ROB ZOMBIE - THE BEST OF 20TH CENTURY MASTERS THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION

I'm a little uncertain as to what qualifies one to be a 20th century master in the millennium collection.  But whatever it is, Rob Zombie has the chops.  He's already released a greatest hits collection, so this assemblage comes across more like a rehashing than a brand spanking new release.  The most interesting aspect of this disc is the fact the tracks play in sequential order from date of release.  The collection also includes songs from White Zombie.

The first song is 'Thunder Kiss '65'.  It's a pretty good White Zombie song, but not one of my favorite.  It's one of those early songs showing you how cool the group was going to be once they busted out.  It's followed by 'Black Sunshine', another track from the White Zombie disc, "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1".  White Zombie started out as a thrash metal hardcore punk band.  The music on this disc shows a transition of sorts.  The group is moving toward a more mainstream sound and away from the white noise of it's earlier stuff.  But as yet, the band still hasn't created a completely original sound.

The next two songs come from White Zombie's next album, "Astro-Creep: 2000" and it's a more solid record.  'More Human Than Human' starts off the set and demonstrates the sound you would associate with the Zombie brand.  It's followed by 'Super-Charger Heaven' which also falls into the Zombie sound.  These two tracks feature heavy guitar chords and a deeply sinister, almost spooky sound.  Combined with Zombie's fascination and incorporation of classic horror into his visual image, it's a highly effective and unique combination.  It's a blend that sets him apart and creates a niche market for him.

Shortly after this period, White Zombie disbanded and Rob Zombie started releasing on his own.  His first solo record was "Hellbilly Deluxe" and the next 3 songs are from that disc.  'Dragula', 'Superbeast', and 'Living Dead Girl' are all excellent examples of the Rob Zombie sound and I'm a huge fan of them all. This album is amazing!  It's one of the best he's ever done!  I'll discuss them all in greater detail when I do that album.

The next 3 are from his follow-up album, "The Sinister Urge".  'Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)', 'House Of 1,000 Corpses', and 'Feel So Numb'.  More excellent tracks and ones I'll go into more detail on their own albums.

'The Devil's Rejects' and 'The Lords Of Salem' are both from "Educated Horses" and I've already discussed them so I won't bother here.

Ultimately, this is a great collection, though hardly worthy of purchase unless you haven't invested in any his previous material.  There's nothing new and nothing special about this disc other than it includes a strong sampling of his work.

My final word...:  SKIP IT UNLESS YOU JUST WANT THE HITS!

ROB ZOMBIE - THE BEST OF 20TH CENTURY MASTERS THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION
01. Thunder Kiss '65
02. Black Sunshine
03. More Human Than Human
04. Super-Charger Heaven
05. Dragula
06. Superbeast
07. Living Dead Girl
08. Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)
09. House Of 1,000 Corpses
10. Feel So Numb
11. The Devil's Rejects
12. The Lords Of Salem