Album Review: GWAR – Beyond Hell (20th Anniversary Edition)
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Whomever would have thought those Scumdogs of the Universe, Antarctica’s foulest cohort, GWAR, would have made it four years, let alone forty, and be fifteen albums deep into their crazy career, to boot? As we patiently await album number sixteen, the band have decided to mark the twentieth anniversary of the release of the tenth full-length, Beyond Hell, with a spiffy new remaster.
This time around, GWAR went full-on with a concept album, detailing the story of the band descending into Hell to escape the attacking armies of humanity. Any similarity between Beyond Hell and Dante Allegahri’s Divine Comedy is purely intentional, with the inscription over the lintel of Hell: “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here” forming part of the lyric.
The journey begins with the scene setting intro, as winds howl and an ancient bard starts to narrate the tale. War is All We Know finds the band’s Antarctic fortress coming under attack from the forces of humanity, led by the Nazi Pope, who eventually goes nuclear, forcing GWAR to seek shelter underground. To give this the storytelling presence it deserves, the band use punky, thrashing riffs and classic metal moments; guitars chug and riffs charge, bringing to mind the rampancy of early Sabbat. A lull in the frenzy has Oderus Urungus crooning away.
Murderous Muse uses a galloping riff and Go to Hell revolves around a majestic bass performance, courtesy of Beefcake the Mighty, supporting the chugging classic thrash and theatricality of the track. As in the Dante original, GWAR encounter all manner of characters in Hell, including a corrupt police officer in the fierce punk of I Love the Pigs; Tormentor details the encounter with the titular character, here played by Devin Townsend, who produced this record for GWAR, and contributes to one of the records most enjoyable tunes.
Rollocking speed metal is the order of the day and it’s not a million miles from classic Venom, with its pedal to the metal attitude and anthemic, fist-pounding pseudo-power metal chorus, this is GWAR doing exactly what you love GWAR for doing. Eighth Lock is all chopping riffs and spiralling guitars, as the opening of a new Hellgate is described in edgy, stomping glory.
Fan favourite, The Ultimate Bohab, and Destroyed both speed along with reckless abandon, as GWAR take time out of their journey through the underworld to berate a fan who killed himself to follow the band to Hell.
The final battle with Satan is given in The One That Will Not Be Named and, from its slow and doomy opening to the old school thrashing, it a suitably exciting climax. Flattus Maximus and Balsac the Jaws of Death go all out in this final conflict, switching between intense, machine gun riffing to scorching solos, as the thunder cracks and the Devil lies beaten.
Back in Crack finds GWAR back in Antarctica after their sojourn to the Pit, back with some more of those classic thrash metal vibes and a hefty guitar and drum combination. The eerie Outro is a couple of disturbing minutes of tolling bells, howling wind and ominous screams; the aural equivalent of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. Bonus track on Beyond Hell is a cover of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out, which seems to be ideally suited to the band.
For this twentieth anniversary edition, Beyond Hell has been remastered by Paul Logus, who has working with the likes of Anthrax, Armoured Saint, Pantera, Satyricon and many more, giving this record a clean and sharp cutting edge, beside its big and lush sound. Also, for the first-time, Beyond Hell will be available on vinyl.
Perhaps GWAR is a band most judged by its appearance and considered that the music takes a back-seat to the theatricality of the stage show. Yet their recorded output has the firepower of any other band you care to mention and, frankly, stomps over many. You don’t need the costumes and excess – great that they are – to appreciate GWAR for being a fearsome act on record as well as onstage.
And, if you’re yet to see it, the Shudder documentary This Is GWAR is a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours.
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