Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
The Crow
Atlantic (1994)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Although it was a modestly successful film at the box office, grossing north of $50 million in the US, the macabre mystique surrounding The Crow has remained intact for the two-and-a-half decades since its release. The dark subject matter of the film has much to do with this, the grimness intensified by the tragedy that struck during filming, when star Brandon Lee was accidentally and fatally shot on set, at the age of 28, just four years younger than his father Bruce Lee was when he passed away in 1973.
It’s a visually stunning and emotionally taxing film, and its allure is only enhanced by its soundtrack, comprised of hard-hitting, frenetic songs courtesy of Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Helmet, Pantera and My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult. It’s not all high-octane fare, however, as more understated and melodic compositions balance the whole of the album thanks to entries from The Cure, Medicine featuring Cocteau Twins’ heavenly voiced Elizabeth Fraser, Jane Siberry, and Stone Temple Pilots, whose “Big Empty” is the soundtrack’s most instantly familiar song of the lot featured therein.
LISTEN & WATCH: