4.5/5 stars
When White Zombie first gained precedence in the music world with the success of “Astrocreep 2000,” the world of rock was in a state of disillusion, brought upon by the drastic destruction of both hair metal and grunge in a short period of time.
Perhaps because of this disillusion, rock fans at the time embraced songs like “Thunder Kiss ’65” and “More Human Than Human” (both featured on this compilation).
Then rap-rock began to appear in the cracks of the music world, and it seemed as though White Zombie would cease to exist along with experimental rock outfits like Faith No More, Stabbing Westward and Nine Inch Nails.
Rob Zombie surprised everyone when his solo release “Hellbilly Delux” not only went multi-platinum, but also when his classic-horror-driven metal hits like “Living Dead Girl” and “Dragula” far surpassed anything Zombie’s previous band had put together.
So it came as no surprise when Zombie chose to do another solo album instead of returning to his original band.
Again, the new album, titled “The Sinister Urge,” went multi-platinum, featuring such hits as “Feel So Numb” and “Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy).”
Add in a handful of hits on such soundtracks as “Beavis and Butthead Do America” and “Private Parts,” and the fledgling Zombie already has enough hits to put together a respectable best-of compilation.
In fact, Zombie has too many good songs. Even with an album clocking in at just under 80 minutes and 19 songs, every fan of Rob Zombie’s unique horror-inspired rock can pick out a favorite, from just about every album, missing on this best-of compilation.
Most importantly, where’s Zombie’s contribution to the “Beavis and Butthead Do America” soundtrack, featuring a psychedelic animation quasi-music video? How about some of the more memorable hits from “Hellbilly Delux?”
However, this is hardly a complaint. After all, how many best-of CDs do you own where you’re forced to push the “forward” button more than a few times to find the truly memorable hits?
And Zombie has more than a slew of hits going for him. After all, this is the man whose image has been die-cast in the form of a sinister-looking twelve-inch toy created by Todd McFarlane’s toy company.
Zombie’s cult status and unique personality keep him fresh in everybody’s mind, whether you’re an uptight preppy gal used to rock-hard half-naked boy toys and find Zombie disgusting, or you’re a casual rock fan who just can’t get the catchy lyrics of “Dragula” out of your head.
Perhaps what makes this compilation so catchy are the not-so-popular songs that never really made it to popular radio airplay. Songs like the unforgiving “Feed the Gods” and “Black Sunshine” (featuring Iggy Pop) are a welcome break between the big hits.
Zombie’s cover of “Blitzkrieg Bop” makes an appearance on the record, which makes sense considering the immense influence Zombie cites the Ramones as having on him. The cover works well, paying homage to the Ramones while still adding that special horror-heavy flavor to it.
Horror-heavy tracks like “P***y Liquor” and “The Great American Nightmare” (featuring Howard Stern) are a welcome addition to the album. However, fans of Zombie’s hits might find they don’t have the patience for these not-so-radio-friendly songs.
Those who do choose the CD purely for the hits should take a chance with the two new songs made especially for the compiliation, titled “Two-Lane Blacktop” and “Girl On Fire.” Both have that classic Zombie feel but aren’t overly heavy so as to turn off casual Rob Zombie fans. Both are a welcome addition to Zombie’s already impressive resume of sounds.
What makes this moderately-priced CD stand out even further is the DVD extra, featuring 10 – count ’em – 10 music videos, most directed by Zombie himself. They’re all worth checking out, if only to see Zombie’s vision of his music. The videos are, to say the least, on par with Zombie’s horror-influenced style.
