Reviewed - 05/15/04

The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise
[Sanctuary Records]

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

The name Blackie Lawless conjures up different things to different people. To me, he is a misunderstood, talented and sincere musician who has yet to create his masterpiece. He has come very close, with 'The Crimson Idol' and 'The Headless Children', but in my opinion those albums fell just short of classic status. With his (I say "his" and not "W.A.S.P." because, let's face it, W.A.S.P. is and always will be Blackie) latest concept album, 'The Neon God: Part1 - The Rise', he doesn't really break any new ground, but shows that he still has the skills to make a creative, thoughtful, and imaginative metal album.

What I immediately noticed listening to the first several tracks was the influence of The Who that had shown itself on previous W.A.S.P. albums, but not to this degree. At times, the influence is almost literal: "Why Am I Here" begins with a clean guitar figure almost exactly to that of the Who's "I Can See For Miles". "Wishing Well" has a Townshend-esque rhythm guitar figure, busy, sprawling Entwistle-esque bass lines, and a fill-heavy drum performance much like that of Keith Moon. "The Running Man" follows a similar formla. "The Rise" begins much like "Pinball Wizard", with its opening clean guitar figure. Even its refrain, "Take Me, change me, love me", is very reminiscent of "See Me, Feel Me" from 'Tommy'. Aside from the few literal influences, there is certainly the overall Pete Townshend influence throughout the album, both lyrically and conceptually.

What I really like about 'The Neon God-Part1' is the overall flow of the album, which seamlessly moves along from track to track without the listener really noticing. There are a couple of recurring vocal melodies and lyrical themes ("Why am I nothing", for example) that bring everything together. Also, there is a much more of an introspective mood to the album, with fewer heavy tracks than would be expected on a W.A.S.P. album. It works well here, with Blackie's uncharacteristically subtle performance throughout the album being a most pleasant surprise.

The production on 'The Neon God-Part 1' is nothing new to W.A.S.P. afficionados. It has that same dark, dry and somewhat claustrophobic sound that has been on virtually every W.A.S.P. album. Here it works very well, coupled with the lyrical and musical content. The guitars are very dry, with a much more up-front lead tone. The bass is well recorded and fairly loud in the mix. Frankie Banali's drums, as usual, are very powerful and take up a good portion of the soundscape, especially the snare. One curious new facet to Blackie and Co.'s sound is the Hammond B3 organ, which has a lot of that Jon Lord-ish overdrive on it. It has a fuzzy, warm tone to it and finds a nice spot in the mix. I've always taken issue with Blackie's production in the past, but here it seems tailor made for the music at hand.

'The Neon God-Part 1' is classic W.A.S.P., through and through. I would, however, like to see Blackie give up a bit of his control over every facet of the band (especially producing) some day, and maybe get a fairly consistent lineup with similarly creative musicians whom he lets contribute to the songwriting process. Ok, I'm dreaming now, but it could happen. Blackie has created another solid concept album here, and although it's not exactly groundbreaking stuff, it is certainly one of his most cohesive and enjoyable works to date. There is a second part to come later in '04, so I am anxious to hear what else Blackie has in store for the world. Stay tuned...