250 Words on Hellbilly Deluxe 2

There is no artist I’ve consistently enjoyed as long as I have enjoyed Rob Zombie- I discovered him at just the right time in my early adolescence, and have rocked along with his albums ever since. While his film career has caused me no end of distress, I’ve yet to be disappointed with an album. I love the cartoonishly carnival-style satanic tone of Hellbilly Deluxe, the melodramatic synth-orchestra-backed metal of The Sinister Urge, and the twangy, 70s edge of Educated Horses. I don’t listen to Zombie because I like a certain kind of rock (you can’t- his tonality shifts every time he makes a new batch of songs), but because whatever musical sensibility drives him tends to align with my own.

Like Educated horses, the album is tonally inconsistent- “What?” and “Werewolf Women Of The SS” (the least of the Grindhouse trailers becomes one of the best songs of this entire album) are wonderfully spookshow, “The Man Who Laughs” feels like a Sinister Urge spasm, while “Burn,” “Sick Bubblegum,” and “Cease To Exist” go somewhere new, if familiar. “Death And Destiny Inside The Dream Factory” is a dynamic standout that pays off the cynicism towards Hollywood Zombie set up in “Go To California.” Hellbilly Deluxe 2 (like Plastic Beach) left me cold on the first listen, but I soon found myself itching to hear certain tracks again. Now, save for the most fucking annoying, drawn-out drum solo I’ve ever heard, I enjoy every minute of it.