Artist: Rob Zombie
Album: Hellbilly Deluxe II
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Sounds Like: Southern rock meets B-movie horror film
Rating: 4.0/5
The sequel to “Hellbilly Deluxe”, Zombie’s triple platinum 1998 solo debut, contains the same hard breathing, screeches, and horror sounds that fans have come to expect. Since going solo in the late 1990’s, Zombie has pioneered the freaky rock style that has been labeled groove metal. His latest release harkens back to his original solo work in the late 90’s.
“Jesus Frankenstein,” the first track, begins with a morose, howling wind that gives way to heavy guitars and drums. The heaviness continues through the record. “Burn” and “SickBubbleGum” are true head-bangers with terrifyingly clear lyrics. The album ends with the nearly ten minute “The Man Who Laughs.” Complete with an orchestra and a four minute drum solo, this is the perfect end to Zombie’s return to hardcore horror rock.
This record strays from the more commercial pop sound that permeated “Educated Horses,” Zombie’s last studio album. Fans of early solo Zombie and White Zombie (the band Zombie fronted in the late 80’s and early 90’s) will relate better with this album than the others between it and the original “Hellbilly Deluxe.” Zombie uses the same musicians on this album that he did on the original, hence the name.
After heading in a new direction for his last two studio albums, Zombie returns to his routes. The songs do not have the same single-quality that “Dragula” or “Superbeast” from the original. This might be what Zombie wanted to do: make a rock album without regard to radio play. The album is not entirely original but better than anything Zombie has done as of late. Unfortunately, some of the singing is so distorted that it cannot be understood and the creativity that drive Zombies style is muddled. The lyrics that can be understood and the unique background noise and music make this an album worth listening to.
