'' is the tenth studio album by
GWAR . It was released on
August 29 ,
2006 , the album was originally announced through the band's official website in
February 23 ,
2006 . Unlike the band's output since
2001 , it is a
Concept Album and a
Rock Opera , centering around GWAR's journey to
Hell as they escape from the attacking armies of humanity. The album was leaked in its entirety on
August 1 ,
2006 .
The concept of this album is the closest thing to a
Rock Opera that GWAR has done since ''
RagNaRok ''. Most of the albums after ''
RagNaRok '' either didn't follow any plot, or followed it too loosely. The concept revolves around the band's journey to
Hell and their epic battle with the Devil. The album follows the sound GWAR set with ''
Violence Has Arrived '' and perfected with ''
War Party ''.
A single for GWAR's cover of
Alice Cooper 's classic song
School's Out was released for radio play previous to the release of the album, and a video for it was shot on August, premiering on
MTV 's
Headbanger's Ball on
August 19 .
''Beyond Hell'' was produced by
Devin Townsend of
Strapping Young Lad (Who also provided backing vocals in "Tormentor") and
Cory Smoot . The album was demo'd and recorded in Corey Smoot's personal recording studio (christened SlavePit Studios) with the exception of Dave Brockie's vocals, which were done in
Vancouver at Devin Townsend's studio.
The album is available as a regular CD or in a limited digipack format, which also includes a bonus
DVD with various extras on it plus expanded artwork and a poster. The DVD features behind the scenes clips featuring a tour of the "
Slave Pit " which is where all the costumes are made, and stored, as well as a short called "Meeting
Dave Brockie " where the producers meet the man behind the Oderus mask, as well as
Mockumentary footage of producer
Devin Townsend meeting the band for the first time. The DVD was produced by acclaimed metal producers
Metal Injection , who included a bonus sketch of Russian journalist "Metal" Misha crashing a GWAR recording session.
Ever since the announcement of the release of Beyond Hell (Then known as Go to Hell), the album's main theme has been known. As quoted from an announcement on GWAR.net: ''"
Hell concerns GWAR’s epic journey into the tunnels and caverns that honeycomb your world, a journey not only to escape their earthly prison “from within”, but also to find and confront this so-called “
Satan ”, who seems to think that he is a bigger bad ass than
Oderus . Along the way GWAR encounter’s a bevy of demonic dickheads and hapless victims, all ready to die for your entertainment because they're all a bunch of assholes"''.
The main outline of the album's plot is told in the lyrics, and it is expanded upon on tour by the band through skits between each song.
The story starts off with a theatrical introduction by a narrator-like figure, telling us of how the "drunken brothers" of GWAR sleep, unaware of the situation around them. The story then picks up with "War Is All We Know", telling us of the attack by the armies of humanity, led by the
Nazi Pope on GWAR's antarctic fortress. And while the band manage to put up a defense for a while, eventually they are forced to retire as the enemy army
Nukes GWAR's castle, forcing them to withdraw to the underground, as is told in "Murderer's Muse".
Lost, looking for a place to escape, they come across Jitler, a cross of
Jesus and
Adolf Hitler who tells them about how the underground caverns under GWAR's keep lead into
Hell itself. Jitler agrees to lead them to Hell, however, they still get lost along the way.
Balsac The Jaws Of Death tries using the ''Hell for Dummies'' manual to find their way, while Jitler uses
Google to find directions. Eventually, they make their way to Hell ("Go to Hell!") but find a very long line at the gates, along with a
Pig -like demonic police officer beating up people with a club. As explained in the lyrics of "I Love the Pigs", this demon used to be a corrupt
Policeman while he was alive, involving himself in
Drug Deal s until the last one went wrong and he was shot (despite this, the cause of death is said to be suicide by the authorities).
GWAR murder and mutilate the demonic cop and make their way through the gates of Hell, facing the Tormentor (in the eponymous song), whom they also promptly defeat. GWAR next come across the Eighth Lock, a prison within Hell keeping some of the biggest evils in the underworld inside (On tour, several demons are released from it and fight GWAR).
However, the battle isn't over yet, and their next enemy comes off as a parody of decadent
Rock N Roll lifestyle, a drugged out demon of rock, named Toe Enamel who, according to the lyrics on the song "Destroyed", killed himself by
Overdosing on
Heroin . This enemy is defeated too, and the story then tells us the tale of a
Nerd y GWAR fan ("The Ultimate Bohab") who became victim of the band's antics yet remained loyal until the very end, committing suicide just to follow GWAR to Hell.
After all of these battles and obstacles, the band makes it to the palace of
Satan himself ("The One That Will Not Be Named"), first asking him to open the door, but after getting no answer, smashing through it and calling him out. It is then that the main enemy of the story, Jewcifer (a
Portmanteau of
Jew and
Lucifer , intended for satiric effect. He also resembles
Gamera in some aspects at the live shows.) appears and fights GWAR, eventually being defeated as GWAR summons
Gor-Gor to bite the demon's head off, allowing GWAR to conquer Hell. However, their victory doesn't last long.
Following the defeat of Jewcifer, the band finds themselves back at their destroyed fortress ("Back in Crack"), receiving a 9-ton
Crack boulder from
Sleazy P. Martini , and pondering over how meaningless their quest was, as they were left with absolutely nothing but a ruined castle and the knowledge that their adventure at least "was good for some kicks".
- - Main characters in the story, decadent rock band made up of alien war gods banished to Earth .
- - Attacks GWAR's fortress early in the story; though mentioned in the liner notes and featured on tour (killed during "Immortal Corrupter"), there is no mention of him in any song.
- - Created by Jesus Christ and Adolf Hitler merging "right at the ass", leads GWAR through Hell and can be considered one of the few characters in the GWAR mythos that is allied to GWAR without being a member of the group (others being the Bonesnapper and Scroda Moon ).
- - A corrupt cop who serves as Hell's resident policeman, first battle in Hell.
- - Fought after The Pig, not much is explained about the Tormentor, except that he is some kind of demon guardian. On tour, the song was used during the slaughter of Pres. George W. Bush.
- - A demon who used to be a drug addicted, decadent Rock star. In concert, the Demon of Rock N Roll is Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols .
- - A GWAR fan who killed himself to follow GWAR to Hell and is actually an enemy on tour (as he would have been in life; GWAR is not particularly fond of their fans).
- - Overlord of Hell, none other than Satan himself and the last enemy GWAR face in their quest.
- - Mentioned only in Murderer's Muse and Back in Crack, sends GWAR a nine ton Crack Cocaine boulder at the end of the story.
#"
Intro " – 1:00
#"
War Is All We Know " – 4:40
#"
Murderer's Muse " – 4:18
#"
Go To Hell! " – 4:46
#"
I Love The Pigs " – 4:29
#"
Tormentor " – 4:30
#"
Eight Lock " – 4:06
#"
Destroyed " – 2:24
#"
The Ultimate Bohab " – 3:53
#"
The One That Will Not Be Named " – 4:06
#"
Back In Crack " – 5:11
#"
School's Out " (
Alice Cooper cover) – 3:23
- This album had previously been tentatively titled ''Go To Hell!'' and ''Greetings From Hell!''.
- This album is the second (of two) albums not to have a lineup change in the core band from the previous (the other being 1997s '' Carnival Of Chaos '').
- For some reason, the album track listing on the back cover, the lyric booklet, and on the CD artwork itself show that "The Ultimate Bohab" should come before "Destroyed," but since the tracks blend smoothly from one to another (as indicated by a rainfall sound effect), this appears to be a printed typo rather than a track placement error. This is not the first time that GWAR has made severe typos in album materials.
- This is the first GWAR album in years that mentions Sleazy P. Martini .
- Beyond Hell is one of the two albums by GWAR to have no other lead vocalist than Oderus Urungus (the other being '' Violence Has Arrived '').
- The Line "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enters Here" from Dante Alighieri's Inferno is mentioned in the last verse in "Go To Hell!"
