Customer Reviews

Beyond Hell

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those scumdogs of the universe Gwar have returned from their icy Antarctic lair to assault the senses once again. This time humans attack them in their own fortress, forcing our favorite anti-heroes into the catacombs below Earth's surface. Here they must come face to face with the ultimate Evil One (you all know of whom I speak) and best him to reclaim their castle. Will they succeed? Buy this album and take the journey with Gwar to find out. This album is just pure wholesome (well maybe not so wholesome) entertainment, meshed with amazing musicianship. After so many years, it's hard to believe that a band can still put out consistantly killer albums when so many have fallen before them.

Sadly, GWAR will never get the respect they deserve. As a musical group, they are usually tossed into the same "joke band" category as bands like ICP. No one takes GWAR seriously, due to their outrageous costumes, silly on-stage personas, and hilariously violent and obscene lyrics.

And that's a shame, because GWAR have proven that even after 20+ years and with dozens of line-up changes, heavy metal bands can still be relevant and make awesome music. "Beyond Hell" is undoubtedly GWAR's most polished metal effort, managing to be even better that its excellent predecessor, "War Party."

I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because honestly, the lyrics are not going to appeal to everyone. In fact, I don't think they really appeal to anyone. They are nasty and foul and obscene, and absolutely hilarious.

But amazingly, GWAR's real talent lies in their excellent songwriting and wonderful musical ability. Anyone can write gross and offensive lyrics, but GWAR manages to balance the obnoxious vocals with flawless riffs and wicked solos. Each member of the band is a great musician, and incredibly, no two songs really sound the same. They are all straight-forward thrash metal, but the song structures vary enough that each song sounds truly distinct, which is a trick not many bands manage.

Highlights include the opener "War Is All We Know," "Tormentor," "One Who Will Not Be Named" and a silly tongue-in-cheek cover of "School's Out." Some of the most obscene and revolting lyrics are in "The Ultimate Bohab," which is so gross and offensive you'll feel dirty just listening to it.

If you try to keep the lyrics at arm's length and focus on the music, you will surely be impressed by GWAR. And if you have a twisted sense of humor, you'll love the lyrics as well. This is currently one of my very favorite albums.

i wish there was a 4.5 star rating but i like gwar so i rounded up to 5. this album is very good and ranks in some of the best music gwar has made. usually as bands approach around 20 years, ( the length that gwar has been together) they usually lose much of their ability to produce songs with flair ( aka metallica). this album is full blooded metal, and is quite comical. if you like gwar buy this album for 1: its the cheapest for some reason and 2: its good

For anybody who has seen them live, GWAR holds a special place in their hearts. OFtentimes GWAR's music comes into question, but really most of it is not bad. The last album War Party was a thrash metal masterpiece. After 2 years of waiting, GWAR's follow-up Beyond Hell has been released.

First off, all of GWAR's albums are concept albums, further telling the tale of GWAR, the neat bit about Beyond Hell is that this is one of the first times you really feel the story being told. In the sense of storytelling, Beyond Hell wins. The story goes that GWAR are becoming shunned from Earth, so they must seek refuge by going down- to Hell. The story becomes more and more grandiose as GWAR battle the devil and the entire thing has a feel of an epic.

How is the music? Good. Not much stands out completely, but all works well when put together on a whole. This albums is really great to listen to in its entirety, much like the new Iron Maiden album (A Matter of Life and Death). Some Standout tracks are: War is All We Know, Back In Crack, The Ultimate Bohab and School's Out.

OF course, like any GWAR release, Beyond Hell is funnier than hell.

If you are GWAR fan (like myself)or you wanna get into them you must buy this cd...NOW!!!
on the "discussion board" thingly on the bottom some kid says "go to hell!" sucks....Screw him! that is one of the BEST tracks! eight lock is probably my favorite though! if ur thinking about getting it u should! dont listen to people that say "that band blows,man". get it and judge for yourself. i personaly think any one with Real taste in rock/metal music will love this cd! also check out violence has arrived! thei BEST of all! im lookin forward to seeing them this halloween in louisvile!!

GWAR RULES AND ALWAYS WILL. It's a little different then some of their other cd's but AWESOME none the less!!!
If you love GWAR, You'll love BEYOND HELL!!!! Oh yeah, it comes with a DVD TOO!!!!! THANKS GWAR!!!!!!!!!!
HAIL GWAR!!
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEIR NEW TOUR WITH THIS ALBUM!!!

So we count 2006 and two years has passed since the splendid 'War Party' release, with extensive touring following it. Being on 'sounds of the underground' tour two years in a row (three with 2007) definitely cranks up expectations for a new GWAR record, also said to be a conceptual one.

And it is damn good. While 'Beyond Hell' may not have as many catchy tracks as 'War Party' does, it makes up for it in it's entirety. Production is greeat, story is enjoyable, the songs makes you want to listen to the disc over and over. What I especially like about it is that GWAR has taken on a somewhat more serious edge, continuing the trend from the last albums. 'Tormentor' may have a chorus with somewhat cheesy choir, but a blistering solo, depth in the verses, and great lyrics makes it my favorite track. 'Eighth lock' which is becoming the second video off the album is a deep, penetrating one, in-your-face metal.

The Alice Cooper cover at the end is negligable, but of course we know it was made to get GWAR some airplay. It's not bad, but doesn't really add anything either.

Pete Townshend has done a brilliant job with production, Cory Smoot who is a most talented musician has lifted GWAR's musical level, and with the stage show and charisma of the solid members this makes for an excellent experience. GWAR rules, long live GWAR! 5/5.

I was never a Gwar fan, putting them in the same category as Kiss. The logic being, let's hide the lack of talent behind a gimmick (no offense to you Kiss Army folks out there). I got one of their songs on a Metal Blade compilation and though it didn't blow my socks off musically, it had a great sense of humor and was somewhat offensive, which appeals to me. The song was Meat Sandwich and after a few days of running around with that song stuck in my head, I decided to review the Gwar catalog. "Beyond Hell" appealed to me because it was the most recent and the cheapest. Apparently the Gwar fanbase is dissipating over time. Regardless, I bought the album and was actually surprised to find a structured heavy metal album with interesting (and enjoyably offensive) lyrics. The album rocks!! And what's more, it offers a callback to a simpler time when the dominant music structure wasn't rap or hip hop. The album is well produced, has a distinct sense of humor, and each musician is highly skilled at their particular axe. It's found it's way into heavy rotation in my car and I am enjoying some of it's intricacies. If you had ever told me I would be rocking to Gwar I would have laughed in your face. Now I find myself eyeing the rest of their catalog. Go figure. Anyway, can't believe I'm the only one to review this album. What happened to the Gwar fans? Did the band eat you?

Gwar has 2 sides to them their metal-punk and their goofy fun side.
This, like their last two, is one of their metal-punk albums, which is not to say that it's bad. (i perfer it to war party, due to the fact that you can understand the lyrics at least on this one). But i do miss the goofyness, and the ensembled cast of extras.
all-in-all, if you're a fan of gwar to begin with then you'll like it. If this is you're new to gwar, if you just want to hear them rock out (and their music is great) then give this album a whirl, but to me; what made gwar, gwar, was the 'fun' that was in their earlier lyrics.

I have enjoyed GWAR for many years. There is something about Oderus' voice that is not too wussy and not too deathy. The band is crisp and they play hard. The guitars and riffs are great. I listen to this one over and over.