May 31

May 31 Show Review: GWAR Bring Intergalactic Conquest and Heavy Metal to Sacramento

GWAR
w/ Goatwhore, Nekrogoblikon, The Native Howl
Ace of Spades
Sacramento, CA
May 26th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

Halfway through photographing the second song of GWAR’s set last Thursday, I took a blast of fake blood to the face. The plastic bag wrapped around my camera managed to save it (I think) and I couldn’t help but stand there and laugh. I knew what I signed up for. This is GWAR, one of the most over-the-top metal bands in the world, still in existence, still “annihilating” crowds at every stop of their tour. If you’re a metal fan, it’s practically a rite of passage to show up to aGWAR show with a plain white t-shirt and walk away with it in a kaleidoscope of shades of crimson, yellow, blue, and whatever other liquids make their way out into the crowd. I had the chance to cover the interplanetary warriors back in 2015. I managed to avoid getting even a drop on me. This time around, it was much wilder, and a far messier affair.

Every single act that opened for the show were far different from GWAR, but each of them managed to stand out in their own unique way, far more than any metal touring package I’ve seen in the last year. The Native Howl kicked things off, with a set that mashed together acoustic folk and bluegrass music with the thrash metal of yesteryear. It worked surprisingly well and kept everyone thoroughly entertained for that first half hour.

The most entertaining opener, however, came in the form of Nekrogoblikon, a six-piece melodic death metal act from California. Right off the bat, they reminded me of the MySpace acts you’d see in the death metal scene; six members, all filling up the stage, not a single person standing still. The band’s mascot, John Goblikon (a man adorned in full goblin prosthetic makeup), dances around the stage, mimicking the guitarists and egging the crowd on. It’s batshit crazy, and I loved every second of it.

The main support for this tour came in the form of Goatwhore, the legendary extreme metal band from New Orleans. I’d only seen them once before, and I remember them being good, but they were phenomenal during this particular show. The intensity was there, with the crowd matching their energy level as the made their way through a barrage of blackened metal stylings.

GWAR took the stage launching into the apoplectic “Let Us Slay”, before claiming their first “victim” of the night: the President of the United States (fun fact: GWAR have “killed” every U.S. president on stage since Ronald Reagan.) From then on, liquid flowed into the crowd as the band made their way through a collection of thrash metal songs that have dominated their setlist since they first came to this planet in the 1980s. The entire performance goes well beyond the borders of absurdity, and you can’t help but watch and laugh at how things play out. It’s ridiculous, and no matter how many photos I take or how many videos are out there on YouTube, this is a band that needs to be seen live.

It's one thing to hear GWAR’s music on a record. It’s another thing entirely to see them live. Go see them. You will most likely be entertained, you will probably be offended, and you will definitely get drenched in fake blood.

GWAR Set List
Let Us Slay
Sick of You
The Salaminizer
War Toy
Mother Fucking Liar
Immortal Corrupter
Krak Down
Womb With A View
Saddam A Go-Go
Meat Sandwich
Berserker Mode
El Presidente
Bring Back The Bomb
Crush, Kill, Destroy
Sex Cow
Fuck This Place