GWAR - The Blood of Gods (2017)

It has been a while since we heard from the alien war masters of GWAR, and it is totally understandable. After all, they did lose their great leader Oderus Urungus to a tragic, non war related death, so there was no surprise to find that mad, over sexualized aliens also needs time to mourn their loved ones (the few they have). However, the plans for world domination cannot simply stop when one man falls, it is just like Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots always say, "It is next man up". The band did not seem to find the right replacement though, so they called in their old friend, The Berserker Blothar, to see if he could rejoin the group, and thus, a new era of GWAR was born.

Now, I never expect pure brilliance from this band, because while I absolutely love their image and style, GWAR has never really been famous for their keen sense of prolific song writing. They have always been good, but none of their previous 13 records are any classics, and "The Blood of Gods" is no different. No really, it is just another GWAR record, with groovy punk/thrash that has some great funny concepts thrown in. They have certainly not lost their touch, despite the gap between this album and 2013's "Battle Maximus" is the longest album-to-album gap in the band's history.

I do have to say though that there are several parts of this record that sounds more like other bands made it, and GWAR is vomiting their vile mucus all over it. The opening track "War On GWAR" opens up with clear cut early Black Sabbath riffs, riffs that Iommi himself would be proud of. It is surprising as hell, but it is pretty cool at the same time. I do have more doubt over the final song on the record, "If You Want Blood (You Got It)", a dumb AC/DC knock off that does not feel even the least bit like GWAR. I mean come on, this is your grand finale? It is boring and dated as hell, and it is a song that not even a magnificent Angus Young live solo could work its magic around. We also get touches of Motörhead, Dio, and Lordi too in this record, making "The Blood of Gods" a very divided record that does not seem to have a straight direction.

Despite some evidence of stolen goods, there are still some great songs in here, most of them residing on the first half of this 12 songs album. The opening third is really strong, with the previously mentioned "War On GWAR", the groovy "Viking Death Machine", the hard hitting "El Presidente", and the rocking "I'll Be Your Monster. It is a quartet of songs that is almost as good as any connecting quartet in any GWAR album. Later on we also have "Swarm" and its fantastic head banging aura, blasting out great riffs with a catchy chorus and your typical GWAR attitude (GWARtitude?). Also, who cannot love songs that are titled "The Sordid Soliloquy of Sawborg Destructo" and "Death to Dickie Duncan", two of the funnest songs when it comes to theme. Not the best songs overall, but fun nonetheless.

And that is exactly what a GWAR album is supposed to be, fun. You know that you are not gonna get wowed by this band's amazing instrumental skills or impactful song writing, you are here for a good head banging and a laugh or two, and "The Blood of Gods" certainly delivers on that. Sure, it is a slightly uneven record with some black spots here and there, but there is enough quality to go around. The only real disappointment I had with the album is that I expected the band to honor Oderus in some way or another (like they did with Flattus Maximus in the last album), but I guess the band wanted to move on, keep doing what GWAR does best. Deliver good metal, and crushing enemies.

Songs worthy of recognition: Swarm, War On GWAR, Viking Death Machine, El Presidente

Rating: 7/10 Phantom Limbs

www.gwar.net/
twitter.com/GWARofficial

More reviews of GWAR
Battle Maximus

GWAR - Battle Maximus (2013)

Our favourite obnoxious aliens are back for more carnage, this time with this "celebration" album for their fallen band mate Flattus Maximus. "Battle Maximus" is the 13th installment by the Virginia band that has charmed (and disgusted) the world with their costumes and vile lyrics for almost 30 years. So let us see what Oderus Urungus and the rest of the gang has come up with this time.

For those of you who are well aware of GWAR's sound and style, you will definitely not be dissapointed with this record. There is loads of heavy riffs, groovy tunes and upp your ass attitude, but unfortunately, the band has still not covered up their weakness of the small variety. The album is packed with either fast or semi-fast songs that has similar song structures. There are of course variation in musical styles on this album. From straight forward heavy metal to more rock oriented tracks, but it is not enough to make me satisfied.

Another weak point with "Battle Maximus" is that you get tired of this album pretty quickly, especially the later half of the album has several spots where you can easily skip. One song that is just painful to listen at is "Falling" that fits more in a Papa Roach album. If GWAR made this is a joke, then I did not think it was funny at all. Just a waste of space.

But let's be honest, the strong point of GWAR is not the music, it is the lyrics and the humour that makes the aliens shine. And I can guarantee that there is lots of it in "Battle Maximus". However, that does not mean that GWAR has no musical skill at all. Some fine moments are the groovines and speed of "Madness At The Core of Time", the intoxicating riffing in "Bloodbath", the heaviness in "Torture" and the mood settings in "They Swallowed The Sun".

One thing that surprised me with "Battle Maximus" is the title track, a instrumental song that is a tribute to their fallen band mate Flattus Maximus. The band has not made a instrumental since 1999 ("A Short Story of The End of The World" from "We Kill Everything") so I did not expect this at all. The song itself starts violently fast with lots of shreding and fast double bass beats that eventually is replaced by a steady beat and some solos. A good instrumental, but nothing extra ordinary.

"Battle Maximus" is surely an excellent album and a great way to pay tribute to Flattus Maximus, but it is not the best effort that the band has made. The variety is low and it does not have a long life span. But I still think that Flattus Maximus is looking up from hell and is proud of what his band mates have made without him. Am I proud of the band? no, I expect more from them.

Songs worthy of recognition: Bloodbath, Madness At The Core of Time, They Swallowed The Sun

Rating: 6,5/10 Pig Childrens