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Guest TheZsaszHorsemen

GWAR help

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Guest TheZsaszHorsemen

I'm a big fan of power metal, but I've never listened to GWAR.

 

Should I? What do they sound like? Where should I start?

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Guest Real F'n Show

I think their names are entertaining, like one of their names is Ballsack the Destroyer or something, but I haven't heard much of their music. From what I've heard, if you like power metal, you would probably enjoy them. I've heard there live show is nuts too.

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Guest TheZsaszHorsemen

Do they have Dio/Dickinson type vocals or gruff/Cookie Monster vocals, or a mix like Judas Priest?

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Guest Agent of Oblivion

..how are they power metal? They're more like a punkish sort of thing. The live shows are a hoot.

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Guest TheZsaszHorsemen
..how are they power metal? They're more like a punkish sort of thing. The live shows are a hoot.

I never said they were power metal. Just said I enjoyed power metal so you guys would have something to go by when I asked if I would like GWAR.

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Scumdogs of the Universe and America Must Be Destroyed were their most metal albums.

 

Also, question for the metal experts of the board: allmusic used the term "thrash" to describe GWAR's music. What say you?

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Oh wow, GWAR is my favourite band.

 

Download 'Have You Seen Me?', from their website. It's probably a good place to start:

 

http://gwar.net/media/mp3s.php?gwarsid=4b7...07bab635081d319

 

Scumdogs of the Universe and America Must Be Destroyed are probably their two strongest albums.

 

Most people overlook their music because of the craziness of their stage show, but they are actually very talented musicians. I've never actually been to one of their shows (due to them not coming to the UK in years), so I can only read of what their shows are like.

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Guest Agent of Oblivion
Scumdogs of the Universe and America Must Be Destroyed were their most metal albums.

 

Also, question for the metal experts of the board: allmusic used the term "thrash" to describe GWAR's music. What say you?

Thrash is kind of a catch-all. Anything with markedly quick choppy riffs that don't slow down often, aren't hindered by a little sloppiness, and have good discordant screamy "we're going to be so loud it hurts" solos. Basically, when some random guy thinks "heavy metal," the long haired grimacing thrash band banging their heads and playing fast is the most common archetype. In relation to GWAR, there's the punk influence, so I can see it.

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I can see them as thrash. Definitely see them live. My buddy went to one of their shows w/ the Misfits in Cincinatti a few years back, and he said it was unbelievably entertaining. He got to meet them, and said that the chick's (forgot her name) sex slaves on stage were actually her sex slaves in real life. Quite interesting.

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Guest Agent of Oblivion

Ahhh. Slymenstra Hymen. Greatest name in the history of music.

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Oderus Urungus - Vocals

Balzac The Gusher - Guitars

Slymenstra Hymen - Female Vocals

I forget the second guitarist, bassist, and drummer's name. I haven't listened to Gwar in so long.

 

I'd also recommend This Toilet Earth and We Kill Everything. Carnival Of Chaos is only good for a couple of songs, most notably "I Hate Love Songs," but We Kill Everything is a great punk/metal album. This Toilet Earth also has, what I consider, their most popular song: "Saddam A Go-Go." It has been featured in such movies as Empire Records (when Marc is eating the hash brownies, he's watching the video for it, and then hallucinates that he joins a live Gwar show) and Universal Soldier: The Return (when the ex-employee of the company is first introduced, Squid I believe his name is, he is listening to that song while the video plays on a few TV's). It's been in a few other movies too, but it's a ska/metal song (metal riffs and drums, with a horn section over it).

 

Lots of Gwar tunes have a horn section on them, too. We Kill Everything has "The Performer," which has pretty damn funny lyrics*, and even a great instrumental in "A Short History Of The End Of The World." Pick it up, as it's a good introduction to Gwar.

 

* = the lyrics to "The Performer," at least the first verse.

I come to town for you

Dress up like a clown for you

Pullin' my pants on down for you

And then I crawl away

I will blow hot fart on you

I will build an R2-D2

And I won't even start for you

Unless you fucking pay

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EDIT: It's just Balzac, then. I was confusing him with Jizmak Da Gusha.

 

And how the FUCK did I forget Beefcake The Mighty's name? That's just such a cool name.

 

Beefcake's basslines are actually fairly good, too. He gets a sound out of his bass I haven't heard often.

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The band currently is:

 

Oderus Urungus: Dave Brockie

Balsac The Jaws of Death: Mike Derks

Beefcake The Mighty: Todd Evans

Jizmak The Gusher: Brad Roberts

Flattus Maximus: Cory Smoot

 

They didn't bring Sexecutioner or Slymenstra with them the last tour. I'm pretty sure that they also left their "manager" Sleazy P. Martini at home.

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