GWAR RETURN TO BATHE LAS VEGAS IN BLOOD... with DARK FUNERAL and SQUID PISSER at the HOUSE OF BLUES

GWAR triumphantly returned to Las Vegas and bathed the House of Blues in a wave of red. Joined by the ever never matched Squid Pisser and the likes of satanic Dark Funeral, the show was destined to be a night to remember. Mayhem and anarchy reigned along with slime and blood, and the crowd got bucketfuls of both mixed with a few Satanic chants.

SQUID PISSER was quite the spectacle, a formed in 2022 the band features Seth Carolina (Starcrawler), Tommy Meehan (GWAR, Cancer Christ), Michael Armendariz (Duck Duck Goose, Melted Bodies), and their sound is all over the place, some hardcore / noisecore / mathcore... very experimental and at times just noise. Called "glitched out" hardcore, the bands erratic sound is definitely different!

SP also costumed out for the show in alien faced garb, obviously with the GWAR influence of Meehan, and chaos ensued as the band frantically sped through their set. Between their songs, which at best seemed around a minute in length, they played loud distortion noises that annoyed the majority of the crowd, and seemed to be exactly what the band was trying to accomplish. Squid Pisser have a new record out this year, Dream Of Puke, see what you think HERE.

DARK FUNERAL was just pure evil, the band embraces Satan with song lyrics that are anti-christianity and pro satanism. Formed back in 1993, the proclaimed 'Ineffable Kings of Black Metal' are speed satan on stage, led by originator Lord Ahriman, with vocalist Heljarmadr, bassist Adra-Melek. Jalomaah, and Chaq Mol.

Dark Funeral also dress to impress, regaled out in classic death metal iron and leather, face paint and smoke, leading the crowd in a chant of “Hail Satan, Hail Satan” amid a set with that showed off two cuts from their 2022 release We Are The Apocalypse, and more from their lengthy catalogue for the bulk of their short but powerful set. Check out more on the band HERE.

Last time GWAR was back in 2022, and this was by far the bloodiest show with every other song a true blood FEST, and the crowd, mostly wearing white t-shirts for later trophies, could not get enough. The band's outfits were even larger than life and you felt like you were in a live version of a very adult Saturday morning cartoon.

Our Lords and Masters GWAR, surprisingly (haha) took a real political tone for this show, making sure no one was spared from their abuse and evisceration. Although the light was dim, we could still make out the debauchery and malevolent acts the ensued. At the start of the show, a larger than life Donald Trump, along with a caricature of Kamala Harris with a huge ass, and came out on stage and soon began fighting. Then 'Kamala’s' pants were pulled down revealing her huge naked ass and blood squirted out her asshole. They had what seemed to be a time machine onstage, and each time they pushed the button on it, a different political figure came out onstage - only to be slaughtered and gutted to the screams egging them on from the crowd. Trump, Harris, Obama, George Bush, Reagan, Lincoln and General Lee and Hitler all down for the count, the main floor looked more like a slaughterhouse than a concert venue.

With all this going on you forget to realize that these guys are actually top notch musicians, and are more than just a backdrop to the insane stage antics. The metal carnival has had many lineup changes over the years, but still bring the havok and more new music - The New Dark Ages, GWAR's fifteenth album was released mid 2022 through the band's own label Slave Pit Inc. We got to hear "Mother Fucking Liar" from the new record, along with doses from Scumbag and America, classic GWAR gore. Would have liked to hear a longer set, but the bloodshow and massive commentary does take time, and ultimately got our fill of carnage for the year. Keep up with the grisly Joneses HERE.