This was the most unrelentingly schlocky record Rob Zombie had made in ages, with plenty of carnival thrills up its sleeve. It was almost a shock, then, how much of a success Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls And The Systematic Dehumanization Of Cool (to give it its full title) actually ended up being. Hellbilly Deluxe is just a collection of massive, horror-themed metal club bangers, and Zombie could continue making those under any name he pleased. Added to that, the original Hellbilly Deluxe isn’t comparable to something like King Diamond’s Abigail, where there is a clear story and concept that can flow into a new work, making its follow-up a narrative necessity. So you decide to bill your new album as a sequel to your renowned classic? You’re just asking for comparisons, and the scrutiny is going to be more intense than ever. Many naturally do their best to distance themselves from that idea, highlighting their growth and evolution. So many heritage artists have to contend with their new work constantly being compared to their early achievements, regardless of the fact that those past albums were often made in wholly different circumstances, in a different time and by fundamentally different people. Album sequels are often a dangerous idea. Given the album’s follow-up status to Rob Zombie’s original psychedelic nightmare hit-factory, it couldn’t be any other way. The message is clear: this is going to be one wild ride. On the cover of Hellbilly Deluxe 2, however, Zombie stares you down directly with blood on his face, horrific scars on his skin, and his teeth bared the bold and brazen logo surrounding his profile frame him like a panel out of a comic book. In 2006, he looked about as clean and normal as he ever has, and he seems to gaze pensively into the distance, pondering one thing or another. A pretty damn sizable change, right? If you were unfamiliar with Zombie as a character and a pop culture figure, you could easily look at the Educated Horses art and mistake it for some kind of introspective acoustic album, the only clue being the slightly jagged font in which Zombie’s name is written. Take a look at the cover for Hellbilly Deluxe 2 and compare it to the artwork of Rob Zombie’s previous record, 2006’s Educated Horses.

Hellbilly deluxe 2