Hello All!, and welcome to my first ever review!, (I have never done this before, so please, bare with me! Haha!)
I shall be reviewing W.A.S.P's 1985 album "The Last Command"
For Blackie and the boys!, this album is only a slight departure from the grime and grit of their first "self titled" album. The album maybe slightly more polished and use a bit more studio effects and different instrumentation, however the songs still pack the same ferocious enegy.
I will do a track by track anaysis of each indiviual song.
1. Wild Child - What can i say!..... honestly!... This song is easily one of the best Hard rock/metal anthems of all time!. Those power chords could last for miles!, Blackie's voice is just perfection!, no-one!, i repeat NO ONE!, could/can do a better job singing this track than him!, Ahmen! Everything about this song is pure gold!, i am sure you will want to listen again and again!, What a standout track to a standout album! 5/5
2. Ballcrusher is up next and it comes in fairly strong, a straight out rocker. Nothing much that truely stands out!, its a solid track. Nothing much more i can say about it really. Great riffs! 3.5/5
3. Fistful Of Diamonds is another solid track!, fantastic vocals once again!, great riffs and guitar soloing!, trading of each other. Its solid but possibly my least favourite track, it just lacks a bit of punch for me. 3.5/5
4. Jack Action is what i would call a fun mid paced rocker, nothing much more really to say about it!, a fairly catchy chorus and song as a whole. 3/5
5. Widowmaker - Fantastic instrumentation!, what a fantastic intro!, with a ambient almost arabic intro with the bass line. The lyrics are fantastic, its a little slower than the rest of the songs on the album, but that doesnt mean ***! The chorus is extremely powerful, and the vocal work really shines through!, giving it a atmospheric feel. This track may take a little getting used to. But this definatly is a standout! 5/5
6. Blind In Texas - another "What can i say"... a fun "Balls to the walls" party rock anthem!. with lyrics about being so darned wasted you cant see ***!..... what more else could you want! This song is a great party song and it must be a live favourite, with its catchy hooks and chorus, the song is memorable off the bat!, if you like your no-nonsense good ol fashioned rock n roll, like myself!, you will not be dissapointed! 5/5
7. Cries In The Night - a fantasic change of pace to a more ballady slow paced song! - Once again the vocals really shine, and are delieverd with passion. This song i believe was re-worked from an old song "Mr Cool" before Blackie formed W.A.S.P. - Its a fantastic ballad, with great instrumentation! 4/5
8. The Last Command - The title track is another great song!, Slightly more mature sounding than the rest of the songs!, Some great and memorable riffs!, vocals once again, standout!, Chorus is great (as per usual with W.A.S.P songs) 3.5/5
9. Running Wild In The Streets - This song i believe is totally underrated in W.A.S.P's catalogue. Much like "The Last Command" its slightly more serious sounding and anthem like. The chorus is amazing and you can imagine the crowd singing along! Fanstastic solos once again!, another great song! 4/5
10. Sex Drive - Now we return to songs similar to "Ballcrusher" and "Jack Action", fun paced rockers!, This song definatly makes a great driving tune!, thats the vibe i get! 4/5
11. Mississippi Queen (Mountain Cover) This i believe is a solid rendition of Mountain's orginal version. As usual W.A.S.P. make it their own, the cowbell is great!, a very solid rendition of this song!, 3/5
12. Savage (Bonus Track). This song should have really been on the album!, in place of "Mississippi Queen", leave the covers on the b-sides boys! The chorus is superb and extremely catchy as well as the riffs!, you cant help but drum and sing along to this track!, Blackie's voice is once again SUPERB!, Its a terrible shame that this song is not recognised as much as the other songs!, its fantastic!, S.S.S..S..S...S...S.. Savage!!!! 4.9/5
Overall Comments about the Album and final rating!
This Album is a fantastic album overall, and definatly a standout in W.A.S.Ps extensive catalogue. If you are a fan of hard rock!, i would extremely recommend this album!, If you are just starting out and are fairly new to W.A.S.P i would also reccomend this album.
Pros
- The overall sound of this album, the classic 80s production with verb, and werid effects, the album sounds atmospheric like if it was recorded on top of a mountain, it really adds to the songs!
- Blackies Vocal Work - Incrediable!, Blackie's vocals are among the best in rock and roll (my opinion), he really gives it his all, and you can hear him pour his heart and soul in these tracks!
Cons - There are not too many cons. However, some things within the songs could have been fine tweaked (but thats me being me!)... its a shame that "Savage" was left off the album.
Overall, I will give "The Last Command" 4/5 A fine musical progression from the first album!
