La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One is the third studio album by American heavy metal band White Zombie, released on March 17, 1992, through Geffen Records. The album marked a major artistic and commercial turning point for the band. After the recruitment of guitarist Jay Noel Yuenger, White Zombie was able to successfully embrace the heavy metal sound they had pursued since Make Them Die Slowly (1989), while incorporating more groove-based elements into their sound as they evolved away from their roots in punk rock and noise rock. The album was the band’s last to feature drummer Ivan de Prume.
The album was a critical and commercial success for White Zombie after the artistic failure of Make Them Die Slowly. La Sexorcisto became the band’s first album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 26 in 1993. The singles “Thunder Kiss ’65” and “Black Sunshine” received heavy rotation on rock radio and MTV, the former earning the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. The album has been certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States.
La Sexorcisto is a dark and heavy album, with a strong focus on groove and atmosphere. The songs are often driven by Yuenger’s guitar riffs, which are both heavy and melodic. Zombie’s vocals are a mix of screams and growls, and his lyrics are often dark and disturbing. The album’s production is also noteworthy, with its use of samples and sound effects creating a dense and atmospheric soundscape.
La Sexorcisto is a landmark album in the history of heavy metal. It helped to define the sound of the genre in the early 1990s, and it remains a popular and influential album today.
Critical reception
La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. AllMusic gave the album a four-star rating, calling it “a dark, heavy, and atmospheric album that helped to define the sound of heavy metal in the early 1990s.” Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half stars, praising its “slick, propulsive grooves” and “Zombie’s charismatic, sneering vocals.” The Village Voice gave the album an “A-,” calling it “a brilliant, lurid, and utterly original album.”
Commercial performance
La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One was a commercial success, peaking at number 26 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1994.
Legacy
La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One is considered a classic album in the heavy metal genre. It helped to define the sound of the genre in the early 1990s, and it remains a popular and influential album today. The album’s songs have been covered by a number of bands, including Korn, Disturbed, and Rob Zombie himself.
The album’s cover art, which features a woman with a skull for a head, has become iconic. The image was created by artist Mark Riddick, who has also worked with bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Tool.
La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One is a groundbreaking album that helped to shape the sound of heavy metal in the 1990s. It is a dark, heavy, and atmospheric album that remains a popular and influential album today.
