(TheBRHM.com) Since we’ve taken a look at Mötley Crüe’s 1981 debut Too Fast for Love, I figured “Well hell, we gotta do W.A.S.P.” For those who have never heard of W.A.S.P, they’re a band hailing from Los Angeles.
The band as well as the Crüe has its roots in the late 1970s hard rock act Sister which featured future Mötley Crüe bass player and vocalist Nikki Sixx and W.A.S.P frontman, guitarist and vocalist Blackie Lawless. Also in the band was future W.A.S.P guitarist Chris Holmes.
By 1984, Sixx had long since left Sister and—as well as its sister band London—and co-founded Mötley Crüe. Also by that time, Lawless had formed W.A.S.P and two years later, they released their self-titled debut.
What to Expect with W.A.S.P
Before we get into the album, for an idea of what W.A.S.P sounded like on this release, I’d go with a harder, heavier version of Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil or Theatre of Pain but with the tempo of Too Fast for Love. Lyrically, it’s pretty much the same themes but I’ll admit, W.A.S.P’s depiction of sex and listing simply rock because there’s an aggression or crunch to their brand of U.S heavy metal that is different from many of the 80s L.A acts.
With the background and heads up done, let’s get into this one!
The A-Side
If you enjoyed Too Fast for Love from Mötley Crüe but you need something with a lot more bite and just overall oomph, just the A-side of this self-titled release should sate you. With five tracks, W.A.S.P started with a brisk jog via the opener “I Wanna Be Somebody”.
We’ll focus on this tune as an opener but it’s a solid track and isn’t out of place among the other five on this side. I’d say this A-side is nearly flawless as it’s hard to pick three standouts. Even the two songs on this side that aren’t just the heaviest of bangers, they are great tunes.
The final boss of the A-side is “L.O.V.E Machine”. Yeah, it’s one of the singles released for the album and one of their better known tunes but it’s an awesome song! The guitars and drums do their job on this song but Blackie Lawless’ chainsaw vocals just kick this song up a notch.
Enough about “L.O.V.E Machine”, the other two in the A-side thrillogy actually follow this banger. “The Flame” has a somewhat slower tempo than “LM” and that makes it sound more sinister. It’s simply one of a several songs that just drip with lust and it just happens to be one of the better ones.
The third of the storms here is “B.A.D”. This song is basically a harder “I Wanna Be Somebody” mixed with a few splashes of “The Flame”.
Standout Tracks: L.O.V.E Machine**, The Flame*, B.A.D*
The B-Side
Coming off the A-side closer “School Daze” is “Hellion”—which opened this side the way that the A-side should’ve opened. However, it wouldn’t do as an album opener. However, the song that followed—“Sleeping (in the Fire)”: album opener candidate. It’s a great tune with lot of oomph to it that is along the lines of “L.O.V.E Machine”, “The Flame” and “B.A.D”. It’s also in the same vein as “Animal (F**k Like a Beast)”. It has a lot of bite to it.
Similar to the A-side, there is a quartet of tracks that just deliver the goods. Following “Sleeping” you have “On Your Knees” which has some speed to it. Again, Lawless’ voice does the damn job on this one and it’s the case with “Tormentor” as well! This is one of those debuts with the least B-side B-side. Yes, W.A.S.P features an A-side and a A+-side because I really enjoyed this side more than the A-side from start to finish.
The album closes with “The Torture Never Stops” and the band stuck the landing on it. This release doesn’t end on a somber tone or with a ballad. There’s no sweeping 7-minutes-plus epic here. Like all other tracks here. It tickles 4-minutes and kicks the appropriate amount ass required—precisely what I want an album closer to do.
Standout Tracks: Sleeping (in the Fire)*, On Your Knees**, Tormentor**, The Torture Never Stops*
Strength of the Opener: I Wanna Be Somebody
Off the bat, there are songs on this album that would’ve been a stronger opener. While it’s a good song on its and would’ve been at home elsewhere on the album, the sound and imagery of W.A.S.P demanded a harder, heavier song to open things.
Personally, I felt “L.O.V.E Machine”, “The Flame”, Sleeping (in the Fire)”, “On Your Knees”, and “Tormentor” were all stronger candidates that would’ve kicked album off with some real firepower. Hell, putting “Animal (F**k Like a Beast)” as the opener would’ve had the same effect as those four.
Overall, it’s not the worst opener or even a bad or weak opener but there were much better options. Flow-wise, having “L.O.V.E Machine” follow “I Wanna Be Somebody” was perfect track placement.
If you enjoyed this album, stick around for another dive into another Los Angeles band as we look at Liszt Borden’s debut Love You to Pieces.
Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.