Rob Zombie - Zombie Live

The long-awaited first live album from Rob Zombie has arrived. A brain-bashing, soul-shaking sonic earthquake, ZOMBIE LIVE (Geffen Records/UMe), released October 23, 2007, in both clean and explicit versions, spans songs from the hard rocker's entire career. Rob Zombie has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and continues to be one of Geffen Record's top selling artists. Recorded in 2006 during the tour supporting the Educated Horses album, which hit #5 on the Pop chart, ZOMBIE LIVE finds Zombie leading a supercharged band featuring guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D, drummer Tommy Clufetos and was produced by long-time co-writer and producer Scott Humphrey. Album Description

Mixed bag

To be fair in some way, live performances are a mixed bag for many of my favorite bands. What really disappoints me is when a band (like System of a Down or Marilyn Manson) go into a recording studio, pour out a masterpiece of vocals, instruments, and the use of overdubs, then go on stage and basically piss on the masterpiece by giving an amateur performance. Rather than accentuating the positives and hiding the negatives, they play up the negatives by instrument replacement (such as having an electric guitar play a part originally meant for some odd instrument or such).

The absolute worst for me was Blind Guardian's "Live" album from 2003. Blind Guardian famously uses a chorus in the studio for their albums, and this time there was none on stage for the live album. And so Hansi Kürsch sang alone, and they relied on the crowd to give the songs that chorus-sound. And it failed miserably.


So for Zombie Live, I'm highly impressed by the superior sound quality, and the clear dedication to making the songs as peerlessly resemble the studio tracks as possible without making a lazy effort of "hey, lez jus go out thar n' strum out a kewl tewn fer th fanz ta' rock out on".


But that comes with a mixed bag.

I do not like John 5's guitar playing, personally, but he is indeed a skilled guitarist. Unfortunately, I don't believe his guitar playing is the right style for Rob Zombie. "Educated Horses" fits his style because it was written for his guitar playing, but his guitar playing for old Zombie songs is very occasionally weak, hollow, or sounding far too much like Marilyn Manson (since he was in Marilyn Manson for two albums).

I fully believe the live performance would have benefitted incredibly from the addition of another guitarist. Most of Rob Zombie's songs, it seems, have guitar overdubs, and when played live, the difference in quality is almost overwhelming, particularly in "Superbeast" and "Thunder Kiss '65". It's almost sad to here the powerful chorus and bridge lines of "Superbeast" suddenly lose their foundation as the guitar is forced to do the melody, and with a weak bass to utterly fail in making up for the thunderous rhythm guitar part.

Another con is Zombie's voice. As of late, he's been using his throaty singing voice (like in "Dragula" or "Thunder Kiss 65") a lot less, and relying more on his soft singing voice (like in "Foxy, Foxy" and "Dead Girl Superstar"), and it's a neat fit to hear that sort of voice adapting to the older songs with the harder vocal styles.

However, as another reviewer mentioned, it does seem like Zombie's out of breath a lot of the time, as he more often than is audibly satisfying ends up singing off-beat, missing vocal cues and either rushing the lyrics along (example: House of 1000 Corpses "This is the house........ nobodylives") or relying on the audience to fill in the gaps with their singing.

It also hurts when in songs like Dragula, rather than stick with the throaty, thundering low tone of voice, he squeals instead and clips out words from the lyrics (small, but highly noticeable), such as:

Original: "Dig through the ditches n' burn through the witches I slam in the back of mah Dragula!"
Live: "DIG! th ditches. BARN! through witches. SLAYAM! back of mah Dragula!"


For some odd reason in 1998 (and similar to Rammstein with "Herzeleid"), Rob Zombie recorded the album "Hellbilly Deluxe" in such a way that the guitars were a very weak and muted sound, and the album was not nearly as loud and powerful with heavy bass as it could have been at the time. As such, a solid live performance like this could have helped those of us looking to hear Superbeast with a bass line like thunder, or hear Dragula like it could with a huge bass boost. Instead, we only seem to get half of that, as the lack of a rhythm guitarist leaves John 5 responsible for only so much, and a weak, weak bass to pick up the lower parts almost inaudibly.

Add Zombie's seemingly tired, yet still passionate voice, and you have a mixed bag. Casual fans would like it. Even diehard and hardcore fans would love it. Maybe I'm just insanely picky. And yet still the album's performance ends up somewhere between the Rob Zombie of 2001 who in an interview said that live concerts should be outrageously over-the-top, with almost too much entertainment given to the fans, and the lazy-ass "hey doodz, lez get sum 20 dolla Fendurz t' play live an juz slam on th stringz n drumz like we fergot th song ya!1 that'd be kewl" mentality of some live bands who go all out in the studio, and restrain themselves on stage. November 10, 2008

Zombie live!!!!!!!!

Just saw Rob Zombie with Ozzy Osbourne...it was a great show. I wanted more so I bought this album...if your a Zombie fan then you will enjoy this, especially if you want to hear the guitar work of John 5. April 5, 2008

Zombie Live Lives!

I love Rob Zombie and recently went to his 2007 tour with Ozzy Osbourne and to have his live cd, takes me back! I loved the concert and I loved Rob's performance the best! This cd will be something to take me back when I want to be in the moment again! It rocks! March 29, 2008

Great CD!

I was never a huge Rob/White Zombie fan, but I knew the money songs (Too Human, etc.). This is a great CD that hasn't left the changer in my car since I got it. Rocks from start to end, sound quality is excellent. March 24, 2008

white zobie tracks kill

never much of a rob zombie fan I liked white zombie much better but this live cd sounds realy good and the WZ track are heavy & tight big surpise from john 5 ( I hate manson) and tempesta is missing? but the new guys good and the bass is solid too and I saw white zombie years ago this is great.I might have to buy this yet?!!! March 24, 2008

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