The new release kicks off with their new slave anthem “Zombies, March!” a catchy thrashing tune with heavy down picking and kick ass cut time riffs. Vocalist Oderus Urungus unsurprisingly proclaims himself as the supreme leader of the zombies, as he calls to his undead minions to “March!!!” to sound of Gwar’s music. There are quite a few sections where guitarist Flattus Maximus shows off his flying fingers and lays down some impressive lead guitar work. “Zombies, March!” is the first video from this record, and can be seen on Gwar’s official YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/gwar).
The carnage continues with “Come the Carnivor”, a doom laden composition that sounds like the shuffling of undead as they make their way from the grave. “A Gathering of Ghouls” & “Storm is Coming” follow with its upbeat thrash drumming, and double picking guitar riffs that stop and go with deadly precision. And the loathsome lyrics paint some pretty gruesome pictures of zombie hordes devouring all, adding just the right imagery to this maniacal music.
“Tick-Tits” is up next, and I can honestly say that musically this is my favorite track from this new release. The level of musicianship is pushed up a notch as the main riff illustrates a superior level of guitar playing, while the steady double bass drumming compliments the riffing perfectly. There are some pretty sweet Wah-solos on this track, as well, which just add the right flavor to the chaos. Lyrically… well, the song is called “Tick-Tits”, so you can pretty much figure out what it’s about. But I will say that The high adrenaline tempo of this songs can be felt in Oderus’ voice, which seem to flow almost non-stop at times.
“Beat You Death” storms out of the gate like a maelstrom of old school thrash, featuring Bassist Beefcake The Mighty spewing the hateful verses on this track. “You are my Meat” is next, a classic chauvinistic, cannibalistic, cut-time crusher that flows directly into “Hail, Genocide!” a song about mass extermination. “KZ Necromancer” keeps the chaos flowing with its thundering drums, speed picking, and wailing guitar solos. Next up is “The Litany of the Slain” which plays like a role call to those who have died, with its heavy cut-time riffing and endless descriptions of fatalities. The mayhem closes with “Sick and Twisted”, an appropriately named track for musically it takes Gwar into a realm of diminished intervals and experimental guitar sounds.
All in all, I will say that “Bloody Pit of Horrors” is Gwar’s best release to date. Yeah, I know some of you may be thinking “He says that every time Gwar releases something new” but Gwar seems to be one of the few bands that actually gets better with each new release. So many bands out there become parodies of them selves and just repeat the same writing style over and over, but not Gwar. After 26 years of playing shows and writing music, these masters of metal have perfected their craft and have attained a longevity that shows no sign of dwindling any time soon. So it is my great pleasure to issue Gwar's "Bloody Pit of Horror" the highest rating possible, the illustrious 4 out of 4 Skulls!
Hail Gwar!
Rating: 4 skulls!
Track Listing:
1. Zombies, March
2. Come the Carnivor
3. A Gathering of Ghouls
4. Storm is Coming
5. Tick-Tits
6. Beat You to Death
7. You are my Meat
8. Hail, Genocide!
9. KZ Necromancer
10. The Litany of the Slain
11. Sick and Twisted
Running Time: 37:02
