He was shot and stabbed, but survived the attack and went on to write for the band's debut and independent EP, Midwest Monsters, which was heavily inspired by that particular event and previous experiences.
[12] They released the music video for their first single, "Killem All", on March 31, 2014, which contained graphic violence and real-life footage of people getting shot and killed.
[17] The band initially intended to perform at Download Festival in June 2014, making this their debut UK performance, but had to cancel when members David Gunn and Eugene Gill were arrested in Detroit Metro Airport in June for assault with intent to do great bodily harm, in a case that dates back to October 2013.
[18] The charge against Gunn was later dropped, but Gill had to appear in court for assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.
[21][22] The band finally made their debut UK performance in September to be a part of the 'Download Freezes Over' tour with support from 'Astroid Boys' and 'Hang the Bastard'.
[26] In February, they released a spoken word track that comes as an ongoing series titled "Anatomy 1:5" that is not featured on any album but as a stand-alone promotional single.
[34] A month later, in late October, they also released a limited 10" vinyl titled That Place Where Pain Lives... which features two previously unreleased songs from their debut album, a song named "Bad Man" and a string quartet version of "Devil Don't Cry", both feature UK singer RosieMay.
[35] In January 2016, the band released a song titled "We Gotta Help Ourselves" in aid to raise money and awareness of the toxic water crisis in their city of Flint, Michigan.
[38] On December 15, 2017, the band released an unexpected acoustic EP Queen, featuring five slow songs about five fast girls from Gunn's life.
[39] In the spring of 2018, the band opened up for Emmure on their Natural Born Killers tour, Counterparts and Varials joined up as support.
Singles, such as "Bando Commando" and "Where Were You When We Would Ride", feature a huge change of style from previous King material with gangster rap and trap flows and beats.
This is also the first Yavid album to include features from rappers Rio Da Young OG and Paperlovee (notwithstanding the single version of "God's Don't Bleed" with Game Spittaz, who was also on King 810's Midwest Monsters 2 EP).
David Gunn himself was first arrested when he was nine years old, and states that in his area it was typical for kids at that age to commit crimes and use firearms.
described Gunn's lyrical style as "heavy metal poetry" that, when performed live, has a theatrical vibe that would "leave venues full of grown men quivering in their boots."
[44] Robb Flynn of heavy metal band Machine Head says King 810 has always fascinated him as they have more of a punk-rock side – they were often banned from clubs due to the chaos and violence they caused.
Flynn says that they remind him of his early years in Machine Head, going on to say that lyrics are "killer" and that Gunn has a really intense vocal delivery.
[45] Artistdirect writer Rick Florino wrote that their distinct poly-rhythmic grooves and intricate riffs border on industrial sound, and that Gunn's lyrics channels the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway and 2Pac, yet maintain a vulgar attitude; he concludes that their sound truly represents heavy metal music.
In addition to the heavy and aggressive music the band is known for, he is also fond of calmer tracks such as "Take It", "State of Nature", and several other acoustic interludes that punctuate Memoirs of a Murderer.
[24][48][51] Some media outlets have criticized them as gimmicky and believe they are putting on an act, but Gunn rejects the idea that they are faking their stories.
[4] In their hometown of Flint, Michigan, their fans are known to be violent at their concerts, with one notable case occurring at a local music expo called 'Dirtfest' in 2009.
[55][56] On June 13, 2014, Gunn and Gill were arrested on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder stemming from a 2013 incident.
[58] Guitarist Andrew Beal was arrested on weapons possession charges on July 30, 2017, ahead of King 810's performance at Bloodstock.