3 of 5 paws

All of the songs on the soundtrack are either new or previously unreleased, which was the main reason why this caught my attention. I mean, there's got to be a couple gems among 30 tracks, 15 songs per disc, that are worth checking out.

Well, trust me when I say that there are some really forgettable tracks on the Masters of Horror soundtrack. Maybe it's because some of the full-out growling vocals and boring metal guitar riffs on many of the songs aren't my bag. However, in terms adding to a horror soundtrack, these same songs fit in quite nicely, such as the tracks by Norma Jean and Shadowsfall.

Upbeat punk and hardcore is also featured on the album to help raise some hairs on the back of your neck, including bands like Rise Against ("Obstructed") and Every Time I Die ("Keith The Music"). The second disc, although still containing a couple hard-rocking songs, has a few bands taking a more laid-back approach to creepy, such as Matchbook Romance's acoustic "In Transit (For You)," which quite honestly would probably put me to sleep even in the most brutal and tense of horror movie scenes. The same goes for Bedlight For Blue Eyes' "Hindsight." Not the best choices for this one -- it just ruins the dark mood that this soundtrack needs to truly have a brooding feel. Save the lackluster crooning for the next Hilary Duff movie soundtrack, fellas.

Among the rest of the notables are Funeral For A Friend's melodic rocker "Lazarus (In The Wilderness)," Alkaline Trio's "We Can Never Break Up," and hey -- what's a true horror soundtrack without a legitimately crazy performer? Andrew WK, the self-proclaimed party-monster with a penchant for smashing his head with a brick during live shows, gives us "You Will Remember Tonight," a piano-rocker of which I loved every second.

The best song on Masters of Horror is also one of the quietest. Indie-rockers Murder By Death contribute a gem of a piano-ballad in "End Of The Road," standing out among the many heavy metal-tinged tracks on Masters of Horror. Much like the three episodes of Masters of Horror that have aired each Friday since Oct. 28, the soundtrack to the series is hit-or-miss, but above all, it has something for just about anyone who likes the music accompanying their horror movies to be eclectic, visceral and gut-grabbing.