No Halloween playlist would be complete without a little Rob Zombie. With or without his former band,
White Zombie, Rob is known for a fusion of groove-based metal and industrial beats, with Rob himself barking out lyrics about horror/exploitation flicks, girls with big tits and fast cars, or all of the above. And he was also one of the rare acts to be well received by both metal traditionalists and the fans of the nu-metal bands Rob toured with as a solo act during this period.
Music performed by:
* Rob Zombie Vocals
* Blasko Bass
* Riggs Guitar
* Tempesta Drums
Like his past White Zombie material, Rob's solo songs here all have some kind of fantasy media-based reference: "Dragula" is named in honor of
The Munsters TV show, "Living Dead Girl" samples music and narration from the trailers to the films
Last House on the Left and
Lady Frankenstein, and references Vincent Price's Dr. Goldfoot character from a couple of AIP mad scientist teen comedies from the '60s, and Nazi explotation flicks.
The electronic and industrial elements also provide for some atmospheric instrumentals scattered throughout the album that could easily be derided as filler, but actually do compliment
Hellbilly Deluxe as an album, not just a collection of songs. The singles, like "Dragula", "Living Dead Girl" and "Meet the Creeper" are well noted, but there are also a number of other worthy cuts on this album, like the punk-esque "How to Make a Monster" (perhaps owing to Rob's
Ramones influence), and the slow and moody "Return of the Phantom Stranger".
Those who fault the music on this record will inevitably cite a number of things that are obvious to anyone who listens to the album: all the songs pretty much sound the same, and all have the same kind of lyrics. This IS true, but so what? The appeal is directly the same as the shock rock innovators that proceeded Rob Zombie, like
Alice Cooper or
Screamin' Jay Hawkins, but with metal. The people involved are talented, but they're making music for fun, not art. In that retrospect, Rob also shares an affinity with the directors of the kind of exploitation flicks he likes to sample on this and other albums he makes.
The construction of his albums pinpoints Rob as being a director as well: he doesn't perform any of the instruments on this album, but he cowrote the music (and solely wrote the lyrics) and kind of "directs" the band. This is partly the reason for his successful forays into film directing (
The Devils Rejects). An album named in psuedo-tribute/mockery of a
Dwight Yoakam album probably isn't going to contain progressive art music.
In any case,
Hellbilly Deluxe is a significantly better album than its disappointing follow-up,
Hellbilly Deluxe 2, released earlier this year. Most rock fans however, will attest that this is a great album, and it remains one of the most enjoyable crossover successes that has resounded over the years with metalheads and non-metal listeners alike.
