Various

Ever since motion picture soundtracks became more about the incidental music than about the orchestral score, there seems to be an all-out war going on for films to have the coolest, hippest, hardest, etc, soundtrack. In fact, in the world of modern movie soundtracks, the CD could eclipse the film itself. The original motion picture soundtrack for Desperate Souls (a movie about group of young kids who unwittingly release a bunch of trapped and tortured souls into our dimension) aims to fall into the "hardest” category and it does that well by including heavy cuts from bands like Cradle To Grave, Haddonfield, Farewell To Freeway, Pureblank (who have two songs on the disc) and Screams of Erida. Interspersed dialogue clips from the film and mellower tunes provided by Tepid Lust, Adverteyes and Doggfighter help round out the album as a listenable compilation. Standout tracks include "Blue,” by locals the Birthday Massacre, Darian Gunn’s "Drowning,” and catchiest of all, the Dupes’ "The Princess And The Moron.” There’s something of the alternative ilk here for everyone, but in the end it comes down to whether those who dig the hard stuff will give the rest a chance and, of course, vice versa.