There once was time when the only way to capture a band’s power was through live in-concert
recordings. The technology of studio recordings just didn’t do certain bands justice. On the other hand,
their live recordings were nothing short of rock n’ roll masterpieces and live albums by KISS, Thin Lizzy,
Iron Maiden and Judas Priest all come to mind. Then the studio technology caught up and the
anticipation surrounding the release of a live album subsided. That is until now...
“DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS”, the 9th release by W.A.S.P., is everything a live album was meant to be.
Powerful, sleazy, sweaty and exciting, this is truly a live album that was meant to be played loud.
Recorded all over the world during W.A.S.P.’s 1997 Kill Fuck Die tour, “DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS”
captures all the excitement and electricity that is a W.A.S.P. concert. Lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist
Blackie Lawless, lead guitarist Chris Holmes, bassist Mike Duda, and drummer Stet Howland, have
created a live record that rightfully belongs alongside Thin Lizzy’s “Live & Dangerous”, Kiss’ “Alive”, or
AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood You’ve Got It”.
“DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS” captures plenty of magical moments while packing a mean punch.
Produced by Blackie Lawless, this 2-CD 100 minute plus set is a must-have for anyone who appreciates
the spirit and danger of no-holds-barred rock n’ roll. From the opening number to the final flery chords,
“DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS” emdbodies the overdrive energy and sonic devastation of like only a live
album can.
Just like every night during the KFD tour, “DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS” opens with a medley of “On Your
Knees” into “I Don’t Need No Doctor” into “Hellion” into “Chainsaw Charlie.” The track listing includes
“Wild Child”, “Animal”, “L.O.V.E. Machine”, “Killahead”, “I Wanna Be Somebody”, “U”, “The Real Me”,
“Kill Your Pretty Face”, “The Horror”, “Blind In Texas”, “The Headless Children”, “The Idol”, “Chrimson
Idol Medley”, “Little Death”, “Mean Man”, and “Rock & Roll To Death.”
“I listen to this record and is it any better that what we’ve done in terms of W.A.S.P. studio recordings? It’s
not better but it’s different,” explains Blackie. “There are times when bands capture something special.
You can’t always do that. You’ll hear the same band perform the same show somewhere else and the
magic is just not there. You’re just looking for a moment to capture and you just hope the tape machines
are rolling when it occurs. I think we got pretty lucky. I mean there’s a lot of mistakes on this record but
that’s part of it’s charm. When we were getting ready to do this, we aimed to assemble the definitive
edition of what our body of work has been until now. We wanted to present it in a way that was uniform
from the very beginning to where we are now. The material was pretty carefully chosen so it would have
the proper vibe all the way through.”
When asked to compare “DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS” to W.A.S.P.’s previous live effort, “Live...In The
Raw”, Blackie had this to say: “The first one sucked... the two biggest differences is the approach to
recording it and the sound. The first one was done in an arena environment and it was intended to sound
as such. Because of that the sound rolls around and it echoes. “DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS”, because it
was being recorded in smaller venues, we took the exact opposite approach. We wanted it to sound as if
W.A.S.P. were inside your garage. There’s no reverb, nothing like that. As a matter of fact, I went back
and I looked back at The Who’s “Live At Leeds” and it was recorded in a venue with about four or five
hundred people. Everything is up in your face. That was the same approach we used with “DOUBLE
LIVE ASSASSINS” and the results are great because of it.”
From their earliest days through to the present, W.A.S.P. have carved out their proper place among rock
n’ roll’s strongest live acts. “DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS” is recorded evidence that W.A.S.P.’s reputation
as one of the world’s strongest live acts is indeed justified. With a massive tour planned for the summer,
it’s only a matter of time before W.A.S.P. are back out on the road doing what they do best - turning up
the volume and taking no prisoners.
