W.A.S.P.: The Headless Children

I was in my hometown a few weeks ago, which is unfortunately down to only a couple of used music stores these days.  I had not been to one for a long time, so I decided to go.  Sometimes used music stores have some unexpected gems, I got Destroyer 666's Cold Steel  at this same store.  Other times, there is nothing particularly interesting.  Well this time I managed to get some decent stuff.

I did a post on W.A.S.P. a few weeks ago.  I was still listening over and over again to the two albums that I had from them when I went to the used store.  I saw this album and recognized it from some decent reviews I had read, so I decided to give it a shot.  This was one of those times where I managed to get a gem.

The Headless Children is the album where W.A.S.P. began to shed some of the cheesier, over-the-top aspects of their sound.  The songwriting matured quite a bit on this album and the band went away from being a typical partying glam band, albeit a much more metal one than some of the other groups that dominated MTV in those days, to being a very impressive traditional metal band.  There are still some moments where the old W.A.S.P. shined through, but for the most part, the band had changed quite a bit, and for the better.

There are some damn catchy songs on here, such as "Mean Man" and "Maneater".  As I said, there are definitely some elements here that really resemble the old band, but they also drifted somewhat away from the catchy poppier sound.  The most obvious example of this is the title track, which is an incredible song from start to finish.  The band is not focused on making catchy, radio-friendly music, or shocking audiences like "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)".  And that is not the only example.

W.A.S.P. matured on this album.  As much as I liked the earlier group, I like this version even better.  This one has been playing almost everyday since I got it.