Artist: Rob Zombie
Album: Hellbilly Deluxe 2
Label: Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud
Rating: 4
Shock-rock heavyweight Rob Zombie makes a glorious return to the recording studio for another solo record. Expectations were running low on Hellbilly Deluxe 2 as Zombie had recently been busy establishing himself as a respected film director. Even so, the album illustrates that Zombie can still put out an awesome record.
Listening to Hellbilly Deluxe 2 leaves you feeling like you are the only person left alive after a brutal rural massacre. This ambiance-setting music would be a perfect backdrop to any heavyweight slasher flick, and the only thing the album lacks is the industrial feel of the original Hellbilly. The lack of the sludge sound may turn off some fans, too.
But one has to hand it to Zombie – for an artist who has survived after going solo and hasn’t lost credibility after switching careers, the record can easily stand alone alongside his previous works.
Give these tracks a listen: “Werewolf Women of the SS,” “What”
For fans of: Fear Factory, White Zombie
– Anastasia Zhuravleva
