White Zombie, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

Posted on 28th May 09 by Paul Groome | 2

In 1932 there was a film made called White Zombie. Its generally accepted as being the first film ever made that casted zombies. Actors playing zombies, I mean. Not ACTUAL zombies. Apart from Spiceworld, real zombies have never been casted in a movie. White Zombie was the start of a whole sub-genre of horror films, with Bela Lugosi at the helm. The creative influence it had on the world of film is still felt today. But it didn’t stop there. Years later, a young art student studying in New York named Rob Straker discovered the film. He liked it a lot. He changed his name to Rob Zombie and started a band called White Zombie. There’s just no dedication in music anymore.

Like all 80′s New York ‘post-punk’, some of it’s hit and miss. White Zombie started out with a number of self-promoted, self-financed singles and EPs. Delicious rareties, but you won’t them in regular circulation on e-Bay.

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie begins with the earliest album release. The first four CDs contain music from Pig Heaven, Gods Of Thunder, Make Them Die Slowly, La Sexorcisto and Astro Creep 2000, and displays a startling development in their music from one release to the next. By the time La Sexorcisto was released it was 1992, Beavis and Butthead worshipped them and Pantera were offering them tour support slots. Alternative to other metal bands lyrics of the time, White Zombie were all about fantasy worlds, Satan, monsters , the undead and possessed cars. The CD packaging contains artwork ranging from gig flyers to extra album artwork and photos just to add to the surreal effect. The fourth CD contains their final studio album, Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head. Yes. That’s the name of it. Go on, read it again.

I was secretly hoping that this ‘best of’ would be a prelude to White Zombie reforming. But as the title says, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

For this release, they enlisted Terry Date for production, and John Tempesta (ex-Testament and Exodus) on drums, a combination that creates an overall groove that is unbeatable. Along with the album tracks, there are several B-Sides and movie soundtrack tunes. They put an interesting spin on Children Of The Grave by Black Sabbath, and also include in a sexy version of Im Your Boogieman by KC and the Sunshine Band.

This is a great package for any White Zombie fan. If you are only familiar their last two, more popular albums its an excellent introduction to their earlier releases. And for added effect, the final CD contains the music videos from every single that was released and a live performance for good measure. I was secretly hoping that this ‘best of’ would be a prelude to White Zombie reforming. But as the title says, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. There again, zombies are never really dead, are they?

Drop-d Rating 8/10

Tags: astro-creep, Astro-Creep: 2000 - Songs of Love, Beavis and Butthead, Bela Lugosi, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head, la sexorcisto, metal, Pantera, Rob Zombie, White Zombie, zombie