GWAR – Empire Live – Review by Rachael Skinner

GWAR EMPIRE LIVE ALBANY NY
REVIEW BY RACHAEL SKINNER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RACHAEL SKINNER

The legendary Scumdogs of the Universe – GWAR brought all the murderously magical heavy metal mayhem all the way from space to Empire Live in Albany, NY on November 2, 2024. Their bohabs had summoned their killer force – many of them adorned in white in hopes of being bathed in an array of colorful blood and bodily fluids. No one was spared from the showers of cheerful blood – not even security. Gwar performed their signature decapitations and dismemberments on former presidents and political figures. Prior to the gory fun that was about to unfold they romanced us with some of radio’s soothing 90’s hits including the beautiful voice of Rick Astley — to assure us they were never gonna give us up nor let us down. I had the incredible honor of capturing this wild event through the eyes of a feral photographer – camera safely secured in plastic wrap – navigating through the sea of hypnotized fans in a moshing trance—  to be able to get right into the middle of this blood fest.

Gwar welcomed the evening with their song “El Presidente” — Days before election day they were sure to have special guest appearances from their theatrical representations of Harris and Trump. They were dancing, brawling and farting around on and amongst one another on the stage while these intergalactic gwarlords battled some heavy tunes into the entranced atmosphere.

Blöthar the Beserker was absent from this performance probably due to smoking too much crack with Sleazy P. Martini and wrestling from the prior evening.

This did not stop their invasion of bohabs at Empire Live that night- Even aliens follow the golden rule of team working making the dream work. Newest space brother – Grodius Maximus (also vocalist and guitar master in Squidpisser) definitely stepped up to the stellar role to fulfill this cosmic mission. He helped to bring an old school Gwar vibe to the performance with Brockie like energy. He was diving into the crowd shredding it up on guitar and vocalizing with gory enthusiasm throughout the evening. He also assisted on vocals along with Beefcake and his rhythm of doom bass lines and Balsac’s earth shattering guitar riffs and backing vocals. All the while Jizmak kept the beat of carnage pounding away the evening of destruction.

The bohabs, parched and ravenous, pressed eagerly against the pit’s barrier, yearning for the promised bloodshed that awaited them in this political bloodbath. They offered the audience a gruesome offering, enacting the decapitation of their theatrical portrayal of Obama, spilling forth a torrent of crimson. As the night unfolded, they captivated their audience with a relentless display of political carnage, dispatching their representation of former president Bush, followed by the brutal takedown of Lincoln and Robert E. Lee, amongst others- their blood thirsty following mingling in patriotic hues of red and blue, staining the white attire of those that bare witness to these homicidal theatrics. An evening would not be complete without Bonesnapper’s signature slaughter while serenading his target. He chose to “Bring back the Bomb,” refusing to join with the Ronnie Party, as he tossed a bomb to their version of Ronald Reagan, who bore a corpse strapped to his back. A wave of multi-colored blood and chaos engulfed the crowd, transforming them into a macabre almost in homage to the climactic end scene of DePalma’s “Carrie.” In a final act of defiance, they declared their disdain for the human trash of the world, concluding the night with their cosmic anthem “Sick of You.” All while continuing to drench the audience in blood and bodily fluids to fulfill their thirst for political dismay with more help from Sawborg to conclude the evening.