HARD ROCK
FORUM
Post by Monsters of Rock on May 2, 2021 15:39:06 GMT 10
W.A.S.P.: Still Not Black Enough
Still Not Black Enough is the successor of my favorite W.A.S.P. album, the almighty The Crimson Idol. Though to follow up on such a killer album if you ask me. But Blackie is up to the task and delivers yet another killer album and a worthy successor. The only complaint, and yet it isn't really one, is that its maybe a bit too similar with The Crimson Idol, the overall sound, the songs, everything smells and breathes like the previous opus, but, is this really a problem? I don't think so. At least not for me, having two killer albums of this caliber is actually pure joy! (though joy might not be one emotion floating at the surface while listening to either of these masterpieces)
Just like for The Crimson Idol, this album does not contain a single weak track, the album contains 10 tracks and they are all a pure demonstration of the Heavy Metal mastery that Blackie can deliver. On the vocal side, we're on par with the previous album, emotional and excellent performance are on the rendez-vous. The drumming (and the originality) is maybe what doesn't put the album to the same level as The Crimson Idol. Its still great, but some of the magic and craziness is gone in that area. Guitar work is awesome, alternating heavy and melodic with the right balance. As the title suggests, this album is dark, maybe not as depressing as TCI (got bored of writing the title over and over again), but then very few albums are. The album contains tons of killer songs, my favorite are the fast paced like Still Not Black Enough, Black Forever, Goodbye America & No Way Out Of Here. But the ballads on that album are simply awesome too, Keep Holding On is very emotional and sad song. Breath has a more heavy part, a power ballad a la W.A.S.P.. Rock'N'Roll to Death is a great rock tune, and its good to see that bands don't forget their roots, and this song is the perfect example (the guitar reminds me of Johnny Be Good). I Can't is a rather disturbing song, but carries a powerful and disturbed vibe, another killer song. The album closes perfectly on a fast paced song, No Way Out Of Here, which makes you beg for more... and more of this style we wouldn't get until quite a while, until The Neon God.
If The Crimson Idol wouldn't have existed, then this might have been my favorite album of W.A.S.P, but it borrows a lot from its predecessor (and its also significantly shorter), both musically and lyrically, an album which is actually more of a continuation or expansion of TCI. Interesting footnote on the album, where Blackie Lawless states is not "hiding behind Jonathan Steele" anymore. On a another matter concerning Blackie's career: I wish Schwarzy had let Blackie do the T-1000 in the Terminator 2 movie, not that I dislike Robert Patrick (on the contrary), but c'mon, it would have been fun to see him as a liquid metal killing machine wouldn't it? In the end, for the reasons mentioned earlier, Still Not Black Enough couldn't be considered a classic in my opinion, but its the next best thing: and that is a killer album !
Killing Songs:
All of them!
Still Not Black Enough
Skin Walker
Black Forever
Scared to Death
Goodbye America
Somebody to Love
Keep Holding On
Rock and Roll to Death
I Can't
No Way Out of Here
One Tribe
Tie Your Mother Down
Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC cover)
Metal Reviews website
Still Not Black Enough is the successor of my favorite W.A.S.P. album, the almighty The Crimson Idol. Though to follow up on such a killer album if you ask me. But Blackie is up to the task and delivers yet another killer album and a worthy successor. The only complaint, and yet it isn't really one, is that its maybe a bit too similar with The Crimson Idol, the overall sound, the songs, everything smells and breathes like the previous opus, but, is this really a problem? I don't think so. At least not for me, having two killer albums of this caliber is actually pure joy! (though joy might not be one emotion floating at the surface while listening to either of these masterpieces)
Just like for The Crimson Idol, this album does not contain a single weak track, the album contains 10 tracks and they are all a pure demonstration of the Heavy Metal mastery that Blackie can deliver. On the vocal side, we're on par with the previous album, emotional and excellent performance are on the rendez-vous. The drumming (and the originality) is maybe what doesn't put the album to the same level as The Crimson Idol. Its still great, but some of the magic and craziness is gone in that area. Guitar work is awesome, alternating heavy and melodic with the right balance. As the title suggests, this album is dark, maybe not as depressing as TCI (got bored of writing the title over and over again), but then very few albums are. The album contains tons of killer songs, my favorite are the fast paced like Still Not Black Enough, Black Forever, Goodbye America & No Way Out Of Here. But the ballads on that album are simply awesome too, Keep Holding On is very emotional and sad song. Breath has a more heavy part, a power ballad a la W.A.S.P.. Rock'N'Roll to Death is a great rock tune, and its good to see that bands don't forget their roots, and this song is the perfect example (the guitar reminds me of Johnny Be Good). I Can't is a rather disturbing song, but carries a powerful and disturbed vibe, another killer song. The album closes perfectly on a fast paced song, No Way Out Of Here, which makes you beg for more... and more of this style we wouldn't get until quite a while, until The Neon God.
If The Crimson Idol wouldn't have existed, then this might have been my favorite album of W.A.S.P, but it borrows a lot from its predecessor (and its also significantly shorter), both musically and lyrically, an album which is actually more of a continuation or expansion of TCI. Interesting footnote on the album, where Blackie Lawless states is not "hiding behind Jonathan Steele" anymore. On a another matter concerning Blackie's career: I wish Schwarzy had let Blackie do the T-1000 in the Terminator 2 movie, not that I dislike Robert Patrick (on the contrary), but c'mon, it would have been fun to see him as a liquid metal killing machine wouldn't it? In the end, for the reasons mentioned earlier, Still Not Black Enough couldn't be considered a classic in my opinion, but its the next best thing: and that is a killer album !
Killing Songs:
All of them!
Still Not Black Enough
Skin Walker
Black Forever
Scared to Death
Goodbye America
Somebody to Love
Keep Holding On
Rock and Roll to Death
I Can't
No Way Out of Here
One Tribe
Tie Your Mother Down
Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC cover)
Metal Reviews website
