by Alex Henderson
In the liner notes that
Blackie Lawless
wrote for Dying for the World, W.A.S.P.'s founder/lead singer angrily declares, &F*ck political correctness; that went down with the World Trade Center.& Of course, being politically correct is something that
Lawless
has never been accused of. Back in the '80s, his over-the-top antics offended people of all political persuasions.
Lawless
always loved to be shocking --
Alice Cooper
and
Ozzy Osbourne
taught him well -- but on Dying for the World, the veteran headbanger never gets into shock value for the sake of shock value. This 2002 release has a consistently serious tone, and that seriousness was, to a large degree, inspired by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Lawless
' liner notes assert that when the World Trade Center became a mass grave, he was determined to record an album that expressed his anger -- and Dying for the World is definitely angry. However,
Lawless
' lyrics don't necessarily come across as overtly political. &Revengeance,& &Stone Cold Killers,& and &Hell for Eternity& call for the destruction of those who destroyed Manhattan's Twin Towers, but the songs are worded in such a way that if you didn't read
Lawless
' liner notes, you wouldn't necessarily know that he was railing against al-Qaeda terrorists. Similarly, the moving &Hallowed Ground& was inspired by
Lawless
' October 2001 visit to what New Yorkers now call &Ground Zero,& although he doesn't mention the World Trade Center by name. And not every track has to do with terrorism; the haunting &Trail of Tears,& for example, is about the oppression of Native Americans. Musically, Dying for the World breaks no new ground for W.A.S.P., which sticks to an '80s-like sound -- and for die-hard fans of '80s metal, that isn't a bad thing. Not all of W.A.S.P.'s albums have been consistent, but this excellent CD is arguably the band's strongest, most focused release since the '80s.