Gwar are space oddities

Gwar aren't your average, pretty-boy band, being aliens and all. Photo / Supplied

Shock-metal band Gwar may in fact be monsters from outer space but they still have to do phone interviews. Frontman Dave Brockie, sorry, "Oderus Urungus" talked to Tamar McKewen.

Being pulverised and eaten alive by intergalactic warlords is generally not a concern for your average Kiwi concertgoer. But maybe it should be with the arrival of super-alien metal band Gwar.

Gwar front-thing Oderus Urungus promises any willing New Zealanders who see the band at tomorrow's No Sleep 'Til Auckland festival will end up food for humanoid barbarians, or at least severely maimed.

Oderus is the alter ego of Gwar's lead vocalist Dave Brockie. It's certainly a challenge to interview a monster when you're expecting to chat to a 47-year-old Canadian musician.

But Brockie doesn't do things by halves, and he interviews in character: as the approximately 43 billion-year-old Martian monster whose mother is a petri dish and father is a super-computer.

But that is Gwar. And Gwar is most certainly Oderus Urungus. Still following?

Members of the six-piece band are performing in New Zealand for the first time since they were thawed from their icy tomb in Antarctica 26 years ago - well, that's according to Gwar legend. They could also be from Richmond, Virginia, that might be a safer bet.

Oderus is thrilled with the idea of terrifying unsuspecting New Zealand audiences. Finally getting here has been a priority for the two-time Grammy-award nominated band.

"It's a dramatic increase in the influence of Gwar on the planet so we're very excited about the virgin territory of uninfected minds just waiting to be corrupted by our hideous force."

Oderus seems to know little about New Zealand, which is odd - since he's supposed to be an all-powerful alien fuelled by "scum-dog blood" - but he is excited nonetheless at the prospect of performing in Auckland.

"I understand that it's a huge gigantic continent of many different nations and planets.

"It has its own moon, I believe, and you reach it on a rope-bridge that stretches from the land of New Jersey.

I don't know. I just know that one day I will wake up and I will be there."

And when here he says Gwar will mount an apocalyptic campaign to "melt the faces" of those at the Auckland ASB Showgrounds.

So how can festival-goers prepare for this onslaught?

"Really all that is needed is your physical presence and your rapt attention."

He insists the audience is delighted by the display.

Oderus and the current members of Gwar - Beefcake the Mighty, Flattus Maximus, Balsac the Jaws of Death, Jizmak Da Gusha and manager Sleazy P. Martini - have just released their 13th studio album: Bloody Pit of Horror.

Much has changed for the band since 1984, Oderus says.

"Well, I'd have to say we're a lot better than we used to be as far as being a band.

"When we first started out we literally had been frozen solid for many millions of years and it took a while to thaw. Every album we loosened up a bit more."

Inspired by the master and creator of shock rock, Alice Cooper, the band have been influenced by many bands ranging from punk rock pioneers Black Flag to trash metal giants Slayer.

Oderus is looking forward to sharing the No Sleep 'Til Auckland stage with American heavy metal stalwarts Megadeth and San Francisco punk rockers NOFX. But mostly he's keen to find out what New Zealand metal fans taste like.

"They can expect nothing less than the most sickening debacle in rock and roll history."

If you're confused, you're not the only one - the main message of Gwar seems to be, don't take it all too seriously.

- NZPA