Soul-Crusher
Encyclopedia
The reception of the album, at the time, was somewhat positive. A significant amount of praise was directed at Rob's creative and bizarre lyrical contributions. Sean recalls that "Critics seemed to enjoy Rob's psychotic lyrics, so much so that their entire review would try to emulate his style, which was entertaining". Professional music critics occasionally list it as being a definitive noise rock
album and a highlight of the band's career. Bradley Torreano of Allmusic awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the lyrics and deeming it "a prime slab of noise rock that has aged shockingly well" and that although "Zombie fans might not even like this that much, but no less of an authority than Kurt Cobain
himself pointed to this period in their career as one of his biggest influences". Historian Piero Scaruffi
gave it a 7 out of 10, citing it as one of the band's greatest works and later deeming it one of the best records of the '80s. Billy Lucas and David Stubbs
of Melody Maker Magazine
praised the artwork, lyrics, "slammer guitars", and "scrawling vocals" on the album. Sounds
gave the album three out of five stars; the reviewer citing that the album contained "No melody, little arrangement, just a cacophony of unlovely, forbidding noise that bloodies the nose of rock 'n' roll." Iggy Pop
, the former front-man of The Stooges
, was an admirer of the album and listed it as one of his favorite records of 1988 in the "Readers and Critics Poll" for Rolling Stone
.
The album, however, has not gone without criticism. Sean noted that "People either loved or hated it--or were full of self-loathing and loved to be tortured by it." Creem
described Soul-Crusher as the "most obnoxious sound of the year" and that "no one in the black concert T is ever gonna like White Zombie". Fans of the band's later albums usually dismiss the album, as with most of the band's back catalogue, because of its different style.
, who had previously worked with White Zombie on Psycho-Head Blowout. It is a single photograph of the band, which continues from the front to the back of the record, that was montaged in a darkroom. Sean mistakenly used the wrong color for the logo and titles, turning what was originally intended to be blood-red into hot pink lettering.
, but received mostly lukewarm responses from the crowds. However, their shows were received positively by critics, who described the band's onstage presence as an "aural and visual onslaught of vicious, shambling noise". It would be a relatively short tour as the band would enter the studio later that year to record Make Them Die Slowly
.
Additional musicians and production
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
album and a highlight of the band's career. Bradley Torreano of Allmusic awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the lyrics and deeming it "a prime slab of noise rock that has aged shockingly well" and that although "Zombie fans might not even like this that much, but no less of an authority than Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
himself pointed to this period in their career as one of his biggest influences". Historian Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
gave it a 7 out of 10, citing it as one of the band's greatest works and later deeming it one of the best records of the '80s. Billy Lucas and David Stubbs
David Stubbs
David Stubbs is a British journalist. He was born on 13 September 1962 in London, but grew up in Leeds. As a student at Oxford University he was a close friend of Simon Reynolds; together they worked on an influential fanzine called Monitor before joining Melody Maker in 1986...
of Melody Maker Magazine
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
praised the artwork, lyrics, "slammer guitars", and "scrawling vocals" on the album. Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
gave the album three out of five stars; the reviewer citing that the album contained "No melody, little arrangement, just a cacophony of unlovely, forbidding noise that bloodies the nose of rock 'n' roll." Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, the former front-man of The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, was an admirer of the album and listed it as one of his favorite records of 1988 in the "Readers and Critics Poll" for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
.
The album, however, has not gone without criticism. Sean noted that "People either loved or hated it--or were full of self-loathing and loved to be tortured by it." Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
described Soul-Crusher as the "most obnoxious sound of the year" and that "no one in the black concert T is ever gonna like White Zombie". Fans of the band's later albums usually dismiss the album, as with most of the band's back catalogue, because of its different style.
Packaging
The concept for the front and back cover was conceived by Rob in sketch form and executed by Michael LavineMichael Lavine
Michael Lavine is a portrait photographer based in New York City. He grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Denver's South High School in 1981....
, who had previously worked with White Zombie on Psycho-Head Blowout. It is a single photograph of the band, which continues from the front to the back of the record, that was montaged in a darkroom. Sean mistakenly used the wrong color for the logo and titles, turning what was originally intended to be blood-red into hot pink lettering.
Tour
The band began touring outside the northeast for the first time after the re-release of Soul-Crusher on Caroline Records in 1988. They would open for bands like the Circle JerksCircle Jerks
The Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
, but received mostly lukewarm responses from the crowds. However, their shows were received positively by critics, who described the band's onstage presence as an "aural and visual onslaught of vicious, shambling noise". It would be a relatively short tour as the band would enter the studio later that year to record Make Them Die Slowly
Make Them Die Slowly (album)
Make Them Die Slowly is the second album by White Zombie released in 1989. It is presumably named after the 1981 cannibal movie Cannibal Ferox, which was originally released in the US as Make Them Die Slowly...
.
Track listing
Personnel
White Zombie- Ivan de PrumeIvan de PrumeIvan de Prume is a heavy metal drummer whose music became famous in the groove metal band White Zombie.Born in Brooklyn, New York City, de Prume comes from a rich history of artists. Ivan's sister, Cathryn is a successful actress and they have collaborated on two short films together. But it is...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Tom FiveTom GuayTom Guay is a guitar player who joined White Zombie while studying art at Parsons School of Design which he attended from 1985 to 1989. Guay was usually credited as Tom Five, reportedly because his style sounded like five guitarists playing at once...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Rob StrakerRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games.... - Sean YseultSean YseultSean Yseult is an American rock musician. She has played various instruments with different bands over the years, most notably her bass work with the band White Zombie. Her father, Michael S. Reynolds, was a noted biographer of Ernest Hemingway...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
Additional musicians and production
- Michael LavineMichael LavineMichael Lavine is a portrait photographer based in New York City. He grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Denver's South High School in 1981....
– photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Wharton TiersWharton TiersWharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.- Biography :Diplomed from Villanova University , he moved to New York City in 1976 and was part of the No Wave scene.As an audio engineer and record producer, he has worked on projects such as Sonic Youth,...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - White Zombie – production