If you're going to pitch a movie about cyber-revolutionaries to plugged-in audiences, you'd best mind your MP3s and BPMs when choosing soundtrack selections. The cynical wireheads who flock to such high-tech conspiracy flicks as Brazil and Hackers are thrillseekers of the highest caliber, and The Matrix soundtrack meets this challenge faster than a speeding cyborg. The opener, Marilyn Manson's anti-consumerism rant "Rock Is Dead," paints an aural portrait of urban decay. Ominous sirens permeate the Propellerheads' drum 'n' bass track "Spybreak!"; mournful piano alternates with hard shiny beats on Rob D's "Clubbed to Death"; and Meat Beat Manifesto fills "Prime Audio Soup" with enough bleeps to make one imagine being trapped inside a motherboard in Hell. It may sound dismal, but the friction permeating this compilation of techno, grindcore, and heavy metal is energizing enough to make fans of these genres feel the same unity as a clandestine community of hackers. --Kristy Ojala
1. Rock Is Dead - Marilyn Manson
2. Spybreak - Propellerheads
3. Bad Blood - Ministry
4. Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Mix) - Rob D
5. Prime Audio Soup - Meat Beat Manifesto
6. Leave You Far Behind - Lunatic Calm
7. Mindfields - Prodigy
8. Dragula (Hot Rod Herman Remix) - Rob Zombie
9. My Own Summer (Shove It) - Deftones
10. Ultrasonic Sound - Hive
11. Look To Your Orb For the Warning - Monster Magnet
12. Du Hast - Rammstein
13. Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine