Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists, and filmmakers collectively known as

Slave Pit Inc. Slave Pit Inc. is the artist collective, production company and independent record label created for releasing projects by the heavy metal band Gwar and related side projects such as Mensrea and Locus Factor. According to a 2015 TED Talk by M ...

Since the death of frontman

Dave Brockie David Murray Brockie (August 30, 1963 – March 23, 2014) was a Canadian-American musician. He was the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Gwar, in which he performed as Oderus Urungus, and he was a bassist and lead singer in the bands ...

in 2014, the collective has continued recording and performing without any of its founding artists or musicians. Identified by their distinctively grotesque costumes, Gwar's core thematic and visual concept revolves around an elaborate

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

-themed mythology which portrays the band members as barbaric medieval Nordic, mythological, biblical or interplanetary warriors, a narrative which serves as the basis for all of the band's albums, live shows and media. With over-the-top violent, sexual, and

scatological humor Toilet humour or potty humour is a type of off-colour humour dealing with: defecation (including diarrhea and constipation), in which case it is called scatological humour (compare scatology); urination; flatulence, in which case it is called ...

typically incorporating social and political

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

, Gwar has attracted both acclaim and controversy for its music and stage shows, the latter of which notoriously showcase enactments of

graphic violence Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially explicit or detailed acts of violence in mass media. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated. Intended for viewing by mature audiences, ''graphic'' in this context is a synonym ...

that result in the audience being sprayed with fake blood, urine, and semen. Such stagecraft regularly leads Gwar to be labeled a "

shock rock Shock rock is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...

" band by the media. Since its formation, Gwar has released 15 studio albums, two live albums, and numerous singles among other recordings, and has sold over 820,000 records in the United States. Fueled largely by the controversies surrounding their concerts, Gwar experienced brief mainstream notoriety during the first half of the 1990s, receiving regular airplay on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

as well as frequent in-character guest appearances on daytime

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

s, satirizing the topics of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

and

media violence The study of violence in mass media analyzes the degree of correlation between themes of violence in media sources (particularly violence in video games, television and films) with real-world aggression and violence over time. Many social scienti ...

. Though the band's mainstream popularity declined by the end of the 1990s, Gwar has retained a dedicated

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

. The band's extensive

videography Videography involves capturing moving images on electronic media (such as: videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage), and can include streaming media. It encompasses both video production and post-production methods. Historic ...

consists of both live recordings and long-form feature films, most notably 1992's ''

Phallus in Wonderland ''Phallus in Wonderland'' is a film by American heavy metal band Gwar, their first attempt at a commercially released, long-form film. The video was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video in 1993 (which they lost to Annie L ...

'', which earned a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for

Best Long Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an annual accolade for performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. It is presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 when it was called the Gramophone Aw ...

. Gwar has also expanded its brand into other areas such as books,

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

barbecue sauce Barbecue sauce (also abbreviated as BBQ sauce) is a sauce used as a marinade, basting, condiment, or topping for meat cooked in the barbecue cooking style, including pork, beef, and chicken. It is a ubiquitous condiment in the Southern United ...

, CBD,

e-liquid An electronic cigarette is a handheld battery-powered vaporizer that simulates smoking, but without tobacco combustion. E-cigarette components include a mouthpiece (drip tip), a cartridge (liquid storage area), a heating element/ atomizer, a m ...

s, toy collectibles, and

sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating. The ...

History

Formation and debut (1984–1989)

Gwar is the result of two separate projects merged into one. Dave Brockie was the vocalist and bassist for a punk band named

Death Piggy Death Piggy was an American hardcore punk band, that was formed in 1982 in Richmond, Virginia. They flourished briefly, before Dave Brockie, then their lead singer/bassist, decided to play a joke set while wearing monster costumes made by VCU art ...

that staged mini-plays and used crude props to punctuate its music. Bands would occasionally practice in a room at the Richmond Dairy, a deserted

bottling plant The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as st ...

that had been taken over by

hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

. The hippies rented out interior areas to various artists and musicians. It was at the Richmond Dairy that Death Piggy met Hunter Jackson (Techno Destructo) and Chuck Varga ( Sexecutioner), both attendees of

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

who had set up "The Slave Pit", a production space for ''Scumdogs of the Universe'', a movie they intended to make. Jackson created props for Death Piggy to use on stage. Brockie had an idea to use the costumes made for ''Scumdogs of the Universe'' and have Death Piggy open for itself as a barbaric band from Antarctica, playing nonsense songs while sacrificing fake animals. The name of the joke group was "Gwaaarrrgghhlllgh". The members of Death Piggy began noticing that more people were coming to see Gwaaarrrgghhlllgh and leaving immediately after the set. After several refinements, including shortening the band's name, Death Piggy was phased out in favor of the band now named Gwar. Gwar-george-bush

The first known line-up for Gwar consisted of Ben Eubanks (vocals), Brockie (guitar), Steve Douglas (guitar), Chris Bopst (bass guitar), Jim Thomson (

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

) and Jackson. However, this line-up was short-lived and would suffer multiple changes in the following months, with Eubanks quitting after just one or two shows and being replaced by Joe Annaruma, who went on to record several demo tracks with the band. Annaruma quit soon after this, and Brockie became the main vocalist for the band. The band solidified into a line-up consisting of Jackson, Don Drakulich, Varga, Mike Delaney, Mike Bonner, Scott Krahl, Dave Musel and Brockie. Mike Delaney left in 1987. Dewey Rowell (

Flattus Maximus Flattus Maximus is the name of a character and former guitarist in the American heavy metal band Gwar. He is known for his red face, white dreadlocks, dinosaur-head shoulder pads and reptile feet. The name "Flattus" is indicative of the charac ...

), Michael Bishop (

Beefcake the Mighty Beefcake the Mighty is the bass guitarist of the heavy metal band Gwar. The character appears as a stout humanoid (hence his name), girded in Roman-style armor. He is usually portrayed wielding either an oversized Gladius sword or a large battl ...

) and Rob Mosby (

Nippleus Erectus Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists, and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. Since ...

) were recruited in 1987, along with Steve Douglas (

Balsac the Jaws of Death Mike Derks (born June 28, 1968; also known by his stage name Balsac the Jaws of Death, stylized BälSäc the Jaws ‘o Death) is an American guitarist, best known as the rhythm guitarist in the American heavy metal band Gwar since 1988. On sta ...

), who rejoined the band after having previously left.

Danielle Stampe Danielle Stampe is a singer, dancer, set designer, and performance artist, best known for her work with Gwar as "Slymenstra Hymen." She has set records for fire breathing and voltage endurance. Early life Danielle Stampe was born in San Diego on N ...

(alias: Slymenstra Hymen) joined in 1988 as the first full-time female member of Gwar for the first U.S. tour supporting Gwar's debut album ''

Hell-O ''Hell-O!'' is the debut album by Gwar. It was released in 1988, on Shimmy Disc Records. The album was produced by Kramer. Gwar's angle on the album is that of a morbid punk band (a la The Mentors, The Misfits, Butthole Surfers) obsessed wi ...

'' and toured consistently with the band until 2000. The band has also recruited, and lost, three other female members: The Temptress, Heather Broome (1986); Amazina, Colette Miller (1986–87); and Gwar Woman, Lisa Harrelson (1987–88). The band's debut album, ''Hell-O'', a crossover

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

album, was released in 1988 under

Shimmy Disc Shimmy-Disc is a New York City–based independent record label founded in 1987 by Mark Kramer. Before it was sold to the Knitting Factory, artists like Bongwater, Daniel Johnston, Low, Fly Ashtray, Galaxie 500, King Missile, Boredoms, Ruins, W ...

. The band started touring in support of the album, with Steve Douglas leaving that same year, later to form the alternative band Log, and being replaced by current

rhythm guitarist In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass ...

Michael Derks, who took over Douglas' alias as Balsac the Jaws of Death. However, the band's line-up underwent further changes before 1990. In 1988, the Slave Pit saw the joining of Bob Gorman, a young, new artist who would help with the art design and fabrication aspects of the band. One year later, in 1989, Rob Mobsy left the band and was replaced by Pete Luchter, who also quit to be replaced temporarily by Jim Thompson, who had been in the band prior to the release of ''Hell-O''. Thompson later quit and was replaced by Brad Roberts, who has since portrayed

Jizmak Da Gusha Jizmak Da Gusha is the drummer for the heavy metal band Gwar. Although the costume has undergone many changes since the character was introduced, Jizmak's onstage get-up somewhat resembles a monstrous dog with very large teeth. He is usually see ...

''Scumdogs of the Universe'' and ''This Toilet Earth'' (1990–1994)

With Gwar's line-up somewhat solidified, the band would set up to record ''

Scumdogs of the Universe ''Scumdogs of the Universe'' is the second album by American satirical heavy metal band Gwar. The album is their first album on Metal Blade Records and was released on January 8, 1990. To date, it is the band's best-selling album. A deluxe 3 ...

'' released worldwide on producer Ivan Healy Purvis' label Master Records, a subsidiary of

Blue Beat Records Blue Beat Records is an English record label that released Jamaican rhythm and blues (R&B) and ska music in the 1960s and later decades. Its reputation led to the use of the word ''bluebeat'' as a generic term to describe all styles of early Jamai ...

. The album met a moderately large mainstream success and would mark the start of a career under the

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...

record label. The band would tour extensively in support for this album, releasing the '' Live from Antarctica'' produced by Ivan Healy Purvis, VHS tape in July 1990, containing, among other things, the music video for the song '' Sick of You''. It was shortly after the video's release when the Slave Pit took in another new, young artist, Matt Maguire, to help out with costume fabrication, as well as illustrations for comics and related material. In August 1990, the birth of Michael Derks's daughter resulted in his taking a short break from the band. Barry 'D'live' Ward from the band

Rich Kids on LSD Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) is a Californian hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara. They were associated with the "Nardcore" scene of West Coast hardcore that evolved out of nearby Oxnard. Their mus ...

filled in on guitar as Balsac during Gwar's 1991 European tour. On September 18, 1990, Brockie wore his "Cuttlefish of Cthulhu" codpiece during a show in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, resulting in Brockie's arrest and, ultimately, a one-year ban from the band performing in the state of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

- the band would later highlight the absurdity of the case by pointing out that the presiding judge over the case was called Dick Boner. Upon returning home, Gwar filmed its first cameo in a mainstream film, ''

Mystery Date ''Mystery Date'' is a 1991 American dark comedy film directed by Jonathan Wacks, and starring Ethan Hawke, Teri Polo, and Brian McNamara. Shock-rockers Gwar have a brief cameo in the film. Plot Tom McHugh quickly learns that his perfect big ...

''. ''Scumdogs of the Universe'' was originally released through the U.K. label Master before being picked up by Metal Blade in 1991. In the group's hunt for a larger label, they auditioned for

Relativity Records Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and ag ...

, one of the larger independent heavy metal labels. The group failed their audition when they arrived in costume and Slymenstra Hymen broke a blood capsule from her

codpiece A codpiece () is a triangular piece that attached to the front of men's hose (clothing), hose, covering the Fly (clothing), fly. It may be held in place by ties or buttons. It was an important fashion item of European clothing during the 15th– ...

onto one of the office chairs, simulating menstruation. The band suffered further line-up changes during this period, with Dewey Rowell leaving the band in 1991 and not being replaced until 1992 by Pete Lee, after the recording of ''

America Must Be Destroyed ''America Must Be Destroyed'' is American heavy metal band Gwar’s third album, released in 1992 as their second album on Metal Blade Records. The album’s lyrical content was inspired by controversy over obscenity charges against the band and ...

''. The Charlotte, North Carolina incident from 1990 was the inspiration for Gwar's third album, ''America Must Be Destroyed'', released in 1992. The album was accompanied by the movie ''

'', which documented the main concept and contained music videos for the album. ''Phallus in Wonderland'' was nominated for a

in 1993. After recording for ''

This Toilet Earth ''This Toilet Earth'' is the fourth album released by heavy metal band Gwar. Released on March 29, 1994, this album was to be one of their oddest and most bittersweet albums. It was the first Gwar album to be censored (the second was '' We Kill ...

'' was completed, bassist Mike Bishop left the band. He was replaced by Casey Orr, from the band

Rigor Mortis Rigor mortis (), or postmortem rigidity, is the fourth stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemical changes in the muscles postmortem (mainly calcium ...

. ''This Toilet Earth'' was released in 1994, to moderate success. The album received additional attention due to controversy surrounding "B.D.F.", a song that graphically refers to subjects such as sodomy, necrophilia, pre-natal rape, pedophilia and mutilation. 1994 also saw the music videos for "Saddam a Go-Go" and "The Road Behind" being aired on ''

Beavis and Butt-head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

''. This would also mark the beginning of the band straying from their trademark sound, as the album contained several experimental songs as opposed to the punk of ''Hell-O'' and thrash of ''Scumdogs of the Universe''.

''Ragnarok'', ''Carnival of Chaos'' and ''We Kill Everything'' (1995–2000)

In 1995, Gwar released '' Ragnarok'', an album characterized by a unique sound, including the use of keyboards, something largely unseen before by the band, as well as a much larger use of secondary vocalists. The record is considered to have been largely unnoticed after the success of the previous three albums. Despite this, the band would record two videos for the album, "Surf of Syn" and "Meat Sandwich" as well as release '' Rendezvous with Ragnarok'' to support the album's plot through footage from the supporting tour. Later that year, the band also made a cameo appearance in the film ''

Empire Records ''Empire Records'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Allan Moyle, written by Carol Heikkinen, and starring an ensemble cast including Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar, Rory Cochrane, Johnny ...

''. The band's first side project,

X-Cops "X-Cops" is the twelfth episode of the The X-Files season 7, seventh season of the American science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. Directed by Michael W. Watkins, Michael Watkins and written by Vince Gilligan, the installment serves ...

, would also come to life after the Ragnarok tour, releasing their only full-length album, ''You Have the Right to Remain Silent...'', the same year. ''

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (1934–2020), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitche ...

'' developer,

id Software id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...

, hired Gwar to produce a showcase space at

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

's Judgement Day event for Halloween of 1995. Gwar appeared in a video game focused

Circuit City Circuit City Corporation, Inc., formerly Circuit City Stores, Inc., is an American consumer electronics retail company, which was founded in 1949 by Samuel Wurtzel as the Wards Company, operated stores across the United States, and pioneered th ...

television advertisement in 1996. The band's next record would come out in 1997 under the name '' Carnival of Chaos'', proving to be the epitome of this experimental period containing songs from many different genres, including the classic heavy metal, but also

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, and even

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. Shortly after the release of ''Carnival of Chaos'', select members of the Gwar ensemble appeared on ''

The Jerry Springer Show ''Jerry Springer'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Jerry Springer. The show ran for twenty-seven seasons from September 30, 1991, to July 26, 2018, in which it broadcast 3,891 episodes. It was taped at the NB ...

'' to discuss the growing trend of "shock rock" and their role as entertainers. Aside from their appearance on ''

The Joan Rivers Show ''The Joan Rivers Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Joan Rivers. The show ran for four seasons, from September 5, 1989, to December 26, 1993. History The show aired for five seasons and ended in December ...

'', this guest appearance is still recognized as one of their most infamous appearances on national TV. In 1998, Gwar fought the

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

band, The Aquabats!, during The Ska Parade. ''Carnival of Chaos'' would be the last album with Pete Lee on guitar, being replaced by Tim Harriss who had previously been in the band around 1986 and was featured as a guest guitarist on ''

''. For the recording of ''

We Kill Everything ''We Kill Everything'' is the seventh album by Gwar, released on April 6, 1999, through Metal Blade Records. Story The album's story differs slightly from the version told in "It's Sleazy" and on tour. The first three tracks on the album do no ...

'' between late 1998 and early 1999, Michael Bishop would temporarily rejoin the band as the bassist during the absence of Casey Orr. The record, largely influenced by

, is the band's least favorite album and thus its songs are rarely played live. Following this, co-founder, Hunter Jackson, left the group in 2000 to focus on personal projects. Danielle Stampe also left the band to focus on a personal project named ''Girly Freakshow''; however, she rejoined the band temporarily for the Bitch Is Back tour in 2002.

''Violence Has Arrived'' and the DRT Entertainment years (2001–2009)

Due to the band's distaste for the previous album, Gwar's sound changed considerably for the next recording. With Tim Harriss gone, Zach Blair was hired to fill his spot as

, Casey Orr also having returned to the band as

for the recording of the band's first entirely

album in years: ''

Violence Has Arrived ''Violence Has Arrived'' is the eighth studio album by the band Gwar. It was released on November 6, 2001, through Metal Blade Records. According to an interview with Dave Brockie, it was originally supposed to be released on September 11, 2001 ...

'', released on November 6, 2001, the album being seen as a "comeback" of sorts and setting off changes that resulted in the current state of the band. In 2002

Zach Blair Zach Blair (born December 26, 1974) is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for Chicago-based punk rock band Rise Against. He has been with the band since 2008, first appearing on their fifth studio album ...

left Gwar to form the power-pop band Armstrong along with drummer Brad Roberts. The band released one album titled ''Dick the Lionhearted''. Since February 2007, Blair has been the guitarist for

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...

. As the band focused on a heavier, more brutal sound near the end of this period, it would also result in the creation of another side project, the

Dave Brockie Experience The Dave Brockie Experience or DBX was a rock band formed by three members of heavy metal band Gwar. The band was composed of David "Oderus Urungus" Brockie (vocals/bass), Brad " Jizmak Da Gusha" Roberts (drums), and Mike "Balsac the Jaws of De ...

, a band created by frontman

along with rhythm guitarist Mike Derks and drummer

Brad Roberts Bradley Kenneth Roberts (born January 10, 1964) is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies and the only constant member since its inception. He sings in the bass-baritone range. The band is best known ...

as a way of continuing the comedic sound found on albums like ''

'' while maintaining a more serious focus in releases by Gwar. They released their first LP on March 20, 2001, ''

Diarrhea of a Madman ''Diarrhea of a Madman'' is the debut album by the band Dave Brockie Experience. It was released in 2001 by Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian S ...

''. In June 2004, Gwar left Metal Blade and signed with

DRT Entertainment DRT Entertainment was a New York City based independent record label founded in March 2004 by Derek Shulman, Ron Urban, and Theodore "Ted" Green. The label is defunct. The label advertised itself as an "artist friendly hard rock music company f ...

. The band left Metal Blade due to the label's perceived lack of faith in the band and the lack of album distribution beyond the US, along with the band's belief that they were funding "shitty bands on the label". Despite this, the band maintained they had no animosity to

Brian Slagel Brian Slagel (born February 14, 1961) is an American music executive. He is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for having initiated the '' Metal Massacre'' series of compilation albums in 198 ...

or the label in general. Their first album for the label, '' War Party'', was released in October of that year''.'' The album met with a large underground success, as it followed the same path ''Violence Has Arrived'' did, but this time with a more serious and technical edge, partially thanks to the efforts of new lead guitarist Cory Smoot (

) and bass guitarist Todd Evans (

). Videos were released for "Bring Back the Bomb" and "War Party," and the band was invited to play on the Sounds of the Underground tour in 2005. That same year the band released '' Live from Mt. Fuji'', the band's first live album besides the then extremely rare '' You're All Worthless and Weak'', released in 2000 (and re-released in 2006) on

Slave Pit Records Slave Pit Inc. is the artist collective, production company and independent record label created for releasing projects by the heavy metal band Gwar and related side projects such as Mensrea and Locus Factor. According to a 2015 TED Talk by M ...

. In 2004 Gwar teamed up with

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...

(as the voice of Grandma Stuffum) in the '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' episode "Operation F. O. O. D. F. I. T. E."; the band was credited as Rawg and the songs "The Private Pain of Techno Destructo", "Morality Squad", and "Gor-Gor" were performed with new lyrics, pertaining to the episode, written for each song. Gwar-paris-hilton-disembowelment

Gwar began work on their next album, tentatively titled ''Go to Hell!'', in January 2006. That same month, Gwar opened a gallery show called "The Art of Gwar" at Art Space gallery in Richmond to display the many props, costumes, cartoons, paintings produced by The Slave Pit, Gwar's art and effects studio. On February 23, 2006, Gwar's official website announced Gwar's album, officially titled ''

Beyond Hell ''Beyond Hell'' is the tenth studio album by Gwar. Released on August 29, 2006, by DRT Entertainment, the album was originally announced through the band's official website on February 23, 2006. Unlike the band's output since 2001, it is a concep ...

'', for which, at the urging of

, a cover version of

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

's " School's Out" was recorded and released. The music video was directed by David Brodsky on July 2, 2006. The part of the "school marm" has been mistakenly identified as Devin Townsend, the producer of the ''Beyond Hell'' CD. It is actually Scott Krahl, a long-time Gwar "slave" and inventor of Gor-Gor. "School's Out" was nominated for Best Video of 2006 on MTV2's ''Headbanger's Ball''. The ''Blood Bath and Beyond'' DVD was released on June 20, 2006, containing exclusive behind the scenes and vintage footage of the band. Gwar performed a special "half-time" show at the Sounds Of The Underground 2006 tour. Gwar went on to headline the following year's Sounds of the Underground Tour in 2007. Vocalist

Oderus Urungus David Murray Brockie (August 30, 1963 – March 23, 2014) was a Canadian-American musician. He was the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Gwar, in which he performed as Oderus Urungus, and he was a bassist and lead singer in the bands ...

is also featured on the last

Strapping Young Lad Strapping Young Lad (SYL) was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, '' Heavy as a Really Heavy ...

album

The New Black ''The New Black'' is the fifth and final studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Strapping Young Lad. It was released on July 11, 2006, debuting at No. 200 on the ''Billboard'' charts. Background Century Media imposed a strict deadline ...

as a guest vocalist on the song "Far Beyond Metal". Oderus' lines in the song are taken directly from the Gwar song "Maggots" ("now in the halls of the Necrolord..." etc.). ''

'' was released on August 29, 2006, with Gwar touring to support the album and being helped by the creation of new props for this tour, including several characters from ''Beyond Hell''s plot, including Jitler and Jewcifer. Gwar was also present at the third annual Rock & Shock festival from October 13 to 15 as a part of this tour. In Spring 2008 Todd Evans left Gwar to focus efforts on his project Mobile Deathcamp. Shortly after Todd's departure, Casey Orr was confirmed to return as Beefcake the Mighty. Sleazy P. Martini returned to the stage with Gwar during their Electile Dysfunction '08 tour.

Twenty-fifth anniversary, return to Metal Blade and death of Cory Smoot (2009–2014)

In May 2009, Gwar re-signed with Metal Blade after DRT Entertainment closed down (with the band getting their master tapes from DRT), and the band and celebrated their 25th year of existence. Gwar's eleventh studio album, ''

Lust in Space ''Lust in Space'' is the eleventh studio album by Gwar. It was released on August 18, 2009. It is their first album since returning to their old label Metal Blade Records. The album also saw the return of their former bassist Casey Orr, even thou ...

'', was released on August 18, 2009, They performed at the 2009

Gathering of the Juggalos The Gathering of the Juggalos (also known as The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual music festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground music, ...

and toured nationwide with Lamb of God and Job for a Cowboy. In 2009, Gwar celebrated their 25th year as a band. The band released a 2009 Christmas vinyl record consisting of a new song titled "Christmas Stripper Summer Weekend" and a live ''Hell-O'' medley. Oderus Urungus hosted the "Crack-a-Thon" in Brooklyn, New York at the MF Gallery in April 2010. A second Crack-A-Thon followed in 2011. On November 9, 2010, Gwar released their twelfth studio album, ''

Bloody Pit of Horror ''Bloody Pit of Horror'' ( - The Crimson Executioner) is a 1965 Gothic horror film. The film, set in Italy, was directed by Domenico Massimo Pupillo and stars Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi, Luisa Baratto and Rita Klein. It tells the story o ...

''. On November 3, 2011, lead guitarist Cory Smoot, who had portrayed Flattus Maximus since 2002, was found dead by his fellow band members in the band's tour bus as they prepared to cross the border into

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada from

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. The cause of death was "a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease." On November 4, Dave Brockie officially announced that the character of Flattus Maximus would be retired out of respect to Smoot. The last single recorded with Smoot was released on December 22, 2011, and is a cover of the Dayglo Abortions song "Isn't This Disgusting". The single was made available on iTunes and appeared on the Dayglo Abortions tribute album in 2012. GWAR-Dave Brockie

On April 3, 2012, a television sit-com created by horror filmmaker Adam Green and starring Brockie portraying Oderus Urungus titled ''Holliston'' debuted on the FEARnet cable television network. The series starred Oderus as series lead Green's imaginary alien friend who lives in his closet. Brockie toured and appeared with his castmates as Oderus at many live performances of ''Holliston'' across the United States in 2012 and 2013. Green appeared on stage with Gwar several times when the band had him introduce their encore performance. The full ''Holliston'' cast was "murdered" on stage and fed to both Gwar's world maggot and meat grinder at several US shows. A third season of ''Holliston'' was being scripted by Green when Brockie died of a heroin overdose in March 2014.

Cannabis Corpse Cannabis Corpse is a cannabis-themed death metal band. Cannabis Corpse formed in Richmond, Virginia in 2006 under the Forcefield label. Since then, Cannabis Corpse has released six LPs and two EPs. The band features members of Municipal Wast ...

guitarist Brent Purgason took over the late Cory Smoot's role under the name Pustulus Maximus in late 2012, making his first appearance with the band in a video on

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

of the band playing a cover of

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

' 1976 hit tune "Carry on My Wayward Son". In September 2013 Gwar's thirteenth studio album, titled ''

Battle Maximus ''Battle Maximus'' is the thirteenth studio album by American metal band Gwar. The album was released on September 17, 2013 through Metal Blade Records. The album was the first to feature new guitarist Brent Purgason (of Cannabis Corpse), portray ...

,'' was released. Promotional activities for the record included a video of Gwar covering

Billy Ocean Leslie Sebastian Charles (born 21 January 1950), known professionally as Billy Ocean, is a Trinidadian-born British singer and songwriter. Between 1976 and 1988, he had a series of hit songs in the UK and internationally. After releasing sev ...

's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" and The Who's "Baba O'Riley", and a one-off

Funny Or Die Funny or Die, Inc. is a comedy video website and production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staf ...

animated cartoon Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

produced by Myke Chilian and Gwar titled '' The Animated Tales of Gwar''.

Death of Dave Brockie, GwarBar, and future (2014–present)

On March 23, 2014, Dave Brockie, age 50, was found dead by a roommate in his

, apartment. The cause of death was later confirmed to be a

heroin overdose An opioid overdose is toxicity due to excessive consumption of opioids, such as morphine, codeine, heroin, fentanyl, tramadol, and methadone. This preventable pathology can be fatal if it leads to Hypoventilation, respiratory depression, a let ...

. Brockie's death left the collective without any of its founding artists or musicians. The surviving members of Gwar and the Slave Pit released a video statement to announce the creation of the David Brockie Foundation, a charity fund for the encouragement of future talent and the preservation of Brockie's body of work. Their first goal with the foundation was to construct a memorial monument to him in Richmond to provide a place of respect for the former frontman of Gwar. Former bassist Mike Bishop, the original Beefcake the Mighty, re-joined the band as vocalist for their first performance without Brockie at the fifth Gwar B-Q at Hadad's Lake. The performance was preceded by a public memorial service the day before, the singer's Oderus Urungus character was given a

Viking funeral Norse funerals, or the burial customs of Viking Age North Germanic Norsemen (early medieval Scandinavians), are known both from archaeology and from historical accounts such as the Icelandic sagas and Old Norse poetry. Throughout Scandinavia, t ...

. Gwar played at the following month's

Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music fe ...

in Chicago and went back on tour in December 2014, with new character Vulvatron, played by Kim Dylla . They also appeared again in an A.V Club video, playing a cover of the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" which transitioned into "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll—as a tribute to Cory Smoot, Dave Brockie and other friends of Gwar who have since passed on. Kim Dylla was released from the band at the end of 2014. In October 2016 Gwar released ''

The Blood of Gods ''The Blood of Gods'' is the fourteenth album by thrash metal band Gwar. It was released on October 20, 2017 by Metal Blade Records. It is the band's first album without founding member Dave Brockie, who portrayed Oderus Urungus, due to his heroi ...

,'' their first album without founding member and longtime vocalist Brockie. In January 2015, GwarBar (stylized as GWARbar) opened in the

Jackson Ward Jackson Ward, previously known as Central Wards, is a historically African-American district in Richmond, Virginia, with a long tradition of African-American businesses. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol, sitting ...

neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Mike Derks and Travis Croxton, Richmond's "Restaurateur of the Year 2014," co-own what they self-refer to as an upscale dive bar. Derks, who also serves as executive chef, collaborated with head chef Jeremy Dutra to create the restaurant's menu. The band's website describes the bar as "a fantasy land of food and beverage, catering to everyone from local punk metal freaks, rock stars, businessmen, celebrity chefs and starving artists." On May 29, 2020, the restaurant opened its long-planned outdoor beer garden after being closed to indoor dining for two months as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In February 2019, Jamison Land left the band and Casey Orr later returned to fill the role of Beefcake once again. A remixed and remastered 30th anniversary edition of ''Scumdogs of the Universe'' was released the following year and on day of release the band broadcast an anniversary reunion concert where the album was performed in its entirety for the first time. Dubbed "Scumdogs XXX Live," it marked the first time that Gwar co-founder Hunter Jackson had directly worked with the band since his departure in 2000. ''The Disc with No Name'', a limited edition picture disc containing four acoustic renditions of previously released songs, was released in May 2021. The band embarked on a Scumdogs 30th anniversary tour, featuring co-founder Hunter Jackson, and released the ''Scumdogs XXX Live'' concert album. On June 3, 2022, Gwar released their fifteenth studio album, ''

The New Dark Ages ''The New Dark Ages'' is the fifteenth album by thrash metal band Gwar. It was released on June 3, 2022 through the band's own label Slave Pit Inc., making it their first record to not be released through Metal Blade Records since ''Beyond Hell ...

'', alongside a graphic novel, ''Gwar in The Duoverse of Absurdity'', released by Z2 Comics. In July 2023, Gwar performed on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's Tiny Desk Concert. The band dedicated their final song to

. On November 5, 2023, Purgason announced his departure from the band after eleven years of membership, noting that he was leaving on good terms and would still be involved in some capacity behind the scenes. On November 21, 2023,

announced that he was co-writing a Gwar movie entitled ''Gwar Must Die''. On February 29, 2024, It was announced that Tommy Meehan (of Squid Pisser and formerly of Cancer Christ) had joined the touring lineup, taking over as lead guitarist for Brent Purgason, also known as Pustulus Maximus. On April 15, 2025, the band released the single and video for a new song called "Lot Lizard". This was accompanied by the announcement of the upcoming "The Return Of Gor Gor" EP, along with a 32-page comic book of the same name. The album and comic will be released on July 25, 2025.

Gwar-B-Q

From 2009 to 2016 Gwar hosted an annual festival in Richmond, Virginia, called "Gwar-B-Q". The festival boasted of barbecue, rock-and-roll vendors, a haunted house of sorts (which "bohabs" can visit to be spewed and bled upon) and live music. Held at Hadad's Lake, a natural water park in Richmond, Gwar-B-Q quickly grew into a destination event having hosted bands like

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

, Down, Dead Earth Politics,

Cancer Bats Cancer Bats are a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is cu ...

, and

The Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

. At the 2014 Gwar-B-Q, the first since Dave Brockie's death, the singer's Oderus Urungus character was given a

, with his stage costume burned on a funeral pyre on Hadad's Lake.

Etymology

Despite various explanations that Gwar is an acronym for something (such as "God what an awful racket"), band members have consistently stated that the letters do not stand for anything. The official website of

indicates that Gwar is a shortened version of "Gwaaarrrgghhlllgh", the name the band used originally when opening for

Band members

Current members

*Mike Derks (

) – rhythm guitar (1988–present) *Brad Roberts (

) – drums (1989–present) *Matt Maguire (Sawborg Destructo) – co-lead vocals (1994–1996, 2009–present) *Bob Gorman (Bonesnapper) – backing vocals (1995–1996, 2014–present) * Michael Bishop ( Blöthar the Berserker) – lead vocals (2014–present), (

) – bass, backing vocals (1987–1993, 1998–1999) *Casey Orr (Beefcake the Mighty) – bass, backing vocals (1994–1997, 1999–2002, 2008–2011, 2019–present) *Tommy Meehan (Grodius Maximus) - lead guitar, backing vocals (2024–present)

Former members

Vocalists

*Ben Eubanks (Johnny Slutman) – vocals (1984) *

(Oderus Urungus) – rhythm guitar (1984–1986), vocals, bass (1986–2014; died 2014) *Joe Annaruma (Joey Slutman) – vocals (1985–1986) *Don Drakulich ( Sleazy P. Martini) – backing vocals (1986–1995, 2017) *

(Slymenstra Hymen) – vocals, fire breathing, fire dancer (1988–2000, 2002) *Chuck Varga (Sexecutioner) – vocals (1986–1996, 2000–2002, 2014–2017) *Hunter Jackson (Techno Destructo) – vocals (1984–1987, 1990–1999) *Kim Dylla (Vulvatron) – vocals (2014)

Guitarists

*Russ Bahorsky (Mr. Magico) – lead guitar (1984) *Ron Curry ( Stephen Sphincter) – lead guitar (1985–1986) *Greg Ottinger (Cornelius Carnage) – lead guitar (1986–1987) *Steve Douglas (Balsac the Jaws of Death) – rhythm guitar (1987–1988) *Dewey Rowell (

) – lead guitar (1987–1991) *Pete Lee (Flattus Maximus) – lead guitar (1992–1998) *Tim Harriss (Flattus Maximus) – lead guitar (1998–1999) *

(Flattus Maximus) – lead guitar (1999–2002) *Cory Smoot (Flattus Maximus) – lead guitar (2002–2011; died 2011) *Brent Purgason (Pustulus Maximus) – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–2023)

Bassists

*Chris Bopst (Balsac) – bass (1984–1987) *Todd Evans (Beefcake the Mighty) – bass (2002–2008) *Jamison Land (Beefcake the Mighty) – bass, backing vocals (2011–2019)

Drummers

*Sean Sumner – drums (1984; died 1996) *Jim Thomson (Hans Sphincter / Hans Orifice) – drums (1985–1987, 1989) *Rob Mosby (Nippleus Erectus) – drums (1987–1988) *Pete Luchter (Lee Beato) – drums (1989)

Discography

*''

'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1994) *''

Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (also Ragnarok; or ; ) is a foretold series of impending events, including a great battle in which numerous great Norse mythological figures will perish (including the Æsir, gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdall, a ...

'' (1995) *'' Carnival of Chaos'' (1997) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2001) *'' War Party'' (2004) *''

'' (2006) *''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2010) *''

'' (2013) *''

'' (2017) *''

'' (2022)

Grammy Awards and nominations

Gwar has been nominated for two

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, but lost to

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...

and

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

. *''

'' –

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

(nomination). Lost to

. *" S.F.W." –

Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

(nomination). Lost to

Controversies

In 2014, Gwar came under fire for scenes at the

Soundwave Soundwave or Sound Wave may refer to: * Sound, a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave * Acoustic wave, the wave which carries sound Festivals * Soundwave (Australian music festival), an annual music festival 2007–2016 * Soundwave Fe ...

music festival where Urungus

beheaded Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

effigy An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...

of then-Prime Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...

, with the effigy then spraying fake blood into the audience. They also came under fire for slicing the breasts off an effigy of Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

References

External links

* * *
GWAR biography
on ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...

'' {{Authority control 1984 establishments in Virginia American thrash metal musical groups Crossover thrash groups Articles which contain graphical timelines Bands with fictional stage personas American comedy rock musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Virginia Hardcore punk groups from Virginia Masked musicians Music of Richmond, Virginia Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups from Virginia Obscenity controversies in music Shimmy Disc artists History of Richmond, Virginia