There are some artists who, despite reaching a point of self-parody, were so prolific in their prime that they remain a staple of conversation within their respective scene for years and even decades to follow. One such artist is Rob Zombie. To say his output for the better part of my lifetime has been underwhelming would be an understatement, with his last effort, 2021’s The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (even the titles are absurd) reaching new lows of predictability. Yet the reason Zombie remains a mainstay of rock radio and arena headliner to this day isn’t because of those albums. No, it’s because of White Zombie’s ’90s output and his blockbuster solo debut, Hellbilly Deluxe (1998). And I think, at the age of 61, Mr. Robert Zombert has finally accepted this.
The Great Satan is Zombie’s first album in decades that doesn’t come off as tired, rehashed, or phoned in, and believe me: I’m as shocked typing this sentence as you are reading it. Whereas finding the memorable cuts on latter day Zombie albums were like finding needles in a haystack, The Great Zombie is vice versa. This is an album full of unusually strong songs by Zombie standards, with only a handful of campy duds that weigh down the effort as a whole. And speaking of things that weigh an album down, I can only assume Zombie read my review of Satan‘s predecessor, because this album doesn’t feature nearly as many unnecessary horror sample interludes.
What really pushes The Great Satan over the top, in comparison to recent Zombie affairs, is just how heavy it is. This is no coincidence. It’s the first album to feature classic guitarist Mike Riggs since 2001’s The Sinister Urge, and boy, was he missed. Armed and ready with his trusty six string, Riggs and Zombie power through what can only be described as the follow up to White Zombie’s Astro-Creep: 2000 (1995) that never was. This is pure, unadulterated industrial metal straight out of the genre’s ’90s heyday, rife with groove-thrash riffs, cranium-grinding rhythms, and noises that sound more Wax Trax! than Hot Topic. Ragers like “F.T.W. ’84”, “Tarantula”, “Heathen Days”, “Punks and Demons”, and “The Black Scorpion” are the musical reincarnation of prime Zombie: Fast, unrelenting, and in your face.
Even when this album does veer off towards brainless, anthemic arena rock territory, it’s done so in a manner that channels the charm of the Hellbilly days. I can easily envision songs like “(I’m a) Rock ‘n’ Roller” and “Black Rat Coffin” becoming staples of Zombie’s live set this summer, getting both mosh pits moving and middle aged goth mommies grooving. Sure, “Sir Lord Acid Wolfman” is far too goofy for my liking, and there are a few other tunes towards the back half that don’t cut it for me personally, but again, these don’t deter the album as a whole. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Zombie album without the obligatory slab of Sabbath worship, which appears here in the form of “The Devilman”, and most definitely gets the job done.
Though The Great Satan doesn’t reach the level of musical greatness that Zombie achieved in his heyday, it is certainly closer to that than any album that has bore his moniker since the last Bush administration. Between this unexpected surprise and the most recent Testament album, I might have to let my guard down completely and give a fair shot to EVERY classic band I’ve long since given up on to release anything of substance (looking at you Def Leppard!). Welcome back, Mr. Zombie. As the old saying goes, better late than never.
7 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Industrial Metal
For fans of: White Zombie, Ministry, Fear Factory
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