The Best Metal Movie Soundtracks
Film buffs know well how important a movie’s soundtrack is to the overall watching experience, and metal is certainly no different. Soundtracks are a vital part of the film industry, and a good soundtrack can elevate a movie to the next level. No matter what genre of music you like, you will find that there are high earning theme songs to suit your musical tastes, and today we’re going to have a look at the best metal movie soundtracks of all time.
Last Action Hero
The 1994 action movie featuring muscle man Arnold Schwarzenegger had an incredibly brilliant metal track from Megadeth, “Angry Again.” This was not the only one, though; if you download or stream the soundtrack, you will also find “Two Steps Behind” by Def Leppard, “Sound of White Noise” by Anthrax, “Big Gun” by AC/DC and “What the Hell Have I” by Alice In Chains.
The Crow
The tagline for this utterly brilliant movie was “it can’t rain all the time,” and sadly for lead actor Brandon Lee it was not only the end of his career but the end of his life. An accident on site saw a prop pistol discharge live ammunition, and the filmmakers required some creative workarounds and clever camera angles in order to finish the film and bring it to movie theaters. The story focuses on Eric Draven, a rock star who was murdered and came back from the underworld as a vigilante known as The Crow, seeking revenge for his death and the murder and rape of his fiancé. On the soundtrack, we have “The Badge” by Pantera, “Dead Souls,” which, although it was originally a Joy Division track, was covered brilliantly by Nine Inch Nails here, and “Big Empty” by the Stone Temple Pilots. It is said that the footage you see in the film of the bullet hitting Lee is the actual accident, but whether that’s true or not, we can only speculate.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil hit screens in 2002, and part of the soundtrack for this one comes from Slipknot with “My Plague.” Resident Evil is, of course, a cinema adaptation that came from the popular video game and stars Milla Jovovich. Slipknot’s music works perfectly with this guts and gore horror film coma, and the music video features both scenes from the film and from Slipknot’s stage performance at a London arena in 2002.
Mission Impossible 2
When it comes to Mission Impossible 2, there is something to be said for never making a sequel that can’t possibly live up to the original. These high-octane movies feature Tom Cruise, who is famous for doing all his own stunts, as a spy. Though this film was not well received upon release, one of the redeeming factors was its metal-centric soundtrack: “I Disappear” by Metallica, “Take a Look Around “by Limp Bizkit, “Scum of the Earth” by Rob Zombie, “Have a Cigar,” a Pink Floyd cover performed by the Foo Fighters an Queen’s Brian May, and “Mission 2000” by Chris Cornell. It’s a soundtrack worth downloading or streaming with an all-star list of contributors even if you never watch the film.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Back to the many talents of Arnie, this 1991 sequel to the original Terminator had an everything’s bigger, everything’s better approach from director James Cameron. The soundtrack is quite impressive too and features metal icons Guns N’ Roses with “You Could be Mine.” As an on-screen nod to the song, the T800 cyborg in the film produces a gun from a box of roses! This is undoubtedly one sequel that was worth making, and the soundtrack reflects the brilliance of the film.
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Here with a threequel, part three of the Hellraiser series features the iconic voice of Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead with the excellently titled track “Hellraiser.” Again, the film itself was pretty mediocre — the storyline should probably have never been dragged out for a third outing — but, well, it was! Lemmy actually wrote this track for Ozzy Osbourne’s No More Tears album in 1991, but he was able to use it for his own band and this film soundtrack a year later. So, if you ever find a puzzle box that happens to open up a world of strange sadomasochistic hell, just summon Motörhead, and all will be good.
Lost Highway
One of many soundtrack appearances for Nine Inch Nails, the 1997 David Lynch film Lost Highway saw the inclusion of a standalone fan-favorite, “The Perfect Drug.” The soundtrack also features The Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Lou Reed and more, so it’s not all about the metal here!
This is Spinal Tap
Seeing as This is Spinal Tap is a bit of a documentary (or a “mockumentary,” as it were), we’re not giving out any prizes for guessing which band appears on the movie score. The lyrics of the soundtrack’s best-known anthem, “Big Bottom,” are rather cringe-worthy, but it perfectly fits the film that charts the story of this ’80s band on the way down. It’s a must-see film if you are into metal, and the soundtrack isn’t bad either.
