Music Review by Neil Sadler
W.A.S.P. have survived a very turbulent history. Definitely on the heavier end of the early 80’s LA metal scene – they carved a niche for themselves with their image and antics rather than their music.
Never quite becoming the household name of some of their contemporaries, especially in the UK – DOMINATOR is a strong collection of tracks from the American heavy metallers. Blackie Lawless growls confidently but it is a mixture of the Doug Blair’s powerful guitar and Mike Dupke’s consistent drumming that powers through this album. Tracks such as BURNING MAN and HEAVENS HUNG IN BLACK stand out in what is a solid and mature collection of metal anthems.
It is a shame that Lawless’s lyrics don’t quite match the power of music. The devil and rock and roll get mentioned quite a lot. There is some quite powerful social commentary here but it gets a bit lost in the heavy metal clichés that surround it.
That said there are enough solid tunes here to make up for this minor quibble and make you believe that W.A.S.P. have moved beyond the novelty and become a metal band to listen to.
