REVIEWS:
After White Zombie disbanded, lead singer and primary songwriter Rob Zombie went on to a solo career, with his first album practically a followup to his old band's Astro-Creep:2000, Hellbilly Deluxe released in 1998.
--Nick Karn
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
Rob Zombie's debut album is practically the followup to White Zombie's final studio effort Astro-Creep: 2000, and it's probably more consistent, entertainingly cartoonish, concise (at 38 minutes) and catchy than any of White Zombie's actual studio albums. The album flows along almost like a worthwhile trip through a haunted house, with horror movie soundscapes in the background of each song and in shorter interlude tracks. The riffs are in your face, prime industrial metal, especially on the hard-edged "Superbeast", the forceful "Demonoid Phenomenon", "The Ballad Of Resurrection Joe And Rosa Whore", and the darker, more apocalyptic 'ballad' (yeah right) "Return Of The Phantom Stranger".
On other tracks, the choruses and melodies are also radio-ready in addition to the fun intensity of the others - the lead single "Dragula" is probably the most infectious song Rob Zombie has ever written, and the fact that it sounds like a trip to hell makes it even better. The 'haunted house' vibe, meanwhile, reaches its' peak in the similarly catchy and eerie "Living Dead Girl". Of the shorter, sample-laden interlude tracks, the 'science lab' feel of "How To Make A Monster", the unsettling opening chant "Call Of The Zombie" and the thought-provoking "What Lurks On Channel X?" go over best. Overall, a pretty impressive album, even if it sounds more like a novelty than the guy's previous work.
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