W.A.S.P, I suppose were the Slipknot of their generation, courting controversy whether via their live shows, album covers, magazine covers and of course the debut single 'Animal.(F**k Like A Beast)' Anyone remember Chris Holmes in the swimming pool in the film 'Decline Of The Western Civilization (The Metal Years)' surrounded by bottles of vodka, or how about Linzi Drew, then editor of Penthouse, dragged on stage in a torture frame at the Monsters Of Rock in 1987. That band however is long gone, the name surely kept for marketing purposes for what is to all intent and purposes, as with all of the recent records a Blackie Lawless solo album

The Neon God is the first part of a two album concept (the second part due later this year) entirely devised by Blackie. The CD booklet contains the story as it unfolds and each of the songs on the album relates to a part of the overall tale. The albums opens with a purely instrumental track, 'Overture', which is musically well put together, building from a gentle introduction into a flown blown heavy metal track complete with keyboard overdubs, furious kick drumming and a wandering bass line. The track goes through  numerous changes in feel and tempo within its three minute span and sets the scene nicely for the album as a whole. 'Why Am I Here' blends into the opener and is a short piece introducing the main character of the concept, one Jesse Slane. In 'Wishing Well' there are all the classic ingredients of A WASP song from the power chords to the drum patterns and of course Blackie's voice, but somehow it doesn't click. The chorus is simply there, without the hooks that say a 'Blind In Texas' or 'L.O.V.E. Machine' contains. 'Sister Sadie' relates to the time Jesse spent in an orphanage as a child and for such a harrowing tale the song is remarkably upbeat. Again there is a distinct lack of a good hook, although the jig section in the middle of the song is quite amusing...

'The Rise' slows the tempo down slightly, with Blackie audibly  struggling to hit some of the notes during the first verse and, although short this song is not really short enough. 'Why Am I Nothing' is another short interlude before 'Asylum #9' kicks off. This song starts brightly with a mellow intro giving way to a cool riff, buts that's about as good as it gets. Again the vocals sound strained and the song really goes nowhere past it's mid -tempo plod.

So now I am up to the eighth track and still looking for a good tune, well 'The Red Room OF The Rising Sun' isn't it. According to the story this tune should be 'trippy' and psychedelic. In truth it is a mess, meshing a forced vocal with a an muddy music track, where at times it is hard to distinguish individual instruments. 'What' I'll Never Find' is about as good as gets up to this point. As a ballad it is unoriginal, but at least there is a semblance of a good melody, although again the production spoils the accompanying music, leaving it cluttered and unfocused.

'X.T.C Riders' has perhaps the best hook on the album, but again the production employed buries the overall effort. 'Me And The Devil' at 52 seconds long is simply a joke surely, as Blackie repeats time again the title, for what reason this is on the record beats me.

The penultimate track on offer, 'The Running Man' does nothing to improve the overall experience of the album. being an uninspiring mid-tempo ditty. However WASP save the best till last in 'Raging Storm', the song starts off slow and mellow before the chorus kicks in with force. This is actually a decent hook for once and for some reason is reminiscent of late era Whitesnake or perhaps Blue Murder, in the employment of a walking bass and keyboards layered behind the melody.

The Neon God album will probably go down well with WASP devotees, but for people like myself with only a passing interest in the band it will do nothing to further their reputation and standing. The Neon God and hence by definition Mr Lawless, are stuck firmly in the past both sonically and lyrically. Will I be buying Part Two when it is released... what do you think?

Let us know your views on 'The Neon God Part I'

Track List

Overture
Why Am I Here
Wishing Well
Sister Sadie
The Rise
Why Am I Nothing
Asylum #9
The Red Room Of The Rising Sun
What I'll Never Find
Someone To Love Me
X.T.C. Riders
Me And The Devil
The Running Man
Raging Storm

Line Up

Blackie Lawless - Vocals/Guitars/Keyboards
Darrell Roberts- Guitar
Mike Duda - Bass
Frankie Banali - Drums