W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 by Blackie Lawless, who is the only remaining original member of the band. They emerged from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Dokken, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Guns N' Roses, Great White, L.A. Guns, Leatherwolf and others. The band's popularity peaked in the 1980s, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy metal bands. W.A.S.P. gained notoriety for their shock rock themed image, lyrics and live performances. They have sold over 12 million copies of their albums.
There has been much speculation over the origin of the band's name, and whether it actually stands for anything, since it is written as an acronym. One possible interpretation is "White Anglo-Saxon Protestants", being the original meaning of the acronym. The song "Show No Mercy", the b-side of the band's first single "Animal", contains the repeated lyric, "White Anglo-Saxon / A violent reaction".
The original U.S. release of the band's debut album W.A.S.P. had the words "We Are Sexual Perverts" inscribed on both sides around the label in the center, while "Winged Assassins" is inscribed on the spine of the first vinyl pressing. When asked about the band's name Lawless has avoided giving a straight answer: in one interview he answered, "We Ain't Sure, Pal." In another, broadcast on the radio program Metal Shop, Lawless said that if you didn't know what it meant (implying White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), "It's a bug".
Their album, "Dominator" was planned for release in October 2006, according to a statement made by Blackie Lawless at a tour stop in Kavarna. He then went on to play a new song from the album, entitled Mercy. A few weeks later, the release of the album was postponed until April 2007, with the band recording two news songs and dropping two cover songs, to be used instead as bonus tracks. In October 2007, W.A.S.P. embarked on The Crimson Idol Tour, to celebrate that album's 15th anniversary. It was the first time that the album, often regarded to be among the band's finest work, was performed in full from start to finish. The tour kicked off in Greece, in Thessaloniki at the Principal Club Theater on October 26, 2007. The release of the Dominator album was finalized for April 16 in the UK, April 20 in Scandinavia with the rest of mainland Europe following on April 27. The release dates for South America and Russia followed in early May. "Dominator" reached No. 72 on the charts in Germany. "Dominator" is based on the current American foreign policies and "Heaven's Hung in Black" appears the 5th track of the album.
Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.'s front man) commented for this song: "The title is from a quote from American President Abraham Lincoln when he saw the casualty reports from the battle of Gettysburg, and after reading that he said, 'Tonight the Heaven's are hung in black.' So I took that idea and I wrote it from a point of view of a U.S. soldier in Iraq who's on the verge of dying and he's standing at the Gates of Heaven but St. Peter tells him that because of all the fighting that has been taking place, they have no more room in Heaven, and that he must come back some other time. So based on that understand that the verses are St. Peter talking, and the chorus is the soldier."
Lyrics
I can't take anymore
I have no more wings
I can't take anymore
The gates of heaven sealed
Don't you hear me
Don't you hear me
Don't you fear me
Of never coming back
Do you know what it's like?
When heaven's hung in black
I can't take anymore
Our walls are black and bleed
I can't take anymore
No rooms here for your screams
Don't you hear me
Don't you hear me
Don't you fear me
Of never coming back
Oh, no more tears please
Hanging heaven black
No.. don't you leave me to die!
Don't you leave me to die!
Don't you leave me to die!
No.. don't you leave me to die!
And you'll know what it's like
The wailing wall of sighs
Hanging heaven blac...