Before this article starts, this article contains a lot of (FAKE) penises, buttholes, blood and guts.
This is your warning.
GWAR brought their final slaughter of the year to Nashville, TN's Brooklyn Bowl as they closed out the Stoned Age tour in typical gory fashion. Squid Pisser and Dark Funeral joined GWAR.
Squid Pisser was the first band to hit the stage. Based In LA the band consists of Baxter Yogurt (Tommy Meehan of Cancer Christ, The Manx, and Deaf Club) on lead vocals, Raz Azaraai and Michael Armendariz on guitar, Corey Wolford on bass, and Seth Carolina on drums. Squid Pisser's sound is difficult to describe, I say they are like if hardcore and a hot juicy seafood restaurant dumpster of CRTVs and gummy worms had a weird awesome baby. Their visuals are distinct and iconic. The band has released two albums and an EP in their two years of being a band.
Squid Pisser is one of the most fun bands I've seen in a while. They're definitely one of those bands where you're confused for 90% of the set but also having a fantastic time. They're overstimulating in the best way possible. Everything about this band is weird and freaky and I love it!
Vocalist Baxter Yogurt is a maniac. I had a hard time keeping track of him but his stage presence is out of this world! Yogurt disappeared into the crowd multiple times, once to come back into the moshpit with a trashcan. He also ran off to the bowling lanes and rolled a spare.
Squid Pisser is a fever dream. If you see one of their shows pop up in your area, you should check them out! You won't be disappointed! The wizardry going on between the instruments and the energy of this band makes me giddy to see what else they'll be up to in the future.
On another note, guitarist and fellow creative Raz Azaraai needs help due to his visa of almost 11 years being wrongfully declined. He has a GoFundMe set up if you're able to do so, please donate. You may know him from his guitar work in Cancer Christ and Squid Pisser. His photography is out of this world.
SETLIST
Cancel The Family
Liquified Remains
Splatter the Master
The Hottest Load
Gack Action Gods
Dreams of Puke
Kill All Your Friends
Felching Your Gods
Virus Assholes
Lord of the Slog
FIND SQUID PISSER
Dark Funeral was next up on the bill. This satanic black metal band hails from Stockholm, Sweden, and was originally formed in 1993. In their thirty-one-year reign over black metal, Dark Funeral has released seven full-length albums. The band consists of Lord Ahriman and Chaq Mol on guitars, Heljarmadr on lead vocals, Aldra Malik on bass, and Jalomaah on drums.
I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to Dark Funeral. I had written off black metal as a genre because of the stigma of the fanbases. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed their set. I loved the spooky vibes and hearing a crowd chant "Hail Satan!" in Middle Tennessee was pretty surreal. Despite my typical love of silly bands, I love it when a band is dedicated to being evil.
Dark Funeral is captivating to watch in person. You can tell that this band has a history with how they interact with each other and the audience. Heljarmadr's crowd control was something to marvel at. He could get that crowd to do or say just about anything.
My favorite song of the night was "Let The Devil In" from their newest album, "We Are the Apocalypse." (It also has a killer music video!) Despite it being a slower-tempo song in comparison to a lot of their other works, it has an almost trancelike vibe.
The band hopped back on tour in Sweden as soon as this tour ended which is highly commendable, I can't imagine the jetlag. If you're a black metal fan, I'd clear out a day to go see these gods among black metal.
SETLIST
Nosferatu
Atrum Regina
To Carve Another Wound
The Arrival of Satan's Empire
Unchain My Soul
Let The Devil In
Where Shadows Forever Reign
FIND DARK FUNERAL INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
GWAR is a heavy metal band based in Antarctica but also in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984 by the late frontman Oderus Urungus or Dave Brockie. GWAR is a rotating collective of musicians and artists, including Blothar the Berserker as lead vocalist, Balsac Jaws o' Death and newest member Grodius Maximus on guitars, Beefcake the Mighty on bass, and Jizmak Da Gusha on drums. The band also has recurring characters such as Bonesnapper the Cave Troll and human slaves Mattron and Testecles.
GWAR is special to me because it was my first ever credentialed show as a concert photographer. Despite this being my third time photographing them and my fourth time seeing them, I was just as giddy as ever.
This tour was themed around the election and was even updated after the election results! The show opened with "El Presidente" as GWAR slaughtered former President Donald Trump. Kamala Harris ripped down her pants and sharted all over the audience and Trump before scampering off. After realizing their mistake, Balsac uses his time machine to bring back various presidents and world leaders to avoid having to run the country.
If you didn't know already, GWAR is a messy band. Every other song has some sort of liquid sprayed on the audience, whether it be blood, piss, shit, or cum. Fans of GWAR or "Bohabs" wear designated "spew" (white t-shirts) shirts to shows.
These shows get MESSY. I mean, the floor was completely red and blue. I feel bad for the poor employees who had to clean up the spew. I may or may not have slipped in the photo pit but that's neither here nor there.
I was particularly excited about some of the deep cuts brought back for this tour, especially "Crack in the Egg" and one of my absolute favorite GWAR songs "Fishfuck"! I don't think ever screamed as hard as I did when I heard that fat bassline!
Despite the band's horrific appearances and murderous tendencies, they're absolutely hilarious. The band's banter was a highlight of the night. There were numerous times the audience erupted into laughter.
Grodius snuck over to the time machine to bring back a "worthy leader" and "accidentally" brought back Hitler. Hitler was brought onto the stage to a whirlwind of boos from the audience and Hitler was promptly torn to shreds.
"Biledriver" was another highlight of my night. The Biledriver is a giant penis-shaped blood cannon. Yes, you read that correctly. Penis. Blood. Cannon. I'd love to see a GoPro mounted on it so fans can go back and watch themselves get drowned in fake blood by Bonesnapper.
GWAR closed off the show with "Fuck This Place" as the human slaves Mattron and Testecles blasted the audience with blood saws. Getting a mouthful of blood while chanting "Fuck this place!" is a religious experience. Cannot recommend it enough.
If you're up to get down and dirty at a show, you should catch GWAR the next time they land in your city. I brought a friend who had zero exposure to GWAR before my incessant blabbing and they had a fantastic time!
SETLIST El Presidente
Ham on the Bone
Happy Death Day
Completely Fucked
Mother Fucking Liar
Let Us Slay
Rise Again
Berserker Mode
Bring Back the Bomb
Immortal Corrupter
Maggots
Saddam a Go-Go
Biledriver
Crack In the Egg
America Must Be Destroyed
Sick of You
Fishfuck
Fuck This Place
FIND GWAR
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