W.A.S.P. Albums (18)
What The Critics Say
It seems like just about every rocker can't wait to voice an opinion about America's foreign policies circa the early 21st century...but even shock metallists W.A.S.P.? Yep, the same band that once sang about "fucking like a beast" and partying so hard that they were "blind in Texas" is now weighing in on the state of the world, as evidenced by Blackie Lawless' liner notes to 2007's Dominator. But to be fair, ever since W.A.S.P.'s early releases drove the PMRC mad, Lawless (and whoever else has joined him in W.A.S.P. at the time) has steadily branched out and welcomed more challenging material into the fold -- specifically his ongoing dalliances with "the concept album" (1988's The Headless Children, 1993's The Crimson Idol, 2004's The Neon God, etc.). So while there's not a lot of "shocking" going on here, there is a lot of anger and venom, as evidenced by such metallic rockers as "Mercy" and "The Burning Man," while "Heaven's Hung in Black" shows there's even an epic or two lurking in the shadows. While W.A.S.P. may be merely a Lawless solo project by this point, Dominator is still unmistakably W.A.S.P. -- and how many veteran metal bands can you say that about nowadays? ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'The Neon God, Pt. 2: The Demise'
Release Date 9/20/2004
Tracks 9
Label Noise
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What The Critics Say
W.A.S.P. circa 2004 was clearly "the Blackie Lawless show," as Lawless remains the only original member left in attendance (in addition to -- as always -- handling the lion's share of the songwriting). A mere five months after the appearance of The Neon God, Pt. 1 comes The Neon God, Pt. 2: The Demise, an album that explores similar sonic terrain as its predecessor. Although W.A.S.P. is best known for its theatricality and sleaze metal anthems -- after all, this was the group that gave us "Animal (F*ck Like a Beast)" -- leader Lawless tends to think on a grand scale. And besides, this isn't the first time he's explored the concept album domain, as evidenced by such previous efforts as 1988's The Headless Children and 1993's The Crimson Idol. The Neon God, Pt. 2 tends to work best on the tracks where Lawless manages to incorporate the expected W.A.S.P. ingredients -- while also working in the story line -- especially the hard rockers "Resurrector" and "Clockwork Mary." While it's admirable that Lawless flexes his songwriting muscles on concept works like this, most W.A.S.P. fans would probably agree that he's best off when he's cranking out anthems about "love machines" and "being blind in Texas." ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'The Neon God, Pt. 1: The Rise'
Release Date 4/6/2004
Tracks 14
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
W.A.S.P. mastermind Blackie Lawless has one of the most distinctive set of pipes in heavy metal. The primal scream that graced earlier recordings like Headless Children and Last Command has grown into a powerful, guttural wail on the first installment of his conceptual Neon God project. The storyline concerns an abused telepathic orphan who uses his powers to attract a legion of followers. Heavy metal's obsession with narrative albums about "dark messiahs" is as old as the leathery prophets themselves, resulting in ventures that often succeed despite their simplistic aims -- Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime, Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, etc. Neon God, Pt. 1 succeeds primarily through Lawless' passionate delivery, as the lyrics do little to convey the story -- the written version that appears in the liner notes, however, is surprisingly complex and involving. Musically, the group has changed little since its heydays, relying on standard three-chord motifs that occasionally veer off into a guitar solo, but it's this decidedly unpretentious approach to a pretentious subgenre of rock that makes the whole thing palatable. The quiet acoustic interludes are never too long, and flow seamlessly into anthemic rockers like "Sister Sadie" and "The Red Room of the Rising Sun" -- the latter is a rare, melodic, psychedelic moment for the band that includes a nod to the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" -- but they fail to generate much emotion. It's only on the finale, the surging "Raging Sun," that the weight of the protagonist's cross is felt, and within a chorus reminiscent of the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me," the listener feels it as well. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Live...In the Raw'
Release Date 9/23/2003
Tracks 11
Label Snapper Classics
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What The Critics Say
Music critics have always pointed out the similarities between theatrical rockers Kiss and W.A.S.P. -- Blackie Lawless' and Gene Simmons' blood spewing, makeup and costumes, high-decibel rock, and so on. (Ace Frehley even produced W.A.S.P.'s first demo!) Kiss used the live album format for their big commercial breakthrough, 1975's classic Alive!, and W.A.S.P. hoped the same would happen for them with 1987's Live...In the Raw. While it didn't work out that way, it served as a worthwhile document of the band' s live show -- but the biggest problem is that W.A.S.P. concerts always relied mainly on visuals. Still, the band offers heavy versions of such fan favorites as "L.O.V.E. Machine," "Wild Child," "I Wanna Be Somebody," "Blind in Texas," "I Don't Need No Doctor," and "Sleeping (In the Fire)." Also included is a live version of a previously unreleased original, "Harder Faster," as well as the soundtrack-only studio cut "Scream Until You Like It" (from Ghoulies II). ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Dying for the World'
Release Date 6/10/2002
Tracks 10
Label Metal Is
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What The Critics Say
In the liner notes that Blackie Lawless wrote for Dying for the World, W.A.S.P.'s founder/lead singer angrily declares, "F*ck political correctness; that went down with the World Trade Center." Of course, being politically correct is something that Lawless has never been accused of. Back in the '80s, his over-the-top antics offended people of all political persuasions. Lawless always loved to be shocking -- Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne taught him well -- but on Dying for the World, the veteran headbanger never gets into shock value for the sake of shock value. This 2002 release has a consistently serious tone, and that seriousness was, to a large degree, inspired by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Lawless' liner notes assert that when the World Trade Center became a mass grave, he was determined to record an album that expressed his anger -- and Dying for the World is definitely angry. However, Lawless' lyrics don't necessarily come across as overtly political. "Revengeance," "Stone Cold Killers," and "Hell for Eternity" call for the destruction of those who destroyed Manhattan's Twin Towers, but the songs are worded in such a way that if you didn't read Lawless' liner notes, you wouldn't necessarily know that he was railing against al-Qaeda terrorists. Similarly, the moving "Hallowed Ground" was inspired by Lawless' October 2001 visit to what New Yorkers now call "Ground Zero," although he doesn't mention the World Trade Center by name. And not every track has to do with terrorism; the haunting "Trail of Tears," for example, is about the oppression of Native Americans. Musically, Dying for the World breaks no new ground for W.A.S.P., which sticks to an '80s-like sound -- and for die-hard fans of '80s metal, that isn't a bad thing. Not all of W.A.S.P.'s albums have been consistent, but this excellent CD is arguably the band's strongest, most focused release since the '80s. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
W.A.S.P. has always seemed to be a bit divided musically. At times, their music comes across as very raw, almost unfinished. However, another side of the band leans to the more melodic and powerful, wall-of-sound approach. This disc showcases both of these sides. Where it seems to work best is on the material that is more in that melodic style. Overall, the CD should please fans of the band, but probably won't bring any new listeners to the fold. ~ Gary Hill, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
W.A.S.P. soldiers on, seemingly oblivious to everything except the kind of L.A. metal they like, which they had been playing for nearly two decades when Helldorado was released in 1999. If anything, they've gotten a little heavier since their glory days of the mid- to late '80s, although no one would mistake them for a different band. It's the same bad-boy sex-drugs-rock & roll shtick that has been W.A.S.P.'s stock-in-trade for many years, but they're still doing it as well as ever. There's something to admire in the fact that they're still cranking it out, and the fact remains that very, very few bands in the late '90s offer new product to fans of this style -- so, why not? ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Double Live Assassins'
Release Date 2/24/1998
Tracks 16
Label CMC International
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What The Critics Say
Although W.A.S.P. were way past their prime by the time they recorded Double Live Assassins, the record is one of the highlights of the latter part of their career. The group sounds surprisingly tough, turning out hard-driving versions of such staples as "The Headless Children." Any serious fan should investigate this double-disc set, but if you're satisfied with the original albums, chances are you won't need to pick this up. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Between 1990-1992, little was heard from one of the 1980s' most theatrical metal bands, W.A.S.P. Many assumed they'd broken up, especially when it became publicly known that the entire band had split from leader Blackie Lawless (the most surprising departure being longtime guitarist Chris Holmes). But the truth of the matter was that Lawless was hard at work the entire time, composing an epic concept album, 1993's The Crimson Idol, which told the tale of a tormented rock star, Jonathan. Lawless handled rhythm guitar, bass, vocal, and keyboard duties himself, and renowned studio musician Bob Kulick filled in Holmes' vacated position, while a pair of drummers were used (including the drummer on The Headless Children, Frankie Banali). The songs weren't a radical departure stylistically for W.A.S.P., and since no original members were left, The Crimson Idol is essentially a Blackie Lawless solo album. The over 74-minute album contained such hard-hitting highlights as "The Invisible Boy," "Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)," and "I Am One." Unfortunately, The Crimson Idol sunk from sight upon release (keep in mind, this was the era of "grunge") but, interestingly, marked eventual Korn/Limp Bizkit producer Ross Robinson's first studio credit, as assistant engineer. [The 1998 CD reissue was expanded to a double-disc set, the second disc comprised of 12 b-sides (!). Included was a cover of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks," the studio outtakes "Phantoms in the Mirror" and "The Eulogy," plus many acoustic renditions ("The Idol") and live tracks ("Chainsaw Charlie," "Wild Child," "The Real Me").] ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
