W.A.S.P.
221,738 Followers
• 30 Upcoming Shows
30 Upcoming Shows
Never miss another W.A.S.P. concert. Get alerts about tour announcements, concert tickets, and shows near you with a free Bandsintown account.
Follow
Latest Posts
W.A.S.P.
5 hours ago
W.A.S.P. Will Perform their Entire Debut Album from Start to Finish, on the 2025 Album ONE Alive World Tour in Europe
https://www.waspnation.com/post/w-a-s-p-will-perform-their-entire-debut-album-from-start-to-finish-on-the-2025-album-one-alive-wor
https://www.waspnation.com/post/w-a-s-p-will-perform-their-entire-debut-album-from-start-to-finish-on-the-2025-album-one-alive-wor
View More Posts
No upcoming shows in your city
Send a request to W.A.S.P. to play in your city
Request a Show
concerts and tour dates
Upcoming
Past
all concerts & live streams
Show More Dates (30)
Official Merch
W.A.S.P. "Sleeping In The Fire" Ladie...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "Album One Alive" Embroidere...
$30.0 USD
W.A.S.P. Two Inch Metal Pin
$15.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "Blackie Lawless Vintage 2 S...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "Blackie Lawless Vintage 2 S...
$50.0 USD
W.A.S.P - 'Album One Alive' Black T-S...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "First Album One Alive Tour"...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P - 'Blackie Album One Alive' B...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P "Album One Alive Tour" Mens B...
$70.0 USD
W.A.S.P - '42 Years' Black Mens T-Shirt
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P.'s tour
Live Photos of W.A.S.P.
View All Photos
Fan Reviews
Danny
December 7th 2024
The WASP VIP meet & greet is beyond words. For any fan of Blackie it is a must!! The question and answer segment is phenomenal, he takes his time to listen and he gives honest answers, he's not in a hurry, to listen to his answers are well spoken and you can tell he means what he says, he is not fake at all. It's also great to get your treasured items autographed. To see the WASP museum and get pictures is like going back in time, seeing the props we grew up seeing.
I'm saying 100% must. Also Jay rocks.
The concert as always was beyond words. Blackie gives it 110% Ryman Auditorium Nashville Tennessee Nov. 26 2024
Danny Goodman and Kim Goodman
Nashville, TN@Ryman Auditorium
Ronnie Roberts
November 25th 2024
Sadly I wasnt able to go due to an ecoli issue in my leg that had came back, this was the one concert I was definitely wanting to go to and have talked about going since it was announced. The first W.A.S.P. album is one of my favorites of all time.I am leaving 5 stars even though I wasn't there simply because of it being performed in it's entirety.I saw Blackie and the guys a few years ago when they came through the Charlotte area and the guys were super tight and put on a great show along with Armored Saint.Hope to catch you guys at some point again and maybe you will make another trek performing this album again.
Charlotte, NC@The Fillmore Charlotte
J
November 6th 2024
Would have liked them to play their most popular song (ANIMAL). I wasn't expecting it but would have made the show a 5 star in my book. Didn't even do an encore. I would think with the high fan turn out and them canceling the show last time around here, they would treat us to an extra song or two. No part the bands fault, but there were 2 different posted times the doors would open 6pm and 7pm...... we'll it ended up being 7pm and everyone was standing outside in the 40° temperature for over an hour. Boohoo, but that started the night off on the wrong foot. Anyway, I
I got to see W.A.S.P. and it's pretty much a bucket list show for everyone.
Salt Lake City, UT@The Depot
View More Fan Reviews
Fans Also Follow
Rob Zombie
2M Followers
Follow
Alice Cooper
1M Followers
Follow
Ratt
336K Followers
Follow
Mötley Crüe
2M Followers
Follow
Poison
805K Followers
Follow
Kiss
2M Followers
Follow
Judas Priest
1M Followers
Follow
Iron Maiden
3M Followers
Follow
Accept
235K Followers
Follow
Anthrax
986K Followers
Follow
Scorpions
960K Followers
Follow
Testament
642K Followers
Follow
About W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 which gained notoriety for its"shock rock"-image, music and live performances.
The band, formed in Los Angeles, California, initially consisted of Blackie Lawless, Rik Fox, Randy Piper and Tony Richards. The band initially became famous for its raunchy and at times shocking live shows; Lawless was known to tie semi-naked models to a torture rack and hurl raw meat into the audience. The band's debut single, entitled Animal (Fuck Like a Beast), was equally controversial.
The initial line up didn't last for long, as Rik Fox left the band to join (then unknown) vocalist Ron Keel & guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen in the band Steeler. He was replaced with Don Costa. Shortly after that, Don Costa also left the band and his position on the bass was filled by Lawless. At the same time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band.
W.A.S.P. signed to Capitol Records for their debut LP, W.A.S.P., on August 17, 1984. The debut album was at one time planned for release under the name "Winged Assassins". The idea was obviously forgotten though. The band's first single "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" was omitted from the album in the United States to prevent the album from being banned from major chain stores. Capitol planned to release it as a single only in Europe, in a black plastic bag with a sticker warning of offensive lyrics. Eventually, however, Capitol was convinced to release the album with its original packaging in April 1984.
L.O.V.E. Machine and I Wanna Be Somebody helped the album sell well, and set the band up for Blind in Texas song written in Minnesota, by Blackie Lawless. The song was released on the next album The Last Command on November 9, 1985. The Last Command album is still W.A.S.P.'s highest charting album. Peaking at #47 on the Billboard album chart. Blind In Texas is still their best known song, 20 plus years later.
W.A.S.P. became a very prominent target of the Parents Music Resource Center, an organization led by Tipper Gore and dedicated to opposing music with lyrics deemed violent or sexual. This pushed the band's reputation to such bad levels that concert halls were getting bomb threats, band members were getting written death threats by the hundreds, and singer Blackie Lawless had been shot at twice (albeit without getting hit). But in the end the publicity helped sales greatly.
Inside the Electric Circus was released on November 8, 1986. The album saw Lawless finally switch to guitar replacing the departed Piper, who'd left W.A.S.P. to audition for Alice Cooper's band. Unfortunately for Piper, Kane Roberts would be Cooper's guitarist. Also former King Kobra bassist Johnny Rod joined W.A.S.P. on bass 'A tired record by a tired band,' as Blackie calls it, spawned a minor hit single 95-n.a.s.t.y. It was a critical review of this single that convinced Lawless of the necessity to take some time off and reconsider the band's creative directions.
In 1987 W.A.S.P. had their song Scream Until You Like It on the movie Ghoulies 2. Also that year concerts on the Inside The Electric Circus album tour were recorded. On November 27, 1987, the Long Beach arena concert was released as the Live...In The Raw album. Unfortunately by the time the live album was released Steve Riley left WA.S.P.. He'd join the band L.A. Guns. A band that had just recorded their debut album L.A. Guns with drummer Nikki Alexander. Alexander left just after the album was recorded, replaced by Steve Riley. He'd be in that band for the next decade.
W.A.S.P.'s fifth album, The Headless Children, was released on April 15, 1989. This was their first album without any sexually explicit songs and also the first one that sold rather poorly. It reached #48 on the Billboard 200 but quickly fell off the charts. However, it was critically acclaimed to be W.A.S.P.'s best work at the time, and according to a recent Lawless interview, it is actually the biggest selling W.A.S.P. album now.
The band effectively disbanded in November 1989 with Blackie Lawless embarking on a solo career. Lawless was originally slated to play T-1000 in the Terminator 2: Judgment Day movie, but was later replaced by Robert Patrick after Arnold Schwarzenegger deemed Lawless 'too tall'. Blackie started work on a solo project, but under pressure from both promoters and fans had to release it as a W.A.S.P. album. Ironically, many critics feel that this album, The Crimson Idol has been the best W.A.S.P. output so far. Blackie recorded this album with the help of Bob Kulick on guitar, Frankie Banali and Stet Howland, with Blackie handling guitar, bass and keyboards.
The follow up to The Crimson Idol was Still Not Black Enough, a collection of dark introspective tunes that extended the Crimson Idol mythology (but this time, without Lawless 'hiding behind' Jonathan Steele, as he stated in the liner notes) as well as included cover songs as "bonus tracks". The initial European edition included a different track listing from the American and a subsequent American re-issue featured yet a different track listing. No version to date includes all the various tracks on one disc.
Chris Holmes returned to W.A.S.P. in 1995. Also, Mike Duda joined the group. Albums K.F.D. (Kill Fuck Die) (1997) and Helldorado (1999) followed. They also recorded two live albums from these two tours, Double Live Assassins and The Sting, respectively. The Sting CD and DVD were taken directly from the experimental webcast. Apparently Blackie had no control over this release and was unhappy with the results with their poor sound and picture quality.
The band continued with Unholy Terror in 2001. Chris Holmes left the band again in 2001, citing that he wanted to 'play the blues'. He hooked up with fellow ex-W.A.S.P. member Randy Piper's band Animal but fell out soon. It's interesting to note that Holmes has claimed he never played on 'Unholy Terror'. Chris was replaced by Darrell Roberts
Dying for the World, released in 2002, was written and recorded in less than a year which is very fast by Lawless' perfectionist standards. Its liner notes feature one of Lawless' strongest statements about political correctness, inspired by the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
In April 2004, W.A.S.P. released The Neon God, Part 1: The Rise, a conceptual album about an abused and orphaned boy who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. The Neon God - Part 2 - The Demise, was released in September 2004.
In 2005, W.A.S.P. headlined American Metal Blast, bringing back the original 'blood and guts' show for the younger generation of metal fans.
In 2006, Stet Howland and Darell Roberts left the band. Patrik Johansson (from Yngwie Malmsteen's band) was announced as touring drummer. In May 2006, Mike Dupke was announced as the new drummer and Doug Blair as the new lead guitarist. Douglas Blair had already worked with W.A.S.P. in 1992, when he played guitar on the Crimson Idol tour.
In 2007, W.A.S.P. released Dominator to great critical acclaim.
In the end of 2007, the band embarked on the "Crimson Idol - 15th Anniversary tour. The band would perform "The Crimson Idol" in its entirety, live.
The band, formed in Los Angeles, California, initially consisted of Blackie Lawless, Rik Fox, Randy Piper and Tony Richards. The band initially became famous for its raunchy and at times shocking live shows; Lawless was known to tie semi-naked models to a torture rack and hurl raw meat into the audience. The band's debut single, entitled Animal (Fuck Like a Beast), was equally controversial.
The initial line up didn't last for long, as Rik Fox left the band to join (then unknown) vocalist Ron Keel & guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen in the band Steeler. He was replaced with Don Costa. Shortly after that, Don Costa also left the band and his position on the bass was filled by Lawless. At the same time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band.
W.A.S.P. signed to Capitol Records for their debut LP, W.A.S.P., on August 17, 1984. The debut album was at one time planned for release under the name "Winged Assassins". The idea was obviously forgotten though. The band's first single "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" was omitted from the album in the United States to prevent the album from being banned from major chain stores. Capitol planned to release it as a single only in Europe, in a black plastic bag with a sticker warning of offensive lyrics. Eventually, however, Capitol was convinced to release the album with its original packaging in April 1984.
L.O.V.E. Machine and I Wanna Be Somebody helped the album sell well, and set the band up for Blind in Texas song written in Minnesota, by Blackie Lawless. The song was released on the next album The Last Command on November 9, 1985. The Last Command album is still W.A.S.P.'s highest charting album. Peaking at #47 on the Billboard album chart. Blind In Texas is still their best known song, 20 plus years later.
W.A.S.P. became a very prominent target of the Parents Music Resource Center, an organization led by Tipper Gore and dedicated to opposing music with lyrics deemed violent or sexual. This pushed the band's reputation to such bad levels that concert halls were getting bomb threats, band members were getting written death threats by the hundreds, and singer Blackie Lawless had been shot at twice (albeit without getting hit). But in the end the publicity helped sales greatly.
Inside the Electric Circus was released on November 8, 1986. The album saw Lawless finally switch to guitar replacing the departed Piper, who'd left W.A.S.P. to audition for Alice Cooper's band. Unfortunately for Piper, Kane Roberts would be Cooper's guitarist. Also former King Kobra bassist Johnny Rod joined W.A.S.P. on bass 'A tired record by a tired band,' as Blackie calls it, spawned a minor hit single 95-n.a.s.t.y. It was a critical review of this single that convinced Lawless of the necessity to take some time off and reconsider the band's creative directions.
In 1987 W.A.S.P. had their song Scream Until You Like It on the movie Ghoulies 2. Also that year concerts on the Inside The Electric Circus album tour were recorded. On November 27, 1987, the Long Beach arena concert was released as the Live...In The Raw album. Unfortunately by the time the live album was released Steve Riley left WA.S.P.. He'd join the band L.A. Guns. A band that had just recorded their debut album L.A. Guns with drummer Nikki Alexander. Alexander left just after the album was recorded, replaced by Steve Riley. He'd be in that band for the next decade.
W.A.S.P.'s fifth album, The Headless Children, was released on April 15, 1989. This was their first album without any sexually explicit songs and also the first one that sold rather poorly. It reached #48 on the Billboard 200 but quickly fell off the charts. However, it was critically acclaimed to be W.A.S.P.'s best work at the time, and according to a recent Lawless interview, it is actually the biggest selling W.A.S.P. album now.
The band effectively disbanded in November 1989 with Blackie Lawless embarking on a solo career. Lawless was originally slated to play T-1000 in the Terminator 2: Judgment Day movie, but was later replaced by Robert Patrick after Arnold Schwarzenegger deemed Lawless 'too tall'. Blackie started work on a solo project, but under pressure from both promoters and fans had to release it as a W.A.S.P. album. Ironically, many critics feel that this album, The Crimson Idol has been the best W.A.S.P. output so far. Blackie recorded this album with the help of Bob Kulick on guitar, Frankie Banali and Stet Howland, with Blackie handling guitar, bass and keyboards.
The follow up to The Crimson Idol was Still Not Black Enough, a collection of dark introspective tunes that extended the Crimson Idol mythology (but this time, without Lawless 'hiding behind' Jonathan Steele, as he stated in the liner notes) as well as included cover songs as "bonus tracks". The initial European edition included a different track listing from the American and a subsequent American re-issue featured yet a different track listing. No version to date includes all the various tracks on one disc.
Chris Holmes returned to W.A.S.P. in 1995. Also, Mike Duda joined the group. Albums K.F.D. (Kill Fuck Die) (1997) and Helldorado (1999) followed. They also recorded two live albums from these two tours, Double Live Assassins and The Sting, respectively. The Sting CD and DVD were taken directly from the experimental webcast. Apparently Blackie had no control over this release and was unhappy with the results with their poor sound and picture quality.
The band continued with Unholy Terror in 2001. Chris Holmes left the band again in 2001, citing that he wanted to 'play the blues'. He hooked up with fellow ex-W.A.S.P. member Randy Piper's band Animal but fell out soon. It's interesting to note that Holmes has claimed he never played on 'Unholy Terror'. Chris was replaced by Darrell Roberts
Dying for the World, released in 2002, was written and recorded in less than a year which is very fast by Lawless' perfectionist standards. Its liner notes feature one of Lawless' strongest statements about political correctness, inspired by the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
In April 2004, W.A.S.P. released The Neon God, Part 1: The Rise, a conceptual album about an abused and orphaned boy who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. The Neon God - Part 2 - The Demise, was released in September 2004.
In 2005, W.A.S.P. headlined American Metal Blast, bringing back the original 'blood and guts' show for the younger generation of metal fans.
In 2006, Stet Howland and Darell Roberts left the band. Patrik Johansson (from Yngwie Malmsteen's band) was announced as touring drummer. In May 2006, Mike Dupke was announced as the new drummer and Doug Blair as the new lead guitarist. Douglas Blair had already worked with W.A.S.P. in 1992, when he played guitar on the Crimson Idol tour.
In 2007, W.A.S.P. released Dominator to great critical acclaim.
In the end of 2007, the band embarked on the "Crimson Idol - 15th Anniversary tour. The band would perform "The Crimson Idol" in its entirety, live.
Show More
Genres:
Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Metal
Hometown:
Hollywood, California
Latest Posts
W.A.S.P.
5 hours ago
W.A.S.P. Will Perform their Entire Debut Album from Start to Finish, on the 2025 Album ONE Alive World Tour in Europe
https://www.waspnation.com/post/w-a-s-p-will-perform-their-entire-debut-album-from-start-to-finish-on-the-2025-album-one-alive-wor
https://www.waspnation.com/post/w-a-s-p-will-perform-their-entire-debut-album-from-start-to-finish-on-the-2025-album-one-alive-wor
View More Posts
No upcoming shows in your city
Send a request to W.A.S.P. to play in your city
Request a Show
concerts and tour dates
Upcoming
Past
all concerts & live streams
Show More Dates (30)
Live Photos of W.A.S.P.
View All Photos
Official Merch
W.A.S.P. "Sleeping In The Fire" Ladie...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "Album One Alive" Embroidere...
$30.0 USD
W.A.S.P. Two Inch Metal Pin
$15.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "Blackie Lawless Vintage 2 S...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "Blackie Lawless Vintage 2 S...
$50.0 USD
W.A.S.P - 'Album One Alive' Black T-S...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P. "First Album One Alive Tour"...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P - 'Blackie Album One Alive' B...
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P "Album One Alive Tour" Mens B...
$70.0 USD
W.A.S.P - '42 Years' Black Mens T-Shirt
$40.0 USD
W.A.S.P.'s tour
Fan Reviews
Danny
December 7th 2024
The WASP VIP meet & greet is beyond words. For any fan of Blackie it is a must!! The question and answer segment is phenomenal, he takes his time to listen and he gives honest answers, he's not in a hurry, to listen to his answers are well spoken and you can tell he means what he says, he is not fake at all. It's also great to get your treasured items autographed. To see the WASP museum and get pictures is like going back in time, seeing the props we grew up seeing.
I'm saying 100% must. Also Jay rocks.
The concert as always was beyond words. Blackie gives it 110% Ryman Auditorium Nashville Tennessee Nov. 26 2024
Danny Goodman and Kim Goodman
Nashville, TN@Ryman Auditorium
Ronnie Roberts
November 25th 2024
Sadly I wasnt able to go due to an ecoli issue in my leg that had came back, this was the one concert I was definitely wanting to go to and have talked about going since it was announced. The first W.A.S.P. album is one of my favorites of all time.I am leaving 5 stars even though I wasn't there simply because of it being performed in it's entirety.I saw Blackie and the guys a few years ago when they came through the Charlotte area and the guys were super tight and put on a great show along with Armored Saint.Hope to catch you guys at some point again and maybe you will make another trek performing this album again.
Charlotte, NC@The Fillmore Charlotte
J
November 6th 2024
Would have liked them to play their most popular song (ANIMAL). I wasn't expecting it but would have made the show a 5 star in my book. Didn't even do an encore. I would think with the high fan turn out and them canceling the show last time around here, they would treat us to an extra song or two. No part the bands fault, but there were 2 different posted times the doors would open 6pm and 7pm...... we'll it ended up being 7pm and everyone was standing outside in the 40° temperature for over an hour. Boohoo, but that started the night off on the wrong foot. Anyway, I
I got to see W.A.S.P. and it's pretty much a bucket list show for everyone.
Salt Lake City, UT@The Depot
View More Fan Reviews
About W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 which gained notoriety for its"shock rock"-image, music and live performances.
The band, formed in Los Angeles, California, initially consisted of Blackie Lawless, Rik Fox, Randy Piper and Tony Richards. The band initially became famous for its raunchy and at times shocking live shows; Lawless was known to tie semi-naked models to a torture rack and hurl raw meat into the audience. The band's debut single, entitled Animal (Fuck Like a Beast), was equally controversial.
The initial line up didn't last for long, as Rik Fox left the band to join (then unknown) vocalist Ron Keel & guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen in the band Steeler. He was replaced with Don Costa. Shortly after that, Don Costa also left the band and his position on the bass was filled by Lawless. At the same time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band.
W.A.S.P. signed to Capitol Records for their debut LP, W.A.S.P., on August 17, 1984. The debut album was at one time planned for release under the name "Winged Assassins". The idea was obviously forgotten though. The band's first single "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" was omitted from the album in the United States to prevent the album from being banned from major chain stores. Capitol planned to release it as a single only in Europe, in a black plastic bag with a sticker warning of offensive lyrics. Eventually, however, Capitol was convinced to release the album with its original packaging in April 1984.
L.O.V.E. Machine and I Wanna Be Somebody helped the album sell well, and set the band up for Blind in Texas song written in Minnesota, by Blackie Lawless. The song was released on the next album The Last Command on November 9, 1985. The Last Command album is still W.A.S.P.'s highest charting album. Peaking at #47 on the Billboard album chart. Blind In Texas is still their best known song, 20 plus years later.
W.A.S.P. became a very prominent target of the Parents Music Resource Center, an organization led by Tipper Gore and dedicated to opposing music with lyrics deemed violent or sexual. This pushed the band's reputation to such bad levels that concert halls were getting bomb threats, band members were getting written death threats by the hundreds, and singer Blackie Lawless had been shot at twice (albeit without getting hit). But in the end the publicity helped sales greatly.
Inside the Electric Circus was released on November 8, 1986. The album saw Lawless finally switch to guitar replacing the departed Piper, who'd left W.A.S.P. to audition for Alice Cooper's band. Unfortunately for Piper, Kane Roberts would be Cooper's guitarist. Also former King Kobra bassist Johnny Rod joined W.A.S.P. on bass 'A tired record by a tired band,' as Blackie calls it, spawned a minor hit single 95-n.a.s.t.y. It was a critical review of this single that convinced Lawless of the necessity to take some time off and reconsider the band's creative directions.
In 1987 W.A.S.P. had their song Scream Until You Like It on the movie Ghoulies 2. Also that year concerts on the Inside The Electric Circus album tour were recorded. On November 27, 1987, the Long Beach arena concert was released as the Live...In The Raw album. Unfortunately by the time the live album was released Steve Riley left WA.S.P.. He'd join the band L.A. Guns. A band that had just recorded their debut album L.A. Guns with drummer Nikki Alexander. Alexander left just after the album was recorded, replaced by Steve Riley. He'd be in that band for the next decade.
W.A.S.P.'s fifth album, The Headless Children, was released on April 15, 1989. This was their first album without any sexually explicit songs and also the first one that sold rather poorly. It reached #48 on the Billboard 200 but quickly fell off the charts. However, it was critically acclaimed to be W.A.S.P.'s best work at the time, and according to a recent Lawless interview, it is actually the biggest selling W.A.S.P. album now.
The band effectively disbanded in November 1989 with Blackie Lawless embarking on a solo career. Lawless was originally slated to play T-1000 in the Terminator 2: Judgment Day movie, but was later replaced by Robert Patrick after Arnold Schwarzenegger deemed Lawless 'too tall'. Blackie started work on a solo project, but under pressure from both promoters and fans had to release it as a W.A.S.P. album. Ironically, many critics feel that this album, The Crimson Idol has been the best W.A.S.P. output so far. Blackie recorded this album with the help of Bob Kulick on guitar, Frankie Banali and Stet Howland, with Blackie handling guitar, bass and keyboards.
The follow up to The Crimson Idol was Still Not Black Enough, a collection of dark introspective tunes that extended the Crimson Idol mythology (but this time, without Lawless 'hiding behind' Jonathan Steele, as he stated in the liner notes) as well as included cover songs as "bonus tracks". The initial European edition included a different track listing from the American and a subsequent American re-issue featured yet a different track listing. No version to date includes all the various tracks on one disc.
Chris Holmes returned to W.A.S.P. in 1995. Also, Mike Duda joined the group. Albums K.F.D. (Kill Fuck Die) (1997) and Helldorado (1999) followed. They also recorded two live albums from these two tours, Double Live Assassins and The Sting, respectively. The Sting CD and DVD were taken directly from the experimental webcast. Apparently Blackie had no control over this release and was unhappy with the results with their poor sound and picture quality.
The band continued with Unholy Terror in 2001. Chris Holmes left the band again in 2001, citing that he wanted to 'play the blues'. He hooked up with fellow ex-W.A.S.P. member Randy Piper's band Animal but fell out soon. It's interesting to note that Holmes has claimed he never played on 'Unholy Terror'. Chris was replaced by Darrell Roberts
Dying for the World, released in 2002, was written and recorded in less than a year which is very fast by Lawless' perfectionist standards. Its liner notes feature one of Lawless' strongest statements about political correctness, inspired by the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
In April 2004, W.A.S.P. released The Neon God, Part 1: The Rise, a conceptual album about an abused and orphaned boy who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. The Neon God - Part 2 - The Demise, was released in September 2004.
In 2005, W.A.S.P. headlined American Metal Blast, bringing back the original 'blood and guts' show for the younger generation of metal fans.
In 2006, Stet Howland and Darell Roberts left the band. Patrik Johansson (from Yngwie Malmsteen's band) was announced as touring drummer. In May 2006, Mike Dupke was announced as the new drummer and Doug Blair as the new lead guitarist. Douglas Blair had already worked with W.A.S.P. in 1992, when he played guitar on the Crimson Idol tour.
In 2007, W.A.S.P. released Dominator to great critical acclaim.
In the end of 2007, the band embarked on the "Crimson Idol - 15th Anniversary tour. The band would perform "The Crimson Idol" in its entirety, live.
The band, formed in Los Angeles, California, initially consisted of Blackie Lawless, Rik Fox, Randy Piper and Tony Richards. The band initially became famous for its raunchy and at times shocking live shows; Lawless was known to tie semi-naked models to a torture rack and hurl raw meat into the audience. The band's debut single, entitled Animal (Fuck Like a Beast), was equally controversial.
The initial line up didn't last for long, as Rik Fox left the band to join (then unknown) vocalist Ron Keel & guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen in the band Steeler. He was replaced with Don Costa. Shortly after that, Don Costa also left the band and his position on the bass was filled by Lawless. At the same time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band.
W.A.S.P. signed to Capitol Records for their debut LP, W.A.S.P., on August 17, 1984. The debut album was at one time planned for release under the name "Winged Assassins". The idea was obviously forgotten though. The band's first single "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" was omitted from the album in the United States to prevent the album from being banned from major chain stores. Capitol planned to release it as a single only in Europe, in a black plastic bag with a sticker warning of offensive lyrics. Eventually, however, Capitol was convinced to release the album with its original packaging in April 1984.
L.O.V.E. Machine and I Wanna Be Somebody helped the album sell well, and set the band up for Blind in Texas song written in Minnesota, by Blackie Lawless. The song was released on the next album The Last Command on November 9, 1985. The Last Command album is still W.A.S.P.'s highest charting album. Peaking at #47 on the Billboard album chart. Blind In Texas is still their best known song, 20 plus years later.
W.A.S.P. became a very prominent target of the Parents Music Resource Center, an organization led by Tipper Gore and dedicated to opposing music with lyrics deemed violent or sexual. This pushed the band's reputation to such bad levels that concert halls were getting bomb threats, band members were getting written death threats by the hundreds, and singer Blackie Lawless had been shot at twice (albeit without getting hit). But in the end the publicity helped sales greatly.
Inside the Electric Circus was released on November 8, 1986. The album saw Lawless finally switch to guitar replacing the departed Piper, who'd left W.A.S.P. to audition for Alice Cooper's band. Unfortunately for Piper, Kane Roberts would be Cooper's guitarist. Also former King Kobra bassist Johnny Rod joined W.A.S.P. on bass 'A tired record by a tired band,' as Blackie calls it, spawned a minor hit single 95-n.a.s.t.y. It was a critical review of this single that convinced Lawless of the necessity to take some time off and reconsider the band's creative directions.
In 1987 W.A.S.P. had their song Scream Until You Like It on the movie Ghoulies 2. Also that year concerts on the Inside The Electric Circus album tour were recorded. On November 27, 1987, the Long Beach arena concert was released as the Live...In The Raw album. Unfortunately by the time the live album was released Steve Riley left WA.S.P.. He'd join the band L.A. Guns. A band that had just recorded their debut album L.A. Guns with drummer Nikki Alexander. Alexander left just after the album was recorded, replaced by Steve Riley. He'd be in that band for the next decade.
W.A.S.P.'s fifth album, The Headless Children, was released on April 15, 1989. This was their first album without any sexually explicit songs and also the first one that sold rather poorly. It reached #48 on the Billboard 200 but quickly fell off the charts. However, it was critically acclaimed to be W.A.S.P.'s best work at the time, and according to a recent Lawless interview, it is actually the biggest selling W.A.S.P. album now.
The band effectively disbanded in November 1989 with Blackie Lawless embarking on a solo career. Lawless was originally slated to play T-1000 in the Terminator 2: Judgment Day movie, but was later replaced by Robert Patrick after Arnold Schwarzenegger deemed Lawless 'too tall'. Blackie started work on a solo project, but under pressure from both promoters and fans had to release it as a W.A.S.P. album. Ironically, many critics feel that this album, The Crimson Idol has been the best W.A.S.P. output so far. Blackie recorded this album with the help of Bob Kulick on guitar, Frankie Banali and Stet Howland, with Blackie handling guitar, bass and keyboards.
The follow up to The Crimson Idol was Still Not Black Enough, a collection of dark introspective tunes that extended the Crimson Idol mythology (but this time, without Lawless 'hiding behind' Jonathan Steele, as he stated in the liner notes) as well as included cover songs as "bonus tracks". The initial European edition included a different track listing from the American and a subsequent American re-issue featured yet a different track listing. No version to date includes all the various tracks on one disc.
Chris Holmes returned to W.A.S.P. in 1995. Also, Mike Duda joined the group. Albums K.F.D. (Kill Fuck Die) (1997) and Helldorado (1999) followed. They also recorded two live albums from these two tours, Double Live Assassins and The Sting, respectively. The Sting CD and DVD were taken directly from the experimental webcast. Apparently Blackie had no control over this release and was unhappy with the results with their poor sound and picture quality.
The band continued with Unholy Terror in 2001. Chris Holmes left the band again in 2001, citing that he wanted to 'play the blues'. He hooked up with fellow ex-W.A.S.P. member Randy Piper's band Animal but fell out soon. It's interesting to note that Holmes has claimed he never played on 'Unholy Terror'. Chris was replaced by Darrell Roberts
Dying for the World, released in 2002, was written and recorded in less than a year which is very fast by Lawless' perfectionist standards. Its liner notes feature one of Lawless' strongest statements about political correctness, inspired by the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
In April 2004, W.A.S.P. released The Neon God, Part 1: The Rise, a conceptual album about an abused and orphaned boy who finds that he has the ability to read and manipulate people. The Neon God - Part 2 - The Demise, was released in September 2004.
In 2005, W.A.S.P. headlined American Metal Blast, bringing back the original 'blood and guts' show for the younger generation of metal fans.
In 2006, Stet Howland and Darell Roberts left the band. Patrik Johansson (from Yngwie Malmsteen's band) was announced as touring drummer. In May 2006, Mike Dupke was announced as the new drummer and Doug Blair as the new lead guitarist. Douglas Blair had already worked with W.A.S.P. in 1992, when he played guitar on the Crimson Idol tour.
In 2007, W.A.S.P. released Dominator to great critical acclaim.
In the end of 2007, the band embarked on the "Crimson Idol - 15th Anniversary tour. The band would perform "The Crimson Idol" in its entirety, live.
Show More
Genres:
Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Metal
Hometown:
Hollywood, California
Fans Also Follow
Rob Zombie
2M Followers
Follow
Alice Cooper
1M Followers
Follow
Ratt
336K Followers
Follow
Mötley Crüe
2M Followers
Follow
Poison
805K Followers
Follow
Kiss
2M Followers
Follow
Judas Priest
1M Followers
Follow
Iron Maiden
3M Followers
Follow
Accept
235K Followers
Follow
Anthrax
986K Followers
Follow
Scorpions
960K Followers
Follow
Testament
642K Followers
Follow
Get the full experience with the Bandsintown app.