With over-the-top violent, sexual, and scatological humor typically incorporating social and political satire, Gwar has attracted both acclaim and controversy for its music and stage shows, the latter of which notoriously showcase enactments of graphic violence that result in the audience being sprayed with fake blood, urine, and semen.

Fueled largely by the controversies surrounding their concerts, Gwar experienced brief mainstream notoriety during the first half of the 1990s, receiving regular airplay on MTV as well as frequent in-character guest appearances on daytime talk shows, satirizing the topics of censorship and media violence.

The band's extensive videography consists of both live recordings and long-form feature films, most notably 1992's Phallus in Wonderland, which earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Long Form Music Video.

Dave Brockie was the vocalist and bassist for a punk band named Death Piggy that staged mini-plays and used crude props to punctuate its music.

Brockie had an idea to use the costumes made for Scumdogs of the Universe and have Death Piggy open for itself as a barbaric band from Antarctica, playing nonsense songs while sacrificing fake animals.

However, this line-up was short-lived and would suffer multiple changes in the following months, with Eubanks quitting after just one or two shows and being replaced by Joe Annaruma, who went on to record several demo tracks with the band.

Dewey Rowell (Flattus Maximus), Michael Bishop (Beefcake the Mighty) and Rob Mosby (Nippleus Erectus) were recruited in 1987, along with Steve Douglas (Balsac the Jaws of Death), who rejoined the band after having previously left.

The band has also recruited, and lost, three other female members: The Temptress, Heather Broome (1986); Amazina, Colette Miller (1986–87); and Gwar Woman, Lisa Harrelson (1987–88).

The band would tour extensively in support for this album,[19] releasing the Live from Antarctica produced by Ivan Healy Purvis, VHS tape in July 1990, containing, among other things, the music video for the song Sick of You.

It was shortly after the video's release when the Slave Pit took in another new, young artist, Matt Maguire, to help out with costume fabrication, as well as illustrations for comics and related material.

[20] On September 18, 1990, Brockie wore his "Cuttlefish of Cthulhu" codpiece during a show in Charlotte, North Carolina, resulting in Brockie's arrest and, ultimately, a one-year ban from the band performing in the state of North Carolina - the band would later highlight the absurdity of the case by pointing out that the presiding judge over the case was called Dick Boner.

The group failed their audition when they arrived in costume and Slymenstra Hymen broke a blood capsule from her codpiece onto one of the office chairs, simulating menstruation.

This would also mark the beginning of the band straying from their trademark sound, as the album contained several experimental songs as opposed to the punk of Hell-O and thrash of Scumdogs of the Universe.

In 1995, Gwar released Ragnarok, an album characterized by a unique sound, including the use of keyboards, something largely unseen before by the band, as well as a much larger use of secondary vocalists.

The band's first side project, X-Cops, would also come to life after the Ragnarok tour, releasing their only full-length album, You Have the Right to Remain Silent..., the same year.

Doom developer, id Software, hired Gwar to produce a showcase space at Microsoft's Judgement Day event for Halloween of 1995.

[23] The band's next record would come out in 1997 under the name Carnival of Chaos, proving to be the epitome of this experimental period containing songs from many different genres, including the classic heavy metal, but also hard rock, country, and even jazz.

Shortly after the release of Carnival of Chaos, select members of the Gwar ensemble appeared on The Jerry Springer Show to discuss the growing trend of "shock rock" and their role as entertainers.

[24] Carnival of Chaos would be the last album with Pete Lee on guitar, being replaced by Tim Harriss who had previously been in the band around 1986 and was featured as a guest guitarist on America Must Be Destroyed.

As the band focused on a heavier, more brutal sound near the end of this period, it would also result in the creation of another side project, the Dave Brockie Experience, a band created by frontman Dave Brockie along with rhythm guitarist Mike Derks and drummer Brad Roberts as a way of continuing the comedic sound found on albums like We Kill Everything while maintaining a more serious focus in releases by Gwar.

[30][31] Gwar's eleventh studio album, Lust in Space, was released on August 18, 2009,[32] They performed at the 2009 Gathering of the Juggalos and toured nationwide with Lamb of God and Job for a Cowboy.

[46] Former bassist Mike Bishop, the original Beefcake the Mighty, re-joined the band as vocalist for their first performance without Brockie at the fifth Gwar B-Q at Hadad's Lake.

[49][50][51] They also appeared again in an A.V Club video, playing a cover of the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" which transitioned into "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll—as a tribute to Cory Smoot, Dave Brockie and other friends of Gwar who have since passed on.

The band's website describes the bar as "a fantasy land of food and beverage, catering to everyone from local punk metal freaks, rock stars, businessmen, celebrity chefs and starving artists.

Dubbed "Scumdogs XXX Live," it marked the first time that Gwar co-founder Hunter Jackson had directly worked with the band since his departure in 2000.

[64] On November 5, 2023, Purgason announced his departure from the band after eleven years of membership, noting that he was leaving on good terms and would still be involved in some capacity behind the scenes.

[66] On February 29, 2024, It was announced that Tommy Meehan (of Squid Pisser and formerly of Cancer Christ) had joined the touring lineup, taking over as lead guitarist for Brent Purgason, also known as Pustulus Maximus.

The festival boasted of barbecue, rock-and-roll vendors, a haunted house of sorts (which "bohabs" can visit to be spewed and bled upon[68]) and live music.

Held at Hadad's Lake, a natural water park in Richmond, Gwar-B-Q quickly grew into a destination event having hosted bands like Clutch, Down, Dead Earth Politics, Cancer Bats, and The Dickies.

The official website of Slave Pit Inc. indicates that Gwar is a shortened version of "Gwaaarrrgghhlllgh", the name the band used originally when opening for Death Piggy.