Gwar — Lust In Space

Celebrating their silver jubilee in style, the buffoon-ish space creatures in Gwar have issued what is easily their best effort in almost as long.

Initially revered for both their unforgettable stage show/costumes and trilogy of creative, inspired metal albums (Scumdogs Of The Universe, America Must Be Destroyed and This Toilet Earth in the late-'80s to mid-'90s), the band quickly fell into the stupor they forewarned of in "The Road Behind" and lacked anything of interest or merit for, well, the past 15 years.

But they seem invigorated and the quintet have produced a raucous affair that recalls those classic early records. From "The Price Of Peace" and its sinewy prowess to the confrontational bombast of "Damnation Under God" and the upbeat, amusingly catchy "Let Us Slay," Lust In Space is a welcome return to the punk rock aggression, thrash metal mastery and tongue-in-cheek savvy we've been waiting for from Gwar for far too long.

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