15 Greatest Hair Metal Albums

2. The Crimson Idol (1992) - W.A.S.P.

I had to put a W.A.S.P. album on here. And it had to be this one. It's a concept album with a well-told and heartfelt story, and without a doubt, Blackie Lawless' best work. It does what few concept albums can actually do: Have the songs tell the story, but also make them work on their own outside the context of the story. It's so good, that Blackie's been trying to repeat the success of it since it came out in '92, and it's been hit and miss ever since. The story centers around a teenager named Jonathan who runs away from his abusive home to go to L.A. and make it big as a rock star. He eventually does get to live his dream, but of course, being a rock star takes its toll. It's a story that's no doubt based on Blackie's actual experience with the music business. And it works because of the amount of emotion that Blackie puts in while he's telling it. This is another album where I rarely skip tracks. Yes, the songs do work on their own, but the story is something that I'll always love to get sucked into.