W.A.S.P.: KFD (HEAVY METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

In 1992, a humanoid named Blackie Lawless had released the album of all the superlatives: "The Crimson Idol". It had remained since then, for him and his fans, a Grail as well as a trauma because it had generated the feeling that this perfection would never be achieved again. The previous opus "Still Not Black Enough", although good, had confirmed this impression, to the point of making us fear that W.A.S.P. was doomed to an infinite repetition, as much as an artistic death. But then we were very much wrong, because if Blackie had been imperial, it was said that he would be again, but differently. It remained to be seen what the changes would be.

First of all, the sound, harsh, dirty, heavy, marked by the seal of the industrial productions that had appeared since the beginning of the 90's under the influence of bands such as Nine Inch Nails. A sound of such a power, imposes such a strong domination of the atmospheres, that it comes to stifle even the voice of a Blackie more hateful and unhealthy than ever. The album opens with a "Kill Fuck Die" taking all the elements of the anthems that have made and still make the legend of our Americans, but to plunge them into an unprecedented violence and never repeated since.

This debauchery of rage continues on the enormous "Take The Addiction", in a direct and immediate way, "My Tortured Eyes", by sparing crescendos and explosions purely enjoyable, or "Killahead", at the cost of a darkness driven to its paroxysm. The voice of Blackie is struck by this metallic, dehumanized aspect, but remains the main source of devilish horrific emotions.

"Kill Your Pretty Face" almost comes to soothe us in the middle of this raging deluge, the vocals echoing in the distance like a mystical whisper, while the instrumental framework becomes heavier and more oppressive. The chorus appears and literally detonates at the end of a tension become unbearable. "Little Death" continues in this time, but does not manage to reach the same intensity, the fault of a more marked linearity.

Three monsters still stand in front of us: "U" the first one, starting on an almost oriental and hypnotic riff, throwing its hatred in our face with a relentless conviction. "Wicked Love" continues the march by displaying a sick, unhealthy, tortured love. The effects deployed on the other tracks are here slightly attenuated, but the sound remains mercilessly brutal, massive. "The Horror" closes the macabre march, taking back softer oriental passages, almost igniting a glimmer of hope in its melodic lines, ending on a final deluge of an always intact rage, leaving us helpless versus the silence.

Inhabited by an always rising thirst, Blackie Lawless is moved by a rage not only intact but growing. He has once again rose up, taken a relentless step forward, vociferated a nonetheless melodious anger, annihilated all that we knew, created all that we love. W.A.S.P. is still alive. - Official website

W.A.S.P.

KFD

CASTLE

HEAVY METAL