Make Them Die Slowly (album)
Encyclopedia
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. There is a printing error on the CD's side saying "Let Them Die Slowly" instead of the album's proper title.
, who was an admirer of their last album, recommended that the band recruit producer Bill Laswell
to work on their follow-up release. It is reported that the band spent a total of four days in the recording studio and had to re-record the album three separate times. The band was not satisfied with the first finished product due to it sounding too similar to their last album. In a 2010 interview, Sean Yseult recalled her experience recording the album:
By that time the lack of money and shoddy production made it unable for over half of the songs recorded to be placed on the album. Some of the songs cut from the release are "Dead Ringer", "Freak War", "Punishment Park", "Scum Kill II", and "Star Slammer".
All of the members of White Zombie has expressed their dissatisfaction with the finished album at one point, with Sean saying, "it sounds like a tin can to me, with a muffled non-existent bass." Guitarist John Ricci left the band the day the record was completed due to a case of Carpal tunnel syndrome.
-influenced noise rock
of their earlier albums to a sound more reminiscent of thrash metal
. Rob has claimed "We fell into the noise scene by accident" and that "After a while we got fed up and didn't want to have anything to do with it. We tried to move away from it consciously". Although he had previously disliked the heavy metal scene, Rob's opinion changed after borrowing Metallica
's Ride the Lightning
from drummer Ivan de Prume
. Sean has cited both Metallica
and Slayer
as being highly influential to the band during this time. In an interview with Creem Presents: Thrash Metal, Sean suggested that, "The new stuff is pretty close to being metal," while Rob claimed, "I don't know if you'd really call it 'metal' but there's a lot more focus to it. The songs are more like... songs."
However, some fans tend to enjoy this release more as the album more closely resembles the sound that would dominate much of White Zombie's later career. David Sprague of Spin Magazine gave it an enthusiastic review, saying "Make Them Die Slowly might not be the metal LP to end all metal LPs, but it's damned likely to give you more nightmares and chuckles than anything else money can buy you these days". Sprague also gave the production uncommon praise, writing that Laswell
"brings with him the simultaneously thin and heavy sound he's so fond of (c.f. Motörhead's Orgasmatron
), and works wonders with it."
Additional musicians and production
White Zombie
White Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American heavy metal band. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound...
released in 1989. It is presumably named after the 1981 cannibal movie
Cannibal film
Cannibal films are a sub genre of exploitation film made mostly by Italian filmmakers through the 1970s and 1980s. This sub genre is a collection of graphically gory movies that usually depict cannibalism by primitive, Stone-age natives deep inside the Asian or South American rain forests...
Cannibal Ferox
Cannibal Ferox
Cannibal Ferox, also known as Make Them Die Slowly, is a 1981 Italian exploitation film written and directed by Umberto Lenzi. Upon its release, the film made claims to being "The most violent film ever made"...
, which was originally released in the US as Make Them Die Slowly. There is a printing error on the CD's side saying "Let Them Die Slowly" instead of the album's proper title.
Recording
Iggy PopIggy 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...
, who was an admirer of their last album, recommended that the band recruit producer Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
to work on their follow-up release. It is reported that the band spent a total of four days in the recording studio and had to re-record the album three separate times. The band was not satisfied with the first finished product due to it sounding too similar to their last album. In a 2010 interview, Sean Yseult recalled her experience recording the album:
By that time the lack of money and shoddy production made it unable for over half of the songs recorded to be placed on the album. Some of the songs cut from the release are "Dead Ringer", "Freak War", "Punishment Park", "Scum Kill II", and "Star Slammer".
All of the members of White Zombie has expressed their dissatisfaction with the finished album at one point, with Sean saying, "it sounds like a tin can to me, with a muffled non-existent bass." Guitarist John Ricci left the band the day the record was completed due to a case of Carpal tunnel syndrome.
Music
The album displays change from the punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-influenced noise rock
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...
of their earlier albums to a sound more reminiscent of thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. Rob has claimed "We fell into the noise scene by accident" and that "After a while we got fed up and didn't want to have anything to do with it. We tried to move away from it consciously". Although he had previously disliked the heavy metal scene, Rob's opinion changed after borrowing Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984 through the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on November 5, 1987 and was most recently certified 5x platinum on June 9, 2003...
from drummer Ivan de Prume
Ivan de Prume
Ivan 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...
. Sean has cited both Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
as being highly influential to the band during this time. In an interview with Creem Presents: Thrash Metal, Sean suggested that, "The new stuff is pretty close to being metal," while Rob claimed, "I don't know if you'd really call it 'metal' but there's a lot more focus to it. The songs are more like... songs."
Reception
Because of the shift in musical style critics usually review the album less-favorably than the bands previous efforts, citing it as being too derivative and lacking in good production values. Allmusic staff writer Eduardo Rivadavia gave the record two and a half stars, saying that although "Make them Die Slowly actually contained most of the key musical ingredients responsible for Sexorcisto's subsequent breakthrough", the album "leaves much to be desired by subsequent standards".However, some fans tend to enjoy this release more as the album more closely resembles the sound that would dominate much of White Zombie's later career. David Sprague of Spin Magazine gave it an enthusiastic review, saying "Make Them Die Slowly might not be the metal LP to end all metal LPs, but it's damned likely to give you more nightmares and chuckles than anything else money can buy you these days". Sprague also gave the production uncommon praise, writing that Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
"brings with him the simultaneously thin and heavy sound he's so fond of (c.f. Motörhead's Orgasmatron
Orgasmatron (album)
Orgasmatron is the seventh album by the British band Motörhead, released in 1986. It is the only full Motörhead album to feature Pete Gill on the drums, although he also played on the four new tracks recorded for the 1984 No Remorse compilation album....
), and works wonders with it."
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 .... - John Ricci – 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
- Martin BisiMartin bisiMartin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter.He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Angels of Light and Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning song Rockit,In 1979, Martin Bisi...
– 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... - Oz Fritz – assistant engineering
- Bill LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
– 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... - Robert MussoRobert MussoRobert Musso is a New York City-based guitarist, composer, engineer, and producer. He is the founder of the independent record label MuWorks as well as the recently launched MussoMusic.com...
– 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... - Nicky SkopelitisNicky SkopelitisNicky Skopelitis is an American guitarist and composer from Greek heritage. He is best known as a guitarist, but also performs on banjo, oud, lute, keyboards and other instruments....
– programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Artie Smith – technician
- Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...