Just as
White Zombie
was on the verge of becoming the most popular
metal
band in the land,
Rob Zombie
decided he was an auteur. Stopping short of breaking up the band,
Zombie
set out to make sure everyone know that he was the main force in the band, as if there were any doubt in the first place. He did extracurricular animation, managed a band, started a record label, drew a sequence in
Beavis & Butt-Head Do America
, appeared in films, wrote the script for
The Crow 3
(which he planned to direct), and most tellingly of all, he recorded a solo album,
Hellbilly Deluxe
. Since
was always his baby, it seems a little strange that he had the need to break away from the group, especially since the album sounds exactly like a
record, complete with thunderous
industrial
rhythms, drilling
guitars, and B-movie obsessions. For most listeners, it doesn't matter if
is technically a
or
album, since it delivers the goods, arguably even better than
Astro-Creep: 2000
. To outsiders, the entire schlock enterprise may seem ridiculous or sound monotonous, but even the weak cuts here hit hard and give fans exactly what they want. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine