Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor
Artist: Rob Zombie
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 4/5
Rob Zombie’s latest album- Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor shows that Mr. Zombie is still more than capable of producing a kick ass album full of his signature mix of horror and metal. Almost like a mix of classic White Zombie and his early solo albums, VRRV has the fast pace of old school Zombie and the sound of a more mature and experienced Zombie.
With his preference for inserting sound effects and spoken word, Rob Zombie has finally perfected the melding of that preference and his music. I have always enjoyed that aspect of his albums in the past but it has never felt as natural as it does in the latest album. The sound bites do truly contribute to the experience of Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, in both the theme and the music.
As for the music itself, it is Rob Zombie awesomeness, really. Familiar sounds are present in the instruments and they effortlessly push the main attraction to the front of your perception. That main attraction being the voice of Rob Zombie. If you are a fan of any of Zombie’s music, you will find yourself at home with this album. There is nothing here that is especially amazing, but there is nothing here that makes you reach for the skip button either. It is a solid album from start to finish; loud, offensive, profane and fun.
Two tracks stand out for me: “Revelation Revolution” is a fast and violent song that makes me want to drive out into the desert in a muscle car, windows down, cigarette in my mouth with the song playing as loud as the speakers can handle. The other is Rob Zombie’s cover of Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re An American Band”. Classic song with a modern update. Knowing of Zombie’s love for classic music and having watched his movies, I am not at all surprised to hear this song in the mix with the rest of VRRV. Now, these are just two of the twelve tracks, all are worth listening to, these are just the ones that I would pick if I had to…you know, to write a review.
One more thing, the cd insert is fucking gorgeous. This is seriously the most attractive cd booklet I have ever seen. It starts with the super high gloss material (I don’t think it is paper, probably some sort of poly) and the strong binding. This is a booklet meant to be shared and passed around. The art and images are highlighted by the above par material and they deserve it. A great collection of images; from concert pictures to custom paintings, flipping through this booklet is as pleasurable as listening to all twelve tracks of the album.