To say that the new album from the king of Evil Funk-Groove Metal (yeh I made that up) Rob Zombie has been highly anticipated is an understatement. To his adoring fanbase of goils and ghouls, the four year wait since his last album (The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser) has been excruciating. With only one live album (Astro Creep 2000 in full) to appease the rabid, salivating mouths of his spookshow babies, this new album will tick every box for even the most casual of fans.
Having dropped two singles (“The Triumph of King Freak” and “The Eternal Struggles of the Howling Man”) leading up to the release date, the hype has been very positive and – having listened to the whole album – that hype is warranted. Those singles were very well chosen to give listeners an idea of what to expect from this 17-track album.
All your favourite Zombie tropes are present: movie samples, bludgeoning synths, big bass beats, funk, grove, metal – it’s all there. It all feels so familiar, but at the same time fresh. For example, the track “18th Century Cannibals” is especially surprising as it sounds like a spaghetti western wet dream (most certainly guitarist John 5’s influence with his chicken-pickin’ virtuosity), while “Boom-Boom-Boom” appears to be a love letter to John Carpenter’s classic soundtracks of the 70s and 80s.
All i can say is that this album is really, really good. It’s pure Rob Zombie porno-delic, psycho-lama-rama groovy bliss interspersed with teasing inter-dimension radio transmissions (that should be his next album title). But, don’t take my word for it, just listen to it and have a party.