SONIC SELECTIONS (((o))): The Records That Defined March (2026)

 

Welcome to Sonic Selections (((o))): March Edition — my monthly recap of the records that shaped my listening throughout March, defined the mood of the weeks gone by, and carved out their own space in the noise. This curated list is drawn from my listening habits, based on the key releases that became my ultimate earworm.

 Across this rotation, I clocked 2,100 plays, up from 1,562 in February. I pulled from 99 new artists (up from 87), 111 new albums (up from 88), and 493 new tracks (up from 347). Altogether, that amounted to six days and nine hours of total listening time — a full day more than February. Average plays per day rose 22% to 68, with a weekly peak of 150 plays on March 29th, a 29% jump.

 March was, even by my listening habits, a massive month for new music. What follows is the collection of albums that held my attention the most — the ones that shaped my sonic landscape and defined the emotional and aesthetic contours of the month. (Note: albums are rated based on individual track streams alone.)

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1) Rob Zombie – “The Great Satan” (107)

For me, the return of classic Zombie and his best record since “Hellbilly Deluxe 2”, and whilst I accept not everyone is a fan, (fuck the haters) “The Great Satan” is a super addictive chrome‑plated inferno of industrial sleaze, Zombie drags you through a carnival of rust, gasoline, and bad intentions. Every riff stomps like a steel‑capped boot to the ribs, every synth flickers like a dying neon sign, and his voice — that gravel‑throated snarl — feels like a sermon delivered from the wrong side of the grave. It’s grotesque, swaggering, and gloriously unhinged.

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2) Pipe Bomb – “Hell Hole” (102)

“Hell Hole” is a self‑recorded, self‑released burst of volatility, a release whose foundation is built from concise, zero bullshit tracks that snap with jagged riffs and sudden rhythmic collapse. The raw production gives the guitars a savage metal edge and the vocals, a  raw live immediacy, keeping everything sharp, punchy and abrasive. Despite the chaos within, there’s also a surprising structural clarity and addictive quality to the record, each song (at times) shifting direction but keeping the listeners interest piqued at all times and without falling into the genre trappings of unlistenable  harsh excess. “Hell Hole” a compact, hostile record that channels the essence of hardcore’s aggression into something sharp, intentional, and relentlessly compelling.

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3) Chamber – “This Is Goodbye..”(98)

Admittedly, mathcore can be hit or miss, but the new record from Chamber delivers the right amount of chaos without descending into an unlistenable mess. “This Is Goodbye..” continues their weaponised, incendiary hardcore — a pressure cooker of jagged rhythms, panic‑attack pacing, and riffs that feel like they’re collapsing in on themselves, yet somehow remains wholly accessible and addictive.  Yes, every track can disorientate, with lurching guitars, drums detonating beneath you, and vocals clawing their way into your psyche. And yet, beneath all that violence is a frightening level of control. After revisiting their full discography, “This Is Goodbye..” is unequivocally their most focused, volatile, and emotionally engaging work to date.

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4) Neurosis – “Un Undying Love for a Dying World”(98)

Neurosis return a decade after "Fires Within Fires" with a new lineup and, arguably, another genre‑shaping opus. Reshaped and retooled around the talents of Aaron Turner, the record carries that sense of obvious upheaval, yet none of the band’s core DNA is lost. "An Undying Love for a Burning World" keeps their slow, tectonic pacing but adds new layers — drones, synths, and keys widening the space around some of their most monolithic riffs. Themes of isolation, ecological collapse, and psychological strain run through the album, giving their first release in an age a heavy, lived‑in weight. It’s a monumental return, the sound of a band rebuilding from the ground up. The title mirrors a world collapsing around us, and it’s hard not to feel an undying pull toward a record with this kind of emotional gravity.

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5) Varials – “Where The Light Leaves”(97)

This is the sound of a soul cracking under its own weight. Varials weaponise despair, turning breakdowns into blunt‑force trauma and vocals into open wounds. The record feels like being trapped in a collapsing room — walls closing in, air thinning, every moment a fight to stay conscious. It’s metalcore stripped of pretense and left bleeding on the floor.

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6) Lamb of God – “Into Oblivion”(79)

Lamb of God sound sharp and assured, leaning into the mechanics that have always driven their best work. The riffs snap with purpose, the rhythms stay locked, and the pacing never drifts from its forward pull. It’s not a reinvention, but a tightening of the screws. A confident, momentum‑driven statement from a band that knows its footing.

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7) Moloch – “Bend.Break.Kneel.Crawl”(79)

Moloch’s new record moves with the slow certainty of something collapsing under its own weight, every track grinding forward with deadened resolve. There’s no lift or shift in momentum, just pressure tightening until it becomes the whole experience. The album feels like being pinned beneath the same thought until it loses shape. Bleak, disciplined, and completely unwilling to offer relief.

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8) Great Falls – “Conscription”(78)

First of all, I fucking love Great Falls — so when news dropped of a new release in the form of Conscription, my excitement spiked immediately. These purveyors of abrasion are among the best in the business. It’s not a traditional record so much as a collection of splits, EPs, and singles, yet as expected the tracks grind, gallop, and disorientate. Conscription is a short, punishing lesson in suffocating density, with riffs that psychologically erode your aural synapses.

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9) Bound in Fear – “A Mind Too Sick To Heal” (73)

Bound in Fear deliver a series of controlled, violent impacts, each track built around blunt repetition and suffocating weight. The band strip everything down to pure force, letting the heaviness speak without theatrics or buildup. It’s hostile in a way that feels intentional rather than chaotic. A record designed to bruise more than impress.

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10) Crouch – “Breaking The Catatonic State” (71)

Crouch’s debut full‑length marks a decisive shift from their earlier sludge roots, embracing angular rhythms, sharp pivots, and a more confrontational vocal presence. The trio’s background in Wiegedood, Oathbreaker, and Ventilateur shows in the precision of the playing and the confidence of the arrangements. The production is stark and unembellished, letting every jagged shift and sudden rupture land with full force. It’s a volatile, inventive record that captures a band in the middle of a deliberate transformation

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🩸 Top 10 Artists (minutes played): 
 
1). Neurosis (725)
2). GROWTH (424)
3). Chained To The Bottom of the Ocean (404)
4). Chamber (345)
5). Lamb of God (309)
6). Crouch (300)
7). Cryptic Shift (297)
8). Phasma (205)
9). Dwellnought (268)
10). Rob Zombie (267)
 
⚔️ Top Tracks (most played)

 
1). Portrayal of Guilt – “Human Terror” (20)
2). Portrayal of Guilt – “Ecstasy” (18)
3). Chained To The Bottom of the Ocean – “Execution” (16)
4). Chained To The Bottom of the Ocean – “An Abundancy of Mercy” (15)
5). Neurosis – “Blind” (15)
6). Chained To The Bottom of the Ocean – “An Adornment of Light” (14)
7). Chained To The Bottom of the Ocean – “Upheaval” (14)
8). Neurosis – “First Red Rays” (13)
9). Neurosis – “Seething and Scattered” (12)
10). Neurosis – “Mirror Deep” (12)

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⚔️🩸 Sonic Selections (((o))): March Edition (50 biggest tracks of the month)

PLAYLIST: 🩸 THE NEW FLESH INDEX — WEEKLY ROTATION #11 Friday, March 6th to Thursday, March 13th, 2026

 

Welcome to The New Flesh Index #11 — a chronicle of the sounds that carved themselves into the days between 6 March and 12 March 2026, a week where the listening landscape didn’t just shift, it tightened its grip. This isn’t a playlist or a polite tally of plays; it’s a guided walk through the records that pushed their way to the front, the ones that refused to sit quietly in the shadows and instead demanded to be lived with, endured, and absorbed.
 
Across this window the numbers moved with a steady, deliberate pulse: 446 streams, a 2% rise, drawn from 18 artists (down 34%) and 18 albums (down 42%), with 94 new tracks entering rotation. Total listening time settled at 1 day and 7 hours, a slight 6% dip, but the focus sharpened like a blade. The daily average climbed to 64 streams, up 2%, with the week cresting at 124 streams on March 6th, a 4% lift that cut through the quieter stretches like a sudden jolt of electricity.
 
And while the week narrowed its scope, the month revealed a different constellation of forces — artists whose presence didn’t just rise, but loomed. Rob Zombie led the charge with a commanding surge, followed by the bruising weight of Varials, both of them moving with the confidence of acts who know exactly how deep their hooks sink. Beneath them, the darker undercurrent took shape through the feral churn of Blunt Knife Castration, the blackened fire of Necrofier, and the cavernous pull of Unburier. Completing the spectrum were the jagged intensity of Cell Press and the cosmic contortions of Cryptic Shift — artists who didn’t merely pass through rotation but reshaped it, leaving their fingerprints across the month like scorch marks.

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1) Rob Zombie – “The Great Satan” (107 streams)
 
A chrome‑plated inferno of industrial sleaze, Zombie drags you through a carnival of rust, gasoline, and bad intentions. Every riff stomps like a steel‑capped boot to the ribs, every synth flickers like a dying neon sign, and his voice — that gravel‑throated snarl — feels like a sermon delivered from the wrong side of the grave. It’s grotesque, swaggering, and gloriously unhinged.
 
2) Varials – “Where the Light Leaves” (97 streams)
 
This is the sound of a soul cracking under its own weight. Varials weaponise despair, turning breakdowns into blunt‑force trauma and vocals into open wounds. The record feels like being trapped in a collapsing room — walls closing in, air thinning, every moment a fight to stay conscious. It’s metalcore stripped of pretense and left bleeding on the floor.
 
3) Blunt Knife Castration – “Blood Oil” (62 streams)
 
A sewer‑born hybrid of sludge, crust, and pure misanthropy, this album crawls out of the gutter with teeth bared. The riffs lurch like a wounded animal, the drums stagger with drunken fury, and the vocals sound like they’re being screamed through a rusted drainpipe. It’s ugly, hostile, and deliberately abrasive — the sonic equivalent of a fistfight behind an abandoned factory.
 
4) Necrofier – “Transcend into Oblivion” (44 streams)
 
A black‑metal ritual carved in fire and shadow, this record feels like a ceremony performed at the edge of a collapsing world. Necrofier summon a storm of melodic dissonance and volcanic drumming, guiding you toward ego‑death with the calm certainty of a priest leading a sacrifice. It’s triumphant in its darkness — regal, ruinous, and utterly consuming.
 
5) Unburier – “As Time Awaits” (33 streams)
 
A death‑thrash onslaught delivered with predatory precision. Unburier move like a blade through flesh — fast, cold, and merciless. The riffs snap with mechanical violence, the solos spiral like panic attacks, and the whole record feels like being hunted through a labyrinth built from bone. It’s relentless, technical, and completely unforgiving.
 
6). Cell Press – “Tabula Rasa” (24 streams)
 
A noise‑metal detonation that sounds like a demolition crew tearing down the inside of your skull. The riffs convulse, the rhythms lurch between chaos and control, and the vocals feel like a man clawing at the walls of his own psyche. It’s abrasive, inventive, and violently cathartic — a reset achieved through total annihilation.
 
7) Cryptic Shift – “Overspace & Supertime” (20 streams)

A cosmic, brain‑warping odyssey where tech‑thrash, prog, and death metal collide at impossible angles. Cryptic Shift bend time signatures like gravitational fields, hurling you through wormholes of dissonance and celestial terror. It’s dense, disorienting, and wildly ambitious — the kind of record that leaves you staring into the void, unsure whether it stared back or rewrote you entirely.
 

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⚔️ Top Artist: Rob Zombie (107 streams)

🩸 Top Album: Rob Zombie – “The Great Satan” (107 streams)

⚔️ Top Track: Unburier – “Abyssal Uncertainty” (11 streams)

⚔️🩸 The New Flesh Index Playlist #11 (30 biggest tracks of the week)

THE 16 MOST POPULAR ALBUMS OF 2016: The Sour 16 End of Year List 2016

The Sour 16 End of Year List 2016

Whatever is going on in the world, in our personal lives, at work and at home, music is a constant source of escapism and as one year ends and another begins, the prospect that 2017 will bring another batch of fantastic releases is a mouth watering prospect. 

So, with that in mind, today we present the culmination of our efforts from 2016 and present “The Most Popular Albums of 2016” for your viewing pleasure.  I hope you had as much fun checking out the new music as we did presenting it to you. I’d like to bestow an immeasurable amount of gratitude to the contributors, who made this year so awesome. 

The results are compiled based on page views alone and calibrated into the list below. All reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork and we have included album streams wherever possible. (Total views since their publication are highlighted in red). 

16). Gozu - "Revival” (1753) 

At their core, Gozu is a bad ass American rock band. They’ve got heavy riffs in tow and bang out tunes loud enough to piss off the neighbors. But Gozu is more than this. Gozu is a songwriting machine, one that is able to churn out eight loud, hard hitting compositions without sacrificing the meaning behind the songs or the band.  Gozu’s “Revival” is gruff and dirty when it needs to be just as it’s swift and soulful when the time is right.

15). Slomatics - "Future Echo Returns" (1818)

When a band's guitarist has their own signature fuzz pedal, it's a safe bet that they can cut through solid rock with their riffs; when both guitarists have an alternate version of the same pedal then prepare your eardrums for some serious, rock crushing heaviosity. The towering heaviness of the riffs and the images of the infinite, shimmering darkness of space is executed and captured perfectly. An amazing album worthy of any and all praise it will undoubtedly receives.

14) Rob Zombie - "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser" (1935)

Rob Zombie hits a home run with each gnarly cut, keeping the fire hot throughout. Pastor Snow was right. Rock n’ roll has a great beat. And that evil feeling you feel when you sing it? It’s a good feeling to feel!

13) Conan – “Revengeance” (1964)

The song 'Every Man Is An Enemy' has one of the most metal sounding titles I've ever heard and the violent intentions inherent in the brooding, bruising riffs put the bands money where its snarling mouth is. 'Earthenguard', the final track of the 6 on offer, is a song so heavy it has its own gravitational pull. Its 12 minutes of neanderthalic doom which also swims and swirls thanks to the phased guitars. It's an odyssey, a massive trek through mountainous chops and pounding beats that are designed to systematically cave your head in.  Have Conan outdone themselves? Quite possibly.

12). Neurosis - “Fire Within Fires” (2056)

As this decade has yet to close, it's difficult to define what Neurosis are...but herein lies their beauty; you define who and what they are to you. After 30 years, these guys know what needs to go into a Neurosis record and will continue to do so until the music is finished with them.

11). Periphery- "Periphery III: Select Difficulty" (2137)

Experimental metal bands like Periphery will (hopefully) never settle for sticking to one particular groove.  Constantly innovating, this adds to “Juggernaut”, jumping off from that platform and diving into dark, unexplored depths.  Music should surprise and inspire, and “Periphery III: Select Difficulty” does both with eye-opening results.  Just watch out for unexpected face-melting, okay?

 

10). Asteroid - "III" (2159)

It is a hugely diverse record and shows the advanced musicianship between the band, blending all kinds of stoner rock and fuzz. This is a band who are firmly on the rise to the top and know exactly how to get there. One of the best releases of 2016 without a doubt.

 09). Dunsmuir - "Dunsmuir" (2341)

Dunsmuir, manages the uncanny trick of amounting to the sum of its parts. The record's players have some serious pedigree and none if it is wasted. Vinny Appice is as powerful as ever, with a beastly snare sound, while Bone and Davis are a formidable strings team. Fallon puts in a hardworking and uniformly stellar shift as per usual.  Simply put, if you like Clutch and Dio-era Sabbath, you will be right at home here. If you are a fan of Fu Manchu, there are sounds for you here as well. This album rocks, it’s that simple.

08). Wretch – “Wretch” (2673)

This is a fine debut and a much needed shot of trad doom, with actual songs, - in an era of obsession with amps and pedals (but without, you know, actual songs and stuff). It is a triumph for this intrepid trio and surely there are great things to come for the band. Make no mistake, Wretch are here and Wretch will bring you real doom or throw you out of the bar if you don't like it.

07). Subrosa- "For This We Fought the Battle of Ages" (3040)

If you love really emotionally charged hard hitting music, give this record a listen. I had very high expectations of this record, and those expectations were met and then exceeded.

06). Meshuggah - "The Violent Sleep of Reason” (3065)

Trying to describe Meshuggah’s sound is a challenge.  The only way I can put it is that they’re a musical cascade: a never-ending barrage of sound and heaviness pounding down upon you. Don’t expect or ballad or moments of levity here, this is a relentless tide which you will not escape from.  Tracks like ‘MonstoCity’ and ‘Our Rage Won’t Die’ are pummelling tracks of new material which can easily be slotted in to their live setlist and not seem out of place.  In fact, the same could be said for any of those songs on display here: like a chain forged by Vulcan, there’s not a weak link present.  It all hits, and hits hard.

05). Gojira - "Magma” (3156)

‘Magma’ is a record that envelopes you with its overtly dark drama, but within its haze, its crushing catharcism makes it one of the most special metal records to be released in some time.  It may not be the relentless assault many fans wanted from the album – and that’s not to say it is barren of those moments – yet, as a vehicle for emotional cleansing, as a eulogy and an obituary for a woman who shaped the personalities that drive this act, it is staggering.

04). Suicidal Tendencies - "World Gone Mad" (3326)

It flows in a virtually flawless manner and I do believe “World Gone Mad” will be remembered as one of their best records, ever.  This one’s a home run with a bullet. 

 

03). Blood Ceremony – “Lord of Misrule” (4006)

If you are new to Blood Ceremony, this album is as fine a place to start as any. If you have heard any of their previous albums and enjoyed them, your enjoyment of this one is guaranteed. This is as good an example as any of a band looking to the past both in terms of musical and folklore tradition to create fantastical and occult inspired music.

02). Megadeth - "Dystopia" (6616)

This line-up has introduced itself with a battering ram of thrash utopia; the riffs, the fury and the sizzling lead playing present here stands toe-to-toe with the bands best 21^st century output.  It’s a record which accentuates the bands relevancy in 2016. Masters of their trade just listen to ‘Lying In State’ and tell me they can’t smash shit up with the best of them. They continue to release music and make the effort to give more content for their fans to consume. Not many other bands their age can say that.

1). Alter Bridge - (20,702)

If you have any interest in the more commercial end of the rock and metal spectrum i.e. Metallica, Maiden, Soundgarden and so on then this album could be a fine intro to the band. If you are a fan already you will enjoy this one immensely. Alter Bridge are leading lights in modern rock and may well be the last of a dying breed.

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  September’s “Sour 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Theron Moore, Dan Brownson, Jake Wallace, Phil Weller, Chris Markwell, Chris Bull & Victor Van Ommen

Rob Zombie - "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser" (Album Review)

By Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 29/04/2016

Label: Zodiac Swan Records |

T-Boy Records | Universal

Rob Zombie hits a home run with each gnarly cut, keeping the fire hot throughout. Pastor Snow was right. Rock n’ roll has a great beat. And that evil feeling you feel when you sing it? It’s a good feeling to feel!

“The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). The Last of the Demons Defeated
2). Satanic Cyanide! The Killer Rocks On!
3). The Life and Times of a Teenage Rock God
4). Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.
5). A Hearse That Overturns With the Coffin Bursting Open
6). The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore
7). Medication for the Melancholy
8). In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All Get High
9). Super-Doom-Hex-Gloom, Part 1
10). In the Bone Pile
11). Get Your Boots On! That’s the End of Rock and Roll
12). Wurdalak

The Review:

“If you talk to the average teenager of today and ask them what it is about rock n’ roll that they like, the first thing that they’ll say is the beat!” Pastor Jimmy Snow exclaims in the riotous “Get Your Boots On,” one of the songs off of Rob Zombie’s new album “Electric Warlock.” Snow continues, “I know how it feels, that evil feeling you feel when you sing it.” Zombie answers this excerpt by allowing “that evil feeling” to wash over him as he scats his way through the song’s rowdy chorus, calling his followers to get their boots on and find out just how good that evil feeling feels.

Just as “Get Your Boots On” delivers in spades, heavy rhythm and groove is “Electric Warlock”’s key to success.

The album is therefore teeming with a nostalgic 90’s kick. Zombie is inspired and excited, getting things done with a unique stomp and holler that keeps his songs sounding like they’re jumping out of the speakers at you. It’s an addictive sound, one that could go on for hours. The guitars are loud and crunchy, sure, but its Zombie’s pummel that demands attention. With his Wyndorfian-style chest beating, Zombie takes full command of center stage to boast about the dirty life of criminals, demons, and rock n’ roll on top of the sturdy foundation his backing band – John 5 on guitar, Piggy D on bass, and Ginger Fish on drums – has laid for him. As case in point is the lead-off single “Well, Everybody’s Fucking In a UFO,” a song that’s on fire from the start and is home to the strongest chorus you’ll hear all year.

Initial thoughts upon first listen to “Electric Warlock” may suggest a never ending party. But give this record a couple more spins, dive into the lyrics and look up the audio clips that are sprinkled throughout, and you’ll discover a bit of depth to the record, too. For example, “Satan’s Cyanide” ends with an excerpt from The Talmud, explaining that “we don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.” This clip provides enough fat to chew on as Zombie takes us through each cut, whether he’s going on about being worshipped as a Rock God or telling the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, a necrophiliac serial killer, to the tune of an uplifting beat and a rad vocal delivery.

The songs are layered enough to hold interest but also simple enough to lose yourself with. Then there’s Zombie’s tell-tale delivery, one in which you can hear him grinning as he sings and his I-can-get-away-with-anything strut. Rob Zombie hits a home run with each gnarly cut, keeping the fire hot throughout. Pastor Snow was right. Rock n’ roll has a great beat. And that evil feeling you feel when you sing it? It’s a good feeling to feel!

“The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” is available now

Band info: facebook

Rob Zombie - The Zombie Horror Picture Show (DVD/BluRay Review)

Rob Zombie ‘The Zombie Picture Show’ Blu Ray track listing:

1. Teenage Nosferatu Pussy

2. Superbeast

3. Super Charger Heaven

4. Living Dead Girl

5. We're an American Band

6. More Human Than Human

7. Sick Bubblegum

8. Never Gonna Stop

9. Ging Gang Gong de Do Gong de Laga Raga

10. Meet the Creeper

11. Angry Red Planet

12. Mars Needs Women

13. House of 1000 Corpses

14. Lords of Salem

15. Dead City Radio

16. Thunder Kiss '65

17. Dragula

The Band:

Rob Zombie | Vocals

John 5 | Guitars

Piggy D | Bass

Ginger Fish | Drums

Review:

Born one, Robert Bartleh Cummings January 12, 1965, the man better known as ‘Zombie’ to his legion of fans, has accomplished much.  Transforming White Zombie from an underground noise rock band, to a multimillion seller, it was perhaps all the more shocking when at the peak of their power, Zombie dissolved the band.  Not many artists experience success the second time around, and yet Rob Zombie has gone onto enjoy a rich and successful solo music career, as well directing videos for bands such as Prong and Zakk Wylde, not to mention his recent success as a screen writer and movie director. 

Coming full circle then, it is worth saying in reference to his music that Zombie is perhaps at the zenith of his career. Having released perhaps his strongest album since his debut, in Hellbilly Deluxe 2 and 2013’s top 10 album ‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor’, Zombie seems excited by music again and whilst I wasn’t particularly enamored by his latest record, what is irrefutable is John 5’s influence, having been the catalyst and motivation to reignite Zombie’s passion for being in a band and releasing music again in the form of ‘Educated Horses’ in 2006. 

Despite experiencing success, Zombie’s solo band has transitioned somewhat since it’s inception, original drummer John Tempesta, also of White Zombie and guitarist Riggs, now of ‘Scum of the Earth’ are gone, indeed their replacement members jumped ship some time later, most notably drummer Clufetos* and Blasko, who moved on to be part of the Ozzy Osborne band and one ‘Black Sabbath*’.  Despite these setbacks and with Zombie seemingly on indefinite hiatus, to concentrate on movies following ‘The Sinister Urge’ album, Zombie regrouped in 2006 and his band is perhaps the strongest it has been in years.  Joey Jordison (Ex- Slipknot) originally replaced Clufetos in 2010, who would in turn be replaced by Ginger Fish of Marilyn Manson fame, Piggy D replacing Blasko and in John 5; he has arguably the best stringer around as his right hand man. 

Rewinding a little to 2011 and following years of hardship, UK fans were finally treated to the Zombie live spectacular and my memories of his show at The Apollo in Manchester, UK are feelings of bewilderment and astonishment, given the overwhelmingly brilliant show I witnessed.  Despite the massive success in the States, it took around 16 years for Rob Zombie to play these shows in Europe and the UK, having originally played here with White Zombie in 1995 as support to Metallica.  Indeed a small UK tour that same year in support of Astrocreep 2000:, is all we had to show for years of dedication from his UK fans (I saw them twice that year, Donington and Leeds). 

The reason I mention this, is that having absorbed his show in the first person back in 2011 and having watched this Live DVD/Blu Ray, you can’t help feel that we have been missing out on so much.  Whatever the issue, if you have yet to experience Rob Zombie Live, this is DVD/BluRay is perhaps the closest representation of his live show without actually being there.  

Despite releasing the ‘Zombie Live’ album back in 2007, ‘The Zombie Horror Picture Show,’ is his first concert film and was filmed during the summer of 2013, featuring shows from the Houston and Dallas, Texas leg of the Mayhem Festival tour, deftly cut and edited together to be presented as this film.  In terms of the set list, there are few surprises, as much of the set is derived from the set I saw back in 2011, with at least 8 tracks being presented here too. 

Filmed in what seems like 9mm tape, the introduction leading up to the band hitting the stage, we are treated to snippets of backstage action of Zombie and his band mates, until the show kicks off with ‘Teenage Nosferatu Pussy’.  The band adorning face masks like some arcane band of outlaws, the film immediately resonated with me as a viewer.  What is striking about the film is that songs are intertwined with an arsenal of elaborate, special effects.  During the course of the next 80 mins, you get animatronic robots, pyrotechnics, LED screens, split screen visuals, a magnificent light show, but more importantly outstanding music and performances courtesy of John 5, Piggy D and Ginger Fish, with Rob Zombie the architect of this weird and wonderful spectacle.

Zombie and his fans are at one with each other, with the audience expressing their enthusiasm and adulation by means of singing, dancing, fighting and barely flesh.  With at least half of the songs taken from ‘Hellbilly Deluxe’ and its 2010 sequel ‘Hellbilly Deluxe 2.’ there are also nods to ‘The Sinister Urge’ with ‘Never Gonna Stop’ and also 2006‘s ‘Educated Horses’.  Often overlooked as the shabby horse in terms of his back catalogue, there are some superior songs on there.  ‘Lords of Salem’ is a fine example of that and is one of the highlights of the show.  As remarked upon earlier, the opener ‘Teenage Nosferatu Pussy’ from  ‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor’, is my least favourite record and yet it sounds massive and every bit a classic.  For me there is an absence of many of my favourite tracks, ‘Demonoid Phenomenon’, ‘Iron Head’, ‘Feel So Numb’, ‘Scum of the Earth’, ‘Jesus Frankenstein’, but a Zombie show wouldn’t be the same without a nod to his White Zombie days and ‘Super Charger Heaven,’ ‘More Human Than Human’ and ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65’, are all brilliant.

Visually the film is excellent, with numerous screens broadcasting horror clips, words from the songs for the crowd to sign a long too, indeed as a viewer you are just overwhelmed by this ocular smorgasbord. Try singing ‘Ging Gang Gong de Do Gong de Laga Raga’ three times really fast.  Not easy, huh!! 

The only gig I could compare Zombie too, is Metallica in 1996, which including the stage collapsing and stuntmen being set on fire, however on the whole Zombie trumps everyone, perhaps taking influence from Alice Cooper and making the gig an event, with giant devil man props during ‘Super Charger Heaven’ and Zombie dancing around on a power ranger esque mechanised dinosaur on ‘Meet the Creeper’.  It is safe to say there is never a dull moment

For me John 5 shines throughout, his technical ability on guitar is jaw dropping, ‘Star Spangled Banner’ played with his teeth, his trademark telecaster guitars with flashing LEDs and for me a real highlight is his blistering guitar solos during ‘Thunderkiss ‘65’. Finishing off the show as he did 3 years ago with, ‘Dragula,’ this song is a fitting conclusion to a remarkable show.   If you want to be entertained, you like Rob Zombie  and you’re yet to see him live, 'The Zombie Horror Picture Show' is effectively a must have purchase.  “They Live for Kicks, Love for Kicks, Kill for Kicks’.

Words by: Aaron Pickford

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