Editing W.A.S.P. (band) (section)

===Early years and rise to fame (1982–1985)===
[[File:CIRCUS CIRCUS 1979-1980.png|thumb|Circus Circus 1979–1980: Joey Palermo, Blackie Lawless, Jimi Image and Randy Piper]]
W.A.S.P. began following the demise of Circus Circus, a Los Angeles-based band featuring [[Blackie Lawless]] and [[Randy Piper]]. The original lineup of W.A.S.P. was formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 by Lawless, Piper, [[Rik Fox]], and [[Tony Richards (musician)|Tony Richards]]. The band became notorious for its raunchy and, at times, shocking live shows. Lawless was known to tie semi-naked models to a torture rack, and to also hurl raw meat into the audience.<ref name="LarkinHR">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1999|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0257-7|page=474}}</ref> The band's debut single, entitled "[[Animal (F**k Like a Beast)]]", and its cover were equally controversial.<ref name="LarkinHR"/>

The first lineup did not last for long, as Fox was let go and went on to join the band [[Steeler (American band)|Steeler]] with vocalist [[Ron Keel]] and a then-unknown guitarist [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]. He was replaced by Don Costa, the bassist in Richards' former band, Dante Fox (which later evolved into [[Great White]]). Shortly afterward, Costa also left the band and his position on the bass was filled by Brayden Parker. In 1983, guitarist [[Chris Holmes (musician)|Chris Holmes]] joined the band.

W.A.S.P. signed to [[Capitol Records]] for their debut album, ''[[W.A.S.P. (album)|W.A.S.P.]]'', released on August 17, 1984.<ref name="LarkinHR"/> The debut was at one time planned for release with the title ''Winged Assassins''. The band's first single, "Animal (F**k Like a Beast)", was omitted from the album in the United States to prevent it from being banned from major chain stores.<ref name="LarkinHR"/> ''W.A.S.P.'' was accompanied by the band's first world tour, performing with numerous bands such as [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]],<ref name="Kiss">{{cite web |url=https://necramonium.vpweb.com/animalize-tour |title=Animalize Tour: 1984 - '85 |website=necramonium.com |access-date=December 18, 2021 }}</ref> [[Iron Maiden]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ironmaidencommentary.com/?url=tour05_powerslave/dates05_powerslave&lang=eng&link=tours|title=The Iron Maiden Commentary - Tours - World Slavery Tour 1984-85 - Dates and Venues|website=ironmaidencommentary.com|access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> [[Dokken]],<ref name="Kiss"/> [[Krokus (band)|Krokus]],<ref name="Krokus">{{cite web|url=https://fullinbloom.com/helix-vocalist-remembers-1985-tour-w-w-a-s-p-krokus/|title=Helix Vocalist Remembers 1985 Tour w/ W.A.S.P. & Krokus|website=fullinbloom.com|date=March 21, 2018 |access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> [[Helix (band)|Helix]],<ref name="Krokus"/> [[Quiet Riot]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/w-a-s-p|title=W.A.S.P's Concert & Tour History|website=concertarchives.org|access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> [[Armored Saint]],<ref name="Metallica">{{cite web|url=http://www.metallipromo.com/me.html|title=Metallica; (1982 - 1985)|website=metallipromo.com|access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> and a then-relatively unknown [[Metallica]].<ref name="Metallica"/>

Shortly afterwards, the band made an appearance in the 1984 film ''[[The Dungeonmaster]]'' and on the soundtrack to ''Ghost Warrior'' with the song "Tormentor".{{cn|date=October 2024}}

"L.O.V.E. Machine" and "I Wanna Be Somebody" helped the album sell, and set the band up for "Blind in Texas", a song written in St. Paul, Minnesota, by Lawless. The song was included on their next album ''[[The Last Command (album)|The Last Command]]'', which was released in October 1985.<ref name="LarkinHR"/> ''The Last Command'' remains W.A.S.P.'s highest-charting album, peaking at No. 47 on the Billboard album chart. "Blind in Texas" is perhaps their best known song, more than three decades after its release.<ref name="LarkinHR"/> ''The Last Command'' was also the first album with new drummer [[Steve Riley (drummer)|Steve Riley]] (formerly of [[Keel (band)|Keel]]),<ref name="LarkinHR"/> who had replaced Richards at the beginning of the 1984-1985 tour. W.A.S.P. supported the album by participating in two arena tours, opening for [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] on their [[Asylum Tour (Kiss)|''Asylum'' tour]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kissconcerthistory.com/1985/focus.php|title=On Tour: Asylum - KISS Concert History Online|website=kissconcerthistory.com|access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> and, along with a then-unknown [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]], they supported [[Black Sabbath]] on their ''[[Seventh Star]]'' tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.black-sabbath.com/tourdates/ss_tour/|title=Seventh Star Tour – Black Sabbath Online|website=black-sabbath.com|access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref>

After ''The Last Command'' tour, Piper departed the band.<ref name="LarkinHR"/> Former [[King Kobra]] bassist [[Johnny Rod]] joined W.A.S.P. as Lawless went back to playing rhythm guitar.<ref name="LarkinHR"/> Around this time, W.A.S.P. became a very prominent target of the [[Parents Music Resource Center]] (PMRC),<ref name="LarkinHR"/> an organization led by [[Tipper Gore]] and dedicated to opposing music with lyrics deemed violent or overtly sexual in content. This lowered the band's reputation to such a degree that concert halls were getting bomb threats, band members were receiving death threats by the hundreds, and Lawless was shot at twice (though not hit). The controversy generated valuable publicity for the band.<ref name="Sharpe-Young 2007">{{cite book |last=Sharpe-Young |first=Garry |pages=327–30 |title=Metal: The Definitive Guide |publisher=Jawbone Press |year=2007 |isbn=9781906002015}}</ref>