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Blackie Lawless may be the last standing member of the original line up of W.A.S.P., but that hasn’t stopped him from releasing albums year after year under the same banner, with varying degrees of success.
The follow up to 2002’s Dying For The World sees Lawless returning to the conceptual rock format (With his first venture being 1992’s The Crimson Idol) with The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise being the first part of a double album (With the second part being released later in the year) telling the story of an abused and orphaned boy (Jesse Slane) who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. By utilizing his gifts, he builds a following whose devotion and allegiance create a loyalty so intense that he is poised to become a dark Messiah for the 21st Century.
With such an ambitious concept in mind, Lawless seems to throw all caution to the wind in order to satisfy his inner need to create the ultimate theatrical album ever recorded, with fellow members Darrell Roberts (Vocals/guitar/drums), Mike Duda (Vocals/bass), Frankie Banali (Drums/percussion) and Stet Howland (Drums) helping flesh out his vision in the studio.
The instrumental introduction ‘Overture’ serves its purpose well in opening the album up with huge sounding organs, guitars (Both electric and acoustic) and Banali’s unique sound, which more than hits a little to The Who in places.
‘Why Am I Here’ opens up the story line, with ‘Wishing Well’ eventually being the first official song on the album. Blackie’s voice is still a formidable force behind W.A.S.P., and it isn’t long before the follow up tracks ‘Sister Sadie (And The Black Habits)’, ‘The Rise’, ‘The Running Man’ and ‘Asylum #9’ rock along with the best W.A.S.P. have had to offer over the last couple of years.
‘Red Room Of The Rising Sun’ has some obvious Beatles overtones (‘Tomorrow Never Knows’), which isn’t surprising considering the subject matter (Drugs), while the slower number ‘What I’ll Never Find’ is as captivating as ‘Hold Onto My Heart’ from The Crimson Idol.
‘X.T.C. Riders’ is a solid hard rocker that’s typical W.A.S.P. fare, while the albums closer ‘The Raging Storm’ brings the album to a climatic close both musically and lyrically (As a cliff hanger I might add).
As good as The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise is, it still doesn’t eclipse The Crimson Idol (Or The Headless Children for that matter) in songs, performance, artwork, and in particular, production and mixing. Banali and Roberts are so buried under the mix it’s incredible!
Instead, The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise is a solid W.A.S.P. release with some obvious flaws, but W.A.S.P. fans will enjoy this (And it’s follow up) as much as the majority of W.A.S.P. albums in the past. Related Links:
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