White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1
Geffen Records
Heavy / Stoner Metal
14 songs (57:30)
Release year: 1992
Geffen Records
Reviewed by Khelek
Archive review

White Zombie first came onto the heavy metal/noise rock scene in the late 80s, formed by now-famous vocalist, artist, and writer Rob Zombie. The first couple White Zombie albums were quite eclectic and, for me personally, difficult to get into and so I only listened to each of them a few times. La Sexorcisto is where the band really began making some changes to their sound, switching to simpler riffs and song structures in favor of a sound that was more heavy metal oriented and in my opinion simply heavier and more memorable. The vocals of Rob Zombie also start to come to the forefront in the production, defining the band's sound much more than they had on the previous albums in which it was sometimes difficult to even distinguish his voice in all the noise. The album cover looks like something you'd see on a stoner rock album and seems to say that it's a fun, catchy album that's easy to get into, which is mostly what you get here.

The intro to the first song is really a bit spooky until the distorted groovy guitar riffs of Welcome To Planet Motherfucker come in. The song sounds somewhat influenced by Pantera, namely the album Cowboys From Hell. This is a much more memorable song than what could be found on the previous two albums. It is centered on much more structured and heavier riffs as well as Rob Zombie's rough vocals. The production also seems a bit cleaner, losing some of the previous albums' fuzzy sound. It sometimes emphasizes the drums a little too much in my opinion, but other than that it's pretty good. Thunderkiss '65 is one of the most memorable songs from the album, employing the heavy, distorted guitar riffs and plenty of wah. It sounds to me like a cross between grunge, heavy metal, and stoner rock. This is a pretty good model for how the rest of the album goes. Catchy, distorted guitars with the rough vocals of Rob Zombie focusing on a much groovier sound, bringing in influences from stoner rock and the glam/heavy metal of the 80s. The song Black Sunshine also brings in a lot of that groove and grungy stoner rock energy that can be heard even more in Cosmic Monsters Inc. It is just simple, heavy, and catchy enough that it just sinks its hooks right in, not to mention there is some great guitar solo work in the second half of this song. I Am Legend goes back to the foreboding, starting out with lonely clean guitar and bass. After a while the drums begin to build up until the heavy riffs come crushing in along with the vocals of Rob Zombie. The final track, Warp Asylum, is a bit different, a doomy sounding track with a slower, almost plodding tempo and plenty of guitar distortion and the usual gravelly vocals from Rob Zombie. A solid and unique track, but it does get a bit lengthy.

I'll admit that this album does tend to get a bit repetitive after some time, and it is almost an hour long. Fortunately it's something you can put on and not have to pay a whole lot of attention to; it can just be something you listen to while driving or playing a video game or having a party. The groovy heavy metal sound is certainly a bit of a contrast to the band's previous work, but it is quite well done and was certainly pretty original in its day. The vocals of Rob Zombie are good, his style reminds me of a cross between Glenn Danzig and Phil Anselmo. I think this is an album many people enjoy, but few consider it truly excellent. I think White Zombie has, by and large, been underrated and forgotten since Rob Zombie went solo. This is quite an enjoyable album however, and a few of the songs will certainly be remembered for a long time to come. If you are looking for a catchy, fun heavy metal album that also brings in some weird horror elements and haven't heard this yet, it's just too good to pass up.

Killing Songs :
Thunderkiss '65, Soul Crusher, Cosmic Monsters Inc., Warp Asylum
Khelek quoted 81 / 100
Other albums by White Zombie that we have reviewed:
White Zombie - Astro-Creep: 2000 reviewed by Khelek and quoted CLASSIC
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