Real Solution 9

''Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head'' (sometimes informally referred to as simply ''Astro-Creep 2000'') is the fourth and final studio album by American heavy metal band White Zombie, released on April 11, 1995, by Geffen Records. Adding more industrial textures and disturbing subject matters to the groove metal and alternative metal foundation of the band's previous album, ''La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One'' (1992), it is their only record with John Tempesta on drums.

White Zombie's most commercially successful album, ''Astro-Creep 2000'' peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with the aid of hit singles " More Human than Human" and " Super-Charger Heaven". With over 2.6 million copies sold in the US, it was certified double-platinum and nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, but lost to Tom Petty's ''Wildflowers'' (1994).

Production

The album was highly anticipated due to the surprise success of the band's previous release '' La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One''. Ivan DePrume, the band's long-time drummer, had left the band to start Burningsound studios during their touring sessions for that album. The band later recruited former Exodus and Testament drummer John Tempesta for the recording of this album. The album had help from significant industrial musicians, such as the keyboard work from Charlie Clouser, who had worked with artists like Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Killing Joke, and more. They had also hired Terry Date (Deftones, Pantera, Soundgarden) to produce ''Astro-Creep: 2000'' for them. According to J., the album comprises seventy-two track recordings, forty-eight of which are analog and twenty-four being digital recordings. For the album, the band had a much bigger recording budget and more freedom in time.

The entire album took three months to write and another three to record. Writing for the album began in June 1994, shortly after White Zombie finished touring Japan. Recording was scheduled to commence in September 1994, and the album was finished by Christmas 1994.

Music and lyrics

The album is much heavier than ''La Sexorcisto'' and has been called "white-trash-on-acid metal" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic. The band also down-tuned the guitars and bass to give it the darker sound that the songs required, going from standard E tuning to dropped C# (1.5 steps below standard E).

Much of the lyrics are also darker and more disturbing than on the previous album, and are arranged more like twisted poetry than ''La Sexorcisto's'' pseudo-rap scores, dealing with murder, the undead, blasphemy, and satanic elements.

As with the previous two albums, many of the songs feature snippets of dialogue from horror and cult films including ''The Omega Man'', ''Shaft'', '' The Haunting'', ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' and ''To the Devil a Daughter''. The titular refrain of "More Human Than Human" is taken from the 1982 film ''Blade Runner''.

Rob has said he favors this album to the previous one, stating, "I was never that happy with it 'La Sexorcisto''">La_Sexorcisto.html" ;"title="'La Sexorcisto">'La Sexorcisto'' In some respects, it was probably the best thing we could do at the time under the circumstances; and that this record was exactly what we wanted it to sound like."

Reception

''Astro-Creep: 2000'' received generally positive reviews from critics, it is White Zombie's best-selling album, being certified double Platinum by the RIAA and selling over 2,600,000 copies in America since its release. There was also a limited 50,000 pressings of this album on see-through blue vinyl. The album has been certified by CAN platinum. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album and the band's biggest hit, " More Human than Human", nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in Grammy Awards of 1996, 1996.

To promote the album, music videos for " More Human than Human", " Electric Head Pt. 2 (The Ecstasy)", and a live video for " Super-Charger Heaven" were released. In 1995, "More Human than Human" won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video.

There were also plans to start filming a video for "Blood, Milk and Sky" after Christmas as well as eventually filming a video for every song on the album. However, these plans were scrapped when the band dissolved.

Accolades

Track listing

I "Blood, Milk and Sky" contains the hidden track "Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Bug Parade Begins" at 8:45, after 3 minutes of silence. On the digital version, however, the hidden track is its own 2:33 track.

Personnel

Adapted from the ''Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head'' liner notes.

;White Zombie
* Rob Zombie – vocals
* Jay Yuenger – guitars
* Sean Yseult – bass
* John Tempesta – drums
;Additional musicians
* Charlie Clouser – keyboards, programming

;Production and additional personnel
* Terry Date – production, recording, mixing
* Lamont Hyde – mixing assistant
* Ted Jensen – mastering
* Wade Norton – recording assistant
* Ulrich Wild – recording
* Sean Yseult – art direction
* Rob Zombie – illustrations, art direction

Chart positions

Album

Singles

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Astro Creep: 2000 - Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head
White Zombie (band) albums
1995 albums
Geffen Records albums
Albums produced by Terry Date