[1] In 1980, 45 Grave recorded their first released song, "Riboflavin", included on the Los Angeles Free Music Society compilation album Darker Skratcher.

The 45 Grave recording (as with the original, produced by Gary S. Paxton of Skip & Flip) achieved cult status and became a signature song of the band's live sets.

Early on, the band began by playing the Consumers songs that Cutler had written, with lyrics changed to fit Cancer's singing style, before concentrating on composing new material like "Black Cross" (issued as a single in 1981,[2] featuring Pat Smear of the Germs on guitar on the B-side "Wax") and a fast-paced punk song called "Partytime" (which was later slowed down and reworked on their 1983 debut album and sole studio release, Sleep in Safety).

Another signature 45 Grave track, "Evil", was featured on MTV, and band members appeared as extras in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

Despite never achieving major success, 45 Grave were recognized as being one of the first American gothic bands, predating the formation of Christian Death.

The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles listed 45 Grave and Christian Death as "early proponents of American Gothic Rock".

In 2018 Blackwell moved to Las Vegas and was eventually replaced on bass by multi-instrumentalist and music historian Daniel Munoz in 2022.

[4] Compared to most punk bands of the era, 45 Grave songs included more stop-start mid-song tempo changes, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship accentuated by Cutler's virtuoso guitar playing.