Most Acceptable "Glam" Metal Band

Digging through my collection recently, I have come across several albums by bands that have been lumped into the "glam" metal category.  I do not have a lot of these albums, but a few.  Many of the bands I do have are much closer to metal than glam.  Of course the style has a similar footing in metal as nu metal and metalcore.  It was a mainstream style similar to the underground forms that was largely looked upon with scorn by the underground.  Many of the bands categorized as metal in the 1980's were really just rock bands.  Warrant, Van Halen, Poison, and Ratt had little to no characteristics in common with heavy metal.

That is not to say that there were not some decent bands from the genre who were actually metal bands.  Motley Crue put out some decent material early in their career.  As did Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Dokken, and others.  Skid Row was definitely more of a metal band, in particular on their second release.

One band though seems to be held in fairly high regard amongst metalheads even though they were largely a part of the "glam" metal scene.  W.A.S.P. led by maniac frontman Blackie Lawless has consistently released quality albums throughout their career, now spanning thirty years.  Their early releases were certainly metallic, but melodic enough that they were able to be played on rock radio.  Their sound was largely rooted in traditional heavy metal but they occasionally veered into more hard rock territory.

W.A.S.P. achieved a level of notoriety early on with their single "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" which was actually released prior to any full-length albums.  It was intended to be released on the band's debut self-titled album but was removed due to record company pressure.  The cover of the single featured a close-up shot of Lawless's circular saw codpiece.  The song was partly responsible for the creation of the P.M.R.C. and the advent of the warning labels on albums featuring explicit lyrics.

Their uncompromising attitude drove their music and the band continues to release albums to this day.  Their albums have generally been pretty decent too.  W.A.S.P. has done concept albums in the past and generally met with acclaim amongst metalheads for them.  They have released their share of ballads, something that seemed to mandatory for rock/metal bands arising out of Los Angeles in the 1980's.  But they also released some fantastic metallic songs.

W.A.S.P. is certainly one of the most acceptably metallic bands to be a part of the "glam" metal scene.  They are a band that has fans among traditional metalheads and for good reason.