W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, was formed in February 4, 1982. The group originally consisted of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Blackie Lawless (real name Steven Duren), lead guitarist William "Randy" Piper, bassist Rik Fox (real name Richard Suligowski) and drummer Tony Richards.
By the time they recorded their debut album, Lawless had taken over on bass and Chris Holmes had joined on co-lead guitar.
Lawless is the last remaining original member of the group, which currently also features lead guitarist Doug Blair (in 1992 and 2001, and since 2006), bassist Mike Duda (since 1995) and drummer Aquiles Priester (since 2017).
History
edit1982–1990
edit
W.A.S.P. evolved from Circus Circus shortly after bassist Rik Fox's addition to the band in February 4, 1982.[1] The group's original lineup also included lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Blackie Lawless, lead guitarist Randy Piper and drummer Tony Richards.[2] By "the end of May", Fox had been dismissed from the group and replaced by Richards' former Dante Fox bandmate Don Costa.[1] Around the same time, Piper also left "for a few months".[3] Towards the end of the year, Costa left to join Ozzy Osbourne's touring band,[4] at which point Lawless decided to switch to bass and bring back Piper on guitar.[3] He was also joined by Chris Holmes.[2]
The band released its first single "Animal (F**k Like a Beast)" in April 1984.[5] This was followed in August by their self-titled full-length debut.[6] Shortly after the album's release, Richards was replaced by former Keel drummer Steve Riley.[7] The group released The Last Command in 1985, before Piper left in July 1986.[8] Lawless subsequently switched back to guitar, with Johnny Rod (real name John Julius Tumminello) leaving King Kobra to take over as bassist.[9] Inside the Electric Circus followed in October, before Riley left during the subsequent tour to join L.A. Guns.[10] He was replaced for future shows by a string of temporary substitutes.[11]
By early 1988, W.A.S.P. had started working on its fourth studio album with Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali.[12] By the time The Headless Children was released a year later, Banali had become a full-time member of the band.[13] After a short tour, Holmes stepped back and eventually announced his departure from W.A.S.P. shortly after marrying Lita Ford in the summer of 1990; at the same time, the guitarist also claimed that both Rod and Banali had also departed.[14]
1990–2002
editAfter the departure of Chris Holmes, Blackie Lawless began recording The Crimson Idol with guitarist Bob Kulick and continuing drummer Frankie Banali.[15] The album was intended to be released under the moniker "Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P.", with the eponymous frontman performing vocals, bass and rhythm guitar.[16] Banali recorded only half the album, before stepping back following his mother's death in November 1990.[17] He was replaced by former Impellitteri drummer Stet Howland in January 1991.[18] Upon the album's completion, a new touring lineup of Lawless, Howland, new guitarist Dan McCade and returning bassist Johnny Rod was announced for May and June shows.[19][20] For a North American tour from July to November, McDade was replaced by Doug Blair.[18]
In September 1993, Lawless announced that he was disbanding W.A.S.P., with a final single "Sunset and Babylon" (recorded during The Crimson Idol sessions) to be released the following month.[21] Throughout 1994, the frontman worked on a new album intended to be his solo debut.[22] When it was eventually released in June 1995, however, Still Not Black Enough was credited to W.A.S.P.[23] The album was not released outside of Japan and Europe until over a year later, when it was announced that Chris Holmes had returned to the band.[24] When the follow-up Kill Fuck Die was released in April 1997, it was revealed that the guitarist and Lawless had been working together "under a blanket of fierce secrecy" since August 1995.[25][26] The album also featured new bassist Mike Duda and returning drummer Stet Howland.[27]
W.A.S.P.'s lineup remained stable for another four years, spawning one more studio album in Helldorado.[28] During the recording of Unholy Terror, the band started working with drummer Frankie Banali again for certain sessions, as Howland was not available all the time.[29] Shortly after the album's release in April 2001, rumours began to circulate that Holmes had left the band for a second time.[30] His departure was later confirmed by Lawless in June, with Doug Blair temporarily returning to take his place on tour.[31] At the end of July, the group announced former Tuff guitarist Darrell Roberts as Holmes' permanent replacement after months of rumours.[32]
Since 2002
editRoberts debuted on 2002's Dying for the World, which was followed in 2004 by The Neon God: Part 1 – The Rise and Part 2 – The Demise in 2004, all of which featured Banali on drums alongside Howland.[28] In February 2006, Stet Howland announced that he had left W.A.S.P. the previous month on amicable terms.[33] He was replaced for a run of shows by Patrick Johansson.[34] In April, Larry Howe was announced as Howland's replacement,[35] however a week later the group's management replied that this was not an official appointment.[36] At the same time, it was revealed that Roberts had also left W.A.S.P.[36] A few weeks later, Mike "Spud" Dupke and former touring member Doug Blair were announced as the band's new drummer and lead guitarist, respectively, the latter succeeding the earlier appointment of Mark Zavon.[37]
With Blair and Dupke, W.A.S.P. released Babylon in 2009 and Golgotha in 2015, before the drummer left in July 2015.[38] Johansson returned to fulfil a run of shows,[39] before former Annihilator drummer Randy Black took over in September.[40] By August 2017, Black had been replaced by Aquiles Priester.[41]
Members
editCurrent
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackie Lawless (Steven Duren) |
|
|
all W.A.S.P. releases | |
| Mike Duda | 1995–present |
|
all W.A.S.P. releases from Kill Fuck Die (1997) onwards | |
| Doug Blair | 2006–present (plus touring in 1992 and 2001) |
|
all W.A.S.P. releases from Dominator (2007) onwards | |
| Aquiles Priester | 2017–present | drums | none to date |
_(cropped).JPG)
Former
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Richards (Anthony Orlando) |
1982–1984 |
|
| |
| William "Randy" Piper |
|
|
| |
| Rik Fox (Richard Suligowski) |
1982 | bass guitar | none | |
| Don Costa | 1982 (died 2024) | |||
| Brayden Parker | 1982—1983 | |||
| Chris Holmes |
|
|
all W.A.S.P. releases from "Animal (F**k Like a Beast)" (1984) to The Headless Children (1989), and from Kill Fuck Die (1997) to Unholy Terror (2001) | |
| Steve Riley | 1984–1987 (died 2023) |
|
all W.A.S.P. releases from Live at the Lyceum, London (1984) to Live... in the Raw (1987) | |
| Johnny Rod (John Julius Tumminello) |
|
|
| |
| Frankie Banali | 1989–1990 (plus session in 1988–89, 1994–95, 2001–04 and 2017) (died 2020) |
|
| |
| Stet Howland |
|
|
| |
| Darrell Roberts | 2001–2006 |
|
| |
| Mike "Spud" Dupke | 2006–2015 | drums | all W.A.S.P. releases from Dominator (2007) to Reidolized: The Soundtrack to The Crimson Idol (2018) | |
| Randy Black | 2015–2017 | none |
Backup
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Nelson | 1987 (touring) | drums | Nelson was briefly the initial touring replacement for Steve Riley.[citation needed] | |
| Glenn Soderling | Soderling took over from Nelson as the second touring drummer after Riley's departure.[42] | |||
| Kelly Martella | 1987–1988 (touring) | Martella was the third touring drummer after Riley left, until early 1988.[citation needed] | ||
| Bob Kulick |
|
lead guitar | After Chris Holmes left, Kulick performed on The Crimson Idol and Still Not Black Enough.[28] | |
| Dan McDade | 1992 (touring) | McDade played guitar on W.A.S.P.'s European tour in May/June 1992 after The Crimson Idol.[20] | ||
| Philip Wolfe | keyboards | Wolfe performed keyboards on the touring cycle for The Crimson Idol during 1992.[43] | ||
| Patrick Johansson |
|
drums | Johansson filled in after the departure of Stet Howland in 2006 and Mike Dupke in 2015.[34][39] | |
| Brian Tichy | 2018 (touring) | Tichy filled in for Aquiles Priester, who was temporarily unavailable, for shows in 2018.[44] |
Timeline
edit
Lineups
edit| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| February – late May 1982 |
|
none |
| Summer – late 1982 |
| |
| Late 1982 – early 1983 |
| |
| Early 1983 – September 1984 |
|
|
| September 1984 – July 1986 |
|
|
| July 1986 – spring 1987 |
|
|
| Spring 1987 |
|
none |
| Spring – summer 1987 |
| |
| Summer 1987 – early 1988 |
| |
| Early 1988 – April 1989 |
|
|
| April 1989 – June 1990 |
|
none |
| June – November 1990 |
|
|
| January 1991 – early 1992 |
| |
| April – June 1992 |
|
none |
| July – November 1992 |
| |
| Band inactive November 1992 (officially disbanded September 1993) – 1994 | ||
| 1994–1995 |
|
|
| August 1995 – June 2001 |
|
|
| June – July 2001 |
|
none |
| July 2001 – January 2006 |
|
|
| February – March 2006 |
|
|
| May 2006 – July 2015 |
|
|
| July – August 2015 |
|
none |
| September 2015 – August 2017 |
| |
| August 2017 – present |
|
none to date |
References
edit- ^ a b "Rik Fox recalls being briefly replaced by Don Costa in W.A.S.P. before Blackie Lawless took over on bass". Sleaze Roxx. May 19, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "W.A.S.P./Animal/Kings Horse's Guitarist Randy Piper". Full in Bloom Music. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "W.A.S.P./Dante Fox Drummer Tony Richards". Full in Bloom Music. August 28, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Wardlaw, Matt (December 30, 2013). "35 Years Ago: Ozzy Osbourne's 'Bark at the Moon' Begins Productive Jake E. Lee Era". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. – Animal Magnetism". Kerrang!. No. 65. April 1984. p. 20. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm (1984). "W.A.S.P.: Randy Piper". Kerrang!. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Another News Corner" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. No. 30. Amstelveen, Netherlands: European Media Report. October 22, 1984. p. 12. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "For The Record". Chicago Tribune. July 24, 1986. p. 74. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Gett, Steve (August 2, 1986). "On The Beat" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 31. New York City, New York: Billboard. p. 23. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Schmitt, Greg (January 2008). "Interview with Steve Riley, Drummer (LA Guns, Ex-WASP)". Rock Eyez. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Ling, Dave (August 1989). "W.A.S.P.: The Rack Is Back". Metal Hammer. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Metal Music News" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 74. Medford Lakes, New Jersey: The Hard Report. April 15, 1988. p. 36. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Day, Mark (April 3, 1989). "W.A.S.P.: Friends of the Earth?". Metal Hammer. Vol. 5, no. 6. p. 11. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P.: The End?". Kerrang!. 1990. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Welch, Chris (June 1991). "W.A.S.P.: A Sting in the Tale". Metal Hammer. pp. 20–21. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Blackie in the saddle again". Kerrang!. June 1991. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Back in Blackie". Metal Hammer. February 1992. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Catlin, Roger (December 24, 1992). "Guitarist Back In State During Break From Full Metal Venues". Hartford Courant. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. and Helloween to Blitz Europe". Metal Hammer. April 1992. p. 6. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Andy (June 1992). "W.A.S.P.: The Work of Idol Hands". Metal Hammer. p. 31. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Peake, Mike (September 1993). "Blackie Splits W.A.S.P." Kerrang!. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Missing in Action". Kerrang!. December 1994. p. 37. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P.: Still Not Black Enough". Kerrang!. June 1995. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Limongelli, Joe (October 20, 1996). "Days of W.A.S.P. and Blackie". Sunday Dispatch. p. 61. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Gudino, Rod (April 21, 1997). "What ever happened to... W.A.S.P.?" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 65, no. 7. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: RPM. p. 14. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Samudrala, Ram (April 10, 1997). "Interview with Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P." Music Ramb-lings. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. History". W.A.S.P. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. "W.A.S.P.: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P.'s Lawless Says He's Not Trying To Be Shocking". Blabbermouth.net. June 30, 2004. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Archive News Apr 29, 2001". Blabbermouth.net. April 29, 2001. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Archive News Jun 13, 2001". Blabbermouth.net. June 13, 2001. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Archive News Jul 30, 2001 - update 2". Blabbermouth.net. July 30, 2001. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Drummer Stet Howland Quits W.A.S.P." Blabbermouth.net. February 13, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "W.A.S.P. Recruit Yngwie Malmsteen Drummer For North American Tour". Blabbermouth.net. February 25, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Vicious Rumours Drummer Larry Howe Joins W.A.S.P." Blabbermouth.net. April 27, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "W.A.S.P. Part Ways With Guitarist Darrell Roberts". Blabbermouth.net. May 2, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. Welcome Back Guitarist Doug Blair". Blabbermouth.net. May 17, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. Parts Ways With Drummer Mike Dupke". Blabbermouth.net. July 12, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "W.A.S.P. Recruits Yngwie Malmsteen Drummer Patrick Johansson". Blabbermouth.net. July 19, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Video: W.A.S.P. Performs Title Track Of New Album 'Golgotha' In Leeds". Blabbermouth.net. September 15, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. Recruits Drummer Aquiles Priester For Upcoming Tour". Blabbermouth.net. August 22, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Howard (August 1987). "Stinging Stuff". Kerrang!. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Reynolds, Dave (October 24, 1992). "None More Blackie". Kerrang!. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "W.A.S.P. Recruits Drummer Brian Tichy For European Summer Festivals (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. June 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2021.