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Rob Zombie, The Sinister Urge, Geffen Records, 2001 Jerry Del Colliano
Death Rocker Rob Zombie is back with another studio record designed to spook you as hard as it rocks you, entitled The Sinister Urge. Zombie, with his then-backing band White Zombie, was one of the few positive spinoffs from the heavy metal scene that basically died in the early 1990s. Today, the pale-faced Zombie is a favorite of "alternative" kids and Goth rockers alike. The Sinister Urge is not Zombie reinventing the wheel, but it is yet another well-crafted, hard-rocking record that is part death rock and another part horror show. Zombie¡¯s sound merges blasting and overdriven guitars with ballistic bass and effective melodies. Vocally, Zombie has a very distinct sound that is most likely double-tracked and heavily processed. Double tracking is an effect that mathematically averages two vocal performances to create one that is in fact perfectly in tune. Double tracking also has a specific sound that is rich and layered. Artists ranging from Ozzy Ozbourne to Dexter from the Offspring to Cher use double tracking to get their vocal sounds. The current radio single on The Sinister Urge is "Never Gonna Stop," which creatively marks a new direction for Zombie in that it has very definite Hispanic and hip hop influences in the verses while the chorus breaks back to a familiar roaring vibe. Clearly Zombie is looking to increase his commercial appeal from middle class "alternative" white kids to a more urban audience. I find the melody on "Never Gonna Stop" during the verses annoying, but it seems to be something of a hit on radio. The next track on The Sister Urge, "Iron Head," features a guest appearance from the aforementioned grandfather of death rock, Ozzy Ozbourne. The Zombie vocal performance has an almost scat-like quality, not too different than from what you hear from Jonathan Davis of Korn. This track rocks with an unrelenting intensity that is deliberate and heavy. "(Go to) California" is not a cover of the mandolin-based Led Zeppelin song, but it is another track with a Hispanic vibe and a slower tempo than most of the tracks on The Sinister Urge. The first radio hit from the record is "Feels So Numb," which is a more traditional Zombie tune with excellent control of cadence and explosive transitions between edgy verses and catchy choruses. The best song on The Sinister Urge is entitled "Dead Girl Superstar," which is a no-holds-barred free-for-all of layered vocals, up-tempo drum beats and scorching guitars. This song just flat out kicks ass and, despite the current trend away from these, there is a tasty little guitar solo that segues into some cool horror movie samples. The Sinister Urge is a good death rock fix with very high production values. It keeps up with Zombie¡¯s lofty standards for audio quality, which is always appreciated by those of us with serious systems at home or in the car. As far as summer tours, Zombie was slated to play on the second stage during OzFest this year in a completely stripped-down version of his act. Normally, a Rob Zombie show is an all-out display, including pyrotechnics and elaborate stage trickery. Now, with the disbanding of the Chris Cornell-fronted Rage Against The Machine spin-off band, Zombie has gotten the call to replace them on the main stage, but he plans to keep the show stripped down. With all of the production and studio tricks, it is hard to actually know how good Zombie and his band really are. Ozfest 2002 will give fans a chance to find out. My instincts are that Zombie and Co. in a pure rock setting are even better than we know.
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