Kill Fuck Die

Kill Fuck Die is an extremely unusual work on which W.A.S.P. deliberately, boldly breaks its former glam feel and traditional-metal outline and attacks with mechanical industrial beats, distorted guitar and rough words. It sensitively reflects the air of modern heaviness and industrial in the late 1990s. Blackie Lawless’s singing is very provocative, yet at its base an earnestness that fiercely spews out anger and deep relational wounds surely dwells. From the aggression of the opening title track “Kill Fuck Die” and the weight of “Take the Addiction” to cuts like “My Tortured Eyes,” “Tokyo’s on Fire” and “The Horror,” the songs have a deliberately cold, hard-edged texture. The feel of the sound leaves a taut tension rather than pleasure. Though a bold work of change that drew strongly mixed views, the challenging stance of a veteran band that refused to stay in a safe place is truly intense. Its eagerness to take in the air of the era head-on deserves special note. Inscribing W.A.S.P.’s most extreme, experimental side, it is an unusual, challenging record — Lawless’s anger swirling.