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August 25, 2006 > Arts & Entertainment > Zombie reanimated for 2006 U.S. tour

Zombie reanimated for 2006 U.S. tour

By Kim Hartson | For the Thresher

After two stints in the movie industry, Rob Zombie returned to music with the March release of Educated Horses, his first album of all-new material in five years and the inspiration for his Sunday concert at Woodlands Pavilion. The concert is a stop on Zombie’s U.S. tour with rock veterans Godsmack and begins today in Dallas.

Neither fans nor critics knew what to expect from Zombie’s return to his native industry, but Horses has proven that this epic and multitalented artist still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Zombie shared his struggles with his return to rock in a phone interview with the Thresher. He said he was as apprehensive about the return as his audience.

“I thought it would be such a culture shock, and it was,” Zombie said. “It was actually very difficult. I never realized what a different mindset [the music industry] is [compared to the movie industry].”

Zombie’s long absence from music drew criticism from fellow artists as well as concern from fans.

“They can come out on the road and travel on a bus for a year and then tell me I don’t love music,” Zombie said. “I wouldn’t be on tour and making records if I didn’t still love it.”

But Horses has not fully halted the criticism. Some fans and music publications have labeled the album “far too mellow” and “lacking heart.” This hasty billing does Horses and Zombie a grave injustice — the album is this prolific artist’s most wide-ranging cut to date. Zombie explained that Horses illustrates the diversity of his musical talent.

“I feel it breaks down where a third of the record is heavy, a third of the record is sort of in the middle, and a third of it is sort of more mellow, and that’s what I wanted to do,” Zombie said. “I feel that records that are just 100 percent fast and heavy become monotonous.”

From the catchy, electronic “Foxy, Foxy” to the more hard-hitting “Let it all Bleed Out” and “American Witch,” the album succeeds in spanning a range of tempos and intensities. Sure, some songs are mellower than what Zombie fans are used to, but Zombie says this serves a purpose.

“I think [more varied albums] have a longer life because songs sort of make themselves apparent at different times,” he said. “You listen to it, and you love this song. Maybe you don’t like that song, but then maybe you kind of get into it in a different way, at another time.”

In addition to the musical innovations in Horses, Zombie said he hopes to bring changes into his live performance with his current tour. While he would not release any specifics of stunts or pyrotechnics, he said he hopes to revive the giant stage show tradition of hard rock.

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