Like his style or not, there are three things you can’t take away from Rob Zombie-he puts on a good show, he has gone out and done what he’s wanted to do, and, well, he’s just not the type of guy your average sorority girl will be taking home to daddy any time soon.
All three seem to be quite amicable qualities.
Thirty-two year-old Robert Cummings, otherwise known as Rob Zombie, has paved quite a career for himself. Since his brainchild, White Zombie, began playing in the Lower East Side of New York City in 1985, it’s been nearly straight to the top for Zombie.
Fresh off the release of his latest album, The Sinister Urge, Zombie along with opening act Sinnistar rocked St. Louis Monday night at the Pageant.
Zombie, in characteristic style, made his huge entrance through a giant, flaming demon’s head and then proceeded to throw out everything from his sometimes humorous, sometimes disturbing bag of tricks.
Make no bones about it: Zombie is not above gimmicks. Huge hell-like flames warmed the faces of the crowd while giant screens displayed old horror film clips (Zombie’s favorite, as his old band was named after a `50s B horror flick).
And then there were the two huge “robo-demons” prancing around the stage during “More Human Than Human,” along with semi-evil looking ghouls and demons around the stage.
Oh, there was music, too.
Zombie performed a well-balanced set including “Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)” and “Feel So Numb,” both from his latest release. Much to old school Zombie fans’ chagrin, he also performed old White Zombie hits such as “Electric Head Pt.1 (The Agony)” and “More Human Than Human.”
It is quite unfortunate that, due to his less than conventional style, Zombie draws comparisons to such artists as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails.
In fact, few things could be further from the truth. Zombie’s style, including his live performances, seems to almost poke fun at itself. There is humor in his fondness for evil. You won’t find any teenage angst or aggression towards the “man” in Zombie’s repertoire, just pure, energetic, loud music. (Zombie’s last release, American Made Music to Strip By.)
Zombie is dark, as is evidenced by, if not his looks alone, his fascination with the horror film genre, demons and the fiery pits of hell. But he keeps it light. Above all, it seems, that his primary goal is to leave the crowd rocked and pleased. And that he did Monday night.
His unique style, and recent artistic development has enabled him to reach a larger audience. It wasn’t just Slayer fans and vampires at the Pageant on Monday night. He must have brought a party with him, because the place was on fire (literally at times). The sold out Pageant was dancing, and moshing and flailing about from start to finish.
Zombie has proved to be quite versatile in his solo career.
Moving, ever so slightly, away from pure metal, he now incorporates more electronics into his songs, often producing a funky feel to it, while not betraying the heavy rock riffs he’s always produced.
Zombie is a busy man. Beyond performing and recording, Zombie wrote and directed a gruesome film, House of a Thousand Corpses, which, upon viewing the final cut, Universal Studios declined to release.
He has released three solo albums since parting ways with his old band in 1998. He even has his own action figure.
The best thing: the music just keeps getting better and better. Incorporating his love and talent for film, art and music, Zombie puts together an excellent live show. It’s a must-not-miss for any brave soul who feels they can stomach it.
