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Album Details

• Artist: Rob Zombie
• Album: Educated Horses
• Label: Geffen
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2013-05-10

The 5-year space between The Sinister Urge and Educated Horses saw Rob Zombie transform into a considerable motion picture success story, a story which continues to this day. Many of his films reflect his music, and vice-versa. One can see a bit of maturation between the films House Of 1,000 Corpses and its more grounded sequel The Devil's Rejects, for instance. Educated Horses marks a certain maturation of Zombie's musical identity as well, no doubt influenced by the extended length between albums as much as by the songwriting and playing of former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5.


What John brings to the mix is, similar to his effect on Manson and his band, a more technically proficient playing and some really unique musical ideas. When you hear fans reference Educated Horses as "experimental", what they are really saying is that "John 5 played a big part". This isn't Hellbilly Deluxe-era Zombie; hell, it isn't even close to what we last heard from him on The Sinister Urge. Generally speaking, Educated Horses has more of a glam-rock swagger that brings to mind the likes of T-Rex, Alice Cooper and the like. But Zombie's trademark horror movie aesthetic still clings to tracks like "American Witch" and "The Lords Of Salem". "Foxy Foxy", besides being the closest to pure pop that Zombie has ever ventured, keeps a bit of an edge beneath its sugary chorus. "Let It All Bleed Out", "Death of it All" and "The Devil's Rejects" really hooked me into this record, but "17 Year Locust" and "The Scorpion Sleeps" help round out what is no doubt his best record since his solo debut so many years ago.


While I'll never fully comprehend the hype behind The Sinister Urge, I have to say that Educated Horses revived a musical career that seemed, at least to me, to be destined for repeated Korn-like trips into pop-centric almost-metal. Hell, plenty of this record misses the metal mark, but Zombie is a musical shapeshifter, able to deftly walk the fine line between sleazy cock-rock and grim and grotesque industrial metal while maintaining a respectability and easily dodging the "shock-rocker" tag commonly associated with similar musicians.

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