This week I decided to listen to an album that I always thought I’d dig, but never got around to checking out. That album? White Zombie’s Astro-Creep: 2000.
I can remember how big “More Human Than Human” was when it came out. It was a crossover hit in that, I, a black dude, was aware of it. Plus, The Box used a snippet of it as a bumper.
So when I finally listened to it I was surprised at how it pretty much conformed to every preconceived notion one could have about rock. First off, it’s incredibly loud—almost overwhelmingly so. If I’d listened to it back in the day I would have likely said that it just sounded like noise, but now I can hear the nuance, distinguish the individual instruments and appreciate the beat.
The second stereotype to which it conforms is that there’s a ton of screaming going on. I’m not going to front; the lyrics escaped me at times. Being equally forthcoming, when I first heard Rob Zombie speak I was pretty impressed with the clarity of his speech.
And he was such a well spoken guy too.
But back to Astro-Creep: 2000; I’m really glad I tried the album out. It took some getting used to as I wasn’t really in the “rock” state of mind, but once I got acclimated to everything it was pretty much smooth sailing. I mean, the second half of the album is darn near catchy.
I can’t say that it made me eager to try more Zombie stuff, or even that it made me a fan. But I do feel as though I’m a better person for getting a taste.
