Ex-W.A.S.P. Drummer Says Drumming On 'The Neon God' Albums Was 'Nothing Groundbreaking'

Former W.A.S.P. drummer Stet Howland recently addressed the controversy surrounding drumming credits on the last two W.A.S.P. studio releases, both of which were part of the "The Neon God" two-album concept ("The Demise" and "The Rise"). Current QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali stated in various interviews that he played the drums on the albums, but did not receive any credit for it (Howland was listed as the drummer on both CDs). "The Classic Metal Show" recently interviewed Howland and questioned him abuot the issue of "The Neon God" drumming credits. A transcript of the discussion follows:

The Classic Metal Show: We've had Frankie Banali on the show before and have known him for years. There's that whole controversy about him playing the drum tracks on "The Neon God" records and basically having his name omitted from the credits and having your name on there in his place. What is your whole take on that?

Stet Howland: You know, I feel bad about the fact that that's a thorn to him. I've known him, off and on, for decades. He's a great drummer, and a really wonderful human being. But with all due respect, all the controversy over the drumming on that record is, like… Is there any outstanding drumming on that record?, is my question. Myself included. There's nothing groundbreaking. That's probably one of the least exciting records for drumming in the history of W.A.S.P. I'll tell you why. Not only did I not play on the whole record, or Frankie not play on the whole record, but Blackie and Darrell (Roberts) didn't play on the whole record. There was a culmination of drumming that went on on that record, and somehow it was credited as if I had the whole responsibility for it, which was, at the time, I guess it was a show of respect from Blackie. But I was on the fence. I was like, "Man, some of this shit is not all me." The drumming thing — that was a whole big, ugly issue. My point was, was it really that wonderful to even argue about? It's a great record, but the drumming…everything was rushed on those records, in my opinion. I was around toward the end, and everyone was really trying to get those things done. My point is that I don't think it's a big deal. The thing that bothered me the most was that Frankie somehow felt disrespected. That kinda sucked.

This Saturday, February 24, "The Classic Metal Show" — heard on Saturdays from 9:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. EST at www.theclassicmetalshow.com — will feature interviews with ex-PRETTY BOY FLOYD guitarist Kristy "Crash" Majors and ex-ADLER'S APPETITE vocalist Sheldon Tarsha.