America Must Be Destroyed
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GWAR's second major-label recording, America Must Be Destroyed, in 1992 was inspired by Dave Brockie's fight with police officers while touring in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1992. The controversy revolved around Brockie's rubbery penis adornment. Brockie was revolted by this attack on his rights and so he created a concept album revolving around an elite "Morality Squad" that attacked the members of GWAR and stole Oderus's penile attachment (aka Cuttlefish of Cthulu, a phallic hell beast that normally dangles from his crotch). The opening song, "Ham on the Bone" (which has a nod to grindcore) explains this robbery. The story then shifts to GWAR headquarters in Antarctica, where Oderus's slaves are ordered to shoot up a dinosaur egg with crack. The result is the mighty Gor Gor, a Tyrannosaurus Rex that wreaks havoc on America. Meanwhile, the Morality Squad has enlisted the help of Father Bohab (a Catholic priest) to crucify GWAR in the media. GWAR marches out to battle, and you can take the story from there. Other songs of interest include "Have You Seen Me?", "Poor Ole Tom", and "The Road Behind". Musically, it is a mix of rock and roll and blistering sludge metal, and it is even harsher-sounding than the previous album. A video, Phallus in Wonderland, was released as a supplement to the album's storyline. This album was followed by The Road Behind, an EP that contained that single and a riveting live version of "Have You Seen Me?" (which contained a notorious Ween sample at the end). The single "S.F.W." (a staple of their live shows) was supposedly released on this album as a bonus track, but this has been discounted by the band.
"Pussy Planet," the album's closer, was co-written by Slymenstra Hymen, and was slated to be a duet with Beefcake the Mighty. Though not quite a duet, Slymenstra's voice can still be heard in the song.
The Canadian release of this album does not feature "Crack in the Egg," "Have You Seen Me?" and "Rock N' Roll Never Felt So Good," and instead has earlier versions of "Krak Down" and "Bad Bad Men" (both from This Toilet Earth) and "O Canada" (according to GWAR, this was included as a way to ridicule Canada for not having the "guts" to include the omitted songs).
Flattus Maximus is not on this album. Dewey Rowell left the band before recording began, and all of the lead guitars (save for two songs - "Crack in the Egg" and the title track, respectively) were recorded by Balsac the Jaws of Death. To this day, Balsac, not Flattus, will usually play lead when performing songs from this album live. Tim Harris (of Kepone, the band Michael Bishop left GWAR to) played lead on the album's title track; Lee Harris (from Jizmak Da Gusha's old band Rosebud) played lead on "Crack in the Egg".
Track listing
- "Ham on the Bone" - 2:04
- "Crack in the Egg" - 3:37
- "Gor-Gor" - 4:21
- "Have You Seen Me?" - 4:46
- "The Morality Squad" - 3:37
- "America Must Be Destroyed" - 4:45
- "Gilded Lily" - 3:36
- "Poor Ole Tom" - 5:07
- "Rock & Roll Never Felt So Good" - 4:17
- "Blimey" - 3:12
- "The Road Behind" - 5:30
- "Pussy Planet" - 2:51
| GWAR |
| Oderus Urungus | Flattus Maximus | Beefcake the Mighty | Jizmak Da Gusha | Balsac the Jaws of Death |
| Slymenstra Hymen | Nippleus Erectus |
| Albums: Hell-O | Scumdogs of the Universe | America Must Be Destroyed | This Toilet Earth | RagNaRok | Carnival of Chaos | We Kill Everything | Violence Has Arrived | War Party | Beyond Hell |
| Independent releases: Slaves Going Single | You're All Worthless And Weak | Let There Be GWAR |
| Other releases: The Road Behind | Hate Love Songs/Penguin Attack 7" | Live from Mt. Fuji |
| Related articles |
| ''GWAR videography | Dave Brockie Experience | Death Piggy | X-Cops |
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