Album Review: Transformers – The Movie Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition
Reviewed by Rich Oliver
Forty years ago in 1986, The Transformers: The Movie was released following on from the successful animated TV series. Although not a success at the time, the animated movie has attained cult status in the intervening years and the cult status can also be pointed at the movie’s soundtrack. Very much a product of its time, the soundtrack mixed together songs by relatively unknown hard rock and heavy metal acts with synth driven soundtrack pieces done by the legendary Vince DiCola. It is the cult status of this soundtrack that sees it revisited forty years later bringing back some of the original artists together with a mix of metal artists who were influenced by or just simply adore the original soundtrack.
The re-recorded songs are performed by the band Knights Of Unicron which is made up of Matt Harvey, Ross Sewage and Gus Rios all of the deathgrind band Exhumed. This isn’t however an extreme metal reimagining of the soundtrack but a very faithful homage. Hard rock crooner Stan Bush returns to sing ‘The Touch’ and ‘Dare’ which he sang on the original soundtrack and Vince DiCola does a piano driven reimagining of the soundtrack piece ‘Death Of Optimus Prime’ but the rest of the tracks features a cornucopia of different singers from various metal bands. Francesco Cavalieri of Wind Rose does a grittier take of the mighty ‘Instruments Of Destruction’, the legendary Sebastian Bach formerly of Skid Row takes on ‘Nothin’s Gonna Stand In Our Way’, Brittney Slayes of Unleash The Archers unleashes a powerhouse version of ‘The Transformers (Theme)’ and Mark Osegueda of Death Angels does a furious rendition of ‘Hunger’. The other two soundtrack pieces on the album – ‘Escape’ and ‘Autobot/Decepticon Battle’ are given a metal makeover by Knights Of Unicron even bringing in some symphonic elements to the pieces.
“The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition” is a fun and faithful homage to the 1986 soundtrack. Aside from a few minor differences from the original versions, it is maybe a bit too safe a re-recording but I don’t think it is meant to be anything other than a bunch of fans of the original soundtrack just having fun and performing this music they love. As a massive fan myself of the original soundtrack, this brought a massive smile to my face and knowing that there are guys from bands such as Exhumed, Death Angel, Unleash The Archers and Skid Row performing these legendary tunes is the cherry on the cake. This is a completely unessential but hugely fun reimagining of a cult soundtrack and if you are a fan of the original and a metalhead, this comes recommended.
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