W.A.S.P. The Neon God Part 1 The Rise
Review by Noel Barton
Ill start this review by mentioning that Im a huge W.A.S.P. fan and have been since the age of eleven. For those who dont remember, W.A.S.P. were the kings of shock rock in the mid to late 80s whos stage antics included naked women on torture racks, bottomless trousers, saw blades, exploding cod pieces and throwing raw meat at the audience. The band have influenced such acts as Guns n Roses, Slipknot, Rage Against the Machine and are Marilyn Mansons biggest influence. The only shock in 1989 was that W.A.S.P. dropped the image and stage antics and released a mostly political based record titled The Headless Children. The album was the heaviest thing they had done and received full marks from the music press. Ironically as W.A.S.P. are better known for their shock rock this was actually the height of their fame. From then on the majority of W.A.S.P. releases have maintained this more serious tone and with political themes frequently returning. W.A.S.P. did however return to full shock rock glory in 1997 with KFD; the nastiest, darkest, most bitter, semi-industrial fuelled hatred ever put on record. The accompanying stage show so shocking it would make Marilyn Manson blush.
For me the 1992 W.A.S.P. concept album The Crimson Idol has been the most important and influential album Ive ever owned. There were many years where a day didnt pass without me playing that album and my Crimson Idol t-shirt was a second skin. So you can imagine my excitement when I first heard that Blackie Lawless was working on a double concept album titled The Neon God in a similar vein to The Crimson Idol! Its been a long wait with many delays but finally Ive managed to get to hear part 1 of this most anticipated album.
The story is about, an abused and orphaned boy who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. By utilizing his gifts, he is able to build a following whose devotion and allegiance create a loyalty so intense that he is poised to become a dark Messiah for the 21st Century. The story is a captivating read and the lyrics dont repeat the story just strengthen it. Between the two you really get a feel for the characters and events. Part 1 covers the background of the protagonist Jesse Slaine to make him believable and justify why he is what he becomes. It also covers how his cult is started. Part 2 I think will be when the story really explodes and thats something I am truly excited about.
Like most recent W.A.S.P. albums this one is produced by Blackie Lawless himself. It sounds quite stripped down and retro and this could be partly to do with it being recorded on analogue. The major orchestration that was mentioned in the press release is really very subtle and only on a few songs so dont expect something sounding like metallica s&m. Similarities with The Crimson Idol are present the album starts with Overture instead of The Titanic Overture and Sister Sadie is the twisted younger sister of Chainsaw Charlie. A new seven and a half minute epic which builds throughout and is one of the highlights of the album with amazing guitar solos to top it off. The similarities are not overbearing though and most of the album sounds really fresh. The drumming on most of this album is phenomenal too, especially on Wishing Well and Running Man.
The album is the more serious side of wasp: dark, emotional and at times angry. The thing that sets wasp apart from other bands is that Blackie is such a convincing and passionate vocalist. When he is sad you really feel it like in the breathtaking ballad What Ill never find and when he is pissed off you really know about it like in Wishing Well, Sister Sadie and the totally catchy Asylum #9 which is destined to become a fan favourite.
The album ends with an intense power ballad called Raging Storm which sends chills down your spine and leaves you desperate to hear The Neon God Part two.
So how does this album compare to the great Crimson Idol? Well its difficult to say as The Crimson Idol has over a decade of nostalgia attached to it and The Neon God Part 1 is fresh to my ears. Bearing in mind that this is only part one of The Neon God and only half the story its unfair to make a judgement yet. Bring on part two.
Review by Noel Barton
Ill start this review by mentioning that Im a huge W.A.S.P. fan and have been since the age of eleven. For those who dont remember, W.A.S.P. were the kings of shock rock in the mid to late 80s whos stage antics included naked women on torture racks, bottomless trousers, saw blades, exploding cod pieces and throwing raw meat at the audience. The band have influenced such acts as Guns n Roses, Slipknot, Rage Against the Machine and are Marilyn Mansons biggest influence. The only shock in 1989 was that W.A.S.P. dropped the image and stage antics and released a mostly political based record titled The Headless Children. The album was the heaviest thing they had done and received full marks from the music press. Ironically as W.A.S.P. are better known for their shock rock this was actually the height of their fame. From then on the majority of W.A.S.P. releases have maintained this more serious tone and with political themes frequently returning. W.A.S.P. did however return to full shock rock glory in 1997 with KFD; the nastiest, darkest, most bitter, semi-industrial fuelled hatred ever put on record. The accompanying stage show so shocking it would make Marilyn Manson blush.
For me the 1992 W.A.S.P. concept album The Crimson Idol has been the most important and influential album Ive ever owned. There were many years where a day didnt pass without me playing that album and my Crimson Idol t-shirt was a second skin. So you can imagine my excitement when I first heard that Blackie Lawless was working on a double concept album titled The Neon God in a similar vein to The Crimson Idol! Its been a long wait with many delays but finally Ive managed to get to hear part 1 of this most anticipated album.
The story is about, an abused and orphaned boy who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. By utilizing his gifts, he is able to build a following whose devotion and allegiance create a loyalty so intense that he is poised to become a dark Messiah for the 21st Century. The story is a captivating read and the lyrics dont repeat the story just strengthen it. Between the two you really get a feel for the characters and events. Part 1 covers the background of the protagonist Jesse Slaine to make him believable and justify why he is what he becomes. It also covers how his cult is started. Part 2 I think will be when the story really explodes and thats something I am truly excited about.
Like most recent W.A.S.P. albums this one is produced by Blackie Lawless himself. It sounds quite stripped down and retro and this could be partly to do with it being recorded on analogue. The major orchestration that was mentioned in the press release is really very subtle and only on a few songs so dont expect something sounding like metallica s&m. Similarities with The Crimson Idol are present the album starts with Overture instead of The Titanic Overture and Sister Sadie is the twisted younger sister of Chainsaw Charlie. A new seven and a half minute epic which builds throughout and is one of the highlights of the album with amazing guitar solos to top it off. The similarities are not overbearing though and most of the album sounds really fresh. The drumming on most of this album is phenomenal too, especially on Wishing Well and Running Man.
The album is the more serious side of wasp: dark, emotional and at times angry. The thing that sets wasp apart from other bands is that Blackie is such a convincing and passionate vocalist. When he is sad you really feel it like in the breathtaking ballad What Ill never find and when he is pissed off you really know about it like in Wishing Well, Sister Sadie and the totally catchy Asylum #9 which is destined to become a fan favourite.
The album ends with an intense power ballad called Raging Storm which sends chills down your spine and leaves you desperate to hear The Neon God Part two.
So how does this album compare to the great Crimson Idol? Well its difficult to say as The Crimson Idol has over a decade of nostalgia attached to it and The Neon God Part 1 is fresh to my ears. Bearing in mind that this is only part one of The Neon God and only half the story its unfair to make a judgement yet. Bring on part two.
