Indeed this album sounded nothing like the W.A.S.P. of old, with a heavy industrial influence tainting the album.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: W.A.S.P.
ALBUM: K.F.D.
LABEL: Castle (USA), Raw Power (UK, Europe)
SERIAL: Castle 135-2, RAWCD114
YEAR: 1997
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Blackie Lawless – vocals * Chris Holmes – guitar * Mike Duda – bass * Stet Howland – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Kill Fuck Die * 02 Take The Addiction * 03 My Tortured Eyes * 04 Killahead * 05 Kill Your Pretty Face * 06 Fetus * 07 Little Death * 08 U * 09 Wicked Love * 10 The Horror
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
I recall when this album came out in 1997 and being unable to find a copy of it to save my life. Back then the likes of Motley Crue, Dokken, Warrant, Slaughter etc. were all releasing dud after dud, leaving a brief glimmer of hope W.A.S.P. might be the exception to the rule. The band had been in a state of confusion for several years, with 1995’s ‘Still Not Black Enough’ released under the W.A.S.P. banner, but was essentially a Blackie Lawless solo album. Talk about an album that disappeared without trace.
Seeing reunions were all the rage in 1997, Chris Holmes made his way back to the band, giving hope to fans that the magic of the 80’s might somehow be recaptured. Given the shambles the Motley Crue and Dokken reunions were in 1997, the chances of that were slim. Indeed this album sounded nothing like the W.A.S.P. of old, with a heavy industrial influence tainting the album. This was another popular move in the late 90’s, giving this a dated sound. If they’d stuck with the formula that made them great to begin with, it would have been a different story.
Simply put, this album is a jarring, ugly, distorted mess, often unlistenable. I can only assume Lawless was trying to fit in with the times, as if appealing to fans of Marilyn Manson or some other tepid act of the day.
The Songs
Title track ‘Kill Fuck Die’ has the most traditional W.A.S.P. sound melodically, but is bogged down by the industrial bleeps and effects. Otherwise this would easily have fit on anything they’d done in the past. ‘Take The Addiction’ is downtuned and bleak, sounding like some nu-metal nonsense, much in the way L.A. Guns experimented on ‘American Hardcore’.
‘My Tortured Eyes’ takes the ballad route and might have been a great song if not for the overpowering static noise accompanying it. It’s akin to someone running their nails on a chalkboard. ‘Kill Your Pretty Face’ takes an age to get going, delving into Nine Inch Nails type fare, hardly appetizing. ‘Little Death’ is just noise on the same level as Lou Reed‘s infamous ‘Metal Machine Music’ – absolute garbage. Lawless clearly thought emulating Ministry or Godflesh was where it was at.
‘U’ is similar rubbish, just pure distortion, nothing more or less. If listening to harsh synthesizers and untuned guitar solos is your bag, this is essential. ‘The Horror’ is an 8 minute dirge based on ‘Apocalypse Now,’ hardly the most innovative of themes. Musically it’s a bore, building up to nothing of consequence, trying to evoke the spirit of ‘The End’ by The Doors and failing badly.
In Summary
This album is an atrocity on many levels and a sterling example of how horrific metal tended to be in the late 90’s. W.A.S.P. recovered with 1999’s ‘Helldorado’ which returned the band to their traditional sound, but it’s hard to say if anyone cared by this point.
W.A.S.P. on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
