Rob Zombie

It's a wonder Rob Zombie ever finds time to tour.

In the last decade, he's directed six films, and he has a screenwriting credit on five of them (and a story credit on the sixth).

He's also directed an episode of ''CSI: Miami,'' a comedy special for his ''Superbeasto'' collaborator Tom Papa, and a couple of commercials that play on the grisly tone of his horror movies (search "Rob Zombie" and ''Woolite" online for an example).

Article Photos

Photo by Rick Fagan
Rob Zombie and his band — from left, John 5, Rob Zombie, Piggie D and Ginger Fish — will perform Monday at the Covelli Centre for the ‘‘Twins of Evil’’ tour.

Zombie hasn't abandoned music, though. ''Hellbilly Deluxe 2,'' a follow-up to his multi-platinum-selling solo debut, was released in 2010, and a second album of remixes, ''Mondo Sex Head,'' came out in August.

And he continues to find like-minded acts to join him on the road. After co-headlining tours with Alice Cooper and Slayer, Zombie is touring with Marilyn Manson as part of the ''Twins of Evil'' package, which comes to the Covelli Centre on Monday.

''You want tours that give people a lot of bang for their buck,'' Zombie said during a telephone interview. ''Everyone seems to be fairly cash strapped these days. You get a lot for your money. That said, it's hard to find bands that complement each other.''

The Rob Zombie-Alice Cooper pairing, which played the Covelli Centre in 2010, was a particular favorite.

''It was really fun because there seemed to be a like-mindedness between the bands,'' he said. ''It felt like we were touring in the '70s. There was a rock audience, a rock vibe, not this aggressive, mean disjointedness. I always wondered what it would have been like tour in the '70s.''

''Mondo Sex Head'' gives such DJs as Photek, Document, One and Das Kapital a chance to rework Zombie's music. Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, as his DJ alter ego JDevil, remixes ''Thunder Kiss '65.'' He originally was part of the ''Twins of Evil'' tour but had to drop out due to exhaustion, according to a statement released last month by his publicist. He's been replaced on the bill by DJ Starscream from Slipknot.

Even though ''Mondo Sex Head'' is his latest album, Zombie said his set in Youngstown will feature the more traditional arrangements of those fan favorites.

''I kind of see it as wholly separate,'' Zombie said. ''It gets the music in places where it wouldn't be played. It takes rock songs and makes them more clubby. It's pretty much a specialty item. And the fans that love the originals hate the remixes.''

Before the tour started, Zombie was at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of his latest film, ''The Lords of Salem.'' Anchor Bay Films purchased the rights to distribute the movie, which likely will be released in early 2013.

''We have some tentative dates we're looking at,'' Zombie said. ''The things is, with the other movies I've made, we already knew the release date before we started shooting. When you go off and sell it (after it's finished), you have to find a window where there are original screens.''

The plot involves a Salem, Mass., DJ (played by Zombie's wife Sheri Moon Zombie) who receives a mysterious vinyl album enclosed in a wooden box. Playing the record unleashes a coven of witches more than 300 years after that city's infamous witch trials. Like his tourmate Manson, Zombie has dealt with accusations that his music inspires violent behavior in his fans. The idea of a album that really did have deadly consequences was the initial inspiration when he first started working on the script six years, but the story and the filmmaking style evolved in a more experimental direction as it progressed.

''I like stepping out of my comfort zone,'' he said. ''That's the only way to grow and learn stuff. If you keep giving people what they expect, you and your audience grows very stale. Sometimes I do stuff my fans might not like or that the fans might not like for five years. A certain part of the population loves it, a certain part hates its and some are confused by it and like it later. I don't do this just so I can make cookie-cutter things.''

Zombie's next film is a definite departure from what audiences have come to expect. He may be using some of the down time on the ''Twins of Evil'' tour to finish the screenplay for ''Broad Street Bullies,'' a film about the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team of the 1970s that won two consecutive Stanley Cup championships while also leading the NHL in penalty minutes. Zombie, who grew up in Massachusetts in the '70s rooting for the Boston Bruins, has described the film as ''Rocky'' meets ''Boogie Nights.''

''Someone approached me with it a couple years ago,'' Zombie said. ''He had the rights to to the story, and for once someone could be see past the content and see the filmmaking. He said your sensibility perfectly fits the story. It's nice when somebody can see that.''