On "The Sinister Urge," Rob Zombie unleashes his first album of new material since 1998. It's destined to be a hit for one reason and one reason alone: Rob Zombie knows what he's good at artistically and he knows how to deliver it consistently.
This is an unabashed metal album. In a musical climate where heavy music bands are desperate to claim some kind of fancy label to describe themselves (such as "political, pro-penguin rap-metal" or "ecologically heavy rock-rap"), it's refreshing to listen to an album that makes no pretensions about what it is. It's a metal album composed of some fairly sturdy steel.
The ghoulish festivities begin with the ominous intro "Sinners, Inc" and continue full-force with the one-two punch of "Demon Speeding" and "Dead Girl Superstar." Both tunes are imbued with ear candy lead riffs that speed right along.
"Never Gonna Stop" and "Bring Her Down (To Crippletown)" have the most effectively hook-laden verses on the album. The choruses aren't particularly interesting on either, but the subtle use of keyboards on both and a cheesy but endearing clap-along on "Never Gonna Stop" make them both enjoyable listens.
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Zombie's albums have had fewer and fewer lyrics as his career has gone along, but the few that this album has are pretty amusing. Despite Ozzy Osbourne's guest vocals, the best part about the forgettable "Iron Head" is the lyrics: "Suddenly the rats are high/Bleed the masses and watch Oem cry/Slumber like Houdini's dog/Die alone out in the fog."
The album's first radio single, "Feel So Numb," has a good, layered sonic riff and a suitably catchy chorus.
"Scum of the Earth" is named after an exploitation movie by renowned director Herschell Gordon Lewis, and it's fast and catchy enough to keep the energy level high late on the album.
"House of 1000 Corpses" closes "Urge" on an ominous note, moving at a slow pace and weaving a dark and compelling atmosphere. It makes the listener wonder if Zombie's feature film debut of the same title will ever be released.
Compare two titles on this album to titles on previous albums: "Dead Girl Superstar" and "Living Dead Girl;" "Demon Speeding" and "Demon Speed." Furthermore, Helmet already did a song called "Iron Head" nearly a decade ago and Zombie even repeats the titles of past songs such as "Demonoid Phenomenon" in his lyrics.
The CD layout has some clever art direction with some well-composed monsters. Still, it emphasizes nudity a bit too much.
Zombie is either locked in an adolescent sexual mind frame or is pandering to it, with such imaginative shout-outs as "Get it on! Get it on!," "Bump and grind! Bump and grind away!" and "Turn me on/Turn me on/Turn me on" peppered throughout the album.
Make no mistake; there is a good deal of filler on the album. "Transylvanian Transmissions Pt.1" is nothing but a minute of ambient noise, "(Go To) California" goes nowhere and the last five minutes of the 10-minute "House of 100 Corpses" consists of pointless noise and a "bonus track" that isn't much of a bonus.
Still, anyone expecting the musical technicality and perfection of a Bach piano concerto makes a grave mistake by picking up a Rob Zombie album. "Sinister Urge" is not a feast of musical complexity; it just rocks consistently. And its good songs are good enough to make up for its weaknesses elsewhere.
Zombie's music evokes the spirit of the Ramones. Both bands never bite off more than they can chew and deliver heavy, hard-charging music that delivers for fans. This results from composing the music with what Zombie wants to hear in mind, rather than worrying about what will be radio- or listener-friendly.
The title itself, "The Sinister Urge," is not actually original or imbued with sexual connotations; it's the title of a surprisingly good film by Ed Wood, the director of such godawful cinematic classics as "Plan 9 From Outer Space." The decision to name the album after this interesting movie is very cool.
The album is more complex and stands up to repeat listens better than Zombie's last album, "Hellbilly Deluxe," but it lacks the fire that gave White Zombie musical immortality.
This is a step up for Zombie and shows that he's still continuing to move in the right direction. "Urge" is flawed, but it's still a fun Zombie attack.
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