1618 - W.A.S.P. The Idol 1992

The sound on The Crimson Idol is more organized and thought-out than any of WASP previous albums. Many songs use acoustic instruments, and there are some hints of orchestral music, mostly the last three tracks. Blackie Lawless's voice is undeniable on this album. The whole album follows the story of a teen, Jonathan Steel, who steals a guitar one day during his teen years, and he gets noticed by a ruthless record company president, AKA "Chainsaw Charlie". As he becomes an extremely popular artist, he faces the cons of being a famous rockstar. "The Crimson Idol" is a conceptual rock opera by a musician who once celebrated sex, drugs and hedonism like few others out of the L.A. glam scene. "The Crimson Idol" is not merely about style and appearance as often accused, for drama and theatrics belie surprisingly ambitious and unique compositions. A major difference to most metal concept albums, though quite common among operas, rock or no, is the album's use of leitmotifs. For instance, the famous extract "love to shelter me" represents the protagonist's recurring desire for his parent's acceptance. The leitmotifs do not, however, take up more space then necessary as all of the songs, save perhaps for the introducing medley of seIected "Idol" riffs amply named "The Titanic Overture", work quite well on their own. The epic "The Idol"´s atmospheric beginning is tastefully accentuated by a few guitar leads before the actual song, resolving largely on an acoustic chord progression and Lawless' touching vocals, sets in. But Kulick's two solos oozing over with emotion completely steal the show.