Unfortunately I never saw GWAR live but a friend of mine did. He went to see 'em in a white shirt and came back covered in (I presume fake) blood and semen. There was literally not a white spot on his shirt left. Luckily the closest thing to a GWAR gig now has arrived in the form of this live CD. Of course the only thing missing is all the blood-drenched fun (or so I've heard) of a genuine GWAR live gig but that's no great loss since the music is good enough as it is. Yes, because quite contrary to what many people (audience and critics alike) believe GWAR are much more than a silly novelty act. Even though they're probably better known for their silly costumes and even sillier concept than for their music, that doesn't change the fact that these guys are able to write great songs and know hot to play proper metal. If you call yourself a true metalhead and you haven't familiarized yourself with tunes like "The Salaminizer", "Bring Back The Bomb", "Ham On The Bone", "Have You Seen Me", "Horror Of Yig" and "Sick Of You" yet, you've surely missed out. And rejoice!! They're all here!! On this album!!

Musically there's not much difference with the studio versions. Apparently the outrageous stage getup doesn't get in the way of playing. My only criticism is that the vocals are a bit far in the mix so maybe that's the reason singer Oderus Urungus screams even more than usual. But this is all compensated by the truly hilarious in between song banter. I think I actually came pretty close to a gory GWAR gig when I almost shat myself laughing at the arrival of 'the leader of the local nazi skinhead with hair all men's club' just before the last song, who riles on them for not playing their infamous power-ballad "The Road Behind".

Anyway, for GWAR fans this is an essential addition to the collection. For GWAR-newbies (shame on you! You call yourself a metalhead!!?) this is a nice introduction to their work, so you can move right on to great albums like "Scumdogs Of The Universe" and "America Must Be Destroyed".

- Van Hoften

OFFICIAL SITE: www.gwar.net

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Reaganator

RELATED ITEMS: No related articles at this time.