This album takes some heat amongst metal fans, and even die-hard W.A.S.P. fans, and for some reasons that heat is valid. But I don’t think all of that derogatory talk is warranted. Maybe people wanted the band to continue forever in the phase of story-telling albums such as The Crimson Idol or in the more serious vein of K.F.D. I’m really not sure, but Helldorado is certainly a change in direction again from both of those albums.
I’ll admit that when I first bought the album, I gave it a few tries, found it to be just average, and threw it in the closet for a couple of years and forgot about it. However, upon its resurrection in the past six months, I have found myself wondering why I gave it such a poor appraisal on first listen.
Take note, however. This album contains some of the most ridiculous lyrics ever written. Without knowing for sure, I can only guess that Blackie decided to get right away from the serious kind of lyrics he had been writing in recent albums, and go for pure stupidity on this release. No great problem with that, I guess, but it makes it difficult to sing along to the songs with great gusto because they are so very uninspiring. The band did it brilliantly with songs like “F*#k Like A Beast” and “Blind in Texas”, but a whole album of clangers?
It really is a shame, because the music itself is top shelf W.A.S.P. riffage and energy. Blackie is in fine form on vocals, Chris Holmes is at his rocking best with typical leads, Mike Duda on bass and backing vocals continues his excellent work, while Stet Howland is again fantastic on drums.
No doubt this was an effort to return closer to the sound of the original three W.A.S.P. albums, and musically they have done it brilliantly. Lyrically however it’s just a little too childish to enjoy fully. Having said that, I think this has been underrated for many years because people have been taking it on face value. The tunes are still great, and listening to the music without analyzing the lyrics will give you a greater appreciation for it as a whole.
Rating: Better than it is given credit for. 4/5
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