Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor (Album Review)
Monday, 22 April 2013
Written by Heather McDaid
Rob Zombie's fifth solo album is a bit of a split work on first appearances. Abandoning the darkness of his previous album covers - yet keeping his face slap bang on the front - 'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor' looks more suited to being a 70s hippy-dippy revival, vividly colourful and pop-arty. Though that element seems to reflect the rainbow exuberance of his live shows, the music remains quintessentially sinister, thankfully.
'Teenage Nosferatu Pussy' kicks it off with a track suited for arenas, but not in the typical Bon Jovi, soaring ballad way. Chugging guitars, intergalactic nuances - Rob's vocals root themselves in their gravelly undertones. Surrounding Ginger Fish's brash drums, there is a lull perfectly suited for the crowd to shout, holler or woo accordingly. It trudges through the song with his usual lethargic drawl, with a nice satanic feel to welcome you in. Lovely.
Undoubtedly, the best song title award goes to 'Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga' - opening with a southern slur, it evolves to encompass Zombie's bombastic swagger in the chorus, tinged with eerie guitars from John 5. And with the best song title comes the opportunity to sing along repetitively - the high point of the track is undoubtedly the four line repeat; Rob Zombie brings a certain quality to what would otherwise seem pure absurdity.
'Lucifer Rising' steals the show - a fuller track by all accounts, John 5 pummels a huge riff as the track continues at a high pace, Piggy D's brooding bass acting the strong undertone as the sleek guitar work joins the chorus to verse and back again. One of the most energetic offerings of the album, it's a fantastic track to sink your teeth into.
And if there's one thing Rob Zombie can do, it's horror. 'The Girl Who Loved The Monsters' is downright creepy; verses are barely instrumental other than the haunting screams and cries amid other sampling. The chorus remedies this minimalistic haunt by producing a fuller feeling chorus, but it always retains that sinister grasp.
'Trade In Your Guns' closes the offering with a screeching crash. Most similar to 'Lucifer Rising' in pace and sound quality, this is Rob Zombie and co. heading out on a blaze of glory. You can almost picture them on their Harleys riding down a desert road into the horizon at the end of the movie - this certainly works as a soundtrack for it. Down and dirty, unabashed and unrelenting, it even allows a brief reprise that would work well in a live setting.
'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor' sees Rob Zombie find a balance of old and new. There's obvious throwbacks throughout to White Zombie, but the continuation of what he's been working on for years. This should theoretically please fans old and new as, regardless of your preferential era, this hopes to appease all. It's a completely solid release, and the more listens it gets, the more exciting some of the initial favourites become. Multiple listens in and 'Trade In Your Guns' still screams motorbikes in the sunset. With speculation of the record being turned into a movie already, that's my pitch for the closing scene.
'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor' is out today, Monday 22nd April, in T-Boy/Zodiac Swan/Universal Music.
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'Teenage Nosferatu Pussy' kicks it off with a track suited for arenas, but not in the typical Bon Jovi, soaring ballad way. Chugging guitars, intergalactic nuances - Rob's vocals root themselves in their gravelly undertones. Surrounding Ginger Fish's brash drums, there is a lull perfectly suited for the crowd to shout, holler or woo accordingly. It trudges through the song with his usual lethargic drawl, with a nice satanic feel to welcome you in. Lovely. 
