W.A.SP.
The Headless Children

LA RECENSIONE

For almost every band, at some point in their career, there's a need for an album that marks a turning point. Maturity, like the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Well, W.A.S.P. reached this maturity with "The Headless Children." After three wild albums, the eponymous debut, "The Last Command," and the uncertain yet still traditionalist "Inside the Electric Circus," and after the release of the live "Live... in the Raw," W.A.S.P. needed to prove they could break the mold, compose new, more technical and complex songs, with lyrics different from the sex, violence, and animalistic instincts that characterized them from '84 to '89, the year "The Headless Children" was released. And so, after hiring Frankie Banali (one of my favorite drummers), in 1989 W.A.S.P. came out with "The Headless Children." From the songs, we already have the feeling that things have changed. Blackie's voice, first and foremost, is the same, rough and scratchy, but it no longer has that animalistic start we could hear in tracks like "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" or "Blind in Texas." It's like a sort of preacher. The instruments each try to carve out their own defined space, something we notice in "Thunderhead," where the break in the middle of the song where drums and guitar take center stage is nothing short of fantastic. There is also room for the bass, just listen to "The Neutron Bomber," which wouldn't be the same without that magical bass as the backbone. "Forever Free" is a beautiful ballad that can comfortably be compared to the later "The Idol" or the earlier "Sleeping in the Fire." A blur of the early W.A.S.P. seems to be reawakened in "Mean Man," where, however, all the instruments and above all Blackie are masters in playing with the instruments and the voice, so much so that it was then featured in the live "Double Live Assassins," which I recommend everyone to listen to. There is also room for a cover, namely "The Real Me" by The Who, which I must say, fits perfectly. What can I say, many bands have shown that by sticking to the same genre, the same melodies, the same musicality, they can always hit the mark (or almost), see Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Motorhead. But not W.A.S.P. Because even if this album may sound like fucking W.A.S.P. 100%, you will immediately realize that there is a turning point from the previous records, and it is clear. This is why I've always loved this band. They had the guts to change, but not to change radically, always keeping their roots firm and tight, evolving but never denying the past.

An album that every metalhead worth their salt should have in their collection, in my opinion. Until next time!