By: Jesse Striewski
More than a quarter of a century since the initial release of their concept effort The Crimson Idol in 1992, W.A.S.P. have finally re-released the now-classic album, along with the entire full-length film originally intended to accompany it (included here for the first time as a bonus DVD or Blu Ray disc).
The film itself (like the album) follows the story of fictional rock star Jonathan Steele from an abusive upbringing, to rock stardom, and all that comes along with it. Essentially it is one long music video, with various degrees of effective moments, or near misses. The narration in between tracks borders on the corny side, and some segments are easy to lose interest in quicker than others. Still, the music parallels the video footage fittingly for the most part, though it would have been nice to see some sort of behind the scenes material, such as commentary from the director or actors themselves. If nothing else, it gives good enough reason to re-visit such classics tracks as “The Idol,” “Arena of Pleasure,” and “I am One” again.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
