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Gwar, if you haven’t heard of them, or don’t know them by name, you
are sure to recognize them when you see them in their huge latex
costumes. Even though they are dressed as demons, warriors and alien
look-a-likes, and carry huge masks around on their head, they still
manage to control their instruments. This band satirically criticizes
every social and political issue, by having a non-band member dress up
as a particular person and “torturing” him on stage. On this CD
those are: “Jacko” (Michael Jackson), the former president of
America known as “The Reaganator”, Osama Bin Laden and some other
characters, primarily used as slaves.
This album is the official recording of their performance at Mt. Fuji on
the 22nd of January 2005. This live recording features a lot
of songs from their latest album “War Party” such as “Bring Back
the Bomb” and “Krosstika”, which also have the best lyrics, the
first one covering the bombing of Afghanistan and the uselessness of it,
and the last one being about mocking the symbols, that once stood for
power.
The music of Gwar is quite extraordinary, not only because of their
satirical lyrics, but also because even though a lot of attention goes
to the performance, costumes and the lyrics, the music itself stays
good. Many songs contain great intros, with a good balance between the
drums and guitar, and good solos can also be found on songs like
“Horror of Yig”.
A major downside is that however the music is good, the lyrics are good
and the performance is magnificent, the vocals do not seem to blend in
with the rest very well. I would have like more variety in it also,
deeper growling and a clear piece every now and then, I think that would
have added a lot more depth to the music.
Another thing is that this performance would have been way more
attractive if it’d been
released as a VHS/DVD instead, because a great deal of Gwar’s music
relies on their appearance and performance, and you cannot bring the
message they are trying to make to the listeners in this way.
If you are or have become interested in this band, I suggest you buy a
studio album or a DVD first, before you buy this live album. If you have
every album by Gwar, this is a nice CD to add to your collection, since
the quality is not bad, and the concert itself is pretty good, with very
few noticeable mistakes and a great audience.
To people who appreciate a touch of humor to music, Gwar is definitely
recommendable.
Live from Mt. Fuji is a decent live album, which a Gwar fan most
certainly will appreciate, though I recommend other people unknown to
this band to test a studio album first.
Recommendable songs are: “Krosstika” & “Womb with a view”
http://www.Gwar.net/
Rating: 6.5/10
Review by Rhoutna
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