Blade Trinity [Bonus DVD]

Like the franchise's previous installments, Blade Trinity taps hip-hop and aggressive, guitar-infused electronica to soundtrack its nightmare world of blood, creatures, martial arts, and ordinance. But where Blade II aligned MCs with DJs collaboratively, Trinity puts half its running time in the more than capable hands of Wu-Tang mastermind RZA, and fills out the remainder with a couple of highlights and the usual bangers from big beat survivors (Crystal Method, Overseer). RZA himself takes the lead on opener "Fatal." It's a suitably brooding, lurching track, with raw, Blade-themed raps ("Unleash the beast within/I walk around with the strength of a hundred men") and a striking sample from the Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" that's unfortunately submerged under waves of surging strings. RZA produced, mixed, and co-wrote "I Gotta Get Paid" (featuring Lil' Flip, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon), "When the Guns Come Out" (WC, E-40, and Northstar's Christ Bearer), and "Thirsty"; the latter, a brittle neo-soul ballad featuring the vocals of newcomer Black Keith, is made more bittersweet by a great verse from Ol' Dirty Bastard, who passed away the week Trinity was released. The remainder of the soundtrack is dominated by hard-hitting amalgams of swooping electronic beats, chopped-up electric guitars, and bellowing vocalists. While the Method's "Weapons of Mad Distortion" or "Hard Wax" from forgotten One Little Indian act Manchild are probably adequate music cues for florescent-light-shattering, slow-motion firefights, they leave less of an impression next to Trinity's impressive first half, not to mention the two tracks included from the film's original score, which not coincidentally was co-helmed by RZA. [The bonus DVD version of Blade Trinity is a must for collectors or Blade fanatics. It features a Blade animated short, a Manga comic starring RZA, and behind-the-scenes content like a weapons guide and director's notes.] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide