Sounds of Darkness

This double-CD was released 22 years after the original musical version of the War of the Worlds. The original is a classic … it is fun to follow the story while being swept up in the music. This release is a fun listen too. A variety of DJs (most of whom I’ve never heard of) re-imagined Jeff Wayne’s songs. The results are nothing like the originals, but certainly a worthwhile listen in its own right.

Some songs are downright spooky sounding. Papa Ootzie’s “ULLAdubULLA” features some narration by an alien explaining why they must take over the Earth. It is a good listen – reminds me a bit of StarCraft and the Zerg. KCW somehow remixes “The Spirit of Man” into a reggae song. The Dark Autumn Dub of “Forever Autumn” is a fun listen too.

It can get a little repetitive. There are 7 mixes of “The Eve of the War”, 4 “Forever Autumn”s, 3 “Brave New World”s, and while each is unique, they sound similar enough that you might be tempted to skip some tracks here and there.

If you are familiar with the original WotW, it is fun to hear how the DJs get creative with the songs. But without the drama of the original, the magic of the original is lost.