Inside the Electric Circus

One woman down my street is, too hot for the average man!

Man! I'd love to just say that that's all you really need to know, but a) what fun would that be? And b) it actually isn't that simple. By this point, Blackie and co. had reached peak glam levels. Considering the massive lyrical sleaze, the album art, and the general attitude, you can almost tell that W.A.S.P. took what they'd established on The Last Command and ran with it. But interestingly enough, Inside The Electric Circus didn't get the attention that its predecessor did. The thing that sets this one apart outside of the grainier production is the fact that the strong songs are extra strong, while the couple fillers at the end hold less of a flame.

Given that information, that should speak volumes about what this record did right, seeing that I still like it more. The bluntly lust-charged, sweaty bangers here reach new levels partially because of the harder push behind Holmes's riff work and the snarl in Lawless's voice. "9.5-N.A.S.T.Y." takes the pretentious stature presented prior and boosts it to bigger and raunchier levels. You can feel the ridiculousness of it, yet the booming energy fucks you with a knife harder than Cannibal Corpse could ever dream of. "Shoot From The Hip" is like this ones's sidekick that boils away some of the extra beef, and I love every bit of both tracks.

And like before, there are high amounts of weight in the calmer songs that dial some of this testosterone back. "Restless Gypsy" is an instant favorite with the way it hearkens back to the '70s rock 'n roll vibes. W.A.S.P.'s ability to use cooler vocals mixed with harder drum kicks under a hot mix highlights some of their greatest talents. "I'm Alive" casts the exact same energy, rolling out harmonies and galloping rhythms for days. And that acoustic intro fused with Van Halen-inspired riffwork on "Mantronic"? Forget it! My one and only complaint about Inside The Electric Circus is that the last two songs drop in quality a bit, preventing it from being up there right below the debut rank wise. In other words, the filler is all crammed at the end, and this could have ended after track ten and been all but perfect. These songs are by no means bad, but they're very unneeded.

Evenly extracting and dispensing the mixture of fuming riffs, attitude, sleaze, and fun from the title track and its opener across the record was what truly made this such a magical ride. It's a longer album, but I always feel like it ends so fast. The addition of two covers, Ray Charles's "I Don't Need No Doctor" and Uriah Heap's "Easy Living" broke things up a bit, but their strong execution and ability to fall right in place here is what made them work so well. The former took something old and innocent and brought it up to speed, while the latter assisted with the aforementioned '70s vibes. Truly incredible.

This album seems to get mixed reactions (including from Blackie himself, who hates this record), but I think it summarized the heavier side of glam metal as a whole. The wild mix of catchiness, harsh chugging, dark atmosphere, and rock 'n roll probably overwhelms some people, if the jock-rock attitude doesn't get in their way first. It's a shame that songs like "King Of Sodom And Gomorrah" aren't as strong as the title suggests, but if you ask me, they took what made The Last Command great and improved it even more.

Hindsight can be a cruel way of assessing the past, and that becomes more and more the case when a veritable storm cloud of controversy surrounds the era under consideration. Thus stands the misjudged and unfairly maligned junior studio outing of W.A.S.P. in Inside The Electric Circus, panned by cynical rock critics and even the album's chief composer as a "pile of junk", the former out of an ongoing malicious desire to rewrite history whereas the latter based on shifting lyrical priorities that are far more understandable. Naturally the specter of the infamous Penelope Spheeris mockumentary The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years and guitarist Chris Holmes' correspondingly embarrassing antics hangs over this era of the band, often cited as the linchpin of the glam scene's subsequent downfall and the rise of thrash metal and later grunge (thrash had been around for several years by said point, hence the revisionism). Nevertheless, when stripped of the ancillary baggage and imagery, what would seem a musical fit of self-parody turns out to be a very competent and well-realized collection of songs that are far above the post hoc reputation with which they've been saddled.

Playing off the already established theatrical gimmickry that this band had married to a very credible and real talent base, the visual and lyrical aesthetic of a circus with Blackie Lawless as the tiger-clad ringleader is an all too appropriate one. Nevertheless, once the playful carnival tune and prelude "The Big Welcome" subsides, a metallic fury that is almost equally as formidable as the last two studio excursions commences. The riveting title song boasts a grand metallic affair of literally epic proportions, likening the roaring vocals and high-impact riff work to a pack of mad carnivores, and the strong Judas Priest underpinnings to the music lends credence to said visual. While the production value that's along for the maddened ride boasts a slick, high-fidelity character, this song and indeed the entire album is not a stylistic compromise with the keyboard-friendly world of mainstream 1986 like Judas Priest's Turbo, but more an orthodoxy restatement of the sound established back in 84' with Defenders Of The Faith. Alongside this standout speeder stands the more rocking, early-Saxon inspired "Sweet Cheetah" and an arena-friendly sing-along cooker "The Rock Rolls On" to keep the metal factor at the fore.

Be all this as it may, there is a noticeably stronger mid-paced rocking character to most of this album that lends some degree of credence to this band's alleged commercial leanings, though the aggression factor behind the cliche shock-lyrics is not found wanting. The less than subtle amalgamation of two AC/DC classics in "For Those About To Rock" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" with an 80s sleaze gloss dubbed "9.5.-Nasty" and the unsubtle retread of grooving rock fanfare staked out on "L.O.V.E. Machine" and "Wild Child" that is "Restless Gypsy" are among the most predictable of the lot, but spare no expense on the infectious hooks and sheer power factor. Even the commercial sentiments of this album found in the Celtic-fused Uriah Heep cover "Easy Living" and the Twisted Sister oriented revamp of the old Ray Charles tune "I Don't Need No Doctor" don't detract from this album's unimpeded flow. Arguably the weakest link in this chain of theatrical bluster is the easy-going and lyrically profane "Shoot From The Hip", which sounds the closest to Poison territory, yet manages to rock out quite effectively and offer yet another piece of historic controversy that continues to allow Blackie to live rent free in Tipper Gore's nightmares.

The historical revisionists and the now more socially conscious impresario of this outfit may never give this album a fair shake, but this does not mean that everyone else has to follow suit. It goes without saying that this album is a celebration of excess, much in the same respect that every other commercially oriented album tends to be, but it doesn't bang out those chords, beats and infectious melodies with its words. There is also a fairly solid case to be made that Chris Holmes is more on his game here than the last two albums in the guitar soloing department, as there's a fair bit more flash and intrigue going on between Blackie's gritty narrations of the circus' exploits. It's a final hurrah for an era where fun was a higher priority than depth by a band that was well aware of who they were and who was in their audience, and some of it would enjoy limited representation in W.A.S.P.'s live shows up until the mid 2000s. The circus may have since closed tent for good, paving the way for a more sober, political and faith-based version of the same heavy wrecking machine, but the echoes of its exploits have not ceased to invade the ears of anyone curious about the world of just over 30 years past.

Now I’ve heard a bunch of different sides to this album – Lawless says it’s a fucking atrocity to mankind, reviewers here on Metal Archives tend to disagree, and the cocksuckers at Capitol thought it was fairly decent. Going into this after hearing the colossus that was The Last Command, I was sure as hell going in knowing very well it was a step down. I wasn't correct, as this album kicks ass from start to finish. It's essentially a collection of insanely fun, straightforward tracks one after the other. This album truly has more in common with the debut than anything because it goes back to that raw, sleazy attitude. It manages to remain more professional, though, so don’t let Blackie in a cheetah outfit tell you otherwise.

Lawless himself picks up rhythm guitar duties herein, and while the previous album was loads more memorable, the playing here remains as stellar as ever – if not better. The riffs still are one in the same direction-wise from The Last Command, with a stronger approach towards more hard-hitting tracks. Choruses are heavier, vocals more hoarse, the drumming much louder; god damn they sound pissed. Hearing Lawless and Holmes dish it out reminds me of Jake E. Lee’s style on Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark At The Moon - he had guitar duties all to himself and needed to make an impression after Rhoads’ passing, so he went all out. Therefore, the riffs on Inside The Electric Circus orient themselves across a huge spectrum as to be sure the audience in the very back behind 10,000 others are going to hear it just as clearly as those front and center.

While the debut really had this problem with dull songs, it’s not too big of a deal here. There are definitely songs that don’t stand out, but there’s a standard that the consistency meets from first to last. Bass on all these go pretty unnoticed over the layering guitar attacks, but you’ll likely not pay too much attention to that. There’s still enough backing power in the riffs to do justice, so you’ll pay more attention to the riffs than anything else. If anything, I’ll blame the production on this because it focuses completely on the guitars and vocals while leaving out the bass and drums.

Surprisingly though, the drumming sounds damn good: double bass thumps deeply and heavily, toms have that catchy 80s echo, and the cymbals don’t crash like tin can lids. Solos adapt to which ever song they accompany – the title track has a very classy solo, “Restless Gypsy” wouldn’t be the same without it’s heartfelt solo, and “King Of Sodom And Gomorrah” is only a Middle Eastern inspired song because of its Middle Eastern inspired solo. It’s definitely the best option they had instead of putting all flamboyant solos for every track, which would just sound out of place.

Every time I leave this album alone for a bit, I keep forgetting why it kicks ass. Then I go back to it, hear just three random songs, and come back to my senses. It’s hard to believe that Lawless finds this crap compared to the debut and even The Crimson Idol. It’s the last W.A.S.P. album to continue the heavy metal / hard rocking / party tradition while still remaining a seminal piece of music. I won’t deny that W.A.S.P. has failed to deliver quality material, but it definitely didn’t start with this one.

With every new album W.A.S.P. puts out, they tend to do new theatrics when playing live, and this album is no exception (they even had the stage look like a circus!). "Inside the Electric Circus” is my favorite W.A.S.P. album (following this one are “W.A.S.P.”, “The Crimson Idol” and “UnHoly Terror”), and is slightly different than their first two releases. “Inside the Electric Circus” has a different sound compared to “The Last Command”, with sharp and quick riffs, and sound texture (I won’t go into detail on that). This album ended the “fun stuff” W.A.S.P. did early in their career and prepared everyone for the serious albums (I’m going by studio albums, skipping “Live… In the Raw”). “The Big Welcome” begins the album, with Blackie acting as a circus leader, welcoming all to the main attraction. The second half, “Inside the Electric Circus”, continues with heavy riffs and straight up W.A.S.P. goodness that we’d expect from Blackie & Co. The Humble Pie cover of “I Don’t Need No Doctor” is, honest to say, better than the original (and the only version I’ve heard of the original, is a live version). “9-5 N.A.S.T.Y. was the first single of the album, and by far, the loudest. I’m surprised Blackie didn’t damage any vocal cords while screaming the chorus of the song (although he had to do a few vocal sessions for “Wild Child”, I wonder how long this one took). “Restless Gypsy”, now, I wouldn’t say that this is a ballad, pur se, but it does seem like one, and still an all around great song. “Shoot from the Hip” continues the ass kicking of this album, and is a very catchy track. “I’m Alive” is a great song to listen to; it makes you think of riding a motorcycle. The second cover song, originally by Uriah Heep, “Easy Living” is a song that you might find yourself singing to every once in a while. “Sweet Cheetah” seems like Blackie went back to the “circus” theme for a while, and seems like a continuation of “Restless Gypsy” and it’s a good love song (if you want to go that far). “Mantronic” and “King of Sodom and Gomorrah” sound somewhat similar, and are one of the many songs that tend to go unnoticed (too bad for those people eh?). For the original album, the circus stops, but tells you that they will return soon, with “The Rock Rolls On” is one hell of a rock n’ roll song. A fast, hard and heavy song, just the way we like it.

Now, as with some previous and future W.A.S.P. albums, there is a remastered edition. This one comes with two bonus tracks, “Flesh & Fire”, which uses lots of metaphors in the song (Blackie talking about sex, referring to baseball), and the satirical, “D.B. Blues” (Douche Bag Blues). The second bonus track is very... odd. Blackie wasn’t kidding when he said at the beginning, “This is what happens when you consume massive amounts of drugs and alcohol”.

If you’re able to find this album, throw the Slipknot album or whatever friggin’ album you going to buy, and buy this one; it's a treasure. If you’re a fanatic of 80’s heavy metal, you won’t be disappointed; if you are disappointed, shame.

The first two W.A.S.P. albums were undeniable classics, totally amazing stuff. Heavy metal at it's very, very best. The third album however, did turn out to be quite a disappointment. Why? Inconsistency. This has some of W.A.S.P.'s greatest tracks, but also some of their worst (at least of the first five, which is all I've got so far). Sorta like their Fear of the Dark, only better.

The album is pretty similar to The Last Command, but the guitar sound is a bit sharper and heavier. Otherwise, it's just straightforward rockage all through.
But like I said, several of the songs turn out to be quite disappointing. The second track, I Don't Need No Doctor, is a midpaced, rock n' roll-ish tune which never did anything for me. Despite some groovy vocal lines, it just never seems to get anywhere. And then Shoot From The Hip, King of Sodom and Gomorrah and Mantronic just feel very by-the-numbers, and there isn't alot of effort put into the songwriting. They're not bad songs, but you've heard them all before in much better formats.

The rest, however, is W.A.S.P. as we know and love them. The nearly speed metal riffs and explosive vocals of the title track grabs you by the balls from start to finish. 95 N.A.S.T.Y. is just groovy as hell, with the drum-driven verses, sinister atmosphere and another killer chorus.
Restless Gypsy was their best ballad to date, with some totally awesome vocal melodies and a mesmerizing atmosphere as the major standouts. The Uriah Heep cover Easy Living is probably the best cover they ever did. Sweet Cheetah is just your standard W.A.S.P. track- which means that it owns. The Rock Rolls On is a very catchy rocker with a great chorus, that works very well as a closer. But the definite highlight is I'm Alive, which easily ends up in my top 5 W.A.S.P. songs. The layered guitarwork shines brightly, with the galloping riffs and the killer melodies over it. On top of it all, we have some very memorable vocal lines, especially the chorus which is totally classic material.


Inside The Electric Circus is definitely quite far below the band's first two releases, but still shouldn't be easily dismissed. This has some totally amazing material on it as well, that you just can't miss. If you just skip the bad stuff, this is pretty much another masterpiece.

Oh yeah, the humorous bonus track Douche Bag Blues must also be mentioned. The title pretty much says it all. It begins with the totally classic quote- "Now this isn't the stuff we usually do for you guys, this is what happens when you consume massive amounts of drugs and alcohol." And it ends with another classic- "Time flies when you're in a coma, you know that?"