Gwar and Napalm Death destroy the West Coast
Majestic Ventura Theater
Ventura, Ca
11/23/21
Gwar and Napalm Death announced a tour together and it would prove to be one of the best shows of the year. Gwar puts on one of the bloodiest shows around and Napalm Death is one of the loudest bands around. The two of them together would prove to be a force to be reckoned with. This year, Gwar was celebrating 30 years of their second album Scumdogs of the Universe. Napalm Death was touring for their sixteenth album Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism. Concerts are slowly coming back and this was a show to not miss. The Majestic Ventura Theater was nicely packed on a Tuesday night and Ventura locals were more than happy to have a local show instead of having to travel an hour away to Los Angeles or two hours away to Santa Ana. The lights went out and the crowd cheered as the British grindcore legends Napalm Death made their way to the stage. Napalm Death started their show with Unchallenged Hate. The venue was filled with classic grindcore music as the floor broke out in a mosh pit led by the gruff deep vocals of Barney Greenway. Despite Napalm Death forming in 1981, no members from the original lineup are in the band now though the current lineup with Greenway, bassist Shane Embury and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent since 1992. Napalm Death had tons of songs at their disposal and each one was more brutal than the last. Some of the songs they performed were Everyday Pox, Contagion and Smash a Single Digit. One of the highlights of their performance was when Greenway announced that they were gonna go back to their 1981 debut album Scum. Fans knew what was coming and Greenway yelled out, "SCUM!!!" and once again sent Ventura into a frenzy with this fast and brutal song. One of the more entertaining songs is when they play You Suffer which currently holds the Guinness World Record of the shortest song ever recorded at 1.316 seconds long. The show was nearing the end and the last few songs played were Nazi Punks Fuck Off (Dead Kennedys cover), Suffer the Children and the finale, Unfit Earth. Napalm Death left the stage and made room for the main band that everyone came to see.
Gwar is a band everyone in the metal scene should know and see at least once. The metal community was stricken with grief when founding member and singer Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus passed away in 2014. Gwar has continued on with new members and no original members from the first lineup. The lights went out once again with the crowd going wild as band member Techno Destructo came out wielding the severed head of Oderus Urungus claiming he found him and killed him. The audience booed him and a fan came out to the stage and took the head away. The rest of Gwar came out to the stage with singer Blothar wielding a sword and ultimately decapitating the fan. With the fan's head gone, blood (red food coloring) started spraying from the wound and sprayed towards the audience bathing them in fluid as Gwar played the opening song, The Salaminizer. Mosh pits once again broke up and fans willingly let themselves get covered in fluids. Up next was one of Gwar's most popular songs, Sick of You. It makes for a nice sing along song. as Gwar prepared to play Black and Huge, a woman came on to the stage to complain to Gwar about how they had mistreated her. Blothar had had enough and proceeded to cut off her large breasts and they started spraying blood towards the audience. It seems Gwar would find whatever methods they could to drench the audience in whatever fluids they could get their hands on. Not a moment is ever wasted at a Gwar show as they played classics like Vlad the Impaler, Maggots and Cool Place to Park. Gwar seemed to leave the stage and left destruction in their wake with fans on the floor looking like they had taken a swim in a pool of red water. To everyone's surprise, President Joe Biden made an appearance bringing out with him a vaccine and talking to the audience. Blothar had enough of his speech and naturally, decapitated him which caused more blood squirting onto the audience as Gwar played the first encore, I'll Be Your Monster. To end the show, Gwar played Fuck This Place. Both encores were from their most recent release, The Blood of Gods. Three members of Gwar were simultaneously spraying fans with fluids and the fans seemed to be actually wanting more. Gwar finished up their show and left the stage. Fans were drenched from head to toe, but were left with nothing but smiles and were happy to witness that is the monstrosity, Gwar.
Photos and review by Misael Ruiz
Napalm Death
Gwar
