Movie sountracks are interesting collections. They're usually "songs in or inspired by" the film and can include a wide variety of styles. With the Christian entertainment industry being usually a notch below the big budgets of Hollywood and such, the films and soundtracks often seem forced or just don't compete with the quality the high budgets can ensure (despite how bad those can be anyway). Extreme Days is an interesting collection of youthful music brought to you by Forefront Records in the spirit of the new motion picture Extreme Days which has yet to hit theaters as its release date keeps changing.

Reading a secular review on this soundtrack I was frustrated by their view of the Christian industry and the quality. dc Talk's Toby MacKeehan does the title track, a hard rock/ hip hop tune in the feel of secular music's Kid Rock. While some will argue that Toby hasn't met up to the 'extreme-ness' or 'quality' of the secular counterpart, he fulfills the niche' in the Christian market with this tune. Always room for improvement, but definitely a good shot, there is a call for Christians to start doing something radically different and set new trends in music today that needs to be answered. While a lot of artists put out excellent records having a lot to offer, there are still too many of them that just fall into the "comparison" category and are constantly critiqued as being nothing better than a mediocre version of another artist. Although I don't usually agree with their argument, it's often the case (that they argue).

Off my soap box and back to the review, Jamie Rowe offers a completely unexpected and unusual offering than he's ever given (being the former lead singer for Guardian) with "We're Taking Over." With the feel of the hit "We Will Rock You," "We're Taking Over" never seems to decide where it wants to go as it jumps from a hard/rock metal riff to a hip hop feel and back again before the close. One of the best tracks on the album, however, is the new solo song from Michael Tait of dc Talk fame, with his song "Loss For Words." It's a strong pop/rock tune which focuses on relationships and the frustration of communication and saying the right thing.

Other album highlights include "One Time" by Earthsuit, the electronic rock of "King Planet" by Fold Zandura, "Good Life" by Audio Adrenaline, and "Entertaining Angels" by Newsboys. However, with the theme for the album being 'extreme,' including such tracks as "Entertaining Angels," "I Want to Know You" by Sonicflood, and "Good Life" seem a little misplaced (despite me liking those tracks) among bands like East West, P.O.D., and Rod Laver.

Extreme Days is a good mix of alternative Christian music with everything from pop to hip hop to hardcore. So even if you haven't seen the movie or will and won't like it, you may like the music served up on this project.

- Review date: 2/24/01, written by John DiBiase