First up is the hard hitting sounds of Drowning Pool. Their offering, Step Up, is typical of the band. It's full of the lead singer screaming out his lyrics. Somehow, it works for Drowning Pool. Step Up is a great song and an awesome choice to start this CD off with.
Puddle Of Mudd keeps it going hard with their song Bleed. This is harder music than is generally heard from the Puddle guys, but again, it works, especially for a soundtrack for a movie such as The Punisher. A nice job by Puddle of Mudd.
Next up is Nickelback with their song Slow Motion. This is actually a pretty cool song. Most Nickelback stuff is pretty decent at best. However, I would probably categorize this song a step above decent. It's a good song.
Queens Of The Stone Age ruin the streak of good or great songs with Never Say Never. The lead singer pulls a Carman and talks through the entire song. Plus, with lyrics such as "I might like you better if we slept together" being repeated over and over, Queens Of The Stone Age make Carman look awesome, and Carman is really bad!
Broken immediately redeems any and every flaw songs on this CD, however. Seether made a smart move in featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence in this song. The guitar line really has the feel of the radio and video versions of Evanescence's My Immortal. The lyrics are awesome, and the singing of both Lee and Seether lead singer Shaun Morgan only make the song even better. This song has the potential to be the Bring Me To Life of 2004.
Smile Empty Soul makes sure to not let this CD be a major letdown after such a great fifth track. Finding Myself is a great song all-around. Musically, it's pretty simple. But simple music is definitely good at times, and it certainly works for this song.
Trapt comes along with a typical Trapt style song and pulls off a song that's pretty good. Lost In A Portrait sticks with the style of most any Trapt radio single, and that's not a problem, because this band has obviously had success with such a formula. Lost In A Portrait proves that once again. A good song.
Next up is Chevelle with Still Running. It almost sounds like a slightly harder version of their hit Closure musically. It's just a good song overall.
Ashes To Ashes comes next. From Damageplan and featuring Jerry Cantrell, the song is just decent. It's not bad, but it's certainly not the greatest song in the world. It's just decent.
Seether returns for a second stint on this CD. This time, they're alone with their song Sold Me. Broken is a song that will likely put Seether on the map outside of the rock world. Sold Me will prove that they deserve to belong there. It's a great song.
Eyes Wired Shut is up next. From Edgewater, the song is pretty awesome. This is a great song from a bnad that, up until getting this CD, I had never heard of. It's certainly a good enough song to make people have a definite urge to check out more of their music.
Until I got this CD, I had no clue that the entrance music that Kane of the WWE uses was and is by Finger Eleven! But it is true. Slow Chemical, the Finger Eleven song on this soundtrack, is indeed the same song that Kane uses as his music when he enters the ring. It's been a song that has caught my attention since I first saw Kane walk out to it, and to hear the entire thing is certainly a great thing. Awesome song.
Ben Moody's first offering in the Post-Evanescence era of his career is actually pretty decent. Featuring Jason Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones, The End Has Come is actually kind of catchy. The guitar riff and chorus have a tune that can get stuck in your head if you listen to it at the right time. It's a decent song. Certainly not the greatest song ever created, but it's certainly a start for Moody.
Strata is another band that, like Edgewater, I had never heard of until purchasing this CD. That being said, Piece By Piece is good. It's a song that I definitely enjoyed, and it fits quite well with most of the other songs on this CD.
When your band's name is Hatebreed, you have to wonder how good the music will actually be. And with a song titled Bound To Violence, it's not a good sign. While it's understandable for a soundtrack for The Punisher to have a song with a title like this, it still could've been done in a better way. The lead "singer" tries way too hard to produce a low, deep-voiced scream through the entire song It doesn't work. This is definitely one of the worst songs on the CD.
Sevenwiser makes up for Hatebreed's falter, however. Sick is a song that a person could easily listen to over and over.and not get tired of any time soon. It's simply a great song.
Complicated also makes you forget about Hatebreed. Submersed is another one of these bands attempting to make a name for themselves through this soundtrack, and Complicated is certainly a track that you could hit the Repeat button for if you wanted to. A good song.
Unfortunately, as the CDs gets closer to ending, the songs get worse. Atomship's Time For People is decent, but I doubt whether it was or is deserving of a spot on this soundtrack.
The last song on the CD leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. In Time by Mark Collie just plain sucks. I don't know why this guy made it on to this soundtrack, but I do know that it's a bad way to end an overall good CD.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Overall, this soundtrack could easily be compared to the Daredevil soundtrack released in 2003. It's full of awesome rock songs from veterans and newcomers alike. Though the end is disappointing and there are a few minor glitches along the way, overall the CD is pretty sweet.