White Zombie (band)
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- For the film, see White Zombie (film)
| White Zombie | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | New York City, New York, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Metal Groove Metal |
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| Years active | 1985 – 1998 | |
| Label(s) | Silent Explosion Caroline Records Geffen Records |
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| Members | ||
| Rob Zombie J. Sean Yseult John Tempesta |
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White Zombie was an American band named after the 1932 film White Zombie, which starred Bela Lugosi.
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[edit] History
Founded by Rob Zombie (lyrics/ vocals/ art) after coming up with the band idea in 1985 while attending at Parsons in his Junior year. Rob's girlfriend at the time, Sean Yseult, was on bass. Eventually Rob found and hired a drummer, Peter Landau, and a guitarist, Paul Ena Kostabi. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band in the vein of fellow New York band Sonic Youth; Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and fellow alternative rock icon Kurt Cobain have professed to be fans of their early work. White Zombie's first release was an EP titled Gods on Voodoo Moon and was recorded on October 18, 1985. Only 300 copies were pressed, of which only 100 were sold — the band members still retain possession of the remaining 200. Following disagreements, both Peter and Paul were fired.
In 1986, Rob hired Tim Jeffs as the second guitarist who only appeared on the first pressing of the band's second EP Pig Heaven and played during a few live shows. The guitarist was quickly replaced by Tom Guay later that year who would appear on the second pressing of Pig Heaven, play guitar on the bands third EP Psycho-Head Blowout in 1987, and their first full length 1987 album Soul-Crusher. John Ricci replaced Tom Guay shortly after the release of Soul-Crusher, only to quit in 1989 after the release of their second LP Make Them Die Slowly. Jay Yuenger or "J." then replaced Ricci for the remainder of the band's years, which saw them in a more metal-influenced direction.
After Peter Landau was fired, Ivan de Prume was hired for drums. His time in the band lasted until the ending of the La Sexorcisto tour, when he was fired and replaced by Phil Buerstatte or "Philo". Phil only appeared on various singles the band released between albums and was soon fired due to Rob's dislike for him. He was soon replaced by John Tempesta who had previously played for Exodus and Testament.
The band cut a number of semi-independent recordings in New York in the 1980s, these included the albums Soul-Crusher and Make Them Die Slowly, as well as the EPs Pig Heaven, Psycho-Head Blowout, and God of Thunder. White Zombie's first major-label album, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1, was released in 1992, and the band's profile was raised significantly in 1993 through frequent references on Beavis and Butt-head and other MTV programming.
Their major label debut was followed in 1995 by Astro Creep: 2000. In 1996, an album of remixes was released under the title Supersexy Swingin' Sounds.
White Zombie was known for combining heavy-metal music with driving lead guitar riffs (as on "Super-Charger Heaven"), overlayed with lyrics heavily influenced by horror films, with Satanic and often nonsensical imagery. Unlike other metal bands of the 1990s, White Zombie was exclusively a "fantasy" band, one that wrote songs not about real life, but simply about surreal horror fantasies, backed by whimsical live tours.
The group officially disbanded in 1998 shortly after the release of Rob Zombie's solo album Hellbilly Deluxe.
[edit] After disbanding
Sean Yseult, after the breakup of White Zombie, co-founded the surf rock band The Famous Monsters, and (as of September 2006) is playing for the horror-themed New Orleans-based band Rock City Morgue.
John Tempesta continued his musical relationship with Rob Zombie after the White Zombie breakup, drumming for Zombie on his first two solo albums, Hellbilly Deluxe and The Sinister Urge. He no longer is with Zombie and currently plays for the Rob Zombie-esque band Scum of the Earth with his brother, Powerman 5000 guitarist Mike Tempesta, and ex-Rob Zombie guitarist Riggs, and has recently toured with Testament (as shown on Testament's DVD, Live In London). On February 14, 2006, he was hired as the new drummer for The Cult.
J. produced records for stoner rock band Fu Manchu and New York City rockers Puny Human, as well as lending his guitar skills to a few other bands after the breakup of White Zombie.
While Rob Zombie has mostly kept the image of his former band, fans of both White Zombie's and Rob Zombie's music have noted significant musical differences between them, notably the absence of the heavy bass and lead guitar that characterised White Zombie's musical style. Multiple layers and numerous samples are not used as often due to legal issues as the band gained mainstream recognition.
In July 2006, original members Tom Five and Ivan de Prume reunited to perform with Healer at a concert in San Diego, California for The Vans Warped Tour. [1]
[edit] Trivia
- Released in the same year (1992), White Zombie's "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1" and Poison Idea's "Blank Blackout Vacant" feature songs that have samples from the same Russ Meyer film, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Furthermore, both bands use a nearly identical sample; specifically, the samples come from the lines "I never TRY anything. I just DO it. Like I don't beat clocks, just people. Wanna try me?" that were spoken by the character Varla in the film. White Zombie's song ("Thunder Kiss '65") uses just the first two lines and the last one, whereas the Poison Idea song ("Punish Me") uses the entire sequence.
- For a period of a few years, part of More Human Than Human was used as the opening music for every episode of ECW's Hardcore Television.
- The song Thunder Kiss '65 is featured in the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero.
- In 2000, White Zombie was included on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, ranking at No. 56.
- The Last song recorded by the band before they disbanded was Ratfinks, Suicide Tanks and Cannibal Girls
- The song listed above was used in Beavis and Butthead Do America, during the desert hallucination scene.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio Albums
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[edit] EPs
- Gods on Voodoo Moon (1985)
- Pig Heaven (1986)
- Psycho-Head Blowout (1987)
- God of Thunder (1989)
- Nightcrawlers: The KMFDM Remixes (1992)
- Supersexy Swingin' Sounds (1996) #17 US, Gold
[edit] Compilations/Live Releases/VHS
- Thrilling Chilling World of White Zombie (VHS) (1997) - Never Released.
- Past, Present & Future (2003) (Rob Zombie's greatest hits)
- 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection: The Best of Rob Zombie (2006)
[edit] Other
[edit] Single Chart Positions
| Year | Song | Modern Rock Tracks | US Mainstream Tracks | UK Singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Thunder Kiss '65" | - | 14 | - | La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 |
| 1992 | "Black Sunshine" | - | 39 | - | La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 |
| 1993 | "I Am Hell" | - | - | - | The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience Compilation Album |
| 1994 | "Children of the Grave" (Black Sabbath Cover) | - | - | - | Nativity in Black (Black Sabbath Tribute Album) |
| 1994 | "Feed the Gods" | - | - | - | Airheads Soundtrack |
| 1995 | "More Human Than Human" | 7 | 10 | 51 | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| 1995 | "Electric Head Pt. 2 (The Ecstasy)" | - | 27 | 31 | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| 1995 | "Real Solution #9" | - | - | - | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| 1996 | "Super-Charger Heaven" | - | 39 | - | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| 1996 | "El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama" | - | - | - | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| 1996 | "Blood, Milk and Sky" | - | - | - | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| 1996 | "I'm Your Boogieman" | - | - | - | The Crow: City of Angels Soundtrack |
| 1996 | "Ratfinks, Suicide Tanks and Cannibal Girls" | - | - | - | Beavis and Butt-head Do America Soundtrack |
[edit] RIAA Certifications
- La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 - 2x Platinum (7/23/1998)
- Astro-Creep: 2000 - 2x Platinum (3/26/1996)
- Supersexy Swingin' Sounds - Gold (10/16/1996)
[edit] Music Videos
- "Thunder Kiss '65
- "Welcome to Planet MF"
- "Black Sunshine"
- "More Human Than Human"
- "Electric Head Pt. 2 (The Ecstasy)"
- "Super-Charger Heaven"
- "I'm Your Boogieman"
- "Feed the Gods"
- "The One"
[edit] External links
- Tim Jeff's Early White Zombie Bio - Best information for White Zombie's beginning years.
- Voyage To The Voodoo Moon - Arguably the best source for all White Zombie information pre-1992.
- Psychoholic World of White Zombie
- White+Rob Zombie Zombieland II
- Pre Superstar Zombie - 1995 Rob Zombie interview where he predicts iTunes
| White Zombie |
| Rob Zombie | J. | Sean Yseult | John Tempesta |
| Discography |
| Albums: Soul-Crusher | Make Them Die Slowly | La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 | Astro-Creep: 2000 |
| EPs: Gods on Voodoo Moon | Pig Heaven | Psycho-Head Blowout | God of Thunder | Nightcrawlers: The KMFDM Remixes | Supersexy Swingin' Sounds |
| Singles: "Thunder Kiss '65" | "Black Sunshine" | "I Am Hell" | "Children of the Grave" | "Feed the Gods" | "More Human Than Human" | "Electric Head Pt. 2 (The Ecstasy)" | "Real Solution #9" | "Super-Charger Heaven" | "El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama" | "Blood, Milk and Sky" | "The One" | "I'm Your Boogieman" | "Ratfinks, Suicide Tanks and Cannibal Girls" |
| Rob Zombie |
| Albums & Compilations: Hellbilly Deluxe | American Made Music to Strip By | The Sinister Urge | Past, Present & Future | Educated Horses | 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection: The Best of Rob Zombie |
