“I could just hear the critics and naysayers predicting our demise,” said the musician, also known as Oderus Urungus, frontman for the costumed, theatrical thrash metal band GWAR. This was following the 2011 death of the Richmond band’s lead guitarist, Cory Smoot, who was found on a tour bus after he died from complications related to coronary artery disease.
In the role of Flattus Maximus, Smoot was a fan favorite, one of GWAR’s principal songwriters and a producer on several of the group’s albums. Losing someone so integral to the band caused questions about its future.
“There were people who thought we were just going to crawl up and die,” Brockie said. “That was not going to happen. There was no way I was going to let GWAR end on that note. Even the return of the mighty Flattus to the stars couldn’t stop this band.”
It didn’t.
Formed by art students at Virginia Commonwealth University nearly three decades ago, GWAR continued on with its elaborate performances involving gory-looking monster masks, lots of fake blood and the simulated onstage slaughter of well-known famous figures from the realm of politics and pop culture.
The self-proclaimed “sickest band in metal history” returns to Norfolk with a gig at The NorVa on Saturday.
GWAR’s comic book-style horror movie mash-up has fostered a loyal fan base, as evidenced in the recent “Let There Be GWAR” retrospective at the Black Iris Music Gallery in Richmond. Among the costumes and stage props on display was a huge glass case full of GWAR fan mail.
“The most consistent theme in these letters was people just saying thank you,” Brockie said. “Even though we may do it in a weird way, I’d like to think that we inspire people. That’s the most important thing about art and about music. That’s what it’s for. I would like people to get the message that you can pretty much do anything you want in life. It doesn’t matter how crazy the idea is as long as you believe in yourself and as long as you work hard.”
It’s not a concept unfamiliar to GWAR.
“This band has always been criticized musically; people would say, ‘Oh, they’re just a show band.’ That’s why we fought so hard to make our music good.”
That’s not to say each GWAR album is a point of pride. Before Smoot’s arrival in 2002, the group spent a few years teetering dangerously close to the cartoonish aspect of their creation.
“People were thinking that GWAR was getting a little too silly and self-indulgent,” Brockie said. “When Cory came into the picture, we became a metal band again.”
The band was on tour in November of 2011 when Smoot passed away. The autopsy revealed that the 34-year old musician had coronary artery disease that resulted in the formation of a fatal blood clot.
“When we lost Cory, we took it as a challenge,” Brockie said. “We were going to use this terrible tragedy as a way to show people that even in the worst situation you can demonstrate strength and you can inspire people to do the same thing in their own lives.”
To that end, GWAR recently released “Battle Maximus,” its 13th studio record.
“We went at this album with everything we could muster,” Brockie said. “It’s a very heavy-sounding record, and I think Cory would be very proud.”
In his honor, GWAR retired the character of Flattus Maximus and filled the lead guitar spot with Brent Purgason from the band Cannabis Corpse. He’s now Pustulus Maximus.
It’s a new chapter in the long history of GWAR, but Smoot is never far from the thoughts of the band and its fans.
“People have reacted very strongly, and now almost two years after his death, people are still asking how they can help his family,” Brockie said. “Just last week this guy showed up at our show in Seattle with one of the limited edition Flattus Maximus guitars. He told us to sell it on eBay and give all the money to the Smoot Family Fund.”
