Power Of 1 And 1 - Shadows Fall
Bullet The Blue Sky - Sepultura
Slave Labor - Fear Factory
Born To Crush You - Icepick - (featuring
Jamey Jasta/Lord Ezec)
Breath Life - Killswitch
Indifferent To Suffering - Chimaira
Face The Pain - Stemm
It's Alright - U.P.O.
Listen - Index Case
Lost Cause - Black Flood Diesel
Dying Here - Scars Of Life |
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