W.A.S.P.
Kill Fuck Die

Strange story, that of W.A.S.P. Emerging like a bomb in the mid-'80s as the legitimate heirs of Alice Cooper, but with a bit more provocation and irreverence, right from their debut album, one of the best of their discography in my opinion, they managed to carve a place among the greats of classic heavy metal through literally destructive performances and stunts during concerts that border on decency, among torture wheels with naked women, throwing pig meat into the audience, eating worms, drinking (fake) blood, tossing knives, and playing with chainsaws, of which the latter is the group's emblem. Towards the end of the '80s, something changed in the mind of Blackie Lawless, the undisputed leader of the band and a person of exceptional culture and extremely intelligent. Enough talking about sex, excesses, drugs, and other things; this is not the example that should be set, and also, this is not the lifestyle I want to continue maintaining for my life. Referring to a phrase I read on the Internet, and which, in my opinion, fits perfectly, "Musical stagnation corrodes artists," which is absolutely true in a good 85%. How many glam/hair metal bands, for example, fell in the late '80s because of new genres? Just think of Warrant, Cinderella, or mentioning a well-known band like Motley Crue. But let's get back to us. After releasing their album of compositional and musical maturity, "The Headless Children," in 1992, W.A.S.P. released their masterpiece and indissoluble pillar of Heavy Metal, as well as a wonderful concept album, I'm talking about "The Crimson Idol." After the tour, at the end of '93, Lawless was physically and mentally destroyed. In '95, W.A.S.P. released "Still Not Black Enough," an introspective record that sounds more like a solo album by Lawless himself, certainly one of the most difficult albums to understand from the U.S. group, to be listened to with lyrics in hand. And here, we return to the album I will review. Two years later, in '97, the group released "Kill Fuck Die," an experimental album where the massive use of synthesizers, distortions, and other elements typical of Industrial/Stoner Metal can immediately be noticed. Strengthened also by the return of Chris Holmes, Lawless' faithful companion, W.A.S.P. decided to return to the excesses of the past, reprising some of the stunts from the past.

The album opens with the title track, where a sort of distortion followed by rapidly accelerating drumming leads us to Lawless' voice, which seems possessed, also supported by distorted tones, with an angry, sudden, nasty voice. Very effective pre-chorus, then unleash in the chorus dictated with an almost intimidating tone "Kill, fuck, and die! That's all you'll get from life!" "Take the Addiction" continues the same line as the title track, although here the frontman's voice is increasingly venomous, and the distortions take over, it feels like being in a room that gradually shrinks, sending our mind into a tailspin, while dust and rust suffocate us. Truly effective. "My Tortured Eyes," is a kind of ballad, introduced by a hypnotic riff by Holmes, followed by Blackie's voice, lamenting, also hypnotic, whispering "Go ahead, kill me... I know it's all you want," it feels like listening to a request in the throes of madness, which explodes after about 2 minutes in a perfect solo by Holmes, the song accelerates, and Lawless explodes repeating the chorus in full voice. One of my absolute favorite songs of the album and the band, capable of creating a frightening atmosphere. "Killahead" breaks in after a few seconds of buzzing, explosive and impossible to stop in its advance, one of the most powerful pieces of the album, narrating the imminent murder and rape of a girl by a mental patient, who says how the machine and hi-tech sex are two absolutely perfect things. "Kill Your Pretty Face" initially follows the line of "My Tortured Eyes," a barely perceptible Lawless and a Holmes dictating dominance in the listener's mind through a hypnotic riff. Suddenly a shout from the frontman awakens the listener from sleep, and then shouts, crashing drums, a perfect solo by Holmes ensure this song remains seared into the mind of whoever listens to it. "Fetus" is a short intro, where a creature, appearing non-human, breaks in with chilling screams, followed by barely perceptible whispers. Is something new and scary born, is this what Lawless wants to tell us? Just over a minute to shudder the listener and prepare them for the second fastest piece of the album, we're talking about "Little Death," which breaks in explicitly, with a fiendish, sick Blackie, an absolutely frightening voice. An absolutely ingenious pre-chorus, and an incredibly more ingenious chorus. In the middle of the track, perfectly set in my opinion, Lawless repeats the chorus but in a more seductive way, as if he wanted to draw the listener to himself and then tear them apart, a kind of reassurance and then find oneself imprisoned in his coils. "U," is one of my favorite pieces on the album, a song dictated by slow and fast, with a singer capable of adapting his voice perfectly every single second. No comparison to "Kill Your Pretty Face," in fact "U" is much more complex in its progress, certainly remains one of the most beautiful pieces on the album. "Wicked Love," introduced by a masterful bass gallop, takes us to a fast piece, where Lawless tells us about the sick perversion of a killer, who has several fantasies, lust over children's bodies, intoxications, naked girls, prostitutes, so much that before bursting into the chorus he says "Who's coming for you is the patient of the moment!" Definitely a great piece. "The Horror" excellently closes this album, a slow but effective riff by Chris Holmes introduces us to Blackie's voice, subtle but full of poison, accompanied by various sinister noises that only make the listener shiver. Comparing it to "U" would be senseless, "The Horror" is perfectly successful, as scary as it is, in the central break, all instruments rest, and there is only the drums accompanying the singer's phrases "I am God, I am the worm on the razor wire, all the pigs will die, fuck me, kill me, drink my blood, and kneel before the horror." A great piece to greatly close an excellent album.

At the time, when "Kill Fuck Die" was released it was certainly not exempt from criticism, indeed, if the P.M.R.C. still existed at that time they would have had a heart attack reading the album's lyrics. Like most '80s bands, they were flooded with criticism and destined to wander into oblivion only to reemerge in the second half of the 2000s to reunite, play some concerts with the hit songs of the past, and various crap organized only to make money and have an assured retirement. W.A.S.P. was one of the very few bands to emerge unscathed from that dark period that were the '90s, also strengthened by first-rate guitarists and an image that shaped them perfectly in the '80s, as well as a decisive support from Alice Cooper, who always liked the band. Definitely, W.A.S.P. has changed today, Lawless has hung up the perversions, the anti-conformist themes, and has dedicated himself to religion, always producing excellent albums, but this "Kill Fuck Die" every time sounds like something that attracts us, binds us to us and never lets us go, alienating our mind and corrupting it, possessing us.

Ps: As a cover, I chose to put an alternative image of the cover, which in my opinion, shows the true essence of the album.