Scumdogs of the Universe

Scumdogs of the Universe
Studio album by Gwar
Released January 8, 1990
Recorded 1989
Genre Heavy metal, crossover thrash, thrash metal, shock rock, comedy rock
Length 51:55
Label Metal Blade Records
Producer Ron Goudie, Hypo Luxa, Hermes Pan
Gwar chronology
Hell-O
(1988)Hell-O1988		 Scumdogs of the Universe
(1990)		 America Must Be Destroyed
(1992)America Must Be Destroyed1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Scumdogs of the Universe is the second album by satirical shock rock band Gwar. The album is their first album on Metal Blade Records and was released in 1990. To date, it is the band's best-selling album.

Overview

As the title implies, it is a concept album about the Scumdogs' (Gwar) reign of terror on planet Earth (the song "Death Pod" explains exactly how they came to Earth to begin with). The production is very refined compared to the independent, rushed first attempt (with each successive album sounding more and more refined). Gwar began to experiment with samples to some degree (e.g. in the song, "Maggots"). The songs are more socially relevant in this album as well. Examples include "Slaughterama" (which involves Gwar killing hippies and nazi-skinheads in a game show-style fashion) and the opening track, "The Salaminizer", in which the first verse was inspired by/based on "Gangsta, Gangsta", a song by the breakthrough rap group N.W.A. Other references include history (Vlad the Impaler) and Lovecraft mythology (Horror of Yig). Most of the album is centered on twisted jokes about insane medical practices and sexual perversion. This album is viewed by many of Gwar's fans (as well as Gwar themselves) as their ultimate masterpiece. Thus the band will play more songs from Scumdogs than any other album ("Sick of You" is the most frequently played song in concert, generally the grand finale).

This is the first Gwar album on which more than two people sing lead (Hell-O had Oderus Urungus and Techno Destructo): "Slaughterama" features Sleazy P. Martini, Sexecutioner sings his namesake song, and the album's CD exclusive closer, "Cool Place To Park," debuts bassist Beefcake the Mighty as a vocalist. All other songs featured Oderus.

Additionally, Danielle Stampe (Slymenstra Hymen), Michael Derks (Balsac the Jaws of Death), Chuck Varga (Sexecutioner), and Brad Roberts (Jizmak Da Gusha) make their debuts on this album.

Reception

In 2016, Scumdogs of the Universe was ranked #90 on Loudwire's Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1990s lists.[2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Salaminizer"Dave Brockie/Mike Bishop/Mike Derks3:33
2."Maggots"Dave Brockie/Bishop/Derks4:05
3."Sick of You"Dave Brockie/Derks3:08
4."Slaughterama" (Vocals by Sleazy P. Martini)Bishop/Derks/Don Drakulich5:02
5."The Years Without Light"Dave Brockie/Dewey Rowell2:58
6."King Queen"Dave Brockie/Bishop/Derks4:51
7."Horror of Yig"Dave Brockie/Bishop/Derks5:24
8."Vlad The Impaler"Dave Brockie/Rowell/Steve Douglas3:14
9."Black and Huge"Dave Brockie/Bishop/Douglas3:09
10."Love Surgery"Dave Brockie/Bishop/Derks4:55
11."Death Pod"Dave Brockie/Bishop/Derks3:31
12."Sexecutioner" (Vocals by Sexecutioner)Dave Brockie/Chuck Varga3:58
13."Cool Place to Park" (Vocals by Beefcake the Mighty)Dave Brockie/Bishop/Rowell/Derks4:02

Note

  • The tracks "The Years Without Light" and "Cool Place to Park" do not appear on versions released under the Master label, only versions released under Metal Blade label.

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Henderson, Alex. Scumdogs of the Universe at AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1990s". Loudwire. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.