W.A.S.P. - Double Live Assassins (1998)

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W.A.S.P. - Double Live Assassins (1998)

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Although W.A.S.P. were way past their prime by the time they recorded Double Live Assassins, the record is one of the highlights of the latter part of their career. The group sounds surprisingly tough, turning out hard-driving versions of such staples as "The Headless Children." Any serious fan should investigate this double-disc set, but if you're satisfied with the original albums, chances are you won't need to pick this up.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

There once was a time when the only way to capture a band's power was through live in-concert recordings. The technology of studio recordings just didn't do certain bands justice. Then the studio technology caught up and the anticipation surrounding the release of a live album subsided. That is until now…

W.A.S.P returns, rocking like never before with their ninth album, Double Live Assassins. With, in my opinion, their best line-up ever. Blackie Lawless on vocals and rhythm, Chris Holmes on lead, Mike Duda on bass, and Stet Howland on the drums. Recorded in Switzerland, Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles during the Kill Fuck Die Tour, Double Live Assassins really captures all the excitement and electricity that is a W.A.S.P Concert. I could easily say that anyone who appreciates the spirit of true rock n' roll will, without a doubt, also appreciate this.

"You're just looking for a moment to capture, and you just hope the tape machines are rolling when it occurs. I think we got pretty lucky. I mean, there's a lot of mistakes on this record, but that's part of it's charm"- Blackie Lawless.

As the first track starts spinning you'll immediately hear the rising cheers of the excited crowd. And as usual, W.A.S.P starts off with their ever-changing Medley. On your knees - I don't need no Doctor - Hellion - Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the new Morgue) is a well-chosen four piece medley because, well, simply put, those songs won't fail in getting the crowd started, that's for sure. There's also no doubting that the musical partnership between Lawless and Holmes is an amazing yin-yang relationship as they constantly feed off of each other while pushing themselves to a new musical limit in this hard rock genre. Then it's on with Wild Child, probably the album's strongest track, a phenomenal live-version with absolutely great vocals and a killer performance by Mr. Holmes.

The album flows with songs from "The Headless Children," "The Crimson Idol," "W.A.S.P (Winged Assassins)" and of course "K.F.D (Kill Fuck Die)" with a tremendous mixing amongst the songs, including almost all their hits, like Animal, I Wanna Be Somebody, Blind in Texas and the Idol . As for notice, Blackie and his men have chosen to take some of the industrial edges off the K.F.D songs, which cleary makes the songs much more characteristic, and by that, much better. However, the introduction of the song "Mean Man" (Dedicated to Holmes) almost itself makes this album a somewhat privilege, you'll have to hear it by yourself as a nice extra that'll make the album slightly more enjoyable than it would have been without it.

As for a conclusion; this is a great live album and hopefully most of your all-time favorite W.A.S.P song will be heard, and by that you will definitely not be disappointed.

by Asylum #9, metalstorm

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W.A.S.P. - Double Live Assassins (1998)

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W.A.S.P. - Double Live Assassins (1998)

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W.A.S.P. - Double Live Assassins (1998)

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