Released: Feb 2, 2010
Genre: Heavy Metal, Shock Metal
Label: Loud&Proud/Roadrunner
Number Of Tracks: 11
Rob Zombie revisits his classic, debut solo album with Hellbilly Deluxe 2, which is an extension of its predecessor. It could be subtitled as follows: How Rob Zombie Got His Groove Back.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2Featured review by: UG Team, on february 02, 2010 2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Sound: Rob Zombie’s 1998 solo effort, Hellbilly Deluxe yielded a bunch of hits that spilled from the radio airwaves ad nauseum. You have to remember them: “Dragula” and “Living Dead Girl” were all over the airwaves at the end of that decade. It was really an extension of the sound that the vocalist rode to multi-platinum success with his band, White Zombie. Rob Zombie has always been counted on to craft crunchy hard rock that is palatable for pop music fans who might like a little edge. Sure, it’s not as edgy as extreme metal bands, but it is edgy hard rock, thanks to the horror-themed lyrics and look that Zombie is so fond of! While Hellbilly Deluxe 2 doesn’t ignore or obliterate what came in between it and the original, which is two albums, it does feel like the next logical step from that particular album and does pick up where the original Hellbilly left off. It’s not like Zombie is cashing in on his past; he’s always had a signature sound and this album feels like the chronological companion piece to the mega-selling version that came out over a decade ago! Go ahead and take a listen to “Sick Bubblegum” and try not to sing along or hum the chorus. Zombie remains as deft as ever with making a melody stick to your ribs and your brain! “Jesus Frankenstein” and “Mars Need Women” are also fun, plugged in romps! // 9
Lyrics and Singing: It wouldn’t be a Rob Zombie record if it didn’t have some degree of horror movie references – he is an acclaimed director in the genre, lest we forget- as well as B-movie kitsch. If you like The Munsters and gore, then Hellbilly Deluxe will work for you. Try not to pump your fist in the air when Rob sings, “Chew it up, spit it out, sick bubblegum.” It might not make a whole lot of philosophical sense, but it sure goes down the gullet in a good way. // 8
Impression: Rob Zombie’s pop metal edge hasn’t been blunted despite his forays into the mainstream’s eye with appearances on Howard Stern, by directing big budget Hollywood remakes of horror classics or by winning awards at horror movie conventions! He’s still playing by his rules, yukking it up with zombies, werewolves and other creatures in his semi-processed vocals, which are accompanied by razor-sharp riffery. For those who are mostly fond of Rob Zombie’s musical output, Hellbilly Deluxe, Version 2.0 won’t and does not disappoint. Honestly, the only marked difference is that the artist has dissolved his long relationship with Geffen and defected to Loud & Proud, an imprint of Roadrunner, to release the album. // 8
Hellbilly Deluxe 2
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 23, 2010 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Rob has Definitely changed his sound since White Zombie... That dose not mean it's bad. Some songs have a more hardcore vibe (Jesus Frankenstein, Werewolf Women, Sick Bubble-Gum), while some songs have a jumpy vibe(What?, The Man Who Laughs, Werewolf Baby). Most of the songs have a unique tone to them. All of the songs sound very polished and sound great. John5 does a great job on guitar and Clufetos is great on the drums especially in The Man Who Laughs. It really sucks that they got Joey Jordison to take his place for the HBD2 tour. I have no problem with Joey( He's {Sic}!), but I would rather see Clufetos live. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Rob's B-Movie vibe is still here and resonates through all the songs. The standout tracks on the album are-Jesus Frankenstein, Sick Bubble-Gum, Mars Needs Women, Werewolf Baby, Cease To Exist, Werewolf Women, and The Man Who Laughs. Jesus Frankenstein has the lyrics of a mellow Slayer song. Mars Need Women has the good ol' Zombie stomp rythm and is of course about aliens...from MARS!! Werewolf Women of the SS is a song written about the short faux trailer Rob did for the movie "Grindhouse" and is my personal favorite besides Jesus Frankenstein. The Man Who Laughs is a long-ass song but an epic one. It has an underlying orchestral score that does a great job in adding to the song. All in all HBD2 does a great job in delivering the Zombie vibe that I love. // 9
Impression: Overall, HBD2 does deliver a big punch and has me really excited to see Zombie live for the Mayhem tour. What bugs me about it is the title, I mean this has a very different vibe from the first Hellbilly. Hobo Jesus would have been a much better name. But the title is not part of the music so... // 9
Hellbilly Deluxe 2
Reviewed by:
SawGuru, on february 02, 2010 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Rob Zombie has finally released his new album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2. This album has much to offer in it's own right, as the sound is different than Educated Horses. However, it still falls short of Zombie's past glory.
The opening track, 'Jesus Frankenstein', sounds very promising with it's dark, haunting intro. This song sets the pace for the entire album: good, dark, haunting riffs mixed in with a subpar attempt to recreate his classic sound. John 5 wrote some really good riffs, and they shine in this album. His tone mixes very well with Zombie's voice. His creativity on this album is exactly what 'Educated Horses' was missing. However, his attempt falls short of making this a Zombie classic.
Songs like 'Jesus Frankenstein', 'Mars Needs Women', and 'Virgin Witch' have very haunting tones in them, with heavy riffs that harkens back to John 5's solo work, and the melodies have that old Zombie sound. However, the combination of the two still leaves something to be desired. One nice addition to this album is the element John 5 brings in his solos. Short and sweet, each solo complements it's song. 'Virgin Witch' especially has a perfect union with it's solo. Furthermore, this album has infused a seemingly punk rock element to it. 'What?' and 'Dream Factory' both have John 5 playing a very punk-driven rhythm with Zombie singing in a comparable style.
Overall, I think this is a decent album. It's definitely more 'Zombie' than 'Educated Horses' was in sound. However, it still falls short of Rob Zombie's former sound, and is a sub-par attempt at recreating it. // 6
Lyrics and Singing: Rob Zombie is still himself. His vocals on this album are still his signature sound. The lyrics all take on Zombie's classic songwriting style: horror elements, the macabre, and a dark carnival feel. As far as transforming those lyrics into melodies, however, Zombie has let fans down. His voice is constantly the same throughout the album. While many would argue his voice never had dynamics, he at least varied chorus structures and such. On this album, almost every song has painstakingly similar arrangements from a lyrical standpoint.
Songs like 'Sick Bubblegum', 'Mars Needs Women', and 'Werewolf Baby' all have very similar structures for the chorus: Sing the title over and over. In the past, Zombie infused many phrases in his choruses throughout the album, and only a handful of songs on Hellbilly Deluxe 2 have this trait. For the most part, Zombie voice is still good. It's just no longer innovative and creative. // 5
Impression: All in all, this album will neither impress nor let down Zombie fans. Do not hope for a return to the sound Zombie developed with his first 'Hellbilly Deluxe', but also expect a slight improvement from the thin sound that 'Educated Horses' gave. Many songs on here are enjoyable, like 'Mars Needs Women', and some are even impressive, such as 'Virgin Witch'. Mainly, the music is more enjoyable than Zombie's singing, which is a major drawback to the album. If I lost this album, chances are I'd spend my money on getting the Deluxe version of the original 'Hellbilly' rather than repurchasing this one. // 5
I wasn't even 10 when I first heard Hellbilly Deluxe nearly a decade ago and I bought that album almost right away and still own it, and I'm now 17. He was one of the driving forces behind me getting into metal. I LOVED Hellbilly Deluxe and this album, from what I've heard so far, seems to be good as well. It's great that he's kinda gone back to his roots, and went away from the Educated Horses sound (Although I don't mind that album) but his earlier work was a better, and I'm glad he's changed back.
The original Hellbilly Deluxe was recorded in London Ontario at the Fanshawe College studios. My dude went through their usic industry arts program, so we got to use the same freaking studio as Rob. nice uh
This is the first zombie album i really like. Really awesome guitars and i cant stop listening to this. One of the best albums in a long time. Kthxbye.
I would give it an 8.0. Not an amazing record, a bit dull at times, but the overall vibe is true Zombie from the days we love. A solid release and some great sound. I like it! Could have been better, but it is an improvement.
The people who say "Go back to films" probably don't realize that Rob was doing music before he started doing his own films lol. Hellbilly Deluxe and The Sinister Urge were great albums. It was far better than the sad attempts at "rock music" polluting the airwaves today.
BUT I really did not like this album. I honestly didn't like a single song on it. I'd actually give it a 4 out of 10. I have to say I expected more from Rob and John 5.
Krackersmacker :
am i really the only one who noticed the opening riff from Virgin Witch was almost completely lifted from "Freya" by The Sword?
LOL. I noticed that on first listen as well. Ironically, it's also my favorite song on the album. Seriously, I think the only difference between the two is the half step down Zombie's is.
i have only listened to this album once so far, its a good rob zombie album but just seems to be missing something. I loved werewolf woman of the ss, its such a groovy groovy track.
The people who say "Go back to films" probably don't realize that Rob was doing music before he started doing his own films lol. Hellbilly Deluxe and The Sinister Urge were great albums. It was far better than the sad attempts at "rock music" polluting the airwaves today.
BUT I really did not like this album. I honestly didn't like a single song on it. I'd actually give it a 4 out of 10. I have to say I expected more from Rob and John 5.
I think a lot of people do know that he was doing music first, but enjoy his movies more.
One thing I wonder is why everyone talks about it's sound towards Hellbilly vs. Educated, and then say it's his best since Hellbilly. Have we all forgotten Sinister Urge? That was a great album. Personal favorite.
I CAME FROM CHINA , BUT I KNOW ROB ZOMBIE.I LOVE HIMAND JOHN 5.THEY ARE AWESOME GUYS.METAL IS FOREVEVR!JOHN 5 WAS A GUITAR MASTER IN MARILYN MANSON 'S BAND .HE CAN DO EVERYTHING WHEN HE PLAYS GUITAR .I LOVE THE BAND (ROB ZOMBIE).YOU CAN GET A LOT OF EFFECT SOUND(GUITAR).SO I LOVE THEM !YOU ARE AWESOME !ROB ZOMBIE BAND!!!METAL !! METAL!!!METAL!!!!
I would be terribly disappointed in "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", but following the fantastic "Sinister Urge" everything Zombie's done has been complete and utter crap.
John 5 is an absolutely amazing guitarist, though listening to this album you'd never know it. Most of the songs play out in straight power chords, which wouldn't be a problem if they weren't all so repetitive and downright boring.
Zombie's voice sounds decent enough, but he's lost the growl he once had, and the music suffers because of it. The lyrics here are also some of the worst he's written to date, with most songs contempt to just repeat the title over and over, ad nauseum.
The production is also a problem, as a record like this needs to sound dirty and raw, but the songs are so polished they completely lose their edge and start to blend together.
After such a long hiatus from music, I expected so much more from a collaboration between Zombie and John 5.
I'm a huge John 5 fan and a huge WHITE ZOMBIE fan (and I also like about 8 songs from all of rob zombie albums combined) and I was heavily dissapointed with this album.
You wouldn't know much difference between the crap playing of riggs and blasko vs John 5 and Piggy on this record. Like I said I'm a huge John 5 fan - I play most of his songs on youtube and love the production piggy is usually involved in but this album has a unimaginative vibe, sluggish and wastefull qualities.
I could the later tracks 7-9 to be my favorite and I don't remember ANYTHING worthwhile from my first two listens of tracks 1-6. I always usually look forward to those zombie album having kick ass opening numbers and this one FAILED miserbly and continued to throughout.
Sorry not for me. Can't wait for John 5's new solo record because he has let me down yet. All his solo CDs are badass to the bone. Get those instead
I hate how some people are criticizing Rob for music, give the guy a break, he hasn't released an album in about 4 years, also he's been experimenting with a lot of things. He's doing what he likes to do best, why let anyone tell YOU different?
jacob911363 :
I hate how some people are criticizing Rob for music, give the guy a break, he hasn't released an album in about 4 years, also he's been experimenting with a lot of things. He's doing what he likes to do best, why let anyone tell YOU different?
We aren't saying don't do anything different. We're saying do it well. This, is neither. It's not different: it's a poor attempt at being what once was. And it's certainly not done well.
That's true, but personally this album is alright. I agree it's not the best thing he's done. The one thing that bothers me about this record is mainly the song "What?"....wtf is that?
I use to listen to zombie music and want to punch someone in the face and drive my car threw a wal-mart....but here lately I just want to gently pat someone on the back and drive lazily down a country road on a warm Sunday afternoon…..what happened?….
Sick Bubblegum probably has to be the most retarded song ever. Rob wouldn't be shit without John5 now. Yeah you can say its catchy but you could put a catchy melody to "Fuck me in the ass" and it would be catchy, but that doesn't make it any good. The lyrics blow so bad. Rock mother ****er, rock the mother ****er, rock mother ****er????? Wow you woulda thought that after being a professional musician for so long he would at least be able to write decent lyrics like he used to. Sorry but it seems like you put out catchy shit to be played everywhere Rob.....write something good next time.
I think they only reason why I listen to HBD-II is because of John 5. I definitely agree with the boring and lazy catchy stuff. He needs to step up or get out of the game.
sinister urge is still his best. Maybe not the most single-spawning album, but the whole production of it and overall sound it had was the best.
I think what alot of people misunderstand is that Rob Zombie has pretty much completely changed his music style since then though. The differences between just La Sexorcisto and Hellbilly deluxe are huge. With the addition of John 5, I think Rob's just changed his style again. He's lucky, because at least he still has a large fanbase that supports his new stuff where as for alot of musicians these changes can lead to their downfall.
HBD2 is awsome! its a little different but still rocks. I saw him in the Gruesome Twosome/HBD2 tour and he still puts on one of the best shows to date!
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