This review covers the industrial metal track Rob Zombie – Dragula.
This track was released in 1998 on the album Hellbilly Deluxe. We previously reviewed the track Meet the Creeper from the same album which earned a great score. We also previously reviewed Superbeast also from this album. That track also earned a great score. So, we thought we’d give another track from this album a try.
The track starts with a synth and a voice sample. A kick comes. The lead guitars come in, replacing the synth effects. The vocals then replace the guitars for a verse. From there, the guitars come in to replace the vocals. The vocals replace the guitars with a clap backing them.
From there, the lead guitars join the vocals as the vocals lead the track into the main chorus. At the end, the guitars back up a fair bit with some synths making a return. The synth drops out as the vocals take the track into the next verse. An instrumental section follows. The vocals return to finish the verse.
After that, the vocals and guitars come in for a main chorus. Some synths back this section. The main chorus ends with an instrumental section.
The vocals return along with some additional synth effects. After going through the next verse, the vocals take the track back into the main chorus. The guitars and vocals trade spots a bit. After that, the vocals take the track back to the main chorus. This section ends with an instrumental section with some synth effects.
The vocals repeat part of the main chorus, but some heavy EQ filtering added to it. The track is lead out by those vocals as other elements are pulled back.
What is interesting is that we reviewed the Hot Rod Herman remix first. It’s interesting because the remix made so many appearances in various games and movie soundtracks. So, it seemed necessary to at least give the original track a try.
One positive is the synths used. They really give this track a nicely realized horror backing.
The guitars overall sound great. They pull back and push the track forward in a very well thought out manner. As such, they give this track a very nice rhythm throughout.
Another highlight of this track is definitely the vocals. They do a great job at just dripping with evil, yet at the same time, offer this track some great energy. The effects added to them give them some great distortions to compliment the overall track.
The only thing that holds this track back in any way is that a lot of the enjoyable sections wind up being quite short lived. As such, you just start getting into one part and the track is already on another part. So, it does feel like the track is whisking by you before you get a chance to enjoy it. It is ultimately a minor complaint, though, as there is a lot to enjoy here.
Overall, this is a very solid track. It has great vocals, great synths, and great guitar work. The kick does help punctuate the quieter parts of the track nicely. It’s unfortunate that a number of sections are a bit on the short side. Still, there is a lot to like about this track. So, a very solid track all around.
Score
7.5/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
