Women and Children Last is the second and final studio album by Americanhorror punk supergroup Murderdolls released through Roadrunner Records on August 31, 2010, and produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris. With the exception of Murderdolls touring guitarist Roman Surman, who contributed lead guitars, 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: "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." 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. On June 22, the single was made available for free download, for 48 hours only, from the Roadrunner website. Mock film trailers were released for four of the album's nonsingle tracks: "Drug Me to Hell", "Summertime Suicide", "Death Valley Superstars", and "Chapel of Blood".
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.
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, 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.
Critical reception
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."
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 voice really lends itself to the gore factor on this album." Mark Garnett of SoundSphere magazine also went along the same line, stating that Wednesday 13's voice is the bestright 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". 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."
