Return from the dead

Despite a mid-career crisis that saw him directing a number of below-average horror flicks, Rob Zombie is a rock ‘n’ roll icon. Since his days with industrial metal pioneers White Zombie, he has carved out a niche for himself as a consummate showman and master of the gravelly vocal.

“Hellbilly Deluxe 2” sees Zombie revisiting the roots he put down on his first solo record, 1998’s hugely successful “Hellbilly Deluxe.” After a brief classic rock detour on 2006’s “Educated Horses,” the new disc finds him diving headfirst into his old shtick. Hot rods, hot women, monsters and madmen take center stage, and the rock ‘n’ roll is so sleazy that it’s probably a good idea to get tested for VD after listening.

The album doesn’t birth as many bona-fide classics as his older work, but a big part of Rob Zombie’s music is surrendering your thinking cap and taking in the schlocky atmosphere. If that was his goal, consider “Hellbilly Deluxe 2” a triumphant return.