When former
Rob Zombie guitarist
Riggs starts a project of his own, one expects a strong
White Zombie influence.
Riggs, after all, spent six years in
Rob Zombie's employ, and the influence was bound to rub off -- which is exactly what happens on
Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium. This is the first album by
Scum of the Earth, an outfit that includes not only
Riggs (lead vocals, guitar), but also,
Powerman 5000 guitarist
Mike Tempesta (the brother of
Zombie drummer
John Tempesta). Not surprisingly, the
Rob Zombie influence is quite strong on this CD, which favors the sort of rhythmic, industrialized
electro-
metal that
Riggs' former employer is known for. But if
Blah...Blah...Blah is less than groundbreaking, it is never dull or uninspired -- quite the contrary.
Rob Zombie taught
Riggs well, and none of
Scum of the Earth's material fails to be hooky and infectious. Unlike so many of the post-'80s
alternative metallers whose lyrics are totally introspective,
Zombie has brought a sense of campy, over-the-top fun to the table -- and the dark-humored mixture of horror, sex, sleaze and decadence that one expects from
Zombie (or, for that matter,
the Electric Hellfire Club) is also a main ingredient of
Blah...Blah...Blah. Notice that certain words keep coming up when
Zombie and
Riggs are discussed -- words like humorous, fun and entertaining.
Riggs, like
Zombie, realizes that in a post-'80s, post-
Nevermind rock world, humor and campy fun are not illegal; there is no law stating that post-'80s
rock has to be ultra-serious-minded 100 percent of the time.
Blah...Blah...Blah doesn't point
alternative metal in any new directions, but in terms of infectiousness and sheer entertainment value,
Scum of the Earth's first album is a success. ~ Alex Henderson
