Hellbilly Deluxe II is the sequel to Zombie’s 1998 multi-platinum solo debut and sees a stylistic return to that album’s shock-rock industrial stomp. Featuring his all-star touring line-up, John 5 (Ex-Marilyn Manson) on guitar, Piggy D on bass and Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls) on drums, the album shows a return to form for Zombie as it unfolds with a dark B-movie sense of fun. John 5’s presence is felt strongly throughout, who injects Zombie’s classic guitar grind with some frenetic flare as on Devil’s Hole Girls and the Big Revolution and Werewolf Women of the SS, named after the faux trailer Zombie directed for Grindhouse, which including a tongue in cheek surf-rock solo by John 5. Listen to Virgin Witch. It contains a catchy riff unintentionally lifted wholesale from stoner-metal band The Sword’s Freya. Zombie nobly apologised to The Sword for his oversight. A bonus DVD features videos for Mars Needs Women and a live version of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out (featuring Cooper himself) as well as Transylvanian Transmissions, their 2010 tour ‘documentary’, directed by Zombie himself, that’s really just random home-movie tour footage with horror soundtrack. While there are no obvious hits among these 11 tracks it is by far his most consistent album to date.
REVIEW: Nic Roos
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