I don't know when it happened or even why, but Rob Zombie is quickly beginning to resemble his horror namesake... and that's not a good thing. With his more recent film efforts and, given the reception of Hellbilly Deluxe 2, his music making their slow descent into a sick cacophony of ravenous, mindless drivel I find myself wishing that the promise of Doc Brown's infamous Dolerian were true.Perhaps the most tragic thing about this slow descent is that no one is kind enough to tell the man to his face: "Hey dude, you fucked up. Now what?" It doesn't have to be mean or degrading, just honest. Instead, you have people like Steve Appleford from the LA Times saying things like:
There is no instant hit of the "Living Dead Girl" variety, but across 11 songs, Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is Zombie's most consistently tuneful record to date.Now, I could be wrong, but to me that's a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one. "So yeah, the songs don't suck but they do all sound the same. Congrats to Zombie for producing a monstrous collection of mediocrity." Is it just me, or isn't that saying the same thing?
Where's the blood, piss, and vinegar of original Hellbilly Deluxe or the elastically creative creepshows that defined his early music videos? Has Zombie grown up or has he grown tired? Granted the man is one of the hardest working creative minds I know, so why not take a break? Sit back for awhile and amass those cobwebs, let the shadows in and then come forth again like a "bat out of hell" and assault us village folk with the über-industrial toxicity of lore. Just like every honest monster worth his ilk, in the end the beast must die in order to come back, stronger than ever. 'Tis the fate of the beast to die and rise again, 'tis in its nature to slouch slowly towards some venomous Valhalla where he shall again be reborn.
*slowly shakes head*
It's really a shame to me that one of the biggest icons of my youth has soured. I just can't sit around and pretend that I enjoyed his latest artistic endeavors (Halloween I, II, El Superbeasto AND unfortunately...Hellbilly Deluxe 2). Which is pretty damn upsetting since Zombie was one of the first musicians besides Kurt Cobain that acted as my surrogate father. I'll never forget the first time I laid eyes on the MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN video while walkin around Blockbuster Music in '94. I had never heard such delectable wreckage! I was hooked! I just HAD to own everything out at the time by Mr. Zombie. Now I find myself crossing my fingers and praying to Cthulhu that whatever the poor man creates is even SLIGHTLY enjoyable.
*le sigh*
It's just a shame. A damn shame. He definitely got too much praise a little TOO fast and now he's gotten a little ahead of himself. I must agree my fellow horror hound: Zombie needs a break and hopefully BEFORE he begins THE BLOB remake.