Hard 20 |
W.A.S.P."The Neon God" As most of you should know, the latest offering from W.A.S.P. is a concept album that's served up as two seperate releases, "Part One - The Rise" and "Part Two - The Demise," which was a brilliant idea. However, when it comes to writing a review, I can't look at this project as two seperate entities. I view "The Neon God" as a single body of work because it's a concept album. One that's built around a single, simple question...why are we here? Musically, this is everything we expect (and more) from a W.A.S.P. album. I think the true genius here lies within the story and the passion in which this story is told. Before you even listen to the album, there's a ten page story in the CD booklet, which must be read before you go into the music. It gives you the backround on the main character, Jesse Slane. It creates this character in your mind and it helps to bring the album to life. You can't help but get wrapped up in this release. I recieved a promo copy of "Part Two - The Demise," which means no CD booklet, no lyrics, no continuation of the story, which I assume is included in this release, much like the first one. I haven't seen it yet, so, I can't really comment on it. All I've got to go on is the music and, without the lyrics sitting in front of me, it's harder to follow what's going on. However, the passion in Blackie's voice is just as strong as the first album. Blackie Lawless had a vision and to really appreciate that vision, you need to experience the big picture. This is not a W.A.S.P. album that you can just listen to and enjoy and, if you take that approach, you might be a little disappointed...for the simple fact that you do not have a complete understanding of what it is that you're listening to. Know what I mean? You need to understand the character of Jesse Slane and you need to understand what he's going through. If you listen to these albums and come off with, "Oh, they're great," well, you're full of shit. You're not gonna get it after the first listen. You need to go through each album a few times, take it all in, dwell on it for awhile. Only then will you understand how brilliant "The Neon God" really is. It's the most creative project that W.A.S.P. has ever done and, if you're really a fan, you'll give it the respect that it deserves and you'll experience Blackie's vision the way he intended you to experience it. |