Chris Holmes is an American heavy metal guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of W.A.S.P., a band he helped define across two tenures: 1983–1990 and 1996–2001. During his first era with the band, Holmes played on landmark albums including the self-titled debut, The Last Command, and The Headless Children, helping establish W.A.S.P. as one of the most provocative and successful metal acts of the 1980s. His infamous poolside interview in Penelope Spheeris’ documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II remains one of the most memorable moments in rock documentary history. He is the subject of the 2021 documentary Mean Man: The Story of Chris Holmes. W.A.S.P. (1984), The Last Command (1985), Inside the Electric Circus (1986), The Headless Children (1989), Kill.Fuck.Die (1997), Helldorado (1999)
