Following the death of their former frontman "Oderus Urungus," GWAR finds themselves being lead by a new singer. One who could potentially open the over-the-top band up to a wider audience yet again. The songs on display here are deeper than one might think. Sure there are still the same ridiculous lyrics and moments of juvenile humor spread throughout, but the album is much more focusedFollowing the death of their former frontman "Oderus Urungus," GWAR finds themselves being lead by a new singer. One who could potentially open the over-the-top band up to a wider audience yet again. The songs on display here are deeper than one might think. Sure there are still the same ridiculous lyrics and moments of juvenile humor spread throughout, but the album is much more focused than the appearance and reputation of it's performers would have you believe. This is actually some really respectable metal.
"Blothar the Berserker's" vocal range is more diverse than it initially seems. At times the tracks take on a kind of punk rock vibe. The lyrical content takes many opportunities to skewer various aspects of everyday life. From politics to fast food, GWAR is fed up with human stupidity. Their expression of these frustrations comes out in the form of some pretty great music. The instrumental work is incredible throughout. The opening riff on "F*ck This Place" (my personal favorite track) is nothing short of awesome. This level of quality is at odds in a few places with the occasional silliness of the lyrics, but that's just something you have to put up with when listening to GWAR. At least it's not as bad as some of their past work.
With their latest album and a new frontman, GWAR shows that they're good for more than just cheap theatrics. If anything the absurdity of their onstage personas is used to great effect in the actual music. This is some of the most fun metal to hit the scene in quite some time. It's not all perfect. There are still plenty of moments of that classic GWAR cheesiness hanging around, but it never reaches the levels of cringe that have caused many to turn away, leaving GWAR to cult-following status. This might just be the album that causes the more dismissive members of the metal community to take a second look. It certainly worked that way for me. I managed to have the fun the band was aiming for and gained some respect for them in the process. Now let's see if they can keep it up.
8.9/10… Expand