Website: Rob Zombie
The Inside Pulse:
Remember White Zombie? Well, keep that in your memories, folks, because Rob Zombie has officially divorced himself almost completely from the sound of his former band with Educated Horses. Instead, one should expect what has been seen from Mr. Zombie with each increasing album: movement farther from metal traditions, more style, and a whole lot of “yeah”s.
Educated Horses has one big sound written all over it: evil glam. Ultra-swaggering stylings everywhere to be seen, Zombie coats it all in a shiny veneer of spooky, but it’s glam just the same. Not only that, but there’s orchestration breaks strategically placed between songs, and Tool-esque rhythms. It’s still old Zombie, but with all of the quirks turned up to 11.
Positives: So many tracks stand out, and for so many different reasons. Alice Cooper is probably beating himself up for not writing “Let It All Bleed Out” first; “American Witch” is simply a monster; as a whole, there’s a fluidity throught the entire album. Rob’s been known for creating a “sound” all his own, but this is one step beyond into almost concept album territory.
Negatives: Aside from a few iffy songs like “Death Of It All” that just seem to be there to complete the whole, Mr. Zombie has really outdone himself on Educated Horses. By Rob Zombie standards, anyway. If you didn’t love him before, you probably won’t love him now, but you might respect him just a little more.
Cross-breed: T-Rex eaten by a horror movie.
Reason to buy: Don’t buy it if you only listen to rap, country, jazz, or classical music. Otherwise, give this one a fair shot — there’s a lot more substance than Zombie’s last few albums.
