Band:	Gwar
Album:	War Party
Style:	Punk, Alternative metal, Hardcore, Thrash metal
Release date:	October 26, 2004
A review by:	jupitreas

01. Bring Back The Bomb
02. Krosstika
03. Womb With A View
04. Decay Of Grandeur
05. War Party
06. Bonesnapper (The Faces Of The Slain)
07. Lost God
08. The Reaganator
09. The Bonus Plan
10. You Can't Kill Terror
11. Fistful Of Teeth

It seems to me that there are two types of metal fan - those, who already knew about GWAR's brilliance, and those who will now feel like they were missing out on something. Already "Violence has Arrived" was a very good thrash metal album but "War Party" can easily compete with the best the genre can offer. Thats right, in the year 2004, GWAR stands in the same line as Exodus, Death Angel and Megadeth...

Those who have been visiting GWAR's web site from time to time will know that the aim of this album was to prove that the sick live show isn't the only trait that GWAR has and that they are also a very tight and talented band. And what can I say? They succeeded completely and even surpassed all expectations. I can say that the first listen of "War Party" was a complete shock for me. Never ever did I expect to hear an album like this from this band. This is technical thrash! Full of tempo changes, off-beat and quite original rhythms, some 'math-metal' passages and kickass solos. GWAR went even further than emulating the technical thrash style though - they actually introduce fresh and unusual things as well! The most noticeable such thing are the strange, quirky and completely unique-sounding leads which are used throughout. These leads are somewhere between melodeath and Demilich, which should give you an idea of how cool they are! Naturally, this is GWAR, so the lyrics are as sick as ever, although they seem a bit more politics-oriented on this particular album. The only problem that some people might have is that Oderus Urungus' voice is... an acquired taste. Luckily, most GWAR fans probably got used to it by now.

"Bring Back The Bomb" is the heaviest track GWAR has ever recorded - it is fast, brutal and features those great leads that I mentioned earlier. "Krosstika's" main riff reminds me a lot of Megadeth's "Holy Wars" and the whole song is also in that vein - extremely dynamic, fast and varied. "Womb With A View" is my personal favorite track on this album. It simply has a killer riff. The title track is a great showcase of GWAR's newfound rhythmical virtuosity. "Bonesnapper" is very melodic and includes some more 'alternative' singing as well as a killer solo. "The Bonus Plan" is a great, short hardcore-metal burst of energy. "You Cant Kill Terror" has a lot in common with melodeath. There is not a single bad song on this album. Fast songs are melodic and energetic and the slow songs are heavy and atonal.

The album also features very good production (same producer as America Must Be Destroyed, which up to now was always considered to be GWAR's best album). Especially the drums are very clear and brutal.

GWAR has really proved themselves to be a group of extremely talented individuals. Not only did they record the best album in their history but they also managed to introduce something new to their own sound as well as to the general world of metal, and all this so late in their career! After so many years of shocking with their stage-show, now it is the time to shock with their music. October 26th will now forevermore be known as GWAR Day!!!!!!