Artist: GWAR
Title: Bloody Pit Of Horror
Type: Album
Label: AFM Records / Metal Blade
Are GWAR running out of ideas, culling their new album title from an obscure 60s’ Italian horror movie one may think so? Then again Dave Brockie shows no sign of stepping down and laying the tried and tested formula that is GWAR to rest. He has been doing this for years since debut album ‘Hell – O’ landed from the Antarctic wastes way back in 1988 and now 12 albums and various other releases down the line it seems like there is nothing that is going to stop his quest for human enslavement. It is difficult not to pop onto metal news sites these days and not read about Oderus Urungus endorsing some sort of event, be it a zombie walk or whatever nefarious rally of the dead or horror convention. Sleazy Martini is now back on board so perhaps money and huge amounts of drugs are involved, helping to spread the band all over the place. Interest in GWAR over here in England seems to have got bigger since they invaded Bloodstock festival, some of us have been saying for years that the live shows are about as much fun as you can possibly have keeping your clothes on and new albums are basically stepping stones for new narrative to come into play when they perform them live. It could be said that this is a band that needs to be experienced and musically you simply don’t get the full effects of the pantomime and to a certain extent that is true. But you could read too much into things as at the end of the day who gives a fuck, this is GWAR and they are under attack from zombies, gulp!
There may not be much in the way of brains for these dead walking bags of pus to find amongst the ranks of GWAR but that’s not going to stop them trying. Opening the album we have single ‘Zombie March’ which is a whole lot of fun as is the video for it. You can imagine the living dead shuffling on stage to this live and getting torn to shreds, it’s a zombie mosh and munch though and there could be casualties on both sides. There are even some guitar solos on this and musically the stew of thrash, metal and punk seems heftier and hungrier, songs strike as having a bit more identity than of late. ‘A Gathering Of Ghouls’ sounds like a messy place to walk up on unsuspectingly. This thrashes and trashes away with bruising drums and gibbering vocals, plenty to bang your head to as long as you missed the garrotting wire on the way in and still have it attached to your shoulders. Apparently we are told not only is a storm coming but also that we are going to fucking die, business as usual then! I have to admit I would like a lyric sheet as it’s difficult to make everything out, what I can is most amusing though and as far as ‘Tick-Tits’ are concerned perhaps some things are best left well alone.
It’s not all delivered with full on relish, I guess ‘You Are My Meat’ could even be the soppy ballad of the album but luckily it’s despatched with quickly and we get onto more important things like ‘Hail, Genocide.’ The Litany Of The Slain’ is a roll call for those killed by the band and we are urged to check them out on the next tour, it’s an impressive list that’s for sure and I note that GWAR are now pay per view stars so some sleazy businessman really has been doing a good job of things! It’s only a few $ though this Halloween so if you are really sad and have nowhere to go it’s not going to break the bank. As for ‘Bloody Pit Of Horror’ it may not do anything you wouldn’t expect but it does do it with added guts, gusto gore and more, so job done.
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