Few soundtracks capture the late 1990s quite like Spawn The Album. Originally released alongside the 1997 film adaptation of Todd McFarlane’s comic, the record was built around a brilliantly simple concept: pair major rock and metal artists with leading electronic acts and let them create something specifically for the soundtrack.
The collaborations are what make Spawn such a fascinating record. Filter team with The Crystal Method for the explosive “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do,” while Metallica and DJ Spooky rework “For Whom the Bell Tolls” into the appropriately titled “For Whom the Bell Tolls (The Irony of It All).” Slayer are paired with Atari Teenage Riot, and Korn join The Dust Brothers for the crushing “Kick the P.A.”
The combinations get even stranger as the record progresses. Marilyn Manson and Sneaker Pimps deliver “Long Hard Road Out of Hell,” one of the soundtrack’s defining songs, while The Prodigy and Tom Morello collaborate on “No Man Army.” Elsewhere, Silverchair meet Vitro, Incubus join DJ Greyboy, and Soul Coughing work with Roni Size.
What could easily have become a dated novelty instead works as a snapshot of a period when alternative metal, industrial music, electronica and big beat were colliding in mainstream culture. The soundtrack doesn’t simply alternate between rock songs and electronic tracks. The artists actually work together, creating versions and compositions unique to the project.
For Record Store Day 2024, Warner Records brought Spawn The Album back to vinyl as a limited 2LP release pressed on translucent red vinyl. The edition was limited to 5,500 copies, making it a particularly desirable pressing for soundtrack, metal and ’90s vinyl collectors.
