Write a Review
Recent User Reviews
If you like drum n' bass with a cinematic theme, get this album now!
FULL REVIEWposted Jan 21, 2006
Critic's Review
John Bush, All Music Guide
It can long be debated what software maker Ubisoft expected when it hired Amon Tobin to soundtrack the Tom Clancy video game Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory, but surely it never predicted getting, along with the deal, a ragtag lineup of desperate musicians that spanned three continents and included the composer of one of time's strangest cult films, the surrealist 1971 Mexican fantasy El Topo. Tobin, long a fan of vintage soundtracks himself, had evidently wanted to expand his comfort zone after a series of increasingly similar (but excellent) LPs recorded for Ninja Tune. When he got the gig for Chaos Theory, he promptly began collecting a live band (to sample), which eventually absorbed -- in true Dirty Dozen form -- a reclusive Mexican composer named Nacho Mendez (who anchors the rhythm section with his earthy bass), Massimo and Umberto Modugno, a pair of feuding Italian brothers who work magic with the Hammond and Mellotron, and a Japanese flutist named Eiji Miyake (among others). Despite the kudos for originality, however, Chaos Theory doesn't separate itself from Tobin's previous work -- although, of course, soundtracks aren't intended to stand out but only convey a cinematic mood with music. Much of the record is a murky bath of oppressive breakbeats and eerie effects, a cauldron of atmosphere that most of the musicians aren't able to escape from with personalities intact. Tobin occasionally rescues the feel of a collective under his baton, on the nocturnal nightmare "Kokubo Sosho Stealth" and a pummeling opener, "The Lighthouse." As the accompaniment to game play, Chaos Theory is a standout in its field; just don't expect it to be as memorable as the typical Amon Tobin effort.
