MEET THE NEW GWAR

Gwarriors rejoice! The intergalactic metal collective GWAR have returned with a vengeance, despite the passing of frontman David Brockie aka Oderus Urungus in March.

The gang of Scumdogs are now fronted by singers Blothar, the Viking spiritual leader of GWAR, and Vulvatron, a vivacious Valkyrie from the year 6900 who traveled back in time to warn GWAR of their impending doom.

They took to the stage in New Jersey Thursday October 16th for the second night of their “GWAR Eternal” tour. We caught up with Vulvatron and Blothar.

The band’s newest live show is both a tribute to their fallen leader and a beacon of hope that the GWAR legacy will live on. While the mortal world still mourns the loss of Brockie, Oderus remains lost in an abyss of time and space. As the gang searches for Urungus, they encounter a slew of old faces including Bonesnapper the Cave Troll and Sawborg Destructo, a maniacal clown with a motorized saw for an arm.

During “Horror of Yig,” the band members even appear to mock the drug related circumstances of Brockie’s passing by injecting each other with a giant fake needle and parading around the stage with a giant crack rock and other drug paraphernalia. While this may appear to be in bad taste, it seemed apropos given GWAR’s infamously acerbic humor.

The show closed with a touching dedication to Oderus and a sobering performance of the ballad “The Road Behind,” followed by a cover of the Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died.”

Although Oderus may be gone, GWAR still puts on one of the best live shows in the universe. Be sure to catch the mayhem live in the US on the “GWAR Eternal” tour, which runs between now and December.