Zombie Music

Zombies and horror have become so popular that many songs and bands have been based on these flesh-eating ghouls; most notably, the musician Rob Zombie has incorporated zombie aesthetics and references into virtually all of his work.

 

Zombie references crop up in every genre from pop to death metal and some subgenres such as horror punk mine the zombie aesthetic extensively. Horror punk has also been linked with the subgenres of deathrock and psychobilly. The success of these genres has been mainly underground, although psychobilly has reached some mainstream popularity.

The zombie also appears in protest songs, symbolizing mindless adherence to authority, particularly in law enforcement and the armed forces. Well-known examples include Fela Kuti’s 1976 single Zombie, and The Cranberries 1994 single Zombie.

Producers have acquired the rights to Michael Jackson’s Thriller for a proposed Broadway musical, "complete with dancing undead.