(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sinister Urge is the first in-depth, career-spanning biography of heavy-metal musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie. Born Robert Cummings in 1965, Zombie is now as well known for his movies as he is for his music, which he has released and performed both as a solo artist and as part of his early band White Zombie. In both fields, he imbues his art with the vivid sense of macabre theater that has thrilled his millions of disciples since he and his band first emerged with Soul-Crusher in 1987.
Although he has sold millions of albums and generated many more millions of dollars at the box office, Zombie has never taken the easy option or the predictable route. Indeed, while the music industry – and many of his peers – have fallen to their knees in the last decade or so, Zombie has found a new edge, his work undiluted by success or middle age.
Drawing on original research and new interviews with bandmates and associates, Sinister Urge takes a detailed look at Zombie's challenging oeuvre, offering close analysis of his albums and films alongside tales of his life and work on and offstage.

Joel McIver has written a number of outstanding music bios (Cliff Burton, Metallica, Slayer, Black Sabbath) and this book joins that group of books that I like.

To be honest, while I was a fan of White Zombie and Rob's solo stuff, I never really knew that much about the guy behind the songs. In fact, because he was so larger-than-life, I actually veered away from knowing anything, lest it put him in a less favourable light. So, when I approached this book, it was without knowing anything about the guy, really...and I think that made it a better read than if I knew everything about the band and Rob himself...

Looking at some reviews, I can see that real fans of Rob's work were disappointed with this book (I already knew all that stuff) but, for me, it was exactly what I wanted. From his childhood, all the way through his music and film career, we are given a complete run down of everything Zombie. While for some people it didn't reach great heights, I fully appreciated all the details of the who, when, where and why...

If you are a die-hard fan of Rob Zombie, I am not sure this book will offer you much more than you already know. For everyone else with even a passing interest, this book offers you everything you may want to know about the man.


Paul
ARH