The three albums themselves had been somewhat of a revelation. The debut self-titled album had brought with it a frenetic energy that captured exactly what the band was producing live, with songs that covered the extremes both lyrically and musically. Their second album “The Last Command” had toned down a touch and settled into a great rhythm, while the band's third album “Inside the Electric Circus” comes across like a mixed metaphor in places, with great tracks and perhaps some average ones thrown into the mix. Then came the live album “Live... In the Raw”, an album that put a pin in the band’s first era, showcasing the best of their material in the live environment, and in many ways running a line underneath that time.
Over 2.5 years separated studio albums for W.A.S.P. which given their live and touring popularity seemed a long time for the era. There had been a revolving door in regards to the drummer position in the band following Steve Riley’s departure for L.A. Guns, with several people having been tried out on the stool. As the band slowly inched their way into the studio again to record their follow up to “Inside the Electric Circus”, they procured former Quiet Riot member Frankie Banali to come on board to record the album, though at this stage only as a guest musician and not a full member of the band.
Entering the studio, it was Blackie Lawless who took up much of the writing of the songs for the album, somewhat shunning the partnership he had enjoyed with guitarist Chris Holmes on earlier albums. The result was a turning point for W.A.S.P., with songs that came in a more mature fashion and with much more serious and world-wise lyrics than had been the case on previous albums. Such was the course set for “The Headless Children”, an album that became a high water mark in the career of W.A.S.P. the band.
The differences that have come with this fourth album are noticeable immediately from the opening strains of “The Heretic (The Lost Child)”. Indeed, this song is such an amazing turn from what had preceded it on the first three albums that it is sometime hard to believe there wasn’t another album in between that acted as the missing link. What the band has done on this album is difficult to explain in the correct terms, because it is truly amazing. For a start, it is fast, and it is heavy, and the emotional anger comes across in Blackie vocals from the outset. With lyrics such as: “And soldiers keep coming - like warriors they die, but gang land's alive when mothers cry. Cause hate's blind addictions, a killing machine, and it burns on the fuel of shattered lives” Blackie is not leaving anything unsaid. Then as he rages through the middle of the song, “Rise and see, it's the down of insanity, keeper of the gates of fire. And the Heretic has said ‘You don't have to be afraid, until I - until I come to get ya’” it picks up more intensity. That raging guitar solo that enters the final chorus still sends shivers down my spine listening to it, and then the second solo that plays out to the end of the track. W.A.S.P. has many amazing opening songs on their albums, but none better than this. It sets the mood for the whole album going forward, and from the very outset shows that this is not to be anything like what the band has produced before.
This is followed by the perfect punctuation of the cover version of The Who song, “The Real Me”, but completely W.A.S.P.ified. Blackie takes centre stage and fires his vocals through the speakers with the passion of a man who is in love with this song – which he is, and of the band The Who. W.A.S.P. was in the habit of putting cover songs on their albums, and they were all generally excellent versions, and this is no different.
The darker tones of the music, especially in the brilliant title track, are part of that journey. Lyrics shooting from the hip on political warmongering and the resulting images that come from it. Blackie’s struggle with what his own concept of God was at the time comes to the fore in lines such as “Father come save us from this madness we're under, God of creation are we blind? Cause some here are slaves that worship guns that spit thunder, the children that you've made have lost the minds”. Having taken hold of this ship in regards to the songwriting and therefore the direction, Blackie has shown a penchant for a much more serious look at the world as a whole. Whether this came from a desire to be taken more seriously as an artist or songwriter or a person, who can tell. But it certainly succeeds through “The Headless Children”. The main riff throughout is an instant headbanger, played perfectly and driven even harder by Blackie’s vocal delivery. Just a great song.
“Thunderhead” follows and is belligerently hard and direct in describing a drug addicts' woes, and the battle between the addict and the drug itself. The lyrics here continue to show a much more serious side to the band’s thought processes on this album, and again is perfectly played and presented in that theme.
Side two opens with the masterpiece “Mean Man”. This is classic and brutal W.A.S.P., the song written by Blackie about his bandmate and comrade, guitarist Chris Holmes. The exact kind of tribute that Holmes deserves, with barrelling lyrics and rollicking guitar riffs and solos, this is the exact kind of maturing in the songwriting that fans would have wanted, with the core of the band’s sound from years past dialled up a notch, and yet with great lyrics that are more thoughtful and appropriate. And yes, it is ironic that Holmes left the band within six months of this album being released, and that a spate of words went public between the two – but this is still a great song and a great tribute.
“The Neutron Bomber” follows, another great song whipped up by great singalong vocals guitar riff again. Some people at the time that the mention of the name Ronnie meant that this song was about former US President Ronald Reagan, which in one interview Blackie had actually said was the subject of the lyrics. However, the more likely scenario is the one that Blackie suggested in a different interview, that it was about a serial arsonist called Ronnie that he knew growing up. Certainly, the lyrics focus more on that scenario than the first.
In fact, the most unusual songs on the album are the acoustic instrumental “Mephisto Waltz” that then leads into “Forever Free”, the power ballad that takes a completely different course from every other song on the album. Now it's not as though W.A.S.P. are incapable of doing a power ballad. “Sleeping in the Fire” from their self-titled debut album is a stomping song, one of the best power ballads ever in my opinion, in the very small category of songs ranked ‘good power ballads’. And Blackie produced a couple of very solid ones on the band’s next studio album. But this is a standout because it is such a change from the road this album had travelled with every other track. But while it is a power ballad, it has enough moments of greater force and guitar riffs that make it rise above the other applicants of this genre. I sing along still every time I listen to this album.
The album closes in a fit of fury with “Maneater” and “Rebel in the F.D.G”, which the linear notes explain stands for Fucking Decadent Generation. Both of these songs are more of a throwback to the songs from the first two albums, carefree with the lyrics, fast tempo with great guitars and sing along lyrics to boot. It’s almost like Blackie saying ‘yes this album is different, but we can still do those old style songs’. Fun, fast and energetic, with more Chris Holmes soloing to take us out with a bang. “Maneater” has Blackie again channelling his motorcycle roots, while “Rebel in the F.D.G” has him expanding and expounding on his callow youth. It tops off what is an amazing album in the best possible way.
The maturity of this album is frankly astounding. The band has gone from singing about girls and sex and school days, to making direct commentary and statements on the way they see the world around them at that time. Or, more precisely, the way Blackie sees it. And that should not be confused. As stated earlier, Blackie wrote this album, or at least all of the lyrics himself. So this is his change from the band’s initial position in music genre and status, and it really makes its mark. It’s a long way from “Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)” and “L.O.V.E Machine” to “The Headless Children” and “The Heretic (The Lost Child)”. It’s an amazing transformation – lyrically from those types of topics to the ones generally addressed here on this album, and musically becoming a heavier and darker album throughout. W.A.S.P. is not mucking around here, they aren’t playing games. This is an intelligent and hard hitting album that steps it up in almost every way possible from their first three studio albums.
In the late 1980’s I had my flirtation with a university degree, and in the process just made myself miserable. In 1988 I had become almost irretrievably obsessed with W.A.S.P. and had picked up those first three albums and the live album on vinyl at my favourite second hand record store in Wollongong, and played them ad nauseum through that year. Then this album was released, just a couple of months before the termination of that uni career. I bought this album on vinyl within the first couple of weeks of its release... and went bat shit crazy with love. I was depressed and angry, and my word this album just amplified that, and at the same time drew that frustration out of me with the joy it gave me. And I still love those early W.A.S.P. albums, but this is just another level.
Everything about this album is as close to if not perfect as it can be. Frankie Banali’s drumming is superb here, creating the platform for each song with its power and timing, and yet subtlely staying in the quiet corner when needed. Johnny Rod, on what would be his final album with the band, has some terrific moments, especially within “The Real Me” and “Thunderhead” where he is especially present, and his contribution to backing vocals is terrific. Chris Holmes on lead guitar again steals much of the show for me. It is difficult to explain how important his guitar is to the W.A.S.P. sound, until you hear the albums where he is not a part of the band. He dominates again on this album and provides some of the best moments with his soloing out the final moments of those tracks. And Blackie Lawless is almost at the top of his tree, especially his vocals on this album. You really do feel what Blackie is singing about on this album, his frustration and anger and desire to preach to the masses.
This album was the star attraction for 1989. To me it is still a masterpiece. It became one of 3 or 4 albums that was my soundtrack for that year, and I never tire of listening to it. Indeed, this has been back on my playlist for 6 weeks leading up to this episode. I put it on my playlist EARLY, just because I wanted to. And I have listened to it a lot, and listened to it loud. It is a gem, one of those great albums that most W.A.S.P. fans would agree with, and yet it still seems almost hidden from most of the metal community who only know the first two albums and then the one that followed this album. I hope that for everyone who happens to listen to this episode of my podcast, it changes your world. It changed mine 35 years ago.
And yet, it signified the end of the great era of the band. Chris Holmes left in August 1989, citing that he wanted to do stuff he liked, while Blackie kicked him on the way out suggesting he was being pulled by his apron strings, a harsh reference to his then partner Lita Ford. Johnny Rod also found the door, and the band actually ceased to exist for a while, until Blackie decided he was ready to get going again, but perhaps as a solo artist. That of course is a story for another day... or an episode of this podcast that has already been recorded... search it out if you aren’t sure of what I am talking about.
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