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W.A.S.P.: Babylon

Heavy Metal

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Demolition Records
www.waspnation.com
www.myspace.com/wasp
Review: Craig Hartranft,  10.14.2009

One thing about Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. is that they have never been complicated. When you crack open that new album, you pretty much know what you're going to get. Their latest Babylon is what it has always been: straight up melodic heavy metal with Lawless' tight vocal arrangements, a driving rhythm section, and some nasty fire-starting guitar pyrotechnics. While reinventing the wheel is not in Lawless' (the only original member) vocabulary, there is much to be said for a dedicated consistency.

Babylon rips and rolls along with all the outlandish swagger and epic arena metal sound that made the 80's famous. Crazy, Live To Die Another Day, Babylon's Burning and the soaring metal anthem Into The Fire call for denim and leather swarming the sweaty floor with lighters and fists raised in triumph. Lawless surprises and pleases, when I certainly thought he would stumble, as he covers of Deep Purple's Burn and Chuck Berry's Promised Land. He can't match the blues side of Coverdale and his Elvis over Berry impression is almost comedic, but it still sounds great. With only nine songs, some fans might quibble about squandering their hard earned cash on such a short album. But Lawless and W.A.S.P. pack at lot of frenetic fun in a solid package. Recommended.

Babylon rips and rolls along with all the outlandish swagger and epic arena metal sound that made the 80's famous.

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By now it's old news. Everybody in the prog universe knows: Dream Theater got the band back together. Drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy returned to his Dream Theater family to celebrate their 40th ... [ Read More ]