Report

Gwar and Neurosis Finished Day 2 of Housecore Horror Film Festival

Michigan psyche doom-death group, Acid Witch opened day two on Midway’s outdoor stage. After a night of barely any sleep, I didn’t arrive in time to catch their set. It’s a shame because they were one of the bands I wanted to see. I heard a burst of guitar notes from tech-death metallers Archspire but only as I pulled into the venue. The first part of this day would be spent around the press tent conducting interviews with Napalm Death and Gwar. This included missing most of the set from Polish death metal veterans Decapitated, whose late coming was the apparent reason for Midway being behind on time. The day before their appearance at Housecore the group had totaled their van. I’m not sure how they made it to Austin, but they were there and played a full set.

My interviews were finished in plenty of time to catch the full set from serial killer documentarians Macabre. The Chicago band’s mix of grindcore, thrash, death metal and nursery rhymes is delightfully twisted, especially if you have a dark sense of humor. They started their set as they often do with the psychopathic ranting “Zodiac.” They “swore to Satan” before launching into another “Sinister Slaughter” song “The Night Stalker”—a particularly brutal number about Richard Ramirez. “Hitchhiker,” about Jeffrey Dahmer hitchhiking had a similarly heavy, choppy riff as the previous noted track. Before each song, Corporate Death spoke into his wireless headset and told a story about the serial killer in question. He mentioned attending Jeffrey Dahmer’s trail to introduce the track “The Trail” from their “Dahmer” album. The band played the operatic “Nero’s Infernal” from their latest “Grim Scary Tales” and then stepped back 27 years to play “Serial Killer” from their “Grim Reality” album. Of course, a Macabre set wouldn’t be complete without their closing with “Vampire of Düsseldorf.” The bloody chorus on this track has a stein-swinging, lederhosen-dancing sensibility.

Macabre is considered one of the founders of death metal. The same can be said about the next band only in the field of grindcore—Napalm Death. Barney Greenway and company exploded unto the stage with “Silence is Deafening” taken from “The Code is Red…Long Live The Code.” Shane Embury’s bass clapped through the speakers with thunderous force. We paid close attention to Danny Herrera, whose timing and cymbal crashes were very impressive. Barney was fun to watch, too, as he flung his limbs around in a raging, single-man mosh pit. Set list wise the band included songs from throughout their career. They played the spastic “Everyday Pox” from “Utilitarian” and a couple of brand new songs from their forthcoming “Apex Predator-Easy Meat” album. But they made time for classic material such as “Scum” and “Suffer the Children.” Those songs seemed to have gotten the best response. No Napalm Death would be complete without their cover of the punk classic “Nazi Punks Fuck Off.”

After Napalm’s set, I trekked back to the press area for another interview. This time with Eyehategod. Then we left for dinner. King Parrot had just ended as I returned. The next two bands, Author & Punisher and Neurosis were along with Subrosa, some of the most artistic bands at the festival. Lynn Standafer of Enduser, Blood of heroes and Iamthesun is the sole member behind the custom-made drone/dub controls and instruments. The electronic drone music he created was from one-of-a-kind instruments. There was a swirling metal bowl-like instrument in front of him and what looked like a press-like percussion instrument. The sound and presentation conjured visions of sparks flying off sheets of steel while an incessant hammering takes place in the background. The images on the movie screen behind Standafer certainly helped.

Neurosis’ set was massive and encompassing. Steve Von Til and Scott Kelly perfectly complemented each other with their separate vocal ranges. While their voices created different layers in each song, their guitars came together in a smooth, droning unity. Noah Landis impressed me the most. He pulled his double keyboard back and forth holding a control to keep the background swirling and hitting an electronic symbol. His keyboards and effects really added ambiance to the band’s set. The band played a long set, which allowed for a good cross section of material. They played songs from “A Sun That Never Sets” including the title track and “Stones From the Sky.” “Bleeding the Pigs” and “At The Well” showcased their latest album “Honor Found in Decay.” They addressed older material such as “Locust Star” from “Through Silver in Blood” and a personal favorite “The Doorway” from “Times of Grace.” For the latter song, the way the drums came in to meet Von Til and Kelly’s churning rhythms was incredibly powerful.

Everybody wanted to see the new members of Gwar. These new scum dogs go by the names of Vulvatron and Blothar. Mike Bishop, the man playing Blothar, may be playing a new character but he knows the words to Gwar’s songs having played bassist Beefcake The Mighty. I like to equate Vulvatron to past female Scumdog Slymenstra Hymen, and the similarities were there. Both sing backing vocals and both are proficient killers. Vulvatron’s made asset is as an assassin. She had nipples that squirted blood while Blothar possessed lactating udders. Blothar’s custom is one of the most impressive of any Gwar member with his huge shield, antlers and battle axe. The group didn’t kill any celebrities, but did spill plenty of blood of their enemies starting with a towering security god. The group screwed a pizza guy during “Black and Huge” and Vulvatron squirted her nipples. Set highlights include “Let Us Slay,” “Horror of Yig” and “Saddam A Go Go.”

Gwar manager Sleazy P. Martini recently issued a press release stating Oderus Urungus is not dead, but is in space smoking crack. Gwar’s story line for the night actually dealt with Oderus dying by the hand of their nemesis, Mr. Perfect. Among new characters is prepubescent turtle boy who kept saying he missed Oderus and wanted him back. The group used a time machine to try to save Oderus but were unsuccessful. When they realized there was nothing to do for Oderus, the bag pipes played and the band launched into a tear-jerking rendition of “The Road Behind.” The group got the crowd chanting “Oderus” and even brought out the Cuttlefish of Cthulu—Oderus’ giant cock that separately functions as its own organism. Blothar quoted the immortal film “Blazing Saddles” and the band performed Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls.” So many members of Gwar sang songs and this was a great song for a big chorus. They somehow took an ‘80s new wave track and turned it into a punk-y metal song.