Album Review: Rob Zombie - 'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor'

Rob Zombie is back with a punch three years after his last record - 'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor‘. Rob Zombie himself is a busy man with his film The Lords of Salem also being released recently. However, this movie evidently proved no distraction to his album production as ‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor’ does not disappoint. The full-length plays on Zombie’s strengths as it’s a mixture of twisted industrial/metal with a slightly electronic feel.

‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor’ may be considered one of Zombie’s strongest albums to date. The influence of his band members, all known talented musicians (John5, Piggy D and Ginger Fish) have all seemed to completely capture the heavy sound of the album yet lace it with dance and psychedelic themes, which work so well to emphasise Zombie’s known love of the strange and the twisted.

Opener, ‘Teenage Nosferatu Pussy’ shows a classic Zombie sound and feel to the album with the introduction being horror movie dialogue - a common characteristic. The use of this song as the introduction sheds light on the whole release. Classic Zombie, but with something more that makes this such a strong album. The musical fun is consistent throughout. The listener is faced with catchy rock and roll tunes such as ‘Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga'.

The entire feel of the album is captured well in eighth track, ’White Trash Freaks’,  which incorporates the usual sleazy, funky metal sounds met with the very interesting voice of Zombie himself, which seems to be a whole unique genre of itself. Hillbilly Metal, if you will?!

Towards the tailend, Zombie incorporates a gothic industrial feel with songs ‘Lucifer Rising,’ ‘The Girl Who Loved Monsters’ and ‘Trade In Your Guns For A Coffin.’ These songs have less of a electronic feel to them but carry on the rock and roll feel.

Rob Zombie’s efforts on ‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor‘ have produced a highly successful album as the sound is something very unique to Zombie. It has got heavy industrial and metal tones mixed with enjoyable, easy going rock and roll and an element of electronic, which leaves you dancing and chanting along to every track. It’s heavy, direct and most of all addicting. A release that should greatly please Zombie fans and even bring in some new ones.

'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor' certainly captures glipmses of the classic Rob Zombie at the start of his/their career. It's an entertaining album filled with rock and roll and metal vibes that also incorporate a dance/electronic feel, which allow for the album to be extremely catchy. All you want to do is sing along. Zombie has managed to create something very unique and memorable. 

 1. "Teenage Nosferatu Pussy" 

2. "Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown" 

3. "Revelation Revolution" 

4. "Theme for the Rat Vendor" 

5. "Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga" 

6. "Rock and Roll (In a Black Hole)" 

7. "Behold, the Pretty Filthy Creatures!" 

8. "White Trash Freaks" 

9. "We're An American Band" (Grand Funk Railroad cover) 

10. "Lucifer Rising" 

11. "The Girl Who Loved Monsters" 

12. "Trade in Your Guns for a Coffin"