Before I get started with the critique, let it be known I’ve been a huge W.A.S.P. fan since 1984. The first album cover art itself, ads in Hit Parader and Circus mag, seeing ‘I Wanna Be Somebody’ and ‘Love Machine’ on MTV, ‘Wild Child’ and ‘Blind In Texas’ (off “The Last Command”) when I was in middle school to say the least made an impression. “Live at the Lyceum” videotape was really was the nail in the bloody torture device to secure me as a fan. Then, with “Headless Children” and “Crimson Idol” as I graduated high school into the first two years of college… these albums both spoke to, and have become sacred, because Blackie was able to take W.A.S.P. from blood/guts/sex/rock n roll into more mature life and death issues as I matured with the music.

With that…since “Crimson Idol”, W.A.S.P. has released eight more albums, to which all had their really good, even several amazing songs. But, yes, there is a but…as a whole body of work, Blackie has been successful and failed for different creative reasons. Regardless, each album has those few songs that standup to the classics from the 80s. Completing a you can say trilogy in recent years, “Dominator” in 2007/”Babylon” in 09’, “Golgotha” pulls from the same nest (pun intended) of drum beats/rhythms, riffs, and clean guitar tones. There-in is where the problem lies - I’ve heard this all before on the last two albums, just different songs titles.

Unlike the albums from the 80s (but like I said, with the exception of a few tunes here and there 1995-2004), ‘Scream’ opens “Golgotha” with an all too familiar delivery because of the recycled riff, drum beat, and keyboard sound. ‘Lost Runaway’ is one of, if not, the best tune of the bunch, very upbeat and positive spirit, regardless of the fact it feels so much like ‘Babylon’s Burning’. ‘Shotgun’ isn’t bad either, but Blackie you’re not giving me nothing different with those riffs and drums. As clean guitars and bass sets the mood to ‘Miss You’, its a start to this ballad all too familiar (as with ‘Slaves Of The New World’, ‘Hero Of The World’) to something off (forgettable) “The Neon God: Part 1 or 2. Still, the chorus is pretty heartfelt and Doug Blair plays a fitting solo. ‘Fallen Under’ is good, but would have been much better without the quiet clean guitar/keyboard start and just kicking in. Blackie’s discovery of faith and religion in recent years is expressed in ‘Eyes Of My Maker’, with the seven minute title track (the biblical name for the place where Jesus was crucified), composed with a similar dramatic feel to ‘Heaven's Hung In Black’, and you can hear in Blackie’s vocal and lyrics a devotion to his beliefs.

Overall, lyrically Blackie continues to be intelligent, insightful, and a teacher. Musically, I don’t know if it’s Blackie who comes up with the riffs, drum beats and rhythms - it’s a creative standstill. Maybe he needs Chris Holmes back on his team, or to be collaborative and accept input from his guitarist, but something needs to be done about the redundancy of the arrangements.

Still, much love and respect to what Blackie has created with W.A.S.P. This bands catalogue of music will always be dear to my heart and an inspiration.