The time has come for a brand new GWAR record and it, as one might expect, fucking rules. The New Dark Ages sees GWAR at their best, irreverent, funny and markedly political. In an era where parody strikes far too close to reality, GWAR embrace this notion with a record full of anthems against liars and the overwhelming onslaught of misinformation. The end result is one of the sickest offerings in GWAR's discography, but also one that is remarkably prescient, a bit too topical for comfort, but necessary listening nonetheless.
The New Dark Ages excels because of the massive anthems fueling the whole thing. There's the usual GWAR weirdness to be sure, but the heart and soul of the record is in the singalong choruses of tracks like "Rise Again". The other thing listeners will quickly notice is how much material there is. Weighing in at an hour and six minutes, this is one of the lengthiest GWAR offerings yet. That being said, the quality of the material remains high throughout, and I don't get the impression, as I so often do, that the record would have been dramatically improved by cutting a few songs. Instead I'm just in awe of the overwhelming power and fun of this record.
It's crazy to think that nearly 40 years later, GWAR are still creating some of their most effective and exciting music yet. The New Dark Ages impresses because of the tight nature of the songs, with their big choruses, fun riffs and over the top lyrics. In other words - this record has everything that we've come to love about GWAR for the last few decades. While this might be among the bands most political offerings yet, it feels extremely necessary, and a logical step forward for a group who have done it all. They are a one of a kind force, and The New Dark Ages suggests we are in a new golden age for GWAR.
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