Shock-rockers W.A.S.P. are one of the most enduring acts to come out of the early '80s metal scene in Los Angeles, recording and touring well into the 2010s and 2020s. Earning a polarizing reputation for their wildly transgressive live acts and overall debauchery -- including throwing raw meat into the audience -- W.A.S.P. continue to represent music at its most provocative and theatrical.
W.A.S.P. formed in 1982 in Los Angeles. The original lineup included Blackie Lawless, Randy Piper, Rik Fox, and Tony Richards. Their debut single was "Animal (F*** Like A Beast)." Soon, however, Fox left and was replaced by Don Costa, and later Brayden Parker on bass.
Around this time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band. With their lineup intact, W.A.S.P. signed to Capitol Records and released their 1984 self-titled debut album. "Animal (F*** Like A Beast)" was omitted from the album to prevent it from being banned in most major chain stores. W.A.S.P. also embarked on their first major world tour and were joined by a number of era-specific acts, such as KISS, Iron Maiden, Quiet Riot, and Metallica.
Their sophomore album, The Last Command, came out in 1985 and featured the Lawless-penned song "Blind in Texas." It also became W.A.S.P.'s highest-charting album, peaking at No. 47 on the Billboard 200. The Last Command also featured a new drummer, Steve Riley.
After The Last Command tour, Piper left the band and was replaced by former King Kobra bassist Johnny Rod. The mid-'80s were likewise a dangerous time to be a member of W.A.S.P., as Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center made them a target of criticism for their overtly sexual lyrics and violent stage antics. This reached such a fever pitch that venues would receive bomb threats and Lawless was shot at twice.
Still, W.A.S.P. kept going and released their third album, 1986's Inside the Electric Circus, and toured with peers like Iron Maiden, Slayer, Raven, and Saxon. The following year, they released the live album Live...In the Raw.
A low point hit when W.A.S.P. appeared in Penelope Spheeris' 1988 heavy metal documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years, where Holmes is shown wasted and belligerent, floating in his mother's pool. Many music critics have since attributed this scene -- and the film in general -- to glam metal's overall decline in popular culture, which would come to embrace grunge and thrash.
In 1989, W.A.S.P. released The Headless Children, but they collectively felt that their popularity had cratered. They disbanded soon after, and Lawless pursued a solo career. In 1990, a greatest hits album, First Blood... Last Cuts was released.
Eventually, the band reunited. In 1996, Lawless and Holmes recruited bassist Mike Duda and drummer Stet Howland for 1996's Still Not Black Enough. Together, they recorded 1997's K.F.D., 1999's Helldorado, 2001's Unholy Terror, and 2002's Dying For The World.
In 2006, Howland left the band and was replaced by drummer Mike Dupke, who played with the band for nearly the next decade. Throughout that time, W.A.S.P. would release another spate of albums, including 2004's conceptual The Neon God, Pt. 1: The Rise and The Neon God: Part 2 - The Demise, 2006's Dominator, 2009's Babylon, and 2015's Golgotha. In 2018, Napalm Records released ReIdolized: The Soundtrack to the Crimson Idol, which featured the DVD/Blu-ray film and the original LP plus four previously unreleased songs. In 2022, W.A.S.P. embarked on their 40th anniversary tour: 40 Years World Tour 2022.
