The thing about a new ROB ZOMBIE album is that by this point you should pretty much know what to expect and what it is you’re going to get: crazy song titles, an even crazier album name, and a healthy dose of horror shock rock filled with electronic programming and movie line samples. If that’s your cup of tea then you’ll probably enjoy this disc. If it’s not, might I suggest you move on to something that IS in your wheelhouse? With a running time of 32 minutes and only nine proper songs this one is a musical quickie. Hell, the album title is damn near as long as the record itself! The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser (UMe/T-Boy) is out now, and it’s interesting for sure.
So, with all that said how are the songs? Well, once again it’s the same ROB ZOMBIE we’ve all come to know and sometimes love. Armed with the same band mates as on 2013’s Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor (John 5 on guitar, Piggy D. on bass, and drummer Ginger Fish) ZOMBIE paints with his trademark weird brushstrokes and hits the mark on songs like “The Life and Times of a Teenage Rock God” and “The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore”. “Satanic Cyanide! The Killer Rocks On!” sounds like something from the good ol’ WHITE ZOMBIE days, and is a meat grinder of an opener that also segues into acoustic passages.
Now in all honesty I fucking HATED “Well, Everybody’s Fucking In a UFO” the first time I heard it. I mean, this bitch made me physically angry. But the third time I heard it, something within me changed, and I couldn’t stop singing it for days, much to the annoyance of my friends and co-workers. And yeah, even though it sounds like PRIMUS (who I also hate) on the verses, I still dig the groove of this tune, and now it’s an album favorite. “Medication For the Melancholy” is an industrial-flavored fast-paced number that most fans should get into. John 5 gets to cut loose a bit on this one, making it even more enjoyable.
“In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All Get High” (uhhh…what?) is an OK tune, but nothing we haven’t heard before. I could say the same for “In the Bone Pile” but it’s a little bit better than the previous track. “Get Your Boots On! That’s the End of Rock and Roll” on the other hand is head and shoulders above most of the songs because the beat is infectious, and the whole band comes to play. This is an absolute must for the setlist this summer without a doubt. Closer “Wurdalak” goes from the heavy to the atmospheric and back again, and ends with just piano and some thunderstorm sound effects.
All in all The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser is a bit of a grower. Definitely sit with it more than once. Hell, it’s so short how can you not? And while not quite as good as its predecessor it is still worth checking out. I was ready to hate it but I have to admit, it’s a good album once you let it sink in.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Get Your Boots On! That’s the End of Rock and Roll”, “Well, Everybody’s Fucking In a UFO”, “The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore”, “Medication For the Melancholy”
RATING: 8/10
