Women and Children Last
Women and Children Last is the second and final studio album by American horror punk supergroup Murderdolls released through Roadrunner Records on August 31, 2010, and produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris.[1] With the exception of Murderdolls touring guitarist Roman Surman, who contributed lead guitars,[2][3] and Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars, who guests on "Drug Me to Hell" and "Blood-Stained Valentine", the album was recorded by Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison. In Metal Hammer, Jordison explained why the old lineup would not be returning:
The old band, we didn’t even know each other before it all came together [...] It was dysfunctional but it worked, but this time, we wanted it to be a little more stable. It was apparent that if we were going to do the Murderdolls again, we were going to do it with everything we’ve got.[2]
Women and Children Last | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 31, 2010 | |||
Recorded | March–July 2010 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Roadrunner | |||
Producer | Chris "Zeuss" Harris | |||
Murderdolls chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Special edition | ||||
Singles from Women and Children Last... | ||||
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"He came in, shared a few of our bad taste jokes and recording tips," Wednesday remarked of Mick Mars. "As well as being a lovely guy, Mick is one of the villains of rock, along with Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie."[4]
On June 17, 2010, on the Murderdolls' Facebook page, the lead single, "My Dark Place Alone", was available for full preview on Bloody-Disgusting.com.[5] On June 22, the single was made available for free download, for 48 hours only, from the Roadrunner website.[6] Mock film trailers were released for four of the album's nonsingle tracks: "Drug Me to Hell", "Summertime Suicide", "Death Valley Superstars" (never released because it was deemed "too violent"), and "Chapel of Blood".[7]
Alternative versions
Special edition
Along with the standard edition of the album, a special edition of Women and Children Last was also released on August 31, 2010. It features an additional three bonus tracks as well as a DVD of their first live performance in 7 years.[8]
Limited edition (last-aid kit)
This edition available only via website preorder. It features a 'last aid kit' which houses the CD/DVD combo version of the album (with autographed booklet), a t-shirt, patch, sticker, pill case and a digital download of the album. Additional bonus items are to be included but have not been announced yet. The fate of this item was uncertain as it was removed from the Roadrunner Records stock list as well as the pre-order list on Omega Order on July 5. As of July 16, the item is officially available again.[9]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
AltSounds | 74% [11] |
Blabbermouth.net | |
Kerrang! | |
KNAC | (Negative) [13] |
PopMatters | |
Rock Sound | |
SoundSphere | |
Ultimate Guitar Archive |
Women and Children Last has received mostly positive reviews from music critics. A review was also given by James Zahn of Kick-Axe, giving the album 4 axes out of 5, he praised the album's production, songwriting and recording calling it "a step up from when we last heard from the band". He also stated that Women and Children Last is a big leap forward and described the band as "If Mötley Crüe were bitten by zombies and resurrected with instruments in-hand, they'd probably sound a lot like Murderdolls."[18]
Luciam of EspyRock praised Joey Jordison as quoted "Predominantly a drummer, it's kind of strange to know that Joey is the one behind the masterful guitar hooks and riffs on the album... these are defined so well in the track 'Drug Me to Hell' and generally just throughout the album." He also praised Wednesday 13, comparing his voice to Rob Zombie and said "his [Wednesday 13] voice really lends itself to the gore factor on this album."[19] Mark Garnett of SoundSphere magazine also went along the same line, stating that Wednesday 13's voice is the best right now as it has been in years. He also called Jordison's drumming and guitar riffs 'phenomenal', praising his guitar works on "Summertime Suicide" and "Nowhere", calling them "heavy power-laden beasts yet catchy".[16] Michael Melchor of 411mania.com gave the album 7 out of 10 stars, concluding the album as "good" on the 411Mania Legend, and summarized his review by stating "Some of the rollicking fun and celebratory nature of giving the finger to political correctness may be missing here, but in its place is a certified direction. Great care was taken in the writing and recording of Women and Children Last to deliberately mark a point of maturation. There are times when the record takes itself a little more seriously than perhaps it should given the genre, but overall the murkier, more pessimistic feel works more often than not."[20]
Track listing
All music and lyrics written by Joey Jordison and Wednesday 13 except "Drug Me to Hell" and "Blood Stained Valentine" written by Joey Jordison, Wednesday 13 and Mick Mars
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "The World According to Revenge" (intro) | 1:22 |
2. | "Chapel of Blood" | 3:09 |
3. | "Bored 'Til Death" | 3:09 |
4. | "Drug Me to Hell" | 2:59 |
5. | "Nowhere" | 4:21 |
6. | "Summertime Suicide" | 4:07 |
7. | "Death Valley Superstars" | 3:44 |
8. | "My Dark Place Alone" | 2:59 |
9. | "Blood Stained Valentine" | 4:18 |
10. | "Pieces of You" | 2:31 |
11. | "Homicide Drive" | 3:22 |
12. | "Rock N Roll is All I Got" | 3:32 |
13. | "Nothing's Gonna Be Alright" | 2:36 |
14. | "Whatever You Got, I'm Against It" | 3:12 |
15. | "Hello, Goodbye, Die" | 2:17 |
Total length: | 47:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
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16. | "Motherfucker See, Motherfucker Do" | 2:57 |
17. | "The Funeral Ball" | 3:43 |
18. | "A Moment of Violence" | 1:58 |
Total length: | 56:13 |
The special edition DVD contains the following:
- Main menu page loop ("My Dark Place Alone") – 2:57
- Song selection menu page loop ("Bored 'Til Death") – 3:08
- "Intro (The World According to Revenge)" (live) – 1:25
- "Chapel of Blood" (live) – 3:15
- "Twist My Sister" (live) – 3:05
- "My Dark Place Alone" (live) – 3:11
- "She Was a Teenage Zombie" (live) – 3:43
- "Die My Bride" (live) – 3:43
- "Dead in Hollywood" (live) – 3:01
Personnel
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Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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Germany Albums Chart [22] | 48 |
Swedish Albums Chart[23] | 43 |
U.S. Billboard 200[24] | 43 |
Australia Albums Chart[23] | 18 |
UK Albums Chart[23] | 33 |
Finland Albums Chart[23] | 34 |
Austria Albums Chart[23] | 53 |
France Albums Chart[23] | 67 |
Swiss Albums Chart[23] | 71 |
Dutch Albums Chart[23] | 86 |
References
- "MURDERDOLLS: 'Women And Children Last' Artwork, Release Date Unveiled". Blabbermouth.net. June 27, 2010.
- "Murderdolls Reveal New Line-Up". Metal Hammer. July 2, 2010.
- "MURDERDOLLS: New Touring Lineup Officially Unveiled". Blabbermouth.net. July 2, 2010.
- Ling, Dave (March 2011). "Live! Murderdolls". Classic Rock #155. p. 111.
- "MURDERDOLLS: New Song Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. June 17, 2010.
- "Murderdolls Offer "My Dark Place Alone" Free, 'Women and Children Last' For Limited Edition Pre-Order". Roadrunner. June 22, 2010.
- "MJP Interview - Wednesday 13 of the MURDERDOLLS". Youtube.com. October 23, 2010.
- "MURDERDOLLS - Women & Children Last (Special Edition CD/DVD)". Roadrunner. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
- "MURDERDOLLS - Women & Children Last (Limited Edition Last-Aid Kit w/ download & booklet!)". Roadrunner. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- "Women & Children Last". Prato, Greg. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- "MURDERDOLLS - WOMEN AND CHILDREN LAST [ALBUM]". AltSounds. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- Alisoglu, Scott. "Women and Children Last (Roadrunner)". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- Stingley, Mick (September 3, 2010). "Murderdolls Women And Children Last". KNAC.
- Colgan, Chris (September 29, 2010). "Murderdolls: Women and Children Last". PopMatters.
- Raggity, Paul (September 1, 2010). "Murderdolls - Women And Children Last". Rock Sound.
- "CD Review: Murderdolls - 'Women And Children Last'". Garnett, Mark. 2010-08-18. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- Sciarretto, Amy (September 21, 2010). "Women And Children Last Review". Ultimate Guitar Archive.
- "MURDERDOLLS - WOMEN AND CHILDREN LAST (Review)". Zahn, James. 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
- "Album Review: Murderdolls - Women And Children Last". Luciam. 2010-08-24. Archived from the original on August 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
- "Murderdolls – Women And Children Last Review". Melchor, Michael. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- "MURDERDOLLS - Women & Children Last". Roadrunner. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- "Album Top 50 - Alle Musikvideos - Chart". MTV.de. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- "Murderdolls - Women And Children Last - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- "MURDERDOLLS' 'Women And Children Last' Cracks U.S. Top 50". Blabbermouth.net. September 8, 2010.