Classic Rock, Genre, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal

W.A.S.P. – The Last Command (Review)

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W.A.S.P. The Last Command (1985)

Frontman Blackie Lawless might be flying his shock rock flag high on the cover but the only things worth rallying behind on 1985’s The Last Command are a few decent songs and Lawless’ unique howling rasp of a voice. W.A.S.P.’s eponymous debut was a superbly untamed slice of evil filth but on this second album, the band’s songwriting is sliding into the unremarkable. The free-spirited opener Wild Child and the debauched Blind In Texas are the must-hear tracks but for every song like the fun-but-silly Ballcrusher or the mean, moody Widowmaker there’s a banal Jack Action or the humdrum title track. But, while the balance between the filler tracks and the good ones is dangerously unbalanced, the band’s delivery and that voice manage to just lift the album out of the realm of the ordinary. It’s a good enough time if you’re in the right mood, a bore if you’re not. OK for occasional plays but not regular revisits. At the end of final track Sex Drive, Lawless rolls over and asks “tell me that don’t hit the spot”. Well, it was good fun but I’d be lying if I said the earth moved.

30 thoughts on “W.A.S.P. – The Last Command (Review)”

  3. Ha great end of the review sentence!
    I bought this at the time and it was alright. To be honest with you I probably I have not listened to this since 1986 at the latest! That “Circus” album was dreadful so I avoided WASP until the Headless Children and that was due to his rocking cover of the THE WHO track…
    The debut I liked immensely as it was filling that void for me back in 84 as KISS was no where near the theatrical element at that time…
    But ya cool to see this one pop up on the reader…..
    Good Job

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    2. Yeah, the debut and Headless are both peak W.A.S.P. for me. I would say this is alright… I used to think of it as a good fun album but listening these days the writing is just so run-of-the-mill. And in the liner notes Blackie reckons he was really maturing as a writer! Hahaha fuck off

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  5. Like the majority, I prefer my evil filth untamed as well!
    Terrific thought-provoking lines in this one HMO , including but not limited to:
    a) they’ve begun the slide, but when does a band’s songwriting officially earn the less than desirable classification of unremarkable?
    b) what is needed to be elevated above ordinary?
    c) when does fun become silly?
    d) what separates the occasional from regular visit album?
    I suppose if Lawless had got me thinking about those sorts of things, I’d say, why yes, that does hit the spot!

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      1. You’re not doing Led Zep IV next are you? because Stairway to Swansea is an all-time fave of mine.

        If not I’ll just carry on with my review of Sweet Home Aberystwyth.

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