RIP Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus), Lead Singer of Gwar
INTRODUCING YOUR LORDS AND MASTERS: THE MIGHTY GWAR!
“Eons ago, there existed an elite group of chaos warriors who ravaged the galaxy with a boundless hatred of all things alive. They were called the Scumdogs of the Universe, and they grew in might and fury, the greatest weapon in the arsenal of their cosmic Master.
But they became too powerful, and too defiant, and for their cosmic crimes were banished to the most insignificant planet in the universe…the seething mudball known as Earth.
Millions of years passed, and they slumbered, until the pollution of your world de-thawed these creatures from their ageless coma…and now they stride the Earth, living gods, dedicated to one goal, the destruction of the human race, and the eradication of existence itself! Wait- that’s two goals!
Hark to the hideous majesty of your MASTERS, rulers of Earth, the MIGHTY GWAR!!!
It is I, ODERUS URUNGUS, lead singer of the sickest band in metal history, Earth’s only openly extra-terrestrial rock band, and the destined destroyers of not only the human race but also reality itself. GWAR! Hulking, heaving, dribbling WAR-GOD’s who like nothing better than putting hordes of our sniveling fans to the sword while playing the marauding mutant metal that we are famous for! Star’s of stage and screen, carvers of stem and spleen! GWAR LIVES! (GWAR Mythos)”
THE HUMAN ODERUS OCCUPIED, DAVE BROCKIE, HAS PASSED ON
The body of the man Oderus occupied in his earthly life, Dave Brockie has passed on. However, I would like to believe that Oderus has broken free his human cadaver on this mud ball to unleash his madness across time and space as the War Lord of the Cosmos. My first GWAR show was actually at Epcot in mother fucking Disney World bitches! That’s right, I got to experience GWAR taking the audience on a journey to hell along side a two faced Hitler-Jesus in DISNEY WORLD! I’ll never forget the blood canons or the saucy spray of space jizz that blessed their audience of human slaves. The crowd moshed so hard that my friend got kicked in the face and broke his glasses. Twas a good night for metal.
But what about the man Dave Brockie?
Dave was found dead in his apartment early Sunday evening. The cause of death has not been confirmed as of yet, but police do not suspect foul play. He died at 50 years of age. His death has come as a complete shock to many because he did not appear publicly to have any major health problems. Before his death, he even confirmed the date of the August 16th GWAR-B-Q at Hadad’s Water Park on Osborne Turnpike.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM GWAR’S MANAGER
Jack Flanagan, manager of GWAR has issued an official statement:
“It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23,2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.
My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.”
GWAR’S HISTORY
It’s hard to imagine the future of GWAR without their lead singer and main spokesman. GWAR formed in 1984 from a group of musicians who Brockie was involved with who jokingly called themselves “Gwaaarrrgghhlllgh.” Obviously this name was shortened to GWAR. The group created wild and gruesome costumes and created elaborate shows with props. Since then they have awakened the might of the War Lords of the universe and traveled around the world, unleashing metal and carnage upon the human race.
In the 1990’s they began to get widespread exposure on television with their appearance on the popular MTV Show “Beavis and Butthead.” Yet GWAR would also make appearances on many unlikely shows such as The Joan Rivers Show, Jerry Springer and a total of 14 appearances on Fox News!
Now in death, I hope Dave Brockie gets to retire his soul in Metal Metal Land, a place where you can only get to by Stolen car, where nothing ever dies….except of course your enemies who are attracting metal flies. All the chicks are strippers and all their fathers proud!
Enjoy some GWAR music below along with some great TV moments in GWAR’s history.
METAL METAL LAND
GWAR COVERS KANSAS’ “CARRY ON WAYWARD SON”
GWAR ON JOAN RIVERS
ODERUS READS “GOOD NIGHT MOON”
GWAR GOES TRICK OR TREATING
Watch The Cosmos (For Free Online) With Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Neil DeGrasse’s “Cosmos” is much more than a mere show about science. It is a show that captures the spirit of discover itself, of asking “The Big Questions,” and pushing the boundaries of the unknown towards further heights. To solve the problems of our time, we need to fall back in love with discovery.
Spirituality itself is a journey to embrace the infinite. Science is not so different a journey. So check out The Cosmos. It is free after all. It is visually spectacular, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson breaks complex theories into very understandable concepts. It is time for us to reinvigorate human love of discovery and to boldly expand the bounds of human imagination. Let Neil DeGrasse Tyson take you on a journey through time and space with this exciting new scientific series.
Happy Ostara – With Poem
The Vernal Goddess treads a land of melting snow
in a gown of green, sunlight twined in golden hair
She escorts Old Man Winter beneath the horizon
Laying him down to slumber, until the following year
Birds as troubadours sing in the spring
Burying white treasures in castles of twig and vine
All Hail Lady Spring in her procession
All Hail The Maidan, Radiant and Divine!
Happy Ostara All! Today is officially the first day of Spring. The Spring Equinox is the day when the sun passes over the celestial equator. Today is a day that celebrates the season’s change from the darkness of winter to the light of Spring, as well as the land’s new fertility. After the Snowpocalypse that has pummeled the American East Coast this year, I am certainly grateful for Spring.
PaganWiccanAbout.com has some information on Ostara crafts, deities, food, altars and rituals
Enjoy the following Ostara song below. I know I posted it last year, but hey – it’s good enough to post a second time! Three cheers for spring! Three cheers for new beginnings!
The Original Trinity, Brought to You By Egypt
Today, when we think of “The Holy Trinity,” we instantly think of “The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit” as found in Catholicism. Yet it is possible that this trinity influenced by another that came a thousand years before. We’re talking about the Egyptian trinity of The Father Osiris, The Mother Isis and The Son Horus. In this blog, I will not say that the Osiris/Isis cult is the same thing as Christianity, but it is very probable that a lot of the ideas from this early trinity later had an influence on the development of Christian ideas.
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE OSIRIS/ISIS/HORUS MYTH
I will give you a very brief summary of the Osiris/Isis/Horus myth so that you will understand what is going on in the rest of this article. Osiris was the first son of the Gods. He married his sister Isis and the two became queen and king over Egypt. This was at a time when mankind was corrupt and was in need of justice. It is said that men even practiced cannibalism and human sacrifice before the advent of Osiris and Isis. Perhaps this is an Egyptian metaphor for the depraved state of mankind before civilization.
Osiris’s brother Set was jealous of his power. As a result, he had Osiris chopped up into several pieces and had these pieces of his body scattered throughout the land. Osiris’s wife Isis went on a quest to find the lost pieces of her husband, used her magic to put him back together and then Osiris got his revenge on Set. In later versions of the story, it was their son Horus who avenged his father by killing Set.
A MERCIFUL GOD OF REPENTANCE AND ETERNAL LIFE
I’m going to tell you about a God who was referred to as the “king of kings” and the “Lord of Lords.” He died, but then was resurrected from the dead. With his resurrection he brought humanity the promise of eternal life. This God was referred to as a “Merciful Judge of the Dead.” Am I talking about Jesus? No, I’m talking about a Deity much older, I’m talking about Osiris.
Here are some quotes about Osiris.
Osiris as Lord of Eternity
Hail to thee, Osiris, lord of eternity, king of the gods (Hymn to Osiris)
Lord of Heaven and Earth
O thou lord to whom commemorations are made, both in heaven and in earth. (Hymn to Osiris)
Similarities Between The Pyramid Text and The New Testament: (The birth of Osiris and Jesus)
PT — This is my son, . . . my beloved, . . . with whom I am pleased.
NT — This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Osiris takes on a human form.
Here we see that the condition of Osiris has changed; he has taken on the clothes of human form. His spirit was among the gods, but now it has changed to earth. He is exhorted to be careful in his earthly habiliments, that he not exceed the boundary of the earthly form. He could, as God, exceed the limits of the human form he took on voluntarily. Hymn 224:
More on the Merciful Judge of The Dead
Osiris was the God of the Afterlife who humans would confess their sins to in death. When a human died, they would come to the hall of Ma’at (justice) and make the 42 negative confessions, a list of things that they did not do in their mortal life. If the human lived a pure life, they would get to reside in heaven for eternity, and if not, they were eaten by Ammit, a gruesome part lion, part crocodile, part hippo creature. Some legends even say that Ammit would cast the heads of sinners into a Lake of Fire.
Did Egypt Influence Christian Ideas About Heaven and Hell?
If you read The Old Testament, you will find that there is very little mention of Heaven, Hell or The Afterlife. This is a concept that is more elaborated upon in The New Testament. The Christian Lake of Eternal fire certainly relates a lot to the Egyptian Lake of Fire. Heaven, as an eternal paradise for those who are pure of heart is also very similar in both ideologies.
Osiris was referred to as “Chrestos”
Among the days of the early Christian fathers, Jesus was referred to as Jesus the Chrēst. This is an epithet that closely resembles “Chrēstos,” which was also applied to Osiris. It often meant “anointed” or “good.” This was a term that was applied to several deities in Ancient Times.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN JESUS AND HORUS?
Egyptian myths changed over time, as any myth would over more than a thousand years. Over time, Horus, the son of Osiris, took on many of the characteristics of his father. Where Osiris was originally the one who defeated the evil Set and restored balance to Egypt, Horus eventually took over this role. Horus is the falcon headed son of Osiris and Isis. He was a God of The Sky, Warfare and Hunting.
There have been attempts to say that Jesus was a direct rip off of Horus. However, it has been later found that many of these claims are exaggerated.
Debunking the Horus/Jesus Connection
Horus was not the result of a virgin birth, he was not crucified and he did not have 12 disciples. However, one thing to note is that depictions of Isis suckling her son Horus were very popular in Rome at the time that Christianity first came about.
A MURAL IN THE ROMAN ERA OF ISIS AND HORUS
THE “REGINA CAELI LAETARE”
This was the early Roman “Madonna” with her son so to speak.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE CULT OF ISIS AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY?
Isis was originally worshiped in Egypt as Queen alongside her brother Osiris. Her name literally means “Throne.” She was the mother of magic, life giver and the one who used her magic to bring Osiris back from the dead. In other words, she was a Goddess of Resurrection. Through the process of Hellenization her worship eventually spread to the Greco-Roman world where her Cult became tremendously popular, especially among women and members of the lower class. The other appeal of the Isis Cult is that it was a universal religion, meaning anyone could join regardless of class or gender.
The Roman emperors were originally afraid of this “Eastern Cult.” Augustus called it “pornographic” and tried to stop it. This is probably because of his antagonistic relations with Antony in Egypt at the time. However, the later emperor Caligula embraced the religion. Temples to Isis were permitted and Isiac festivals became a part of the public and civil calendar.
The Cult of Isis satisfied many concepts that were missing in the Greek and Roman religion. It brought ideas of freeing oneself from moral pollution, reconciliation, equality of the sexes and equality among the rich and poor.
When Christianity later came to the Roman World, it had a similar appeal among women and members of the lower classes. Many of the statues to The Mother Mary were even built upon places where statues to Isis once were. However, in this new Christian Cult, the role of The Goddess was diminished. In the Roman Cult of Isis, The Goddess was arguably the most powerful member of The Trio, since she is the one who had the power of resurrection. Yet as the Romans constructed their official version of Christianity, they replaced The Cult of Isis with Patriarchal ideas that were more fitting to the Roman Public.
Some say that The Cult of Isis was destroyed by the arrival of Christianity, others say that it was absorbed by the new Religion. However, it can’t be denied that The Cult of Isis was an incredibly popular religion in Rome at the time that Christianity arrived. There is no doubt that Christianity wasn’t at least influenced by this very popular Egyptian Cult.
Angela Gossow Parts Ways With Arch Enemy, Will Be Replaced By Agonist Vocalist[UPDATED]
UPDATE (3-21-14) Angela released an official Goodbye on her facebook:
Thank you for all your kind words, your support, your understanding. I am sorry some of you are really sad
So am I in many ways, it’s really hard to say good-bye. I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life in 2013.. I had to turn a page. We all get to this point in our life some time.. I do embrace this change, I hope you do too.
I am very busy with Arch Enemy right now as you can imagine, they got a lot of things lined up. The music is still a 100% Arch Enemy, trust me Thank you for the last 13 years, they have been truly wonderful, I enjoyed playing live for many of you, meeting you, interacting with you. I am not sure yet what I’ll do with this page, I will most likely use it to keep you up-to-date with all things Arch Enemy, my band management business and whatever else my busy little brain comes across.. thoughts, inspirations, things that make me laugh. Be well, take good care of yourselves and enjoy life. It’s too short to look back.
Yours,
Angela
After 13 years of being a hard core voice of metal hell, Angela is stepping out of the limelight. Gods knows that the woman deserves it. She comments more below:
“After 13 years of pure fucking metal, 6 studio albums and countless tours through five continents, I feel the need to enter a different phase in my life, be with my family and pursue other interests. I will, however, remain business manager for ARCH ENEMY, and I will continue to develop my artist management roster.”
Angela will be replaced by Alissa White-Glutz of The Agonist. Alissa responded as following:
Alissa White-Gluz comments: “I am very honoured and happy to announce a new chapter in my life and musical career beginning now; I have joined forces with one of my all-time favourite and globally respected bands, ARCH ENEMY. ‘Wages Of Sin’ was the first metal album I ever bought, and it was love at first listen.
“It is not often that you get a phone call from your favorite band asking you to join! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such amazingly talented musicians whom I also consider great friends. I look forward to being able to write and perform at a whole new level now with ARCH ENEMY! Music is forever, metal is limitless and this is only the beginning!”
It will be very hard to fill Angela’s spiked leather shoes, but I’m going to give Alissa a try. In a salute to Angela, I’d like to post a live version of my favorite Arch Enemy song, “Enemy Within.” Check out the amazing energy! This video makes me want to have a Gay Marriage with Angela, adopt a child from China and settle down with her in The Caribbean for a nice Metal Retirement.
THE ENEMY WITHIN LIVE – ARCH ENEMY
Here’s a sample of the new singer Alissa with her former band, The Agonist.
THE AGONIST – PANOPHOBIA
Watch The Vikings Season 2 For Free, Along With Some Discussion of Season 1
Free Episodes Here on The History Channel
Love it or hate it, The History Channel’s Vikings is back for season number 2. Some folks have criticized the show for its inaccuracies of portraying a “Biker Bar” image of the 8th century Viking World.
HOW TV THINKS VIKINGS DRESSED:
SOMETHING CLOSER TO HOW THE VIKINGS ACTUALLY DRESSED
(Source)
Vivid colors, flowing silk ribbons and glittering bits of mirrors are not what we typically think of when imagining a Viking in his “digs.” Yet grave excavations reveal that Ancient Scandinavian men may have dressed much more colorfully than originally thought. Swedish Archaeologist Annika Larsson believes that the men could be vain and that the women liked to dress provocatively, with their cleavage exposed and the skirts consisting of a single piece of fabric that was open in the front. But this style of clothing disappeared once the Vikings made contact with the Christians.
Another glaring inaccuracy is the idea that the Vikings did not know where England was. Trading routes along the North Sea date back even before the Roman invasion of Gaul in the first century B.C. This idea is especially absurd considering that The Vikings were expert sea navigators for their time period.
The final inaccuracy I will touch on is the way that the role of Earl was portrayed. He is shown as a sort of local dictator who can make decisions about life and death for his entire tribe. The reality is that The Vikings were a fairly autonomous people who lived rather Democratic lives. Decisions were made through a vote at The Thing. The Earl, also known as the Chieftain, would take a role in helping to make tribal decisions about allocating justice in a legal dispute, choosing areas to explore, tribes to battle and deciding how much food to share in a time of famine. However, as far as we know, the Chieftain did not have the authority to condemn a man to death. The most harsh punishment was being exiled. Exile meant that a man no longer had the protection of his tribe, which means no legal protection if someone else wanted to kill him.
I’m sure there are all kinds of other minute details I could get into, but I’d rather discuss what is GOOD about the show.
Yes, The Vikings is not the world’s most accurate portrayal of the way that the Vikings may have lived, but this show wasn’t just released for History Professors and Heathens. This was a show that was designed to appeal to the general public. In doing so, people who may have known nothing about Vikings may now be intrigued enough to read a book or search the internet for Viking Lore. Sometimes, getting people interested in history is more important than creating something that is 100% accurate.
The Vikings is also a show that captures the emotional themes of the Sagas, if nothing else.
So enjoy Season 2, since it is on the internet for free after all.
One last exciting thing I’ll mention is that Wardruna, the Norse Folk Group containing former members of Gorgoroth, has written more music for the score of the second season. Here is a song that was included in the score of the first season:
Return to a Simpler Life
“Return to a simpler life, and you will see that behind the expensive cars, the fashionable clothes, the empty celebrities, the fancy houses and the thick layers of make-up life has real meaning. Behind all the lies there is a deep well of wisdom that we can all drink from, and grow wiser, healthier and happier.”
— Varg Vikernes
Eight Folk Metal Bands (Including Drudkh and Primordial) Collaborate on an Album
One and All, Together for Home comes out May 23rd 2014
In an effort spearheaded by the Ukrainian band Drudkh, eight different Folk Metal bands have come together to produce a compilation album. I’ve included a list of the eight bands below:
- Drudkh (Ukraine)
- Ava Inferi (Portugal)
- Primordial (Ireland)
- KAMPFAR official (Norway)
- Winterfylleth (England)
- Häive (Finland)
- HIMINBJORG OFFICIAL (France)
- Mondvolland (Netherlands)
Each band listed above has used music as way to link the listener back to their culture’s respective folk traditions and history. In this album, you’ll find that these bands have created their own unique way to represent traditional folk songs as well as the melodies from their musical heritage.
The Irish band Primordial has recently released a preview of their Dark Horse on The Wind on Metal Hammer (a song that will appear on the One and All, Together For Home album). Dark Horse on The Wind is a folk classic that is an ode to the pain of Ireland’s Civil War. Enjoy!
Help Keep Metal-Gaia Ad Free
Do I like coffee? Blacker than the blackest of black times infinity? Why yes I do.
But more importantly, do you enjoy the ability to read about spirituality, metal and the environment without ads or annoying popups in your face? Metal-Gaia pays a small fee every year to make this a reality.
Have you enjoyed the following popular articles?
If you appreciate the work here and want to help continue funding for an awesome ad free site, feel free to throw a donation in my cap, buy me a coffee or whatever. More coffee will help keep me hyped up to partake in epic viking battles, ride with mongols, travel through the echelons of history and keep exciting content coming your way. Thank you for your time and consideration.
A Prospective Research Book on Sacred Pagan Sites in Northern Europe
Megan Löwe plans to write a book on Sacred Pagan Sites and places of power in Northern Europe. An obvious example is Stone Henge. Yet Megan is also interesting in compiling information on lesser known places in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany and Austria. Of course, in order to gather information, she needs to actually go to these places and talk to to people – which involves that thing we’d like to call money.
If anyone here is interested in Megan’s project, you can check out more details HERE at GoFundMe
Megan describes her project more on her blog page.
Also check out Kraftorte to read more about recognizing natural landscapes of power.
Why Are So Many Pagans Wiccan?
A majority of Neo-pagans are Wiccans – at least a little over half. Now the term “pagan” itself is highly debatable. So in this article, when I use the term “pagan,” know that I’m discussing people who are reviving pre-christian spirituality after a period of decay. In this article, I’m not going to lump Hindus or Shintos into that category because they have an unbroken connection to their ancient, indigenous and ethnic spiritualities.
So when we are talking about practitioners of neo-pagan religion (mostly based on Celtic and Norse spiritual traditions), know that more than half are Wiccan. If you are interested in the numbers, check out the most recent religious survey from the census bureau. In fact, there are so many Wiccans in the Pagan community, that many non-Wiccans get called Wiccan by default. In past posts I’ve talked about the differences between a tradition like Wicca and Celtic Paganism. In this article, I don’t mean to insult Wiccans in any way. If anything, I’m applauding their success. I’m just trying to take a look at the question of why most Pagans are Wiccan.
Here are my theories as to why there are so many Pagan Wiccans.
- Wicca was one of the first major, public Neo-Pagan religious organizations.
Wicca was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner. Before Wicca came out of the broom closet as a public ideology, many “occult” practices were very secretive. You had to know the right people to get into a coven. If your mom’s, friend’s uncle wasn’t in a coven, you were out of luck. Magic and the occult were shrouded in mystery, and those involved could face immense backlash for being public about their beliefs in what was a mainly Christian society. While some would like to make fun of the “fluffiness” of the “do no harm” Wiccans, it certainly took a lot of cojones for Gardner to go public with the idea of worshiping a Goddess and a horned God in the middle of the “Leave it To Beaver” 1950’s.
Other major Neo-Pagan ideologies such as OBOD, ADF and Asatru for example came later. As a result, Wicca has had more time to develop and disseminate its ideology.
- Wicca has the most literature for new comers
For anyone first getting into Neo-Paganism or the occult, Wicca is the area that has far more literature, websites, books and materials available to newcomers these days. When I first dabbled in Paganism at the age of 13, Wicca is what I got into. Why? Because it was there. There were plenty of books on Wicca at the local bookstore, and there were even a few at garage sales. There were far less books on subjects such as Asatru, Celtic Reconstructionism, Druidry, Modern Day Kemetic Paganism and so on.
- The Wiccan Cosmology is simple and universal
Many of the core beliefs of Wicca are pretty simple. There is a God and Goddess. There are four elements. Do as you will as long as it harms none. I certainly don’t mean to belittle some of the more complicated traditional Wiccan groups and covens. There are certainly complicated Wiccan Rituals out there. I’m basically just highlighting the fact that the core beliefs of Wicca are ideas that are pretty accessible to people from all walks of life. A person living in Brooklyn New York can just as easily become a Wiccan as someone living on a fjord in Norway.
Once you get deeper into the religion, there might be more complicated ideas to deal with. But as far as the initial stages of Wicca are concerned, the information is fairy wide spread, accessible and understandable.
- Wicca appeals to those seeking to escape Patriarchal Religions
Many of the people who flock to Neo-Paganism have done so because of a distate with Judeo-Christianity’s exclusively Male Deity. As a counter-reaction to what may have been a fairly oppressive religious experience, many people crave a more intimate experience with a nurturing, maternal figure. While Wiccans worship both a God and a Goddess, I’ve noticed that the Wiccan community and culture tends to emphasize the Feminine Divine just a tad more. The Male God is even frequently referred to as The Goddess’s “consort.”
Whereas traditions like Heathenry are a bit more masculine , with their focus on warrior Gods like Odin and Thor; and Druidry is more gender neutral, focusing more on Nature and Celtic Myth than a particular gender or god.
I hope this article has clarified some of the things that Wiccans have done over the years to be successful. This certainly does not mean to dismiss the success of non-wiccan pagans, but to address questions about the popularity of Wicca. Whether you are Wiccan or not, I encourage the success of your belief system and your ability to reach out to those who share these beliefs.
Metal Gaia 