iTunes $10.99 | 17 tracks [41:50]
I don’t know if Rob Zombie’s goal was to make an album we could sit around and ‘chill’ to, but ‘Lunar Injection…’ is good for exactly that. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but the early teaser release of ‘The Triumph of King Freak’ had me believing we’d have a rockin’ good time with a heavy industrial sound and the sinister feel we’ve come to expect from RZ. Alas, that was not to be.
LIKAEC reached #1 on US Billboard Rock Albums and I am excited and proud for RZ to have achieved this. He deserves the recognition and his body of work is respectable. There are a few tracks and sound effects that will make the live show. The intro to the album is ‘Expanding the Head of Zed’, which is chilling with Gregorian style chant and the speech ending in the repeat of the word insanity. I’m sure it will find a place on his next tour even if it’s not something he sings. It’s very cool.
‘The Triumph of the King Freak’ is next and it’s the anchor song of the album. It’s the most representative of what we expect from RZ. Loud, stern, heavy, and serious as he sings “King Freak carve an X into your head. King Freak dripping deeper in the red.” Let’s hope that isn’t happening to me the next time I’m in the audience.
The next few songs are ok. The opening statement of ‘The Ballad of Sleazy Rider’ is thought provoking. ‘Shadow of the Cemetery Man’ will be performed live. He sings, “Alright everybody, on the count of three. Gotta let it all hang out. One, two, three, GO.” I’d love to see the view from the stage. ‘18th Century Cannibals, Excitable Morlocks and a one-way ticket on the Ghost Train’ is a fun little hoe down with lots of references that can be picked out of the lyrics.
‘The Much Talked of Metamorphosis’ is a nice instrumental. ‘The Satanic Rites of Blacula’ makes me curious. I don’t know who he is but “Goodbye, Picasso. Go paint the women. And the rats come on home to pick your bones. This ain’t the same old monster.” Okey-dokey!
‘Shower of Stones’ sounds just like Primus and I didn’t like the Primus sound. Skip it! ‘Shake Your Ass-Smoke Your Grass’ is my second favorite song on the album followed by the best song on this collection. ‘Boom-Boom-Boom’ is a hypnotic and sinister rise and fall of a singing chant. It digs into your brain and the vibration of his voice when brought down an octave will possess you! This is exactly what you want from RZ.
‘Get Loose’ is good. ‘The Serenity of Witches is another good feeling instrumental. The album closes with ‘Crow Killer Blues.’ Which is respectable and speaks of the evils in the world. “Blood lust, thieves and reptiles rise. Punishment, damned under blackened eyes.” It’s a nice end.
I have a big complaint for RZ. If you have John 5 as your lead guitar, why wouldn’t you let that guy rip? Almost nowhere on the album can we really enjoy the talents of one of the coolest players to watch on stage. If you get the chance to see John 5 and the Creepers, who sometimes do shows at smaller venues near the bigger RZ shows, DO IT! It’s an experience you won’t forget.
I give this album a score of 6.5. I own the album, but I recommend people just buy the 3 or 4 tracks that appeal to them most. Although there are 17 tracks, several are theatrics and a few more are instrumental. Skip ‘Shower of Stones’ but definitely get ‘Boom-Boom-Boom’. It’s a great song to loop. Can’t wait to see RZ live again though we are unlikely to see any Twins of Evil for a while. Get to a John 5 show as soon as you can!
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