Beyond Hell

Oh boy, it’s time to talk about GWAR again! While ‘War Party’ wasn’t my cup of tea, it was still received positively by fans and critics alike. Personally, I believe it was a bit of a letdown, an anticlimactic continuation of the newly reborn GWAR we saw on ‘Violence Has Arrived’. What has this got to do with ‘Beyond Hell’? Well, to me ‘Beyond Hell’ is the true follow up to ‘Violence Has Arrived’! It packed a lot of the punch that album did, sounded a whole of a hell lot meaner, cranked up the performances even further, and pushed the band into a sort of new mini era. This was the start of GWAR’s more focused sense of story telling and structural unity. ‘Beyond Hell’ is a concept album to the bone, and I’d argue that ever since it released, each consecutive GWAR album was built around a central story that had more detailed lore and plots than seen before. But, to experience this advancement in storytelling, we must first go ‘BEYOND HELL’.

I’ll get the trashing on ‘War Party’ out of the way and state that this album improved on every aspect that was lacking there and then some. The biggest improvement seen here is the production by a landslide. GWAR took it upon themselves to equip Devin Townsend to produce the album, as well as aiding in the engineering and mixing. Townsend, alongside Mike Derks and Cory Smoot did an excellent job producing a mean mix that assaults the listener with hellish delight. The larger-than-life sound is behemoth in scale and lends credence to the band’s goal of illustrating an album that traverses an immaculate underworld. The production too is a godsend, with the guitars crushing in such a manner that props up the albums’ wall of sound. The bass too is pleasantly plucked, with that warm, creamy GWAR tone that compliments the fiery blaze of the guitars. I also commend the clarity on Brockie’s vocals. The accentuation of his vocals carries exceedingly well and is at the forefront of the mix as it should be. It gives off the vibe that Oderus himself is leading us on a tour of Hell, slaughtering, maiming, and raping while we observe just a few feet away. This is GWAR in glorious high definition.

The performances as well are devilishly devious, malicious, and raise the bar for GWAR once again. More specifically, Cory Smoot and Dave Brockie nearly steal the show with their executions. This album is where Smoot cemented himself as the best lead guitarist GWAR would ever have and effortlessly serenades the listener with riff after riff of technical melodicism. The band once again incorporated heavy metal into their style of playing and Smoot absolutely demolished it. His extreme heavy/thrash metal riffs blow the plain thrash metal stuff he was playing previously out of the water. Look no further than tracks like ‘Go to Hell!’ or ‘Back in Crack’ to see the full prowess of his skill on display. Todd Evans also brought his bass playing up a notch here, redeeming himself as another sound GWAR bass player. Also, special mention to Devin Townsend’s guest backing vocals on ‘Tormentor’. He’s the perfect candidate for otherworldly vocals to back a track to. My only qualm is that I wish he got a full guest track to himself, or an actual vocal passage, like Brockie got on ‘Deconstruction’. It would’ve been a fun trade! Speaking of vocals, Brockie kills it here. He walks the perfect line between jovial Viking and bloodthirsty alien monster. He alternates between gruff grunts, higher pitched singing, evil expositions and belligerent belittlings.

Oh, and the songs? Yeah, they’re awesome too! The songwriting gives every member something to do and structures each track as its own stage play, culminating in an album that has a defined beginning, middle and end. The intro and the track ‘War Is All We Know’ do a great job at building up to an explosive first act, setting the tone and speed of the rest of the album. The ending tracks ‘Back in Crack’ and ‘School’s Out’ are perfect functions of what it means to close an album out. I usually don’t like it when an album ends on a cover track, but the band does a good job putting a spin on the Alice Cooper classic. There isn’t a single weak track on display here, but I’d be lying if I said I liked every single one. Tracks ‘Destroyed’ and ‘The One That Will Not Be Named’ are fine but are vastly overshadowed by the competition.

I’d be remiss to not discuss the lyrics here, as they tell one of the best GWAR stories ever told. The idea of GWAR going to hell and fighting the devil himself is a match made in heaven, and a genius idea for a concept album. I mentioned earlier that the songwriting lends itself to that of a 3-act story, and in doing so, GWAR created one of their most cinematic and imaginative albums yet. It is a crime that GWAR was pretty much done making feature length movies based on their albums, because to see a movie along the lines of ‘Phallus in Wonderland’ but with ‘Beyond Hell’ would’ve been a riot. I can only imagine the gallows humor GWAR would’ve supplied in Hell in between fighting the devil or battling pig cops. Maybe in another life… But as it stands, the scale and scope are perfect.

‘Beyond Hell’ is an album I neglected for far too long. The only area where it slacks is a sort of nitpick. In creating such a theatric and linear experience, it doesn’t have the memorability that tracks on earlier GWAR albums have. There is no ‘Salaminzer’, ‘Happy Death Day’, ‘Sick of You’, or ‘Immortal Corruptor’ here. Again, this was sort of a new era for GWAR, more focused on entertaining the crowd with stories than getting them involved with repeating lyrics. And neither way is better than the other, just different. The only question I have left is where could GWAR go after this to space themselves out? Ah, to hell with it.

Originally written for Antichrist Magazine

With the exception of those particularly stagnant groups content with pumping out the same formulaic bullshit year after year, most bands’ works alternate between periods of expansion and contraction. After two excellent releases representing ambitious, forward progress, Beyond Hell is a noticeable contraction: instead of trying to push their technical boundaries like on the last two albums, GWAR instead takes a sincere look at their recent works and have produced new material consistent with their modern approach. While it mostly lacks the band’s trademark humor and offers no video-worthy singles (!), it has its own distinctive quality and is arguably heavier than even the excellent War Party.

The most ambitious aspect of this record is actually its lyrical content. Beyond Hell is unique amongst GWAR’s albums in that it is a full fledged concept album from beginning to end. Where previous works may have featured a few consecutive tracks with a conjoined narrative, this album chronicles the GWAR brothers’ journey deep into hell and back, a set up perfect for their characteristically devilish live performances. Curiously, this creates for the first time a GWAR album devoid of obvious standout singles, instead creating a collection of complementary songs best experienced as an entirety.

As such, it may take a few listens before its tracks begin to adhere to one’s memory, a characteristic partly due to a certain same-y-ness between many of the riffing ideas and the steady production streamlining that's occurred since Violence Has Arrived. Flattus and Balsac seem to have really gotten into upbeat triplet riffs: the same style and tempo that powered such winners as “Bonesnapper” and “Bring Back the Bomb” now forms the basis for no less than half of this album’s songs. Additionally, this speed is the quickest tempo on display, as the emphasis has now shifted to a devastating slow crunch with occasional thrashy interjections, dramatic harmonic grandeur, and a few isolated moments of borderline melo-death. It’s very much their own style of modern heavy metal, with the powerful, dynamic vocals of Oderus Urungus taking it to the next level of awesome.

It’s harder to pick out individual highlights on this one, as Beyond Hell mostly concentrates on its unmitigating brutality and not at all on being catchy. “Go to Hell” and “Tormentor” have some emphasis on vocal harmonies, the latter being the most traditionally-minded of the proceedings. “Back in Crack”also has similar melodic ties with their past during the intro and the chorus. Mostly though, these elements come as a gasp of air after enduring the monstrous beat-down of unending riffs, with the deep, pounding chug of “Eighth Lock” standing as arguably their heaviest track ever. But no, there aren’t any obvious classics here, but Beyond Hell is an excellent grower if you spend some time with it.

On a final note, some individuals have brought a bit of unnecessary attention to the lyrics of “Destroyed” following the sudden disappearance of Oderus Urungus and the death of Dave Brockie. The opinion of these folks seems to be that we missed the obvious warning signs of abuse evident in this “cry for help.” This is, of course, absolute bullshit. We’re not talking about Layne Staley or Kurt Cobain here, we’re talking about a man who bowed to no corporate pressure and played by nobody’s rules but his own. I hear the track (one of the album’s highlights, by the way) not as a plea for understanding, but as the self-aware manifesto of a great innovator who died just as he lived.

And while “Beyond Hell” is not their best work nor their most adventurous, it’s still pretty awesome and a fine testament to the skill of its creators.

Legend - or at least my legend - has it that a band would rise from the scum to become the single most amazing act of all time. That band would carry on through famine, pestillence and nuclear warfare. That band would surpass the legendary, the groundbreaking and the pinoeering. Unfortunately, I've come across no such band, yet.

However, GWAR is some good stuff. Now I know that they aren't everyone's favorite band. They're one of those bands which one either loves or hates. I belong to the former group, so I suppose this review ought to be a bit biased. Nonetheless, this album deserves whatever praise I credit to it.

This album has nothing that would provoke a bad review. But that's not saying much, because not bad doesn't mean good. And this album means good. So let's get on with this. GWAR manage time and again to put together nice and riffy tracks and all the while maintain their gimmicky, comedic edge (mainly due to the lyrics). The guitars are heavy, the riffs rich and the solos original. The bass is thick and the drums furious. Songs range from slow, to mid-paced to fast thrash. The vocals are just how they should be and Oderus performs adequately. Some songs are a bit progressive while others are fairly headbangable.

To sum it all up, this is a decent GWAR album worthy of any GWAR fan's attention and then some. But if you can't refrain from being close-minded and all you're gonna do is fling a bunch of flack at it, don't bother with it. If you can look past the fact that this isn't your typical metal band, then this isn't the album for you.

Highlights:
-I Love the Pigs
-Tormentor
-Eighth Lock

After listening to this album after leaving it in my arsenal untouched for two years I realized that it is much better than I once thought. I used to think this band was egotistical and too much interested in their image but soon realized that there is more to this than costumes and comedy.

The vocals are really unique and enjoyable to sing along with. I understand now that the whole point to this band is to put a smile on your face and Gwar does that very well. The lyrical content is quite comical at times and will entertain everyone who listens.

The guitars are really groovy and heavy on this album, and the guitarists don't forget to throw in some solos for some good ole fashion air "guitaring". I can't help but love the thrash attack that comes with the track "War is All We Know" and the groove on "Go To Hell". As for the bass I have little to say because I've always had a poor ear for the bass, but after seeing them live a few times I know that the bassist plays adequately.

The drums do their job, generally nothing too special but they are well executed. An example being the song “War is All We Know”, the drums are fast with lots of double bass but they aren’t overly technical or exciting. The drummer doesn’t bring in too many cymbals or toms to brighten up the drumming but he kicks up the pace when appropriate and for that I give him solid marks.

Vocals/Lyrical content- 16/20
Bass- 16/20
Guitars- 36/40
Drums- 16/20

As a long time GWAR fan (over 13 years), I'm proud to say GWAR is still kickin' ass and takin' names. When people generally think of GWAR, they think of them as a band who puts everything first and the music sencond. While that can be thought of as true, the previous 2 albums have shown more emphasis on music than story and characters. However, GWAR has brought the storyline/character aspect back better than ever while still keeping the music a main focus on "Beyond Hell"

The album starts off with a really well done intro that sets the tone for the story (GWAR gets attacked in their fortress and are forced to retreat to Hell where they must battle some new monsters, escape a demonic prison, smoke some crack, kill the Devil and return to Earth to smoke some more crack) Each song tells a part of the story with some exceptionally kick-ass riffs, bad-ass drumming , tight-ass bass and some very ghoulish vocals. In my opinion, this is Oderus' best vocal performance. Dave Brockie has really started to turn Oderus into a more sinister character rather than a cracked out comedian. As for the music, songs like "War is all We Know", "Murder's Muse" and "I Love the Pigs" have a very thrashy sound to them while "Go to Hell" has a very dark and groovy sound and "Tormentor" and "The One That Will Not Be Named" sound more epic. Not to mention GWAR may have also written their heaviest song ever with "Eighth Lock" Unfortuantely, "Destroyed", while not being a bad song is just too repetative and sounds a little much like filler.

Throw in a very good cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" (which GWAR makes very much their own with their unique sound) and the fact that Strappin Young Lad madman, Devon Townsend produced (the bass bombs are very clearly his personal touch) and you have quite possibaly GWAR's best album since America Must Be Destroyed. Definately woth it for anyone and all to check out.

A vast majority of those who enjoy the heavier side of music could easily conjure up an image of Gwar upon hearing the band's name. Gwar been known for many things such as their vile lyrics, those awesome costumes, and spraying blood, bile and cum over their fans during live shows, but they never really known for their music. Sure they have some good songs like "Meat Sandwich" and "Biledriver," but nothing they've released could be considered ground breaking.

My interest in Gwar began to grow when I heard some tracks from "War Party," which was Gwar's fastest and heaviest album to date. "War Party" was different from previous Gwar records because it was heavier, faster, and just more metal. The once punk goofballs began to play some heavy fucking thrash. Two years have passed since "War Party," and Gwar have set forth their next unholy creation, "Beyond Hell." "Beyond Hell" is a continuation of Gwar's thrashier sound that is better balanced then "War Party" and very well might be Gwar's crowning achievement.

Fans of "War Party" will appreciate the similar musical direction on "Beyond Hell." Just like "War Party," "Beyond Hell" is heavy, fast and is total thrash. Every track is filled with thrash riffs that are swift and catchy. Balsac and Flattus Maximus have their best shredding moments when they solo. The solos are fast and technical, (basically what you would expect from any thrash band); they have some nice dueling solos too!

Who could be better on vocals then the legendary Oderus Urungus? Urungus's vocals have become one of the key trademarks in Gwar's music because of his raw and gruff voice. "Beyond Hell" features Urungus's at the top of his vocal game. The attitude and hateful tone in his voice is present during most of the tracks and they really help the music seem much more heavier. Urungus sounds really evil during the bass line on "Go To Hell" when he uses a semi-narrative style voice. I really liked the chorus of "One Who Will Not Be Named" because he sounds serious and somewhat epic.

"Beyond Hell" also appears to have some semi-hardcore influences. There are some quasi breakdowns during the chorus of "Muderous Muse" and "Back In Crack," but they aren't similar to what you would find in a typical metalcore or hardcore band. These "breakdowns" reach a healthy medium of thrash and some hardcore sounds; "thrashcore," if you will.

I never thought I'd be this impressed with Gwar. "Beyond Hell" is actually a great album and I recommend you give it a try. It will surprise you!

This review was orginally written for: www.Thrashpit.com