Posted: 6/14/04

W.A.S.P’s The Crimson Idol is my all time favorite release. With a superlative story, interesting lyrics, excellent production, phenomenal musicianship, and powerful song, the cd gives me a high like very few others. Given this, it should go without saying that I have been greatly anticipating Blackie’s newest concept album, The Neon God. In many ways, both good and slightly bad, the result is very much a Crimson Idol II. Upon reading the rather lengthy background story you’ll notice quite a few similarities to The Crimson Idol. The Neon God presents a child (Jesse Slain) from a broken home, who is sent packing, suffers years of abuse and eventually, against all odds, makes something of himself as he struggles to identify who he really is. While not entirely original, there are plenty of unique twists and turns to the story to give it merit and keep it interesting. To be fair, the story crafted for The Neon God will conclude in Part II, to be released later in the year. Taken purely on concept, I would probably award a 4-axe rating only because it lacks the novelty and emotion of the touching Crimson Idol backdrop. Musically though, W.A.S.P. is once again firing on all cylinders. Blackie’s signature screams and unique tonal quality are easily identifiable throughout the disc and the songs themselves are superbly written. After reports that third party engineers botched the original production and mastering duties, Blackie has done a wonderful job bringing crisp production to the final mix, much like The Crimson Idol. Although the drums are still a little more hidden in the mix than I would have liked, the guitars and vocals shine.

Featuring 14 tracks, The Neon God has a handful of small story enhancements/instrumentals that provide a segue between full-length tracks. The mixture of moody, acoustic pieces and electrified rockers provide a nice diversity. I’m happy to report that a few bona fide W.A.S.P. classics appear on this disc as well. Tunes like "Wishing Well," "Asylum #9," and "XTC Riders" are super catchy songs that are instantly infectious with their awesome riffs and memorable choruses. If I had to nit pick, the psychedelic "The Red Room of the Rising Sun" is the only song that doesn’t fit, sounding alternative and deviating substantially from the standard W.A.S.P. formula. Despite this minor flaw, Darrell Roberts, bassist Mike Duda and drummers Franki Banali and Stet Howland play their collective hearts out.

Bottom Line: This is vintage W.A.S.P. in the style of The Crimson Idol. This release will no doubt please fans of the band and should attract new curiosity seekers as well. The nits to pick are very few and far between when you have music written and performed with this degree of professionalism. The Neon God: Part I had a lot to live up to, but the band has created another classic that I’ll be listening to for years to come. As far as concept and traditional metal albums go, it doesn’t get any better than this. I can’t wait to hear the conclusion later this summer!