Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, No. 1 goes to GWAR for their Kurt Ballou-mixed single “Lot Lizard.”
“Lot Lizard” is a reminder that underneath the massive costumes and copious layers of comedic satire, GWAR are still a damn good band. This Kurt Ballou-mixed track is arguably the best the Scumdogs have ever sounded from a recording/fidelity standpoint, and the band deliver a scuzzy punk-thrash ripper that’s a pure ’80s throwback. It kinda sounds like the crossover thrash of future tourmates Toxic Holocaust.
And leave it to GWAR to make the song about something hilariously disgusting — in this case, a “crack-addicted cross-dressing dinosaur prostitute that shreds wieners at truck stop pickle parks,” in the words of the one-and-only Blothar the Berserker. GWAR’s extensive touring schedule looks to be paying dividends with some tour-tight studio output, as “Lot Lizard” is one of three brand new originals included on the upcoming mini-album, The Return of Gor Gor. An NSFW music video can be viewed here.
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Honorable Mentions:
Bush – “60 Ways to Forget People”
“60 Ways to Forget People” is the first tease of Bush’s new album I Beat Loneliness, and it showcases the personal and unguarded nature of Gavin Rossdale’s lyrics on the band’s 10th studio LP. Spacey verses of muted instrumentation put Rossdale’s sultry voice front and center, and he carries the song into a chorus drop of surging guitars, the band tapping into a bit of shoegaze. Considering the emphasis on the lyrics, such a song demands a strong vocal performance, and Rossdale sounds fantastic here.
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The Devil Wears Prada – “For You”
“For You” almost sounds like two different songs smashed into one. The beginning portion is a confessional ballad sung by Mike Hranica that is eventually subverted into a crushing exercise in controlled breakdowns, as the vocals turn into screams. The Devil Wears Prada are definitely embracing more of an alt-pop sound here, but it’s still heavy enough to, A, make our rundown, and B, appease the band’s metalcore contingent.
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Youth Code – “In Search of Tomorrow”
Youth Code meld industrial, hyperpop, and hardcore into two-and-a-half minutes of sonic pain on “In Search of Tomorrow.” Not for the faint hearted or easily harshed, the Los Angeles EBM duo unleash the floodgates on its latest single, as grinding electronics and bass frequencies rain down in a seemingly random barrage. For fans of classic industrial such as Front 242 and Cabaret Voltaire, as well as modern electro-industrial auteurs such as Poppy and HEALTH.
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