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W.A.S.P. > Helldorado > Reviews
W.A.S.P. - Helldorado

If There's A Hell, Then I'll Buy A Round - 55%

Sweetie, March 17th, 2021

Nah, KFD wasn't the drop in quality, just the drastic shift. W.A.S.P. had been through some odd changes in the recent years, and wanting to go back to the vibes of Inside The Electric Circus is one of the worst things the band could have done. At the turn of the century, glam was the last thing that anybody really wanted. But what's baffling is Helldorado coming in so strong only to gradually fall flat on-and-off.

I say this because the intro and title track whip us with what almost feels like a fun revival after a dark period. Sure, this reeks of southern/hard rock tinges on metal steroids, and muscle-car masculinity, but at least it seems like we're headed to a return in form. And then comes "Don't Cry (Just Suck)".... Not only are the lyrics incredibly cringe-worthy, making the Electric Circus days look sophisticated, the song quality itself drops several levels. Mediocre riffing meets generic autopilot kick to create what's ultimately an edgy, empty shell. It doesn't go away, because "Dirty Balls" has every one of these issues, except even worse! Nothing else may touch this level of bad, but things like "Saturday Night Cockfight" and "Cocaine Cowboys" feel like retreads of the title track. They may not be what I'd call bad, but repeating what was just solid enough in the beginning isn't the way to go. Generic, throwaway W.A.S.P. leftovers is all that really comes off, but I suppose they're worth hearing once.

Thankfully, there is a saving grace that balances out this otherwise messy work of "decently strong to unlistenable." "Damnation Angels" is a furious, doom-ridden masterpiece. Not only does the progression feel so much more sinister because of the stompier riffs, but the writing itself is back where Blackie and co. belong. Furthermore, it's almost a reflection of what comes in the following years. I also have a soft spot for "High On The Flames" for no reason beyond the fact that it dials back some of the repetitive "car dude" aggression and feels like a breathe of fresh air. Disjointed rock 'n roll 'til the end, amirite?

Really, I think Helldorado is a product of feeling the need to prove something. They come off of this dark/industrial slide feeling like some light needs shined back to the glory days, and it came off as trying way too fucking hard. Much worse things have happened, and there are some hidden gems. But as for moments that are truly worthwhile, I can't pretend they aren't few and far.

Oh so raw - 81%

Felix 1666, October 5th, 2019
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Snapper Music

Four of eight pages of the booklet are used for advertisement? This must be a W.A.S.P. disc. Right, welcome to “Helldorado”. Of course, a fantastic work! However, Blackie would not be Blackie if he would not explain us why. “This album is a return to where we originally started. The object was not to sound like the first album…” (naturally not, this is what primitive run-of-the-mill formations do) “but more like our original demo tapes, which were even more raw sounding.” Even more raw sounding! Yes, Blackie, your music is so motherf**king goddamn raw, we have never heard a rawer sound. Nevertheless, all the euphemisms of Mr. Lawless aside, “Helldorado” is just old wine in new bottles. But okay, perhaps B. L. was just not in the mood to write another overly emotive album or another – vulgar and therefore also mother**king goddamn heavy – “K.F.D.” (which was released via – attention! – Raw Power). And, to be honest, his first albums were not that bad. “Helldorado” also does not disappoint.

Needless to mention, there are some embarrassing moments, because Blackie is Blackie, if you know what I mean; a man who lets the sparks fly between his legs on stage and probably he does the same when he is sitting at home in his weighty wing chair while enjoying the shimmering light of the fireplace. Tough boy! Either way, the spoken intro to “Dirty Balls” does not really convey pedagogically valuable lessons and the same goes for the song itself. But okay, this is metal, isn’t it? I’m undecided. However, the song has a good drive, a simple rocker with an instinctive chorus. Further titles such as “Saturday Night Cockfight” or “Don’t Cry (Just Suck)” also show the humorous side of Blackie’s nature, I have no other explanation for this kind of naming. But does anybody care about this? I don’t. The music itself is surprisingly lively and refreshingly energetic. And honestly speaking, I do not agree with those dudes who say that Blackie was heavily influenced by AC/DC during the creative process that led to “Helldorado”. Okay, the riff of the title track shows an affinity for the sounds of the Australian legend and the intro of “Damnation Angels” could also be the opening for “Sin City Part II”. So it’s true, some powerful chords seem to show the signature of Malcolm Young (R.I.P.), but all in all, the here presented songs are more or less typical W.A.S.P. tunes.

By the way, this is no surprise for me, because I belong to these (bright) people who say that Blackie writes one and the same song again and again. I am rather surprised that he is able to create so many variations of this song - and they mostly sound pretty good. Okay, “Cocaine Cowboys” was formerly known as “Fistful of Diamonds”, but only nit-pickers take care of such a minor detail. What really counts is that the album is free from these overly melancholic, ultra-thoughtful moments. Maybe it is pretty foolish to re-generate the spirit of times gone by, but I admit that “Helldorado” can brag with a certain amount of juvenile insubordination. (On a side note, this is almost an ironic twist of fate, because all songs show the conventional verse-chorus-verse pattern.) Only one thing is missing which is usually an integral component of each and every W.A.S.P. output: the fillers. Did Blackie forget them? I feel a tinge of frustration, but all songs have charm and can rely on solid riffs, lines and leads. Moreover, they profit from a pretty noisy yet professional production. This sound fundament gives them a straight-in-your-face attitude and this was probably exactly what the grandmaster of sparkling balls wanted. Speaking of him, his vocal performance reflects joy, rebellion and vigour. Therefore I cannot identify any weak spot here, if we neglect the childish outlaw-lyrics. Lawless sings “I’m gonna f**k or fight” and he can do whatever he wants to do, but I do something else. I finish this review right now.

40 Minutes of Enter Sandman - 89%

heavymetalbackwards, July 11th, 2009

You know the main riff to Enter Sandman? I hope you like it, because 5 of the 9 songs on this CD feature it.

This album satiates my desire for straightforward, uncomplicated metal music every time I hear it. Nobody overlooks the AC/DC influence on this release, as it is blatantly obvious. Though beware, as the repetition in the rhythm department is likely to grate on the nerves of most listeners; I kid you not when I say the aforementioned Metallica riff is prominently utilized in over half of the numbers on here. It may be increased or decreased in volume, sped up or slowed down in tempo, have an extra note added or subtracted, but it’s still there and it still repeats itself at least several dozen times before the track ends. The general idea for that riff is as old as dirt, and I am positive I’ve heard it before Enter Sandman, so I see no need for accusations of plagiarism, however.

Once you get past the simple music, it must then be accepted that the lyrics are intentionally crude; you can’t persuade me that the guy who wrote the words to ballads like “Forever Free” slipped up this badly. You don’t accidentally write lyrics about how nasty your testicles smell, or how cool it was watching a cheap whore fellate her pet dog, then look at them and say, “Oh dear, these lyrics have not come out as profoundly as I anticipated.” It’s arguably disingenuous how a smart man like Blackie dumbs himself down to make himself seem like a party-monster, especially when everyone knows he’s more of an intellectual, long given up drinking and promiscuity. I think what barely keeps this album honest is that Blackie did once live this lifestyle, and the release is intended to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

What good does this album have to offer? The answer is vocal hooks. This is catchy, 80’s inspired heavy metal. The difference is that it is rough, like what Motley Crue would sound like if they were forced to record in a garage. Actually, Blackie attempted to make this album sound similar to the old W.A.S.P. demos before the labels touched them up in the studios with clean production and harmonized vocals for the full-lengths. He succeeded in his endeavor, no question.

“Helldorado/Hot Rods to Hell,” “Don’t Cry (Just Suck)” “Dirty Balls,” “Can’t Die Tonight”: all of the preceding are great, commercial songs with noncommercial production and attitude. The lyrics aren’t very radio-friendly either, but they are relatively difficult to decipher compared to other W.A.S.P. records. Don’t expect a masterpiece because a handful of these tracks are above-average hard rockers that aren’t quite at the level of superb, but there isn’t a single outright failure on here.

Back To The Roots ? - 70%

Sinner, January 1st, 2003

After the rather controversial (at least for the fanbase) 97 release "Kill Fuck Die" and the excellent 98 "Double Live Assassins" - Lawless more or less promised everyone that with this one - he'd go straight back to the roots of Wasp - which didn't turn out as spectacular as perhaps many a fan had hoped for.

Image wise the band more or less succeeds to go back straight back to the days of songs like "Animal" or "Blind In Texas", gone are the thoughtfull and personal lyrics of albums like "Crimson Idol" and "Headless Cross", gone are the pure hatred and frustration of "Kill Fuck Die", instead we are blessed with songs like "Don't Cry Just Suck" or "Saturday Night Cockfight".

Musically it seems that Blackie listened just a bit too much Ac/Dc during the songwriting process - with most songs being rather simple rockers. However, even though certain parts of the album seem rather faceless and bland there still is some enjoyment to be had in the form of "Helldorado" (and it's reprise "Hotrods To Hell"), "Damnation Angels", "High On The Flames" and "Cocain Cowboys" - songs which all in all are not bad and are blessed with a simple, raw production (in contrary to "Kill Fuck Die" - which seemed to be far too experimental for most of the old-school fans).

Certainly not a bad release - although not Blackie's most inspiring album either...

A Return to Form?!?!? - 25%

Madman, December 2nd, 2002

This album plain and simple is a mess, especially for W.A.S.P. a band that should do more and has the ability to do so. This is the first bump in the road for W.A.S.P. as this was the first studio album I can actually call "bad". All the albums up to this one ranged from "Hey, that's pretty good" to "HOLY CRAP!!! PLAY THAT AGAIN!!!" but unfortunately Blackie's "return to the roots" as he put it is just terrible.

Blackie's idea of returning W.A.S.P.'s roots is to go back to the demo days before the band recorded the first album, now I never heard the demos the band made but I can assume from this album that not only did the band suck at that time they were intent on being an AC/DC clone, which is where this album goes to hell (pun intended). The album, much like all AC/DC albums, is a mix of three cord rock songs where, if you wanted, you could take the vocals from one song and put them on another and nobody would know the difference. The bottom line is that there is no identity to any of these songs, they just go by and you don't remember them and it just sounds like one long song with a couple varied tempos. I've listened to this album maybe a hundred times and when the album is over I still can't recall what specific songs sound like.

I can't believe someone that released albums like "The Headless Children", "The Crimson Idol", and "Kill Fuck Die" could release a piece of shit like this. Although despite the album's all out crapfest I do find myself putting it on every once in a while to listen to a couple songs, mainly "Don't Cry (Just Suck)" and "Damnation Angels". And if you deny the obvious AC/DC influence just listen to "Damnation Angels" and you'll see what I'm getting at.

This album isn't good, so unless you are of the absolute hardcore W.A.S.P. audience (i.e you buy and love everything the band has or will put out) you should stay clear of this album...that is unless you want an AC/DC album ;).