Blackie Lawless still sings lead, plays guitars and keyboards, and writes all the songs - music and lyrics. He is joined in Unholy Terror by Chris Holmes playing lead guitar, Mike Duda on bass and doing vocals, Frankie Banali on the drums in some of the pieces, and Stet Howland on the rest. They are joined by Roy Z. and Valentina on a couple other tracks.

Lawless explains his ideas, how and why he wrote the songs, which world leaders he was thinking about as he wrote Charisma, and his feeling that if we understood those who feel ignored and left out, we could stop them from the killing they do....Loco-Motive Man. I encourage you to read the liner notes, including Lawless's closing words to his fans: You are a 'highly interesting' bunch of wild, weird, whacked out, and wonderful folks. DON'T EVER CHANGE! When we have music to listen to that is just as "highly interesting, wild, weird and whacked out," I don't think we will change.

The first song is Let It Roar. And roar it does from the first notes of the bass, through the drums, and into Lawless's voice. The drumming is fast and furious, never flagging. There is a drum riff in the middle of the song, with guitars and keyboard added a bit later. It becomes a bit repetitive before the voices return, but only a bit. It ends very abruptly.

Hate to Love Me begins in a totally different manner with a keyboard flowing enticingly from one side of the headphones to the other, before the drums and other instruments join in. This song is my least favorite on the album because it commits the cardinal sin of being boring. The melody line is almost non-existent. The song redeems itself - almost - by showcasing the virtuosity of the bass player. This song has no ending, it just fades away.

The best track on the album is Loco-Motive Man. With an uneven, syncopated rhythm, voices in harmony, a strong support by guitars and keyboard in a steady upward progression of chords - major and minor - and an ear-catching theme with the words "I'm going to meet my maker" this one gets under your skin and stays there. Frankie Banali is the drummer on this one, and his work is outstanding. The contrasting harmony, and disharmony, of the joined voices, culminating in the scream at the end, keep the listener on edge through out the piece, making him one with the singer, making him wonder if he really is "going to see his maker" at this very moment.

The title track, Unholy Terror, comes as a shock with its quiet, almost conversational singing, accompanied by only a few guitar notes at first, but gradually growing in number, intensity and volume as Lawless reaches the last words of the song, whispered with intensity, "I am - I am - I am." This song flows directly into Charisma. The liner notes are interesting as Lawless shows us which charismatic world leaders he had in mind as he wrote, but they are not all that necessary. We each have our own black leaders, those we have followed, or just worshipped from afar, leaders personified by the lines "I'm a dangerous thing, Your new messiah's me.... Do you know my name?" The music is haunting, even eerie in places. It embodies that same attraction evident in those same charismatic leaders.

Who Slayed Baby Jane? is a rough one to listen to. The words pound at you, till you think you were the one who killed her, though the ending will tell you who did. But he music is too much the same, through the whole piece. No variety, no interest, even the guitar riff at the end is ruined by the same notes over and over in the background.

Euphoria comes as a surprise after Baby Jane. Soft, loving, melodic, a beautiful love song introduced by a long display of elegant guitar playing, upheld by some very gentle drum effects in the background. Songs like this that show the musical virtuosity of a group always appeal to me. Lawless says, "Euphoria, for me, is one of the greatest little tunes I've ever done. I love it. It's music to get high by. Enjoy!"

Raven Heart is a love song, a plea to go together into the dark. It's a compelling song, the music as dark as the words.

Evermore stands out as one of the most creative pieces on this CD. The focus is Lawless's voice most of the time. The instruments even manage to sound like the 'arms of the wind' Lawless is singing about. From a lament the music changes into a swelling paean of joy. "The magic circle never dies." The drums come to the front of the music, the other voices join Lawless's and the music promises as glorious a future as the words do, "I will come back again, Ever free in the end."

Wasted White Boys. A fitting title for a song by WASP their demoters would say. It's a song against religion, they'd say, a song glorifying drugs and drinking. Well, it may be all of that, but it is more. It is the personal religion of this group - freedom. Freedom to write their music, freedom to sing it their way, freedom to put on their own style of show. The music is similar to the first track on the album - compelling - either pulling you into their circle of sound, or pushing you out. Your choice. Like it or leave it. I like it.