La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1

La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1
Studio album by White Zombie
Released	March 17, 1992
Recorded	May, 1991 at 321 Studios, New York City
Genre	Heavy Metal, Groove metal
Length	57:30
Label	Geffen
Producer	Andy Wallace
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Piero Scaruffi link
White Zombie chronology
God of Thunder (1989) La Sexorcisto : Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992) Astro Creep : 2000 (1995)

La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 is the third album by metal band White Zombie.

Album information

The album's sound is a mix of Groove metal and Funk metal with lots of B-movie samples. Rob Zombie explained he "wanted to keep a groovable dance element in the music", a trait which is often absent in Metal music.

Contrary to rumors, a "Devil Music, Vol. 2" was never planned for recording or release.

Almost every song on the album made an appearance on the 1994 video game Way of the Warrior.

Release and reception

The album was both a critical and commercial success for White Zombie, climbing up the charts in the US and gaining massive MTV video airplay and mainstream rock radio airplay with "Thunder Kiss '65" and "Black Sunshine." It was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA.

Jacob N. Lunders of allmusic praised the album with 4.5 out of 5 stars and claimed "Perhaps co-defining the future of heavy metal, White Zombie's major-label debut nearly equals fellow classics Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, The Cult's Electric, and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger in significance". ^[1]

Historian Piero Scaruffi gave it a 7 out of 10 and placed it at #30 of his greatest metal albums of all time list. ^[2]

Song Overview

"Welcome to Planet Motherfucker/Psychoholic Slag"

"Welcome to Planet Motherfucker/Psychoholic Slag" is the first track on the album. It is a two-part song, the first part having its own music video.

"Knuckle Duster (Radio 1-A)"

"Knuckle Duster (Radio 1-A)" is the second track and the first of two radio channel imitations on the album. It takes its name from a metal weapon worn over the knuckles used in hand-to-hand combat, otherwise known as brass knuckles. The track contains numerous short audio samples from movies and songs which play in a fashion similar to that of someone changing radio channels every few seconds.

Audio Samples

• 0:07 - "We know how fast we can go" is taken from the 1965 cult film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.

• 0:17 - "These are the facts as we know them. There is an epidemic of mass murders being committed by a virtual army of unidentified assassins" is taken from the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead during a radio broadcast.

• 0:17 - The screaming in the background is from the 1978 horror film Halloween when Laurie Strode is being attacked by Michael Myers in a closet.

"Thunder Kiss '65"

"Thunder Kiss '65" is the third track on the album. It helped the band gain some notoriety through its music video and chart success (as well as though its inclusion in the first Guitar Hero game, thirteen years later) and was nominated the Grammy for Best Metal Performance of 1993.

"Black Sunshine"

"Black Sunshine" is the fourth track on the album. Though minimally successful as a single, the song has gone on to become a fan favorite and is still played live with Zombie's solo act as well as appearing on his greatest hits albums.

The spoken intro and end were provided by Iggy Pop. It also appears in the video game Guitar Hero III and as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.

"Soul-Crusher"

"Soul-Crusher" is the fifth track on the album. The lyrics "Speed kills, I'm alive yeah, in my ... Durango '95, yeah!" and "Motherfucker scream horrorshow!" are both references to Stanley Kubrick's classic 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Also, the lyrics "Time a Diamond Ass right on my line" is a reference to their song "Diamond Ass" off the Soul-Crusher album. Iggy Pop speaks the words "Burning like fat in the fire the smell of red, red kroovy(krovvy) screamed mega-flow; A stalking ground without prey. A flash of superstition whimpering like a crippled animal. Dogs of the Soul-Crusher pulling closer like the blue steel jaws of hell" in the middle of the song.

According to Rob, it was this song that inspired Geffen Records to sign the band to its label.^[3]

"Cosmic Monsters Inc."

"Cosmic Monsters Inc." is the sixth track on the album. The song starts with a clip from the original Batman television series: "Meanwhile, behind the façade of this innocent-looking bookstore." The voice is that of William Dozier from the classic episode featuring Anne Baxter as Zelda the Great.

"Spiderbaby (Yeah-Yeah-Yeah)"

"Spiderbaby (Yeah-Yeah-Yeah)" is the seventh track on the album. It takes its name from the 1964 cult film Spider Baby. The "bell sounds" heard at the beginning of the song are taken from the Clive Barker's classic 1987 horror film Hellraiser. Also, the music score (Jerry Goldsmith's 'Avé Satani') from the 1976 movie The Omen can be heard in the background during the guitar solo section of the song.

"I Am Legend"

"I Am Legend" is the eighth track on the album. The song is closely based on the 1954 horror novel I Am Legend, written by Richard Matheson. In 2000, the song was covered by Anarchuz for the White Zombie tribute album Super-Charger Hell, alternately titled "I'm a Legend." The song was featured in the trailer for the 2007 movie I Am Legend.

"Knuckle Duster (Radio 2-B)"

"Knuckle Duster (Radio 2-B)" is the ninth track and the second of two radio channel imitations on the album. It takes its name from a metal weapon worn over the knuckles used in hand-to-hand combat, otherwise known as brass knuckles. It contains numerous short audio samples from movies and songs which play in a fashion similar to that of someone changing radio channels every few seconds.

Audio Samples

• 0:00 - "Now, what we have to ask is why is it that God has admonished us to hate evil? Well, first of all, God loves ..." from a sermon by Atlanta pastor, Dr. Charles Stanley (pastor).

• 0:14 - "... And strangled them and finally dismembered their bodies"

• 0:20 - "homelessness and all that ..." sample are the words of the American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

• 0:21 - "And now, the voice you've been waiting for ..."

"Grindhouse (A Go-Go)"

"Grindhouse (A Go-Go)" is the twelfth cut on the album. It was featured in Woody Allen's 2002 film Hollywood Ending. In 2000, the song was covered by Habeas Corpus for the White Zombie tribute album Super-Charger Hell.

"Starface"

"Starface" is the thirteenth track on the album. The audio sample at the beginning of the track, "One. We are one. One is the beginning ...", is from the episode The Way To Eden from Star Trek: The Original Series.

"X minus 5 seconds...4...3...2...1" is from the 1950 sci-fi film Rocketship X-M.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Rob Zombie, all music composed by White Zombie.

Some pressings of the CD incorrectly divide tracks 12 and 13, beginning track 13 at 3:31 of "Grindhouse (A Go-Go)."

Personnel

Band members

• Ivan de Prume - Drums
• Sean Yseult - Bass, Art Direction
• J. - Guitar
• Rob Zombie - Vocals, Lyricist, Art Direction, Illustrations, Sleeve Illustration

Technical crew

• Kristin Callahan - Photography
• David Carpenter - Assistant Engineer
• Alison Dyer - Photography
• Michael Golob - Art Direction, Photoshop Artist
• Iggy Pop - Additional Vocals (Black Sunshine)
• Andy Wallace - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering

Chart positions

Notes