In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Dave Brockie AKA Oderus Urungus drew his last breath before passing away. It still needs to be determined what caused the singer’s death, but the news of his passing has hit hard in the metal community. Dave was indeed a talented performer and musician, serving close to thirty years as the endearing frontman for Gwar. He was considered one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic individuals who set foot on a stage to play metal. He had a penchant for scatological humor, matched only by his lucid wit and it all came together so ghoulishly when he donned the Oderus Urungus persona.
Dave was born in Ottawa, Canada and at the tender age of 21 formed the band first as Piggy Death and then eventually settling upon the name of Gwar. The band leaned heavily upon punk rock as a style in the formative years, but eventually evolved their sound into hard rock and then settled upon metal as their music of choice. They will also be forever known for its comically grotesque costumes, stage antics and vulgar lyrics, leaving frantic fans wanting more and more each time out.
I’ve never had the chance to see Gwar live, but I hear their shows were always entertaining as hell and designed as outlandish horror-filled sets with heavy metal blasting away. Sometimes blood and pus gushed from the stage, soaking the band and fans alike. Other times they satirized politics and religion, but always played the parts of aliens trapped on the earth. That’s all you really needed to know when attending a Gwar show and man the kids ate that shit up in spades.
For me though Gwar represented several different facets of the metal industry thanks in large part to the graphic and fake-blood-soaked stage shows they were known for. This bit of grand Guignol showcasing certainly had roots in acts like Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson, but also Kiss and to a lesser extent a band like Lordi. They were unique in many ways and you had to give props to a man who dressed up as a monster and terrorized his fans while on the stage.
Now monsters like the one Dave played as Oderus Urungus will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve said this many times before, but I love a good monster and in fact grew up worshipping the monsters I saw on TV. There was Karloff as the Frankenstein’s monster, and then came King Kong, the blob, Creature from the Black Lagoon and finally Godzilla. Those are just some of the cinematic beasties I became enthralled by, so when I first heard the chaotic sounds of Gwar, I found myself becoming a monster loving kid all over again.
They meant so much to me growing up and albums like “Scumdogs of the Universe”, “America must be Destroyed” and “The Violence has Arrived” proved how much their music could reach metal obsessed fans like me. Even as they matured a bit on efforts like “War Party” and “Beyond Hell” they never lost their sense of humor; “Lust in Space” was proof of that. The band could even come up with deliciously evil album titles like “The Bloody Pit of Hell” and “Battle Maximus” all because of Dave’s approach to humor.
You have to admire a man who can wear a decayed and distorted mask with pride, even going so far as to recently adopt longer horns and cheek bones that stood out more. The character of Oderus Urungus evolved naturally overtime, becoming more grotesque with exposed flesh on the forehead, enlarging the head to give him a more monstrous look that you won’t ever forget. This is what the monster kid in me totally marked over and it is now a sad time in my life to learn of Dave Brockie’s passing.
Guys like Brockie will always be admired for their creative pursuits. He was not just a guy in a suit who just so happened to sing in a band. He was a painter, a gifted satirical lyrist and passionate performer who sang some of the best metal in the last 30 years. With that being said, we at Horror Metal Sounds salute the man with the grotesque look and equipped with an abundance of sardonic wit. We wish you well Oderus Urungus and know that you have returned to Scumdogia in some shape or form.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
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