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.
The first lineup did not last for long, as Rik Fox was let go and went on to join the band Steeler with vocalist Ron Keel and 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. By the time they recorded their debut album "W.A.S.P.", Lawless had taken over on bass and Chris Holmes had joined on lead guitar. At the same time, guitarist Chris Holmes joined the band.
Shortly after the album's release in 1984, Richards was replaced by former Keel drummer Steve Riley. The group released "The Last Command" in 1985, before Piper left in July 1986. Lawless subsequently switched back to guitar, with Johnny Rod (real name John Tumminello) leaving King Kobra to take over as bassist. "Inside the Electric Circus" followed in October. A live album "Live...In the Raw" was released in 1987. Riley left during the subsequent tour to join L.A. Guns. He was replaced for future shows by a string of temporary substitutes. By early 1988, W.A.S.P. had started working on its fourth studio album with Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali.
The band's popularity peaked in the 1980s, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy metal bands. W.A.S.P. gained notoriety for their shock rock themed image, lyrics and live performances. They have sold over 12 million copies of their albums.
The band was a prominent target in the mid-1980s of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) led by Tipper Gore, who at the time was wife of then-Senator Al Gore (D-TN), an organization that pushed for warning labels on recorded music. The band immortalized its fight with the PMRC on the song "Harder, Faster" from their 1987 live album, Live...In the Raw.
"I Wanna Be Somebody" was the most successful single from W.A.S.P.'s debut album. and It was ranked at No. 84 in VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs of All Time.
In October 2007, W.A.S.P. embarked on The Crimson Idol Tour, to celebrate that album's 15th anniversary. It is the first time that the album, often regarded to be among the band's finest work, was performed in full from start to finish. The tour kicked off in Greece, in Thessaloniki at the Principal Club Theater on October 26, 2007.
Blackie Lawless remains the only member from the original line-up. They released their most recent album in November 2009, entitled Babylon.
On September 21, 2012, the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of their first ever live show by kicking off a world tour at The Forum in London. The set for the tour was split into three sections: songs from the first four albums, a cut-down rendition of the Crimson Idol performance and a final segment for newer material.
Babylon's Burning
W.A.S.P. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are thunders coming? Dread John the Revelator's dream
Had seen a terror vision of the spirit led
With wrath to reign and with slaves to flame
They kneeled and sealed a kiss
Plagues and pain and fiery rain and blaspheme on his lips
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
A pale rider and his horses sing
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred six, six the rising beast
Bears the mark of Babylon to be
Arising with the beast, a sea of men
A bloody moon of red
A whore of Babylon to bleed the seed
And make 'em take the mark upon their heads
They bowed and kneeled a mark to seal their souls unto a kiss
With fire and flames and with souls to claim
And rise from the abyss
[Revelation 13]
And I stood upon the sand of the sea
And saw a beast rise out of the sea
Having ten horns and seven heads
Ten crowns upon his head
Who is like unto the beast?
Given his mouth great things to speak
If any man has an ear
Let him hear, let him hear
The first verse of "Babylon's Burning" by W.A.S.P. describes the coming of John the Revelator's dream, which depicts the wrath of God being brought down on Babylon. The reference to hooves emphasizes the impending arrival of the apocalypse. The lyric mentions "a terror vision of the spirit led," which could represent a prophetic revelation. The imagery continues with the idea of sealing a kiss. This could be a reference to the mark of the beast or a sign of devotion to the devil. The verse ends with a vision of fiery rain, plagues, and blasphemy.
The chorus "Babylon's a-burning" repeats twice in the song, emphasizing the destruction of a great city. The song references the biblical number 666, associated with the devil, and the seven seals mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The lyric "pale rider and his horses sing" is a reference to Death, representing the end of the world. The last line of the chorus repeats again, signalling the rising of the beast, the antichrist.
The second verse describes the mark of the beast and the people who have been deceived into taking it. The image of a bloody moon adds to the apocalyptic tone of the song. The song ends with a quote from chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation, describing the emergence of the beast and its blasphemous claims of divinity. "Babylon's Burning" deals with biblical themes of wrath, betrayal, and deception, using vivid and macabre imagery.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen close to hooves you hear
Pay attention to the sound of the approaching danger.
Are thunders coming? Dread John the Revelator's dream
Is an apocalyptic event about to happen, just like what John the Revelator had prophesied?
Had seen a terror vision of the spirit led
John the Revelator had a terrifying vision that was guided by the Holy Spirit.
With wrath to reign and with slaves to flame
This apocalyptic event will bring a reign of wrath and destruction, which will result in many people being burnt as slaves.
They kneeled and sealed a kiss
People have willingly given in to the false promises and have sealed their fate with a kiss.
Plagues and pain and fiery rain and blaspheme on his lips
The destruction brings with it diseases, pain, and fire, and those who cause it are blasphemous.
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
The great city of Babylon is burning as a result of this apocalyptic event.
Six hundred six, six and seven seals
The devil's three-digit number 666 is significant, as well as the seven seals of the apocalypse.
A pale rider and his horses sing
The rider and his pale horse continue to ride on the land, bringing death with them.
Six hundred six, six the rising beast
The beast, associated with the devil's number 666, is rising and taking control.
Bears the mark of Babylon to be
The beast bears Babylon's mark, indicating their shared desire for power and destruction.
Arising with the beast, a sea of men
Many people have joined forces with the beast and are causing chaos and destruction.
A bloody moon of red
The moon has turned red as a sign of this apocalyptic event.
A whore of Babylon to bleed the seed
The great city of Babylon, symbolized by a whore, is causing the bloodshed.
And make 'em take the mark upon their heads
Through coercion or other means, people have been marked on their heads as a sign of allegiance to Babylon.
They bowed and kneeled a mark to seal their souls unto a kiss
People have given in to the false promises and have willingly taken the mark, sealing their fate with a kiss.
With fire and flames and with souls to claim
The destruction brings with it fire, flames, and the claiming of souls.
And rise from the abyss
Those who have given in to evil have risen from the depths of darkness and are causing destruction.
And I stood upon the sand of the sea
John the Revelator is describing a vision of himself standing on the seashore.
And saw a beast rise out of the sea
John the Revelator witnessed a vision of a beast rising out of the sea, a symbol of chaos and destruction.
Having ten horns and seven heads
The beast has ten horns and seven heads, signaling its immense power.
Ten crowns upon his head
The beast also has ten crowns upon its heads, and is thus associated with rulership and authority.
Who is like unto the beast?
This serves as a rhetorical question, emphasizing that no one can compare to the beast in terms of power and destruction.
Given his mouth great things to speak
The beast has been given the power to speak great things, which might be true or false.
If any man has an ear
This is a call to attention, suggesting that what follows is of utmost importance.
Let him hear, let him hear
The phrase is repeated as an emphasis on the importance of what follows and the need to pay attention.
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@terjeweum3677
When a band is kind of made with the first record and live show /
Blood/ Raw meat / half naked ladies/
And what I been reading Blackie lawless has used decades to distance himself from /
He went to Jesus for mercy and there is nothing wrong in that/
What is wrong is that the same man now
Dont hesitate to do the same thing again ?????
Well that is a stinker / and without any originals even asked to join ???
Well this is a moneygrabbing whore without any shame/
Anyone has the right to have a different view/ approach/
This is just my humble opinion 😎
@anthonycarter2474
@@sovereignentity4924 you know Judas priest and Robert John Arthur Halford... revelation 11 witness
At least 27 other bands are involved with the two edged sword of Christ, spearheaded by Judas priest and black sabbath are also involved.
All are writing about the sword
I'm co-authoring the revelation 12 testimony of Christ as the second revelation 11 witness after Rob Halford.
Witnesses fall in Mercer Street Geelong on some good friday Easter time.
Knowledge is power and the sword has BRITISH STEEL written on the blade
The sentinel and the sinner is the second revelation 11 witness and British steel converts to British STEAL Australia as the AXE of Daniel is mine and it's also the sword and my nicknames are CHOP and JACK, lumber jack
Dark and hard sentences of the book of Daniel are anagrams and cryptic english as translated into the revelation 12 testimony of Christ
I am also writing about black hole mechanics, fluid dynamics, electronic engineering and the 1991 war in Kuwait has opened up the gates of hell and threatens universal stability and currently this universe is in meltdown, respondent to the gulf war
Planetary cores are four dimensionally connected and therefore the earth can bring down the entire universe in a black hole ring singularity seizure... an inexorable domino effect with black hole ring spinners all simultaneously seizing with this earth bringing down the universe like a germ can bring down a man
It's coming as Judas priest tell us that it is
Cheers once again
Thanks for taking the time to read this post
PS
I have over two thousand pages of deciphered biblical codes exposed in the book which every page correlates with one another
Rob has been to Geelong twice already and I'm on his private sites, along with the rest of the band opening up private sites. Tony Iommi also has contacted me about this testimony
In the years to come, you'll hear about the two revelation 11 witnesses surfacing here in Geelong VIC Australia
Good luck and may God and his Christ bless you and protect you with his Blade
@goddessIv
Listen close to hooves you hear
Are thunders coming dread
John the Revelator's dream
Had seen a terror vision
Of the spirit led
With wrath to reign
And with slaves to flame
They kneeled and sealed a kiss
Plagues and pain and fiery rain
And blaspheme on his lips
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 and 7 seals
A pale rider and his horses sing
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 the rising beast
Bears the mark of Babylon to be
Arising with the beast a sea of men
A bloody moon of red
A whore of Babylon to bleed the seed
And make 'em take the mark upon their heads
They bowed and kneeled a mark to seal
Their souls unto a kiss
With fire and flames and with
Souls to claim
And rise from the abyss
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 and 7 seals
A pale rider and his horses sing
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 the rising beast
Bears the mark of Babylon to be
(guitar solo)
And I stood upon the sand of the sea
And saw a beast rise out of the sea
Having ten horns and seven heads
Ten crowns upon his head
Who is like unto the beast?
Given his mouth great things to speak
If any man has an ear
Let him hear, let him hear
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 and 7 seals
A pale rider and his horses sing
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 the rising beast
Bears the mark of Babylon to be
Babylon's a-burning, Babylon's a-burning
Six hundred 6, 6 and 7 seals
A pale rider and his horses sing
@demonocusmetalocus3558
His voice is still perfect after all these years
@eugenepohjola258
Howdy.
Blackie, Dio and Dickinson. The voices of Hard 'n' Heavy ...
Regards.
@gregori9881
Это один из ЛУЧШИХ ШЕДЕВРОВ
@SISTER76
I have loved you since I was born because I love you, the father of heavy metal. I will never leave you. I see you in the mirror... you are the best.
@user-pi3qv7yv9c
w.a.s.p. МОЩЬ!
@voodostail
Молодцы ❤
@Terrybryk
Love you blackie.....God bless You brother
@politburo1406
W.A.S.P- you BEST!
W.A.S.P. - forever !!!
@kingofdragontown9680
First W.A.S.P. song I ever heard and still one of my favorites.
@stevenmoses5807
Can't get enough of this band . Need a new album and tour