One of the most important elements of a Bill and Ted flick is the killer soundtrack. The first two outings both supply excellent tunes from some of the greatest hard rock acts including: Extreme, Winger, Slaughter, KISS, Faith No More, King’s X, Shark Island and Tora Tora. And now the tradition continues with the new Bill and Ted contribution from mega-rockers Mastodon.
What a perfect choice. A fairly modern metal band with an old school twist. I mean, it’s not like they can use Winger or Slaughter again. Not that those bands are any lesser. But it’s a different time. The musical landscape has changed significantly since 1991, the year of Bill and Ted’s last outing. But that doesn’t mean hard rock and metal haven’t survived in many ways. And Mastodon are the current flag flyers for the genre. Having a number one album in 2017.
Lately the band has been pretty silent. Their last outing was the very successful ‘Cold, Dark Place’ Ep. Released in the fall of 2017. But they have been working on new music. Guitarist Bill Kelliher has claimed that the band has ’20 rough songs.’ ‘We got asked a couple months ago to be a part of the new Bill and Ted movie,’ Kelliher continues. ‘So we wrote a song to be in that movie which we’re kind of wrapping up now.’ It will certainly be interesting to see what other choices end up on the soundtrack. I really hope that there are a slew of younger bands (ten years or younger) on the soundtrack. Hard rock needs new blood that’s exciting, catchy and accessible. It’s important if rock fans want their genre to continue.
