The Sting/Helldorado

AMG Review of The Sting/Helldorado

Greg Prato
All Music Guide

The U.K.-based Snapper label continues with its "W.A.S.P. campaign," as 2005 saw the release of yet another "two for one" release from the group's past catalog, this time pairing together Helldorado and The Sting as a low-price double-disc set. The group's 1999 studio effort, Helldorado, which sees longtime leader Blackie Lawless teamed up once more with original W.A.S.P. guitar wildman Chris Holmes, contains all the metallic elements that longtime fans love. These goodies include Lawless' fingernails-on-the-blackboard vocals, Holmes' shredding guitar, and lyrics that would make even a sailor blush. From a sound standpoint, the album could have easily been the follow-up to The Last Command, as it has all of the sonic fury of a mid- to late-'80s heavy metal album, especially on the album-opening title track. The other disc included in the set, 2000's The Sting, was the group's umpteenth live album, recorded during the supporting tour for Helldorado. To the undoubted delight of fans, Lawless and company stick largely to the standards from yesteryear, including "Wild Child," "L.O.V.E. Machine," a cover of the Who's "The Real Me," and one of the PMRC's all-time favorite compositions, "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)." If you missed these albums during the first go-round, you'll be able to save some bucks picking up this set.