GWAR
BLOODBATH AND BEYOND
DRT Records
It
would be harsh to suggest that heavy metal circus act Gwar should
be seen and not heard, given the fact that they've produced
some damn fine tunes in their time... but certainly, this is
a band who work best as a visual spectacular. So a DVD of assorted
Gwar shows over the last 20 years(!) seems a winning proposition.
But in reality, this is a decidedly mixed bag.
At its best, this is a fascinating history of the band, from
the days when they had only the minimum of costuming to the
current excess of theatrics and cheesiness. Given that their
tours now go more or less unnoticed, it's amusing to recall
when the band were Public Enemy Number One, having gigs banned
across the UK and securing outraged tabloid headlines wherever
they went. It's hard to see what all the fuss was about, as
this is sheer spectacle than no-one could possibly take seriously.
However, all is not well with this release.
The main problem is not that some of the older footage is blurry,
wobbly and technically lacking - which it is - but that whoever
put the DVD together decided that the footage should be chopped
about and multi-layered, with the original sound often replaced
by studio recordings. The result is often headache inducing
and I can't see the point: surely any fan would prefer to see
unedited archive footage, no matter how low rent it might be.
That said, the clips do a decent job of capturing the chaos
of of live Gwar and the extras are amusing if trashy, with the
emphasis on extreme bad taste, violent sex and gore - a combo
which may not be technically legal to sell in the UK, so if
you want it, get it now!
DAVID
FLINT
BUY
IT NOW (UK)
BUY
IT NOW (USA)