Rob Zombie – A Man of Many Talents

Born as Robert Bartleh Cummings, 57-year-old Rob Zombie has been in the public eye as a heavy metal rocker since the 80s, starting as the founder of the band White Zombies and then moving  to making solo music and becoming a filmmaker. 

Starting in 1985, White Zombie was a heavy metal band. Other than being the founder, Zombie’s role in the band was as the vocalist. After releasing four albums, including bestselling Astro-Creep: 2000, touring, and becoming one of the most popular metal bands of the 90s, White Zombie broke up in 1997. As said by Zombie himself, the band had “ran its course.” 

After the band, Zombie started his solo career immediately, releasing his solo debut album, Hellbilly Deluxe. The album generally earned positive reviews and was in the top five of the Billboard 200. After Hellbilly Deluxe, Zombie put out The Sinister Urge over three years later. The Sinister Urge is Zombie’s second most successful album, having sold two million copies since its release. Three years following the release of The Sinister Urge, Zombie’s third studio album, Education Horses, was released in 2006. After its initial release at number one on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, the album dropped to fourteenth place by its second week of being out. 12 years after the release of Zombie’s debut album, he put out the sequel to Hellbilly Deluxe as Hellbilly Deluxe 2. Although the album wasn’t as successful as the first, it did sell 49,000 copies within its first week. 

Another three years after Hellbilly Deluxe 2, Zombie released his fifth album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor. In its first week, the album sold over 34,000 copies and made seventh place in the Billboard’s 200 chart, along with being regarded as Zombie’s most “over-the-top” album in years. As you’ve probably noticed by now, Zombie follows a pattern of releasing an album every three years, and following that pattern, The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser was released as Zombie’s sixth album. The album is sillier and more outlandish than his other albums and has more pop-culture references pulled from comic books and science fiction. Zombie’s most recent album is eccentrically titled The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy. The album has 17 tracks and 26,000 copies were sold in its first week. It’s reasonable to assume there will be 3-5 more years until we hear new music from Zombie. 

Zombie has also been a filmmaker since 2003, directing and writing his first film,  House of 1000 Corpses, two years after the release of his album The Sinister Urge. The film received a wide range of reactions, varying from adoration to disgust. The movie follows classic Zombie aesthetic; horrifying, gory, and explicit. The next movie Zombie directed is The Devil’s Rejects, a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses. The trilogy’s third installment is 3 From Hell, released in 2019. Throughout this whole series, referred to as the Firefly trilogy, Zombie’s wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, starred as Baby. Other movies Zombie wrote and directed include Halloween and Halloween II. Sheri Zombie starred in both Lords of Salem, as Heidi Hawthrone, and 31, Zombie’s most recent movie. Along with filmmaking, Zombie has done a few minor voice acting roles, such as Ravager Navigator Voice in Guardians of the Galaxy, Unseen Ravager in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ichthultu, Lizard, and Dr. Curt Connors.

Incredibly, Rob Zombie is still putting out music and movies after 37 years. His hell-billy horror style makes him memorable and it’s clear in everything he does. I recommend his songs to anyone who likes to rock out, and his movies to anyone who likes a good scare!