ROB ZOMBIE Schedules West Coast 'Warm-Up Dates'

Rob Zombie's fourth solo album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard album chart on February 10, selling 49,000 copies in its first week of release. That total is less than 50 percent of the number of copies that his previous effort, "Educated Horses", sold in its first week back in April 2006, when it moved 107,000 copies to land at No. 5 on the chart. Zombie was originally supposed to issue the album in November 2009 through his longtime label, Geffen Records, but delayed its arrival to February 2 after abruptly leaving to sign with the Roadrunner label. He admitted to The Pulse of Radio that he was a little unsure at first whether that was the right thing to do. "Well, I mean, it was weird because at first you think like, well, you know, you're on Geffen, do you want to make the switch, should you just change next time on the next record, you know, just ride out what you started," he said. "I struggled with it but I thought, you know, my gut is telling me this is the thing to do because I have a feeling if I put it out in November, the label's not gonna support it, and by December the record will be dead. And I just said, you know, screw it. Whatever the repercussions, let's just do it." The CD/DVD edition of "Hellbilly Deluxe 2" arrived in stores on September 28 via Roadrunner Records. The expanded version of the album features three brand new tracks recorded with the band's current touring lineup, including SLIPKNOT drummer/MURDERDOLLS guitarist Joey Jordison, along with a reworked version of the song "The Man Who Laughs". A bonus DVD featuring live footage and a 30-minute touring documentary, dubbed "Transylvanian Transmissions", is also included.