The godfather of shock rock, Alice Cooper has been theatrically terrorizing audiences since forming his first band in Phoenix, Arizona in 1964. From the proto-punk fury of 'Love It to Death' and 'Killer' through the glam-metal resurgence of 'Trash,' Cooper's guillotine-wielding stage shows and darkly witty songwriting defined the very concept of rock-as-horror-theater. His influence stretches from KISS to Marilyn Manson, and his live performances remain elaborate spectacles of vaudeville and macabre.

GWAR are the most gloriously absurd spectacle in heavy metal history, forming in Richmond, Virginia in 1984 as interplanetary warriors sent to Earth to enslave humanity through barbaric thrash metal and grotesque stage shows. Their concerts, featuring elaborate alien costumes, fake blood cannons, and the ritualistic dismemberment of celebrity effigies, are legendary performance-art happenings. Beneath the chaos, albums like 'Scumdogs of the Universe' and 'Lust in Space' deliver surprisingly solid thrash and punk that justifies the spectacle.