GWAR world domination mega package

GWAR Destroys Indianapolis\’ Vogue Theater- 9/12/13

2013 is the year of destruction and domination for intergalactic superstars GWAR. The fall started with a five-day run of shows with hardcore legends Hatebreed and up-and-comers Iron Reagan. They hit Indianapolis’ Vogue Theater, an annual favorite for GWAR in September for a night of blood, gore, debauchery and metal. After an impressive set from Iron Reagan that silenced any critics of their live show, Hatebreed took the stage for one of the most up-tempo performances you’ll find anywhere. Jamey Jasta may be one of the most energetic and powerful frontmen in the industry these days and his ability to control the crowd on command is more than impressive. They exploded right out of the gate and bombarded fans with a set loaded with every Hatebreed classic you can imagine with a decent amount of new material from The Divinity of Purpose, their 2013 release which saw them gain the highest chart spot of their illustrious career. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/GWAR with Hatebreed (Indianapolis)/Hatebreed/\”] It wasn’t long into the set before a massive circle pit broke out in the middle of the small venue, which took up most of the floor, producing an energy the band fed off of and threw it right back at the crowd who fed off it even more. It’s a beautiful thing when the crowd and band’s chemistry is as powerful as it was here. After Hatebreed wrapped up the first set of the co-headlining show, GWAR was getting demolish, destroy and dominate what was left of the Indianapolis crowd. Obviously when going to a GWAR show, you can expect to get covered in blood, guts, semen and other bodily fluids and there was no shortage of them in Indianapolis. Frontman Oderus Urungus was as grotesque and vulgar as ever and the rest of the band followed suit with one of the most extreme GWAR shows you’ll find- but with a reputation as big as theirs, you almost have to expect them to up the ante every tour. With every GWAR song you’d expect in the setlist, the planets were aligned for GWAR to take the crowd’s energy and excitement and run with it. Their set was full of gory stage antics that pushed the envelope and limit about as far as you can possibly go and they were sure to have pissed off at least one person in the crowd with their gruesome spectacle. On a previous tour Oderus said the band would be fighting God to claim the throne of the galaxy and the battle waged on in Indianapolis, with a monk coming on stage with a giant bible, only to be slain and sodomized by the band with a giant crucifix. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/GWAR with Hatebreed (Indianapolis)/GWAR/\”] Later on in the set, Jesus himself took the stage, crucified to a cross as he was in the bible. It looked as though the band had ended Christ’s reign….but later in the set the Lord himself returned as a giant cyborg Jesus and waged war on GWAR. When all was said and done, just as any other GWAR show anywhere else, the crowd left covered in blood, resembling a mass blood bath- then again that’s what any GWAR show really is. -Reggie Edwards

GWAR continues their trek of destruction at Pittsburgh\’s Mr. Small\’s Theater- 9/14/13

Anytime you enter a concert venue to find thick black plastic covering everything and going 20 feet up the walls, you know that this will not be your typical rock show. That is exactly what the patrons of the GWAR/Hatebreed concert at Mr. Smalls Theater in Pittsburgh PA walked into on Saturday September 14^th. The venue itself, is an old church that has been converted into a concert hall. I wonder if the people who constructed it would have ever dreamed that aliens from another planet would have taken it over and conducted sacrifices on stage. Up first on the docket was Richmond, Virginia’s Iron Reagan, who had the difficult job of opening for two of metals biggest acts. The band is a side project for members of Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour and blends thrash and punk, so the songs are brutal and clock in under two minutes. Plowing through song after song with titles like “Drop The Gun,” “Cycles Of Violence,” “I Ripped That Testament A New Asshole,” “Eat Shit And Live” and a killer cover of the Cro-Mags classic “Don’t Tread On Me,” the band did an impeccable job working the crowd into a frenzy for what was yet to come. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/GWAR and Hatebreed (Pittsburgh)/Iron Reagan/\”] Next up were hardcore legends Hatebreed. The chants of the band’s name began long before the show even started, indicating just how rabid the crowd was to see them. The band took the stage with a sense of urgency and proceeded to deliver a pummeling set. Jamey Jasta is a beast of a frontman who worked the crowd like he owned them. The crowd split almost immediately and the pits begin as the band tore through Hatebreed classics like “To The Threshold,” “Perserverance,” “Live For This” and “This Is Now.” “In Ashes They Shall Reap” garnered one of the biggest crowd reactions, with Jasta leading them in the chant of Born To Lead, Fighting To Succeed, Built To Endure What This World Throws At Me. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/GWAR and Hatebreed (Pittsburgh)/Hatebreed/\”] The Slayer cover of “Ghosts Of War” and tribute to fallen axeman Jeff Hanneman was another crowd favorite and caused the most devastating pit of the night so far. ”I Will Be Heard” and “Last Breath” brought further chants and even more massive circle pits. Their powerhouse set closed with “Destroy Everything,” that had Jasta telling the packed crowd that if someone isn’t jumping or moshing to treat them like a Ravens fan. Finally the moment had come and the band everyone came to see hit the stage accompanied by two fellow mutants in a cloud of smoke complete with air raid sirens. One of the mutants was carrying the torso of a dead body spewing blood from its chest. The other was quickly deprived of his head and begins to spurt blood from its neck. The show had begun. The band wasted no time launching into GWAR standards like “Bloodbath,” “Metal Metal Land,” “Bring Back The Bomb,” “Pre-Skool Prostitute” and “Let Us Slay,” but the music is just a small part of why you come to see GWAR. It is all about the theatrics and stage show. As the band ripped through one bludgeoning track after another, there was a myriad of things happening on stage including virgin sacrifices, battles, be-headings and the sacrifice and disembodying of Jesus. Christ, though, made a return appearance later as a 10 foot tall mega Jesus that Oderus beheaded. Not to mention the chaotic pits and crowd surfing going on in the audience. Let’s not forget that they brought up the Queen of England and ripped the royal baby from her bosom spinning it from the umbilical cord and tossing it into the crowd, leaving her with blood gushing from her chest. Then there is the decapitation of President Obama that closed the show and was a clear crowd favorite. The band returned to the stage for the encores of “Maggots” and “Sick of You” and the fans went absolutely berserk. At their conclusion, the crowd began chanting GWAR, GWAR, GWAR and refusing to leave. The response was so overwhelming, that the band came back out for a second encore consisting of two cover songs, the first of which was the heaviest version of Billy Ocean’s “Get Out Of My Dreams, Get Into My Car” ever created, followed by a rousing rendition of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.” [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/GWAR and Hatebreed (Pittsburgh)/GWAR/\”] By the end of the performance, the place looked like a warzone and the exiting fans looked like victims of a bomb blast. It left me wondering, how many fans have left a GWAR show, only to be pulled over by the cops and arrested for being an axe murderer. -Eric Hunker  

GWAR follows up five-day co-headlining tour with release of BATTLE MAXIMUS

When certain bands release new music, you listen. There aren’t many of them and each of them has different reasons why, but GWAR is one of those bands and their latest album, Battle Maximus is an album that enshrines everything the band is about. Battle Maximus is a tribute to the band’s fallen brother and longtime band member Flattus Maximus and would make the intergalactic metaller proud. The record opens with frontman Oderus Urungus talking about an epic battle the band waged and shows him recanting the tales of war and describing GWAR’s journey. After that the record kicks into some of the most extreme GWAR tunes we’ve heard yet. With bludgeoning guitars, Oderus’ signature gritty vocals and, of course, insane lyrical content that will offend a few people along the way, this is the record GWAR needed to make right now and lives up to every expectation a GWAR fan would have had for Battle Maximus. It’s very clear the band poured their hearts and souls into this record. When a band loses a valuable and notable member they can do one of two things- either pack it in and call it a day or continue on and honor that member in everything they do. With Battle Maximus, GWAR have chosen the latter and the end product is some of the most battle ready, heart pounding thrash punk music we’ve gotten from the intergalactic metal icons. Rating: 8/10 -Reggie Edwards