What’s one thing guys like better than their favorite video games? Movies based on their favorite video games. Unfortunately, most video game movies tend to fall short of their lofty expectations: “Super Mario Bros.” or “Street Fighter,” for example. Luckily, the bad movie gene skipped over “Resident Evil,” due in no small part to its soundtrack. Like most movies, the soundtrack is what makes or breaks a movie. “Resident Evil: The Soundtrack” certainly improved the movie.

In addition to an original score by Marilyn Manson, the CD, which was released in April, also contains seven previously unreleased songs. These emphasize the darkness of the movie. And what would a movie about killer zombies be without such hard rock bands as Slipknot, Rammstein, Static X and Mudvayne?

The CD is cleverly split into two parts. The first 15 tracks are all songs that the various bands contributed to the film. The last five are all original Marilyn Manson songs used as background music to the movie.

The soundtrack, like the movie, is a non-stop adrenaline rush. From tracks one to 20, the listener is left breathless and wants to listen to the experience all over again. It’s the type of CD that makes you turn your car stereo’s volume to max while racing down the highway with the windows down.

While almost every song on the album is great, a few are worth mentioning. The first one is “Everyone” by Adema. Though not as dark as some of the other songs, “Everyone” just has a good sound, and its lyrics effectively complement the movie. The chorus of the song, “Everyone is the same / Quick to point the blame / All I know is that life is a struggle,” blends perfectly with the battle the characters in the movie must face against the killer zombies.

Another highlight on the album is “Hallelujah” by the always-popular Rammstein. While it’s impossible to know what the band is singing about, the song has an upbeat sound. And given how creepy Rammstein can be, it might be a blessing in disguise that we can’t understand the lyrics.

One song that really sticks out on this CD is “Release Yo’ Delf,” by Method Man. Every other song on this soundtrack is by a hard rock band, so it seems strange for a rap artist to contribute to the CD. Once again, though, the lyrics and music add to the dark feel of the horror movie. “Release Yo’ Delf” adds a bit of variety to the CD, ensuring that it’s not too one-sided on the type of music it contains.

One of the greatest aspects of movie soundtracks is the various bands that they contain. Most people grow tired of listening to the same band by the end of an album. They like a little variety, which is why burned “mix” CDs are so popular. “Resident Evil: The Soundtrack” will not disappoint. Fans of this type of music will be pleased with the album.