Danceable Industrial Metal with Classic Horror Imagery - A Review of White Zombie's Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head

White Zombie had been a highly influential band in new genres such as noise rock, groove metal and industrial metal for one decade. The release of its final full length effort of original material with Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head would mark the band's most commercially successful output and also set the stage for Rob Zombie's later solo career that was massively influenced by the sound of this output. This record here is interesting for anyone interested in alternative rock and metal sounds of the nineties as well as cultural trends of the mid-nineties. If you appreciate this album, you are also going to like several other White Zombie and Rob Zombie efforts. You might also want to check out similar pioneer groups such as KMFDM, Die Krupps and Oomph!.

The sound of this release is relatively simple to describe but was nevertheless rather innovative back in the days. The lead vocals find a catchy balance between sweltering aggression and rough melody which suits the instrumental work perfectly. Speaking of the latter, the drum play is simple but precise and energetic, recalling danceable military march music one more than one occasion. The bass guitar play isn't exactly technically stunning but also tight and powerful as it completes the drum play perfectly. The guitar riffs meander from simple but intense riffs over more discordant and psychedelic sections recalling bands such as Melvins, Faith No More and even early grunge by groups such as Soundgarden. Charlie Clouser is only noted as a guest on this output but his work on keyboards and especially programming is an important part of this release's unique identity. This album is filled with sound samples, most of them coming from obscure horror films from the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. This shouldn't come as a surprise however since the band name White Zombie is inspired by a horror movie of the same title from the thirties. Cineasts will therefore have quite a few references to discover while those who don't share the band's passion for the aforementioned genre will find the elevated number of samples rather tiring. One has to admit that the band doesn't just use these samples as gimmicks as its songs' lyrics, the band members' outfits and even the group's stage productions honour classic horror cinema.

The group's unique soundscapes might take a while to open up to new listeners. While a first impression might be rather chaotic, the band's particular style actually becomes quite coherent after multiple spins. While not all songs might stay on the listener's mind, some of them are quite catchy. ''Electric Head Part One: The Agony'' and ''Electric Head Part Two: The Ecstasy'' form the heart piece of this release in my opinion. These songs are aggressive but not overtly brutal. They are melodious but never fluffy. They are memorable but still have experimental sections. They represent the identity of White Zombie best and are among the band's greatest tracks ever. Another instant hit is the atmospheric, catchy and danceable ''More Human than Human'' that rightfully became one of the group's greatest successes.

However, several songs on this output also lose themselves in massive oversampling and draining repetition. ''Real Solution #9'' is such a case as this song would have been a decent interlude if it had been cut to half its actual length. Hidden track ''Where The Sidewalk Ends, The Bug Parade Begins'' is also a dud that doesn't deserve to be discovered but rather to remain hidden. It sounds like an odd underdeveloped sound collage that artificially stretches the record's length from rather short to overall decent. However, quality should have been valued over quantity in this case to make for a more enjoyable listening experience.

At the end of the day, White Zombie's Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head is an intriguing product of its time combining raw noise rock with brutal industrial metal and danceable groove metal hints. The band's horror image going from the cover artwork over the band clothing to the multiple samples gives the group its very own style that some people might admire and other loathe. It can't however be denied that this album is certainly creative, entertaining and unique to a certain degree in the context of its release. Rob Zombie has used these same ideas time and again, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse but this album here can be seen as the climactic end of White Zombie and the intellectual creation of Rob Zombie.

Final Rating: 70%