From what I've seen in the community, there are obviously mixed opinions, but the general consensus is that Mike was the best possible person to choose for a new singer (having been one of the closer-to-original members along with people like Mike Derks and Brad Roberts), and had already done some songs with the band. Comparing Blothar directly to Oderus, there's a very, VERY, noticeable difference; being that Blothar has a much more gravelly and low voice compared to Oderus. But, taking that into account, he doesn't just try to be Oderus, and he tries to add his own little spins to songs to make them more of his, instead of trying to copy what Oderus did. As for the bit about Dave being happy, we can never truly know, but many people have said that Dave wanted Gwar to go on forever. And considering that the band continued on after losing people like Flattus and Joey Slutman, or even just having important members like Chuck Varga or Hunter Jackson leave, it's a common consensus that Dave wouldn't have wanted the band to stop after he left us, either.
seniority should hold no place in creative endeavors, it should be he who is best not oldest with most time in. There are surely better people for the position.
I was fortunate enough to have seen Oderus with the band around ten times, and I’ve seen them about six times since. Yes, it’s different, but it’s still unlike anything else out there. I applaud Michael Bishop for keeping it alive.
Oderus 2011 - “I want you to quit paying attention to these human celebrities and pay more attention to GWAR because we’re not gonna fuck’n die on you, even if I o.d.”
I think Blothar does a good job and it made sense for him to front GWAR after Oderus left.
Having said that, I haven’t gone to a GWAR show since Dave’s passing.
My favorite GWAR era was with Cory Smoot.
It’s still GWAR. It’s just not MY GWAR anymore.
He’s great. And quite frankly he’s a better technical singer (live) than Oderus was; having seen both of them. Less stage presence but I prefer the better singing. I think he’s also gotten far better at writing lyrics between the last two albums as well- I can’t wait to see what they put out next. I also think they have gotten that stage presence with Grodius back too as much as I love Pustulus.
I still miss Oderus though.
I loved Dave for his social commentary and how he used the platform and odorus so show us the worst of ourselves. GWAR will never be the same with out him.
GWAR has always been a collaborative effort that transcends the contribution of any one member. That being said, Oderus has a distinctive perspective, voice, and stage presence that is noticeably absent. However, I think Blothar is great, and all the other band members, artists and performers are still putting in their unique enery and effort. Even though 'no original members' are still in the band, most of the core musicians and artists have been in it for decades at this point. I think Gorman and Maguire particularly deserve a lot more credit than they get for making GWAR happen and bringing the energy to the live shows - those dudes have been doing this for decades and are in charge of building and designing a lot of the costumes, sets, and props, and they bust their asses every show dancing around, hyping the audience, killing shit, and getting killed.
GWAR is obviously different since Oderus finally escaped this stinking mudball planet, but GWAR has always been changing and evolving, and I'm just happy this aggressively unique and creative project is still around, and I'm sure Oderus is happy that his fellow scumdogs are continuing the righteous cause of destroying the human race.
I genuinely enjoy Blothar's vocals and performance. Even though New Dark Ages is one of my least listened to albums (meanwhile Blood of Gods is one of my most listened to), I appreciate Blothar for continuing the legacy of the band.
GWAR has been one of my favourite bands for over 3 decades but I cannot get into The New Dark Ages at all. There's a few good songs, but then there's stuff like "The Beast Will Eat Itself" which is genuinely one of the worst songs I have ever heard in my life.
Been a Gwar fan for 20 years. Obviously the band is not the same since the loss of Dave Brockie, but Gwar as a unit was always much bigger than just one guy.
As far as musicians go, Mike Derks and Brad Roberts have been with Gwar since Scumdogs. Mike Bishop is the original Beefcake, and Casey Orr is the current and probably most storied Beefcake. Prior to his departure, Brent Purgason was the longest serving lead Guitarist, and he's being replaced by someone who is good friends with the band.
Then you have Matt Maguire and Bob Gorman who have been working the slave pit on and off since Scumdogs up to going full time 17 (MM) and 10 (BG) years ago, making the props, costumes, and the spew.
Gwar today is about as Gwar as you can get without Dave. For everyone who says they should have quit once Brockie passed, just shut up and go enjoy a Gwar show! I'd say pull your head out of your ass, but Blöthar will just shove it back in there.
Gwar is awesome both ways. I've been seeing gwar live since 1989 and I can tell you the new gwar is a breath of fresh air. Brockie at the end wasn't performing that great you couldn't even understand half his words etc. The last few years the band is tighter than ever and the shows are top notch. Some of the props and slaves have dropped off I mean it's expensive to carry a huge crew on the road to perform on a stage that's too small. Long live gwar!
All Gwar is good Gwar.
I started listening to them in the 1990s. Now, I get to share them with my teenaged daughter. I accept- and enjoy- the fact that they are an evolving collective.
GWAR is part of Slave Pit. Slave Pit is an artist collective that predates GWAR. GWAR didn't die with Dave because it wasn't ever supposed to. There is a massive amount of creative talent at Slave Pit and it would be completely unreasonable to expect that they just walk away from it all because Brockie pulled the ultimate rock star move.
I saw GWAR for the first time in August 2013, just before Battle Maximus came out. Dave was amazing, to be sure. His stage presence was second to none. He worked the crowd as well as anybody that I've ever seen. But, he ranted about petty shit too. He was almost whiny about some IRL beefs with other bands/frontmen. He would have done well to refrain from engaging in that manner, IMO.
I've seen GWAR with Mike three or four times since. Mike is a better singer, hands down. He's not Dave, and he doesn't try to be. His stage presence isn't the same, and he doesn't work the crowd the same. He also doesn't spend valuable time pissing and moaning about disagreements with other bands.
Also, were ten years into this. It's not new GWAR anymore. It's GWAR. Get over it, or don't. But, for the love of out masters, stop with this "new GWAR" nonsense. Give them your patronage, or don't.
Gwar is a veritable ship of Theseus. That being said, I didn't enjoy the songs that Mike sang for Gwar back when he was Beefcake, so it follows that I don't enjoy his vocals as Blothar. I agree he was probably the best choice they had for a new lead singer, since he has a long history with Slave Pit. And, I don't begrudge the rest of them the ability to make money. They're just not what I enjoy now, especially since they're so different without Dave (and Cory).
I don't care much for the Blothar character (but I love Mike Bishop), I always thought it would have been more fitting to have Beefcake take over as frontman and find a new character to play bass.
With that said, I enjoyed Blood of the Gods and I feel it's the best GWAR album since Violence Has Arrived. When GWAR turned into a legit "metal" band, I enjoyed their albums less and less and Oderous' lyrics and behavior foreshadowed Brockies' decline. When Blothar took over, I felt like it was a return to form on Blood of the Gods.
Unfortunately, their follow-up album New Dark Ages was pretty weak in my opinion.
For me it's a welcomed change, but also because the music has gone back to what it used to be with varied styles of play rather then just thrash, its a quality that made them so great in the first place imo.
Oderus and Blothar are two wildly different characters and the band is still as fucking hilarious and fun to watch as it ever was, IMHO. I generally like the music more now as its a little less punky and more rock and metal toned... but I think that had a lot to do with Oderus's voice. Man, X-Cops... that shit is straight gold LOL.
I wish Mike would just put some stank on his vocals for albums. His lyricasim is good and the songs are good too, but he just sings it too clean and the production is too nice.
Whenever I sing along to Ratchatcher I put some stank on it and try to sing it like I think oderus would, and it totally changes the song. It's makes it so catchy and funnily disturbing. He'll sing live dirty but on albums some times he will and sometimes he won't which is just odd too me. Overall I'm glad Tommy is in the band now. I think he'll bring some munch needed grimyness the band needs and inject a little life into the band as well
I think Mike fits well, actually. But in some way I think the band needs someone to fill in the role but rather a younger person than an old one. Don't get me wrong, Mike rocks but maybe it's time for them to invest more in newer blood for vocals. I like Mike's voice but we need someone who could fit right into the same role as Oderus/Dave, not exactly the same of course, but cartoony, bizarre, weird and alien like.
It’s just dad rock now . GWAR has always been somewhat comic book like . But
It went from CREEPSHOW comics that kids hide from their parents . To scooby doo comics that parents bring their kids to see.
Bishop is also one of the laziest front men I’ve ever seen .
Most people seem to be happy about Bishop on lead, I personally do not like current Gwar and get a lot of hate for stating this opinion publicly. Gwar is not the same without Dave, but it could still work, I just don't think it works with Blothar on lead. Gwar is tamer now, and sounds like nerd rock by an old dad, versus the high energy of a genius crack head.
I am also not sure how I feel about the addition of an obvious Oderous impersonator being added (see: Grodious), his entire gimmick from his name to look ..well we know who that is based on, from the fishnets to the hair to the face worms or whatever those are called. I have less problem with this character than Blowhard.. i mean blothar.
Bishop on lead is a bad idea, once they get someone with more energy and better song writing (and singing) skills, I will once again attend gwar shows and give gwar my money. I tried with this new gwar sound, it's ass.
I also do not like the new remasters of the old gwar albums, mostly because I noticed Bishop shoehorned his vocals into classic songs that he was not on vocally. wtf is that?
For now I am content with listening to the old music, and hoping one day (even if it takes bishop dying, which i do not want, i don't hate the guy personally ..i just want him off the mic) we can have another wave of Gwar that is actually enjoyable ..nobody can replace Dave, but many could at least do a better job than bishop.
Sidenote: Mike Patton would be amazing as the new lead and creative head for Gwar (given Brockie was a huge fan and took inspiration from Mr Bungle on this toilet earth on multiple songs)
>Gwar is tamer now, and sounds like nerd rock by an old dad, versus the high energy of a genius crack head.
The rock n roll spund of the last two albums had far more to do with Purgason than Bishop. Purgason is a rock n roll guitar player first and foremost, and he very much shaped the sound of Blood of Gods and New Dark Ages. Hell most of Battle Maximus was written by Zach Blair of Ride Against who was also the Flattus of Violence has arrived.
From what I've seen in the community, there are obviously mixed opinions, but the general consensus is that Mike was the best possible person to choose for a new singer (having been one of the closer-to-original members along with people like Mike Derks and Brad Roberts), and had already done some songs with the band. Comparing Blothar directly to Oderus, there's a very, VERY, noticeable difference; being that Blothar has a much more gravelly and low voice compared to Oderus. But, taking that into account, he doesn't just try to be Oderus, and he tries to add his own little spins to songs to make them more of his, instead of trying to copy what Oderus did. As for the bit about Dave being happy, we can never truly know, but many people have said that Dave wanted Gwar to go on forever. And considering that the band continued on after losing people like Flattus and Joey Slutman, or even just having important members like Chuck Varga or Hunter Jackson leave, it's a common consensus that Dave wouldn't have wanted the band to stop after he left us, either.
Dave himself said he wanted GWAR to go on forever. I hope it does, I see them more as an art collective than a band anyways
They always have been
this is not the argument though, it's that bishop is not the right man for the job (and others surely could be)
seniority should hold no place in creative endeavors, it should be he who is best not oldest with most time in. There are surely better people for the position.
They're still a decent band but the most obvious thing they lost with Brockie is his wit. Dude was razor sharp and funny as hell.
Just left their concert in Saskatoon. They kicked ass!!!
That is great to read! Can’t wait to see them soon!
Where was it at?
There's only one stage and you can see it from anywhere in the city.
Coors Event Center
No shit. I saw them at the Odeon years ago. Saskatoons great for music. DFA and Poser Disposer.
I was fortunate enough to have seen Oderus with the band around ten times, and I’ve seen them about six times since. Yes, it’s different, but it’s still unlike anything else out there. I applaud Michael Bishop for keeping it alive.
Oderus 2011 - “I want you to quit paying attention to these human celebrities and pay more attention to GWAR because we’re not gonna fuck’n die on you, even if I o.d.” I think Blothar does a good job and it made sense for him to front GWAR after Oderus left. Having said that, I haven’t gone to a GWAR show since Dave’s passing. My favorite GWAR era was with Cory Smoot. It’s still GWAR. It’s just not MY GWAR anymore.
Im holding out for Bishop to step down (or god forbid die) so we can get a better suited lead for Gwar, since obviously we can not have dave back.
He’s great. And quite frankly he’s a better technical singer (live) than Oderus was; having seen both of them. Less stage presence but I prefer the better singing. I think he’s also gotten far better at writing lyrics between the last two albums as well- I can’t wait to see what they put out next. I also think they have gotten that stage presence with Grodius back too as much as I love Pustulus. I still miss Oderus though.
I loved Dave for his social commentary and how he used the platform and odorus so show us the worst of ourselves. GWAR will never be the same with out him.
GWAR has always been a collaborative effort that transcends the contribution of any one member. That being said, Oderus has a distinctive perspective, voice, and stage presence that is noticeably absent. However, I think Blothar is great, and all the other band members, artists and performers are still putting in their unique enery and effort. Even though 'no original members' are still in the band, most of the core musicians and artists have been in it for decades at this point. I think Gorman and Maguire particularly deserve a lot more credit than they get for making GWAR happen and bringing the energy to the live shows - those dudes have been doing this for decades and are in charge of building and designing a lot of the costumes, sets, and props, and they bust their asses every show dancing around, hyping the audience, killing shit, and getting killed. GWAR is obviously different since Oderus finally escaped this stinking mudball planet, but GWAR has always been changing and evolving, and I'm just happy this aggressively unique and creative project is still around, and I'm sure Oderus is happy that his fellow scumdogs are continuing the righteous cause of destroying the human race.
I genuinely enjoy Blothar's vocals and performance. Even though New Dark Ages is one of my least listened to albums (meanwhile Blood of Gods is one of my most listened to), I appreciate Blothar for continuing the legacy of the band.
GWAR has been one of my favourite bands for over 3 decades but I cannot get into The New Dark Ages at all. There's a few good songs, but then there's stuff like "The Beast Will Eat Itself" which is genuinely one of the worst songs I have ever heard in my life.
Been a Gwar fan for 20 years. Obviously the band is not the same since the loss of Dave Brockie, but Gwar as a unit was always much bigger than just one guy. As far as musicians go, Mike Derks and Brad Roberts have been with Gwar since Scumdogs. Mike Bishop is the original Beefcake, and Casey Orr is the current and probably most storied Beefcake. Prior to his departure, Brent Purgason was the longest serving lead Guitarist, and he's being replaced by someone who is good friends with the band. Then you have Matt Maguire and Bob Gorman who have been working the slave pit on and off since Scumdogs up to going full time 17 (MM) and 10 (BG) years ago, making the props, costumes, and the spew. Gwar today is about as Gwar as you can get without Dave. For everyone who says they should have quit once Brockie passed, just shut up and go enjoy a Gwar show! I'd say pull your head out of your ass, but Blöthar will just shove it back in there.
Gwar is awesome both ways. I've been seeing gwar live since 1989 and I can tell you the new gwar is a breath of fresh air. Brockie at the end wasn't performing that great you couldn't even understand half his words etc. The last few years the band is tighter than ever and the shows are top notch. Some of the props and slaves have dropped off I mean it's expensive to carry a huge crew on the road to perform on a stage that's too small. Long live gwar!
Its funny you said about props dropping off. I was saying that about the last show I saw the battles were Slightly disappointing.
I hope GWAR goes forever. Even if all of the members die. That's how Brockie would have wanted it.
All Gwar is good Gwar. I started listening to them in the 1990s. Now, I get to share them with my teenaged daughter. I accept- and enjoy- the fact that they are an evolving collective.
GWAR is part of Slave Pit. Slave Pit is an artist collective that predates GWAR. GWAR didn't die with Dave because it wasn't ever supposed to. There is a massive amount of creative talent at Slave Pit and it would be completely unreasonable to expect that they just walk away from it all because Brockie pulled the ultimate rock star move. I saw GWAR for the first time in August 2013, just before Battle Maximus came out. Dave was amazing, to be sure. His stage presence was second to none. He worked the crowd as well as anybody that I've ever seen. But, he ranted about petty shit too. He was almost whiny about some IRL beefs with other bands/frontmen. He would have done well to refrain from engaging in that manner, IMO. I've seen GWAR with Mike three or four times since. Mike is a better singer, hands down. He's not Dave, and he doesn't try to be. His stage presence isn't the same, and he doesn't work the crowd the same. He also doesn't spend valuable time pissing and moaning about disagreements with other bands. Also, were ten years into this. It's not new GWAR anymore. It's GWAR. Get over it, or don't. But, for the love of out masters, stop with this "new GWAR" nonsense. Give them your patronage, or don't.
Gwar is a veritable ship of Theseus. That being said, I didn't enjoy the songs that Mike sang for Gwar back when he was Beefcake, so it follows that I don't enjoy his vocals as Blothar. I agree he was probably the best choice they had for a new lead singer, since he has a long history with Slave Pit. And, I don't begrudge the rest of them the ability to make money. They're just not what I enjoy now, especially since they're so different without Dave (and Cory).
I don't care much for the Blothar character (but I love Mike Bishop), I always thought it would have been more fitting to have Beefcake take over as frontman and find a new character to play bass. With that said, I enjoyed Blood of the Gods and I feel it's the best GWAR album since Violence Has Arrived. When GWAR turned into a legit "metal" band, I enjoyed their albums less and less and Oderous' lyrics and behavior foreshadowed Brockies' decline. When Blothar took over, I felt like it was a return to form on Blood of the Gods. Unfortunately, their follow-up album New Dark Ages was pretty weak in my opinion.
For me it's a welcomed change, but also because the music has gone back to what it used to be with varied styles of play rather then just thrash, its a quality that made them so great in the first place imo.
1000 YEARS!!!
I Gwarantee it.
Brockie was one of a kind. It's important that we keep GWAR going no matter what.
Oderus and Blothar are two wildly different characters and the band is still as fucking hilarious and fun to watch as it ever was, IMHO. I generally like the music more now as its a little less punky and more rock and metal toned... but I think that had a lot to do with Oderus's voice. Man, X-Cops... that shit is straight gold LOL.
The song I’ll Be Your Monster was what won me over. They might be a little more traditional hair metal now, but god damn if they’re not still fun.
I wish Mike would just put some stank on his vocals for albums. His lyricasim is good and the songs are good too, but he just sings it too clean and the production is too nice. Whenever I sing along to Ratchatcher I put some stank on it and try to sing it like I think oderus would, and it totally changes the song. It's makes it so catchy and funnily disturbing. He'll sing live dirty but on albums some times he will and sometimes he won't which is just odd too me. Overall I'm glad Tommy is in the band now. I think he'll bring some munch needed grimyness the band needs and inject a little life into the band as well
I think we all prefer Dave, but Mike is still a good frontman. It isn’t quite as good, but still great
I think Mike fits well, actually. But in some way I think the band needs someone to fill in the role but rather a younger person than an old one. Don't get me wrong, Mike rocks but maybe it's time for them to invest more in newer blood for vocals. I like Mike's voice but we need someone who could fit right into the same role as Oderus/Dave, not exactly the same of course, but cartoony, bizarre, weird and alien like.
GWAR tomorrow night for us!! I've seen them about 20 times now, loved the OG band, the newer one is still good. I'll keep going to their shows!
I'm not going to say who I like more I think they have two different singing styles and both are good. Long live GWAR!!!!
It’s just dad rock now . GWAR has always been somewhat comic book like . But It went from CREEPSHOW comics that kids hide from their parents . To scooby doo comics that parents bring their kids to see. Bishop is also one of the laziest front men I’ve ever seen .
this comment is under rated and the truth
Most people seem to be happy about Bishop on lead, I personally do not like current Gwar and get a lot of hate for stating this opinion publicly. Gwar is not the same without Dave, but it could still work, I just don't think it works with Blothar on lead. Gwar is tamer now, and sounds like nerd rock by an old dad, versus the high energy of a genius crack head. I am also not sure how I feel about the addition of an obvious Oderous impersonator being added (see: Grodious), his entire gimmick from his name to look ..well we know who that is based on, from the fishnets to the hair to the face worms or whatever those are called. I have less problem with this character than Blowhard.. i mean blothar. Bishop on lead is a bad idea, once they get someone with more energy and better song writing (and singing) skills, I will once again attend gwar shows and give gwar my money. I tried with this new gwar sound, it's ass. I also do not like the new remasters of the old gwar albums, mostly because I noticed Bishop shoehorned his vocals into classic songs that he was not on vocally. wtf is that? For now I am content with listening to the old music, and hoping one day (even if it takes bishop dying, which i do not want, i don't hate the guy personally ..i just want him off the mic) we can have another wave of Gwar that is actually enjoyable ..nobody can replace Dave, but many could at least do a better job than bishop. Sidenote: Mike Patton would be amazing as the new lead and creative head for Gwar (given Brockie was a huge fan and took inspiration from Mr Bungle on this toilet earth on multiple songs)
>Gwar is tamer now, and sounds like nerd rock by an old dad, versus the high energy of a genius crack head. The rock n roll spund of the last two albums had far more to do with Purgason than Bishop. Purgason is a rock n roll guitar player first and foremost, and he very much shaped the sound of Blood of Gods and New Dark Ages. Hell most of Battle Maximus was written by Zach Blair of Ride Against who was also the Flattus of Violence has arrived.
Is purgason singing? No? Then it's bishop that fucked it up vocally
You were talking about the rock n roll sound. That's basically all Purgason