W.A.S.P. were very much part of my heavy-metal upbringing. They rebelled, they threw raw meat around, they strapped half-naked women to chairs on stage, and they rocked. Blackie and company were always glorious in their fiery rage. Naturally, over time, and despite sticking to their guns, the scene they became part of fizzled out and even they sought pastures new. A few concept albums and rock opera's, even a darker sound, but nothing beats that sexsonic groove they produced back in the day. Some would argue that such a sound is at once dated and riddled with cheese, but then again W.A.S.P. wrote some true metal anthems. Even their 'Helldorado' record of more recent times was a rocket up the arse, so where does 'Babylon' see the band venturing ? Well, there's alot of fire on this record....literally. 'Into The Fire', 'Burn', 'Babylon's Burning', 'Seas Of Fire'...and there's that familiar formula of many records gone by...and it still works. Maybe it was because I was there when they screamed 'On Your Knees', maybe it was because i got pulled in by the dark magic of 'Live...In The Raw'...maybe I just have a soft spot for W.A.S.P.
They don't break any new ground but I don't wanna hear W.A.S.P. teasing with industrial funk, I want real metal, and as long as it smokes then it'll continue to work. 'Crazy' and 'Live To Die Another Day' are a rattling good listen. Blackie's vocals may have started to weaken, but it's still that recognisable yelp. 'Into The Fire' is clearly another return to form, a companion to the awesome W.A.S.P. classic 'Sleeping In The Fire'. With metal it doesn't matter how much it's not 'in' anymore, or how big it gets, the factor is, it continues to rule, and mainly due to the fact that the classic bands refuse to die and continue to show the new kids just how its done. 'Babylon' is a real heavy metal album, what more do you want ?
7.5/10
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