Before they became white-hot metal titans, this band made their live debut at CBGB. This song from their second EP proves they went far beyond mere imitating of The Beatles.
Rob Zombie recruited an all-star band of rock and metal musicians for his slasher movie’s soundtrack, giving rise to this exciting horns-up epic and showing many an unexpected side of The Zombies.
The Sinister Urge
Rob Zombie’s title track to this album is sure to get your adrenaline racing. Pounded drums meet an aggressive yet melodic guitar riff that sounds as if written by an alien-looking robot; making for floor-filling rock zombie music that’s perfect for blasting through your car as you cruise down an empty highway at night.
Industrial shock rocker RZ’s second full-length is free from long album titles while maintaining the iconic riffs, horror influences/samples, and guest appearances from Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer guitarist Kerry King and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee who all come out for guest performances that include their incredible riffing capabilities.
Zombie has always been known for taking risks with his music and this track is no different. Even though its musical influence comes from John Carpenter movies, its unique sound offers much to enjoy in this track – with creepy alien synths and creepy vocal distorteds creating an unnervingly haunting aural nightmare of an experience that would fit right in with any horror flick!
This song serves as a great tribute to Sheri Moon and all the horror-loving female fans that attend RZ shows, creating a thrilling gig experience for them all. Furthermore, its bravado creates a real adrenaline rush for audiences that may even help get them from an overheated Camaro into an upbeat strip club – just don’t forget your dancing shoes!
Educated Horses
After pushing industrial metal strip club monster macho to its limits on 1998’s Hellbilly Deluxe and 2001’s The Sinister Urge, Zombie took five years off from music before returning with Educated Horses, an album with more streamlined arrangements yet heavy, heavy riffs as well as traditional rock genres that also featured themes from his movie soundtracks woven in.
“American Witch,” one of the album’s opening tracks, showcases this newfound rock & roll sensibility and serves as an effective introduction. The song’s droning guitar strides and haunting organ swells set an ominous atmosphere; the vocals recall classic American rock icons like Aerosmith or Rolling Stones while its upbeat melody provides a perfect introduction.
“Lucifer Rising,” the album’s second track, is an explosive display of musical blood orgy. Riding a rubbery gallop rhythm and featuring both shadowy and sadistic moments (such as when Zombie sounds like an angry trucker cooing over his CB radio), there are also wilder moments (when Zombie sounds like an over-caffeinated truck driver yelling gibberish at random into their radio).
Though “Let It All Bleed Out” might not stand up to some of its counterparts on this list, it remains a memorable tune from 2006. Though not as heavy or chaotic as some of Zombie’s previous material, “Let It All Bleed Out” still boasts serious weight and groove.
While Zombie would later abandon the campy horror genre that made him famous, this track proves he remained an adept musical craftsman even on less-heralded releases. With an engaging chorus and punk-pop style music, this track embodies Zombie’s ability to craft catchy yet disturbing songs across genres – it stands out among them all and stands as proof. Unfortunately though, this wasn’t replicated across his album.
Hellbilly 2
Rob Zombie stands out among metal frontmen with his unorthodox musical creativity and unique songwriting approach. Following two groundbreaking albums – 1998’s Hellbilly Deluxe and 2001’s The Sinister Urge – which explored industrial-metal strip club monster mambos to their fullest, Zombie took five years off before returning with 2010’s Hellbilly Deluxe 2. While many tracks on this follow up have aged well and made for compelling listening experiences, some standout tracks set this release apart from his other work.
“Dragula” is one of the classic horror-inspired bangers, making its mark over two decades after it first made an impactful statement about October madness and instantly recognisable horror-related music. This testament speaks volumes for its lasting popularity among all types of rock fans worldwide – not just metal ones!
“Expanding the Head of Zed,” with its choral singing and medical descriptions of drug side effects, offers plenty of edgy weirdness on this off-kilter track. An excellent intro to what lies ahead, this track showcases that Zombie isn’t afraid to experiment with other sounds than just danceable arena chugs that dominate his most beloved hits.
No one could possibly dislike this song, with its infectious backwoods bass line and its signature sneering vocals that could easily accompany lapdance vocals at a swamp-damaged hotel room. Zombie shows no signs of losing his gift for dark rock.
This track from “Devil’s Rejects” makes a direct tie with its film counterpart and may well be its stand-out track on this list. A slow-burning death-scream with an addictive rhythm offers a striking counterpoint to most of the record’s frenetic chaos; powerful yet moving pieces such as this prove there are always new ways of creating creepy atmosphere through rock music – perhaps this should have been named “Devil’s Rejects Rejects Rejects!”
Let It All Bleed Out
2021’s The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy offers many fantastic songs, but one which stands out is this gnarly slut-themed banger from White Zombie proves even when not in full horror-metal mode he still knows how to throw down. Fuzzed out punk-pop riffs feature more melodic elements than you might normally encounter from them, while an ominous bass drop rumbles like detonations; finally there’s even an ominous bass drop which sounds like Leatherface had taken control of George Clinton, Tony Iommi, and Trent Reznor all in one go.
Rob Zombie may now be known for his monster rock music, but when he started out he wasn’t just known for being heavy. His early albums (2001’s The Sinister Urge and 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses) were no doubt heavy, yet it wasn’t until Hellbilly Deluxe that Rob truly established himself as the mastermind behind horror rock’s gore-filled carnival.
While this entire album is an absolute earworm, “Superbeast” stands out as an especially mesmerizing track. While not technically speed metal, its chugging riffs and Rob’s insane howls exude an excitement that compels you to push all-out.
The track’s sleaze and swagger, as seen in its accompanying video which showed them performing at a strip club with lots of naked women surrounding them, is certainly enjoyable; but what elevates this song above its hungry-sounding siblings on Educated Horses is how it manages to deliver some of the album’s most intimate, emotionally wrenching moments; an antidote to much of its stadium-crushing nature – which can only be regarded as good!
What could seem like filler on an otherwise great album actually has some wonderful things going for it. The 1970s-style psychedelic sitar and how it’s played gives this track an air of mystery that sets it apart from most similar styles on the album. While different from Zombie’s usual sound, this track stands out with an effective and enjoyable listening experience.