The band was the result of the collaboration between Hunter Jackson and Dave Brockie, then the singer for a punk band called Death Piggy. Jackson was working on a movie at the time the two met. The movie, entitled Scumdogs of the Universe, featured a plot involving terrifying intergalactic barbarians. Jackson and Brockie combined their ideas, re-named the band Gwar, and have been performing as ghoulish intergalactic warriors ever since. Their costumes are generally made of foam latex, styrofoam, and hardened rubber. It should be noted that the costumes they are wearing actually cover very little with the rest of their bodies being accentuated with makeup. They further their production in concert by dousing, spraying, and at times nearly drowning their audiences with imitation blood, semen, gore, and other bodily fluids. All the fluids are made of water and dye that washes out easily. It is rumored that corn syrup or a similar product has been used as a thickener.
Another trademark of GWAR's live show is their mutilations of celebrities and figures in current events. Victims of GWAR's antics have included O.J. Simpson, George W. Bush, Paris Hilton, and many others. The band also makes frequent references to political and historical figures, fantasy literature, and mythology. For instance, the song "Whargoul" makes reference to Minas Morgul, a setting in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books; and the title of their sixth album, Ragnarok, comes from Norse mythology.
GWAR, though by no means a small-time band, have not enjoyed as much mainstream recognition as many other bands. Around the time of their second album (Scumdogs of the Universe), they enjoyed a fair deal of success, due in part to Beavis and Butt-head. After that, however, GWAR's popularity waned and they were even featured on the VH1 program "Where Are They Now." Though not at the peak of their popularity, GWAR was recently invited to play on the Sounds of the Underground tour, which was very well received.
Gwar were, at one time, banned from performing in their home city of Richmond, Virginia due to their raucous stage performances. During that time they would appear in their home town under the pseudonym Rawg and play sans costumes. The ban was later lifted and the band can now play in Richmond again in full gory attire. GWAR was banned earlier in North Carolina for obscenity reasons (Brockie was arrested for wearing his "Cuttlefish of Cthulu" prosthetic penis; this incident was the inspiration for GWAR's America Must Be Destroyed album). Band members and associates often have cookouts at their house, dubbed "Gwar-BQ's." The video for "Saddam a Go-Go" from This Toilet Earth appeared in the hit movie Empire Records. Gwar was/is primarily a band of former art students, and this is reflected in the obscure references made in some of their songs. Gwar fans are known as Bohabs or Scumdogs.
The origin and meaning of the band's name has been left intentionally vague by its members, although the most widely accepted explanation (though false and denied by the band members) is that GWAR is an acronym for "God What an Awful Racket!" One rumor states that the name may have come from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel Watchmen, in which a poster reads, "Pink Triangle LIVE at the Gay Women Against Rape Benefit Concert." Other unsubstantiated rumors state that GWAR! is the sound monsters make in old horror movies, or that a fan at a club yelled "You should call your band..." and vomited before he could finish, making a sound close to the word GWAR. A final possibility, and the most viable as of yet, coming from sources close to the band suggests strongly that the name comes from the answer David Brockie gave to Hunter Jackson when asked what the band should be called. David Brockie simply responded with a mostly unintelligble word and isolated a single sound out of the rubble therefore creating GWAR.
On Sunday March 23, 2014, Brockie was found dead in his apartment by a band member. According to police, Brockie was found deceased and sitting upright in a chair.
Gwar's management confirmed the reports of Brockie's death on the official Gwar website at 4am on March 24, 2014. In an official statement released later that day, Gwar's manager Jack Flanagan said "It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963. My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." News of Brockie's death spread quickly with many of his fellow musical peers and bandmates responding through social media.
Mike Bishop, former member of Gwar, was one of the first to confirm Brockie's death. Bishop said "Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I've known. He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art. His penchant for scatological humors belied a lucid wit. He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever! A great front man, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice.”
The Virginia State Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Dave Brockie's death was caused by an accidental heroin overdose on Tuesday, June 3 2014.
After the death of Dave Brockie, the character of Oderus Urungus was given a Viking funeral at the 2014 Gwar-B-Q, held at Hadad's Lake park. Concurrently, Michael Bishop formally rejoined Gwar and assumed lead vocal duties in the persona of Blöthar the Berserker. The band resumed touring, and on October 20, 2017 released the first album
sans founding members, The Blood Of Gods.
Time For Death
GWAR Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
with pus, I shall further expound. As the
vultures swirl, the batons twirl. We've come
for your entrails. And now it's time for death.
And now it's time, Death's mime is rhymed...
Sun comes up bloody pulp. People of your
planet all writhe in muck. Life's a piece of shit,
you are living it. You deserve no less than death.
my chin 'till I gotta cleft. Time for death, there's
nothing left. I'm gonna rape your world, gonna go
suck cock...And now it's time for death. Your
nipples, expose your breasts. I'll burrow deep into
your chest...Ahh
There's no sun, just a human slum. Leaders
of your people acting really dumb. Flies with
the eyes, guys with the thighs, keeping a watch
on Bilko's pies...
And now it's time for DEATH...
The song "Time for Death" by GWAR is a fast-paced, aggressive song that seems to celebrate and revel in death and destruction. Throughout the song, the lyrics paint a picture of a world on the brink of collapse, with bodies lying on the ground and people writhing in muck. The singer seems to relish in the chaos, describing vultures swirling and batons twirling as they come for their prey's entrails. The chorus repeats the phrase "And now it's time for death," emphasizing the inevitability of death and the singer's eagerness for it.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more gruesome and violent. The singer describes burrowing deep into someone's chest and raping the world while sucking cock. The final verse seems to take a shot at leaders, painting them as foolish and ineffective in the face of the looming destruction. Throughout it all, the chorus repeats, hammering home the message that death is coming and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
Line by Line Meaning
Sun goes down, bodies on the ground. Swollen with pus, I shall further expound.
The day is coming to an end and there are dead bodies lying on the ground in a state of decay. I will describe the gruesome details of their bloated, pus-filled bodies.
As the vultures swirl, the batons twirl. We've come for your entrails. And now it's time for death.
Vultures are circling above and we are ready to attack with our weapons. We are here to rip out your entrails and it is now time for you to die.
And now it's time, Death's mime is rhymed...
The moment has arrived for death and we will carry it out in a symbolic, theatrical manner.
Sun comes up bloody pulp. People of your planet all writhe in muck. Life's a piece of shit, you are living it. You deserve no less than death.
The day starts with grotesquely mutilated bodies and the people on this planet live in filth and misery. Life is worthless and you are not exempt from the fate of death.
Time for death, it's to the left. I've gotta smash my chin 'till I gotta cleft. Time for death, there's nothing left. I'm gonna rape your world, gonna go suck cock...
It is now the time for death, which is represented by the direction to the left. I will beat myself until my jaw is broken apart. Death is inevitable and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. I will dominate and destroy your world, and engage in sexual violence.
And now it's time for death. Your nipples, expose your breasts. I'll burrow deep into your chest...Ahh
Death is imminent and I will expose your breasts by removing your clothing. I will then penetrate deep inside your chest cavity with my weapon, causing pain and agony.
There's no sun, just a human slum. Leaders of your people acting really dumb. Flies with the eyes, guys with the thighs, keeping a watch on Bilko's pies...
The sun no longer shines and there is only a dirty and miserable place filled with humans. The leaders of this society are foolish and incompetent. There are flies with human-like eyes and men with large thighs keeping a watch on a food source.
And now it's time for DEATH...
The time for death has come and there is no escape from this fate.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GWAR GWAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind