 |
|
Band Name: W.A.S.P.
Album Name: Dominator
Rating: 3.5 / 5 User Rating: 4.2 / 5
Label: Demolition
Buy Album: Amazon.com
Rate Album: Rate
|
Tracklist
1. Mercy
2. Long, Long Way to Go
3. Take Me Up
4. Burning Man
5. Heaven's Hung in Black
6. Heaven's Blessed
7. Teacher
8. Heaven's Hung in Black (Reprise)
9. Deal with the Devil
|
Shock rockers W.A.S.P have been doing their best to corrupt the minds of metalheads for over two decades. Blackie Lawless and his gang of vampire gypsies have been to hell and back in the metal scene, saw-toothed codpieces, flaming logos and skulls filled with blood in tow. “Dominator” moves away from the sound we have been hearing from the group for the past decade, with Lawless instead opting to revisit the sound he pioneered on albums like “The Headless Children” and “Inside The Electric Circus.”
Upon first spin, the sound is undeniably W.A.S.P. Tracks like “Long, Long Way To Go” and “Mercy” are replete with Blackie's trademark vocals, hard-driving rhythms and ear-piercing leads. As on “The Headless Children,” Blackie's lyrical angle is built upon political concepts. For long-time fans of the group, the lack of the type of sexually-themed material heard on the group's self-titled debut and popular follow-up, “The Last Command,” will be disappointing, because that's the type of material that W.A.S.P undeniably does best, but it's been long enough since the band walked down that sleazy road that it's forgivable the group no longer rests upon such touchstones.
“The Burning Man” shows that W.A.S.P can still kick out a relentless tune that could be an appropriate soundtrack to the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, while mellower tunes like the dark ballad “Heaven Hung In Black” and the eerie, distant “Take Me Up” reflect a more melodic side that's existed in the band since their first go at perfecting a gloomy ballad with “Sleeping In The Fire.”
Still, there's some sense that W.A.S.P has yet to recapture the wild and reckless spirit that defined the band's first three platters. There's a yearning left for the vibe of classic W.A.S.P cuts like “B.A.D,” “Wild Child,” “Harder Faster” and yes “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” that's going to remain until Mr. Lawless and company decide a return to perversity and pornography would better serve the band than a political statement or rock opera.
Review by: E.F.
Read Member Reviews
|
