ROB ZOMBIE: The Fact That Nobody Buys Records Anymore Has 'Freed Me'

Rob Zombie says that "every song" on his nearly completed new studio album "seems different and exciting" and he "cannot wait to play" the material live once the CD is released early next year.

Asked by "Loudwire Nights" host Full Metal Jackie what makes him confident enough to say his upcoming album will be his strongest so far, Rob responded: "I hate talking about this stuff, because it sounds like absolute nonsense.

"When was the last time you ever interviewed anyone from any band ever and they told you this isn't their best album? It's a cliché thing, right? But I really felt with the last album, 'Venomous Rat', that somehow, you don't consciously think you're off the tracks and you're veering off — you're just making music and you're doing your thing. You don't see your life from the outside point of view that other people will view you in your music. But I felt like with 'Venomous Rat' that somehow we had gotten back on track; it actually felt that way. Like, 'Wow! This feels like it did years ago.'"

He continued: "This record is just continued further down that road where it feels like you're inspired. You don't feel like, 'Ah, God, we have to write some more songs.' Every song seems different and exciting; it seems like the old days."

Rob added: "There are just certain songs that we just cannot wait to play live that you just know are going to be part of the show. You just have a weird sense of it. Kind of like when we finished 'Dead City Radio', and that when we play it in the show it gets as big of a cheer as if we played 'Dragula' or some old song. You just have that moment in time where you feel like you've hit that same nerve with a song, and this record has a lot of that."

Zombie also said that diminishing music sales in the streaming age have enabled him to throw out the rules book when it comes to songwriting and use his creativity to the fullest extent possible.

"I think, in a funny way, everyone is always complaining about the record business and complaining about illegal downloading," Rob said. "I don't care about any of that stuff. In fact, in a funny sort of way, the fact that nobody buys records doesn't bother me. In fact, I feel like it's freed me."

He continued: "I never did anything to sell records, per se, but when you take that pressure away 100 percent, I swear to God, you get more creative, because it doesn't matter anymore. That's really been the case."

Zombie added: "I'm happy to give [the music] away for free. I don't care. I just want to make it, play it, get crazy with it and I think this new climate is… I hear a lot of musicians crying about it but for me, it's re-energized us."

"Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 23, 2013 via Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume.