Metal Underground.com

The legend of GWAR is one that has been developing for decades in the underground. While GWAR's back-story alone could be the basis for a multi-part novel, the band is famous for its devastating, bloody live show and its controversial antics. Through its vast 25 year legacy, the band has released twelve studio albums, almost twice as many DVDs, and toured the globe extensively every year. To finish off its 25th year anniversary GWAR released two albums back to back. While the previous "Lust In Space" may have not been the celebration some fans were hoping for, "Bloody Pit of Horror" is without a doubt GWAR's heaviest and most ferocious release to date, which is the perfect way to cap off a quarter century of blood, guts, and crude humor.

Being the die-hard GWAR fan that I am, it should be mentioned that even I only truly appreciate two albums in the band's extensive back catalogue; the 1990 breakthrough release "Scumdogs of the Universe" and 2004's "War Party" both being masterpieces in my book. While all other GWAR albums do contain several fantastic songs each, nothing else has truly reached that essential must-own GWAR status until now. "Bloody Pit of Horror" sees the band returning to its truly pissed off and violent state of mind, dishing out pain and carnage at every turn.

"Bloody Pit of Horror" is a no holds barred record that is free from any connecting concept, allowing the album to truly breathe and not be restrained to the subject of a continuing story. The problem with 2009's "Lust In Space" and 2006's "Beyond Hell" was that the band was too focused on keeping true to a concept that it lost its trademarked vulgar wit and violent charm. "Bloody Pit of Horror" is the complete opposite, with eleven tracks that have the band firing on all cylinders.

The music on "Bloody Pit of Horror" is heavier and more complex than anything else the band has done in the past. The lower tuning used in the writing process creates intense heaviness, something even seasoned GWAR fans aren't used to hearing from their favorite space marauders. Tracks like "Beat You To Death" and "Hail, Genocide!" are perfect examples of GWAR's new found heaviness and technical proficiency. "A Gathering of Ghouls" is also another track that demonstrates that GWAR is not just a comedy act that relies on visuals to be successful, but the members are also damn good musicians.

GWAR is consistently the most inconsistent band in heavy metal. Through its many sonic shifts, including forays into country rock and other forms of music in the 90's, GWAR has once again returned to absolute brutality. "Bloody Pit of Horror" includes the band's strongest track listing in years and provides a heavy and thrashy experience that will more than please old-school fans as well as the younger generation of Bohabs. Everything from the four-part title track to "Kz Necromancer" is absolute gold in its own way and once the GWAR ship has finally run its course, "Bloody Pit of Horror" will go down as one of the band's all time bests.