Zombie brings an ‘astounding energy’ to Denmark

Tonight the Twins of Evil will conclude their spectacular tour which has entertained crowds from the US to Europe over the past 2 and a bit months. Meanwhile, here is an extract of the review by rockfreaks.net, for the Valby Hallen, Valby, DEN, 6 December show.

In the case of Rob Zombie, I just don’t know what to expect from the man. His previous appearance in Denmark took place in 1995 – and that was with White Zombie, so my frame of reference is extremely limited. But in stark contrast with the depressing Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and his ensemble of hired guns areoozing life, playing the show like there’s no tomorrow. It has to be said that in order to enjoy this stuff, one needs to turn off one’s brain and appreciate it for what it is. And what it is, is a performance above everything else; a theatrical, exaggerated, visually stimulating show with next to no substance.

Rob Zombie & co. are in full zombie costume; there are huge robots dancing on stage; there are clips from classic horror flicks like “Frankenstein”, “Nosferatu” and “The Shining” in the enormous array of displays that serves as the backdrop; there are videos with bare-breasted ladies; angry red women gunning down alien zombies on Mars; plumes of smoke and confetti; Terminator-looking statues on either side of the stage; and, towards the end of the show, an enormous, towering pedestal upon which Rob Zombie stands, dwarfing the similar setup Manson had in his own finale.

Then there’s the music, which is secondary, and lyrically verging on retarded, with songs like “Jesus Frankenstein” and “Mars Needs Women” ensuring that this is probably the lowest common denominator in music. But it’s played at such incredible volume, and accompanied by such astounding energy and tongue-in-cheek attitude by the band, that one cannot but stand in disbelief and enjoy it. Everything about this show has been blown into ridiculous proportions, and then exaggerated some more to the point where frankly, it is impossible to take it seriously. But no matter – my colleague Sebastian Taylor Bach from Revolution-Music and I have loaded our bellies with beer just prior, so we aren’t exactly in the mood for an intellectually challenging concert.

Despite this being a proper freakshow, Rob Zombie is a fantastic entertainer – miles beyond Manson’s ability to interact with the crowd. Hell, following the White Zombie classic “Thunder Kiss ’65”, he even ventures into the crowd during a lengthy guitar solo by John 5 to give high-fives, and wraps it up with leading his band into a surprisingly faithful cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, which he sings almost exactly in the voice of James Hetfield. We are then given another cover, Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”, before the lights dim for an expected encore. This is preceded by the trailer to Rob Zombie’s new cult horror movie “Lords of Salem”, and then manifests itself as the infamous “Dragula”, much to the pleasure of the sizable contingent of fans upfront.

Score: 8

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