Reviews list for Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe (1998)

From the ashes of his previous band White Zombie, this ghoulish metal man formerly known as Rob Straker began to rise with his own solo career in 1998. Rob Zombie started going solo, but why? Mostly because the course has run and each member moved into their own direction...

Hellbilly Deluxe is often considered a continuation to White Zombie's sound evolution that varied album by album, from noise rock to heavy metal then groove metal and finally industrial metal. Zombie had already proved right from the band's split that he's a solo guy, when he was banned from one of Korn's tours. While there's no chance that White Zombie will ever continue, Rob Zombie would become one of the most recognizable musicians in industrial metal!

The ominous intro "Call of the Zombie" has Zombie's future wife Sheri Moon reading a disturbing nursery rhyme, "Away ran the children to hide in their beds, for fear that the devil would chop off their heads". Then you can shout along to the highlight "Superbeast" and its gang-infused chorus. I saw the music video for that song quite long ago. And you can get pumped up with the single "Dragula", which I know because of a remix appearing in the Matrix, and Motionless in White's cover. That would work well for a teen to blast this song while driving their parent's car in a Halloween joyride. The title of "Living Dead Girl" is hard to take seriously despite the venomous music.

"Perversion 99" is a creepy exotic interlude, almost like a continuation of the last song of White Zombie's final album. "Demonoid Phenomenon" prevails in dark anarchy. "Spookshow Baby" is a little too spooky for me. Though not as disappointing as "How to Make a Monster", which sounds good yet hiding too deep in the low mix.

The disappointment is made up for by the punishing highlight "Meet the Creeper". Next up, "The Ballad of Resurrection Joe and Rosa W***e" sounds a bit ridiculous in both the song and the title, and who would argue with me there? "What Lurks on Channel X" is another disappointment. Same with "Return of the Phantom Stranger" which sounds too close to Marilyn Manson territory. The closing track "The Beginning of the End" is a bizarre industrial noise outro.

Zombie conjured a d*mn entertaining industrial metal spell with Hellbilly Deluxe. Pretty much most of the more well known half of the amount of songs are hard-hitting classics, with the lesser known side being disappointing and worth ignoring. Rob Zombie's solo debut has burnt his name onto the industrial metal shrine of fame....

Favorites: "Superbeast", "Dragula", "Demonoid Phenomenon", "Meet the Creeper"