Various Artists – UFC: Ultimate Beatdowns Vol.1 Metal

Various Artists – UFC: Ultimate Beatdowns Vol.1 Metal / 2004 Drt Entertainment / 16 Tracks /http://www.drtentertainment.com / http://www.nitrusrecords.com / Reviewed 22 November 2004

Slayer is as fitting of a band as any to start off the UFC Metal compilation, “Warzone” being a perfect driving track that infuriates the blood and is almost machine-like in its consistency. Trying to come to a happy medium between new and old metal, the next few tracks trade off, moving from the Corrosion of Conformity sound of DamagePlan to the more traditional hardcore of Hatebreed (Live For This), Ultimate Beatdowns is surprising a little better arranged than what I would assume a wrestling-themed CD to be. Coming more without the harmony and a mindless, soulless sound, American Head Charge show that they have not progressed in levels of talent or general sound since 2001’s “The War of Art”. Shadows Fall, on the other hand, skillfully combine old school metal and hardcore in “Power of I and I”, a track the keeps the general tempo of the disc going without falling into the same rut befalling many of the weaker tracks on Ultimate Beatdowns.

Sepultura is abnormally weak on their U2 cover, “Bullet the Blue Sky”. The guitars on the aforementioned track are airy, spacey, and while they do match fairly well with the vocals, the general sound of the track is too stretched out and contemplative to really be driven by. Striking back strong, putting faith both back into the band as a whole and re-starting the breakneck tempo of the disc, something that laid dormant during the entirety of the previous track. Sputtering slightly in the later section of the disc, both Icepick’s “Born To Crush You” and Killswitch Engage’s “Breathe Life” are weak examples of the true essence of metal, with Icepick just spewing forth metal blandities and Killswitch Engage trying their hardest to mesh together Hatebreed and Dimmu Borgir.

Continuing the weak efforts by the later bands on Ultimate Beatdowns, Stemm mixes together faceless nu-metal with a hardcore style of delivery to make a heavily-distorted mess of a track. With a chorus that sounds not quite unlike Sir Mix-A-Lot’s paen to the ghetto booty, U.P.O.’s “It’s Alright” is another forgettable track, presumably placed in such a late position due to the lack of originality, experimentation, and overall soul. While Ultimate Beatdowns starts off with a talent level wildly vascillating between talent and paint-by-the-numbers metal, the simple fact is this boring, Clearchannel-friendly nu-metal dominates the entirety of the second half of the disc.

Top Tracks : Index Case – Listen, Shadows Fall – Power of I and I

Rating: 5.3/10