W
hite Zombie
at Great Woods
by Paul Lee
photos by Jayne O’Leary
On a sweltering evening in June, something evil was afoot. The forces of darkness and gaudiness had come to twist and tear the minds of the chosen ones. White Zombie arrived in all their blood-soaked and monstrous glory. I was chosen to document the proceedings but alas, I was already one of the proselytized. I have already seen their darkest light.
The quartet of terror were riding high on the success of their new Astrocreep 2000: Tales of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (Geffen), already hitting platinum only seven weeks after its unleashing. A feat WZ well-deserves as it’s a creation of madness, mayhem and brilliance.
Before the four thousand or so slavering victims stood a stage of fearsome countenance. There were pikes with human skulls, webs, and bloody-red lit letters that spelled “White Zombie.” On a screen behind the stage, a clip of Bela Lugosi as the evil zombie master in the 1930s classic White Zombie played over and over.
The intro soundbite to Astrocreep, “Perhaps you’d better start from the beginning (heh, heh, heh)…..” looped endlessly while eerie organ music and sound FX thrummed throughout the arena. Pillars of red fire and flashpots exploded in synch to the intro and then White Zombie pounced and ripped into “Electric Head Part 1 (The Agony).” Not many bands can compete with the ferocity and dancibility of White Zombie’s aural attack, and for sheer performance power they rule!
Rob Zombie bounced, spun and never stayed in the same spot for more than a few seconds. He was a vision of hyperkinetic energy. His cohorts, axe-wielder J. and bassist Sean were likewise possessed by the same restless demons as Rob and kept a similar pace.
Tearing into other soon to be bizarre, beat-riddled classics from Astrocreep, White Zombie crushed their legions with trax like “Grease Paint and Monkey Brains,” “I Zombie,” and the well-worn “More Human Than Human.” They also pulled songs from La Sexorcisto, including “Black Thunder” and “Welcome to Planet Motherfucker/Psychoholic Slag.”
Finalizing this night of carnage, White Zombie pumped out Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” and their own metallicized, Middle Easternized “Blood, Milk and Sky” lulling the audience from a state of joyous rage into a passive roar. This was a night that Fitchburg would not easily forget. White Zombie stole souls and gave twisted pleasure to their worshippers. Their quest for domination will continue for a long and bloody reign.
