My only beef with this album is not the soundtrack itself, but the actual movie's choice of victory song in Green Day's 21 Guns. While lyrically it mirrors the messages of fighting a war that we shouldn't need to be fighting, the somber ballad isn't ballsy enough to represent the prevalence of good over evil. Luckily it redeems itself by including Linkin Park's New Divide to kick off the soundtrack, with a tempo that although is an almost exact replica of the first movie's signature Linkin Park track What I've Done, it really reflects the triumphant energy of the Autobots' glorious defeat over the Decepticons.
Ok, back to the music...It's somewhat pleasing to hear Nikelback actually putting their guitars to good use for once, rather than producing another soft-rock money maker that seems to please any dad over the age of 25.
One wonders what The Used's motivation was in covering Burning Down The House, but at least it's better than Tom Jones' lame effort!
Nice comeback for Staind, who seem to have been keeping quiet since the decline of nu-metal's reign over the airwaves a few years back. Other commendations go to Taking Back Sunday for Capital M-E, The All-American Rejects' Real World and the killer Avenged Sevenfold song that's been kicking around for some time, Almost Easy.
The Fray add a low-tempo contribution with Never Say Never, if you like that sorta thing. And as hard as Hoobastank's I Don't Think I Love You tries to be another What I've Done, it doesn't quite get there.
Closing the soundtrack is Cheap Trick's way lame remastering of the Transformers theme song, but it's highly amusing all the same.
Compilations are usually either hit or miss. Most of the time you get a couple standout tracks and the rest are obscure songs that you can hardly even remember where they fit in the movie anyway. But this one's got a handful of gems, varying from the angsty victorious power tracks, to the more mellow. Play it loud while re-enacting your finest battle scene - just hope the neighbours aren't watching!
1. Linkin Park - New Divide
2. Green Day - 21 Guns
3. Cavo - Let It Go
4. Taking Back Sunday - Capital M-E
5. The Fray - Never Say Never
6. Nickelback - Burn It To The Ground
7. The Used - Burning Down The House
8. Theory of a Deadman - Not Meant To Be
9. The All-American Rejects
10. Hoobastank - I Don't Think I Love You
11. Staind - This Is It
12. Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy
13. Cheap Trick - Transformers: The Fallen Remix
