Battle Maximus

== Battle Maximus ==
The band’s 13th studio album, Battle Maximus, was released on September 17th in 2013. This would be the first album to feature new guitarist Brent Purgason, portraying the new character Pustulus Maximus, the first album to feature bassist Jamison Land, portraying Beefcake the Mighty, and the last to feature vocalist Dave Brockie, who portrayed Oderus Urungus, as he tragically died in 2014.
The European release of the album includes two additional bonus tracks: A cover of Kansas’s “Carry On Wayward Son”, and “Wheel of Punishment”, the theme to The Dan Patrick Show’s segment of the same name.
2013’s Battle Maximus is GWAR’s first album since the death of lead guitarist Cory Smoot. Several tracks on the album refer to the absence of Smoot’s Flattus Maximus character, which was retired after his death in 2011. As a tribute, the band recruited several guest guitarists to perform on the album. The song "Fly Now" was fully written as a tribute to the character Flattus, but also Smoot himself. The instrumental title track is about the “Battle Maximus”, a guitar duel between different members of the Maximus clan in tribute to the fallen Flattus. The 3 guitarists brought on the album were all given "maximus" characters. 2 former Gwar members, Zach Blair and Todd Evans, both feature as guitarists. 
== Story ==
The story of the album revolves around Mr. Perfect, a powerful time-traveling overlord who has laid waste to the future-Earth and travels to the present to destroy GWAR. Mr. Perfect and his followers, The Perfects, encompass the Earth in a “metal cocoon” that blocks out the Sun (“Nothing Left Alive”, “They Swallowed The Sun”). The Perfects then enslave the human race and perform grotesque experiments on them (“Torture”). During GWAR’s fight with Mr. Perfect and his forces (“Mr. Perfect”), the now-mutated humans rebel and aid GWAR in Mr. Perfect’s defeat (“Triumph of the Pig Children”).
== Track Listing ==
No.	Title 	Length
1. 	"Intro" 	1:55
2. 	"Madness at the Core of Time" 	3:30
3. 	"Bloodbath" 	3:27
4. 	"Nothing Left Alive" 	4:04
5. 	"They Swallowed the Sun" 	4:56
6. 	"Torture" 	4:47
7. 	"Raped at Birth" 	3:59
8. 	"I, Bonesnapper" (Vocals by Bonesnapper) 	4:02
9. 	"Mr. Perfect" 	5:35
10.	"Battle Maximus" (Instrumental) 	3:38
11.	"Triumph of the Pig Children" 	3:50
12.	"Falling" 	2:49
13.	"Fly Now" 	4:49
14.	"Carry on Wayward Son" (Kansas cover, European bonus track)	5:00
15.	"Wheel of Punishment" (European bonus track) 	2:28
== Personnel ==
* Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus) - lead vocals
* Brent Purgason (Pustulus Maximus) - lead guitar, backing vocals
* Mike Derks (Balsac the Jaws of Death) - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Jamison Land (Beefcake the Mighty) - bass, backing vocals
* Brad Roberts (Jizmak Da Gusha) - drums, percussion
* Bob Gorman (Bonesnapper) - lead vocals on "I, Bonesnapper"
* Zach Blair (Splattus Maximus) - additional guitar on "Intro", "Bloodbath", "Torture", "Raped at Birth", "Battle Maximus", and "Falling"
* Todd Evans (Skookum Maximus) - additional guitar on "Battle Maximus", and "Nothing Left Alive"
* Ol Drake (Twatticus Maximus) - additional guitar on "Battle Maximus"
* Mark Duane Morton (Tyrone Der Teufel) - additional guitar on "Battle Maximus"
* Jenna Anderson (Jadis Valkyrja) - additional vocals on "They Swallowed The Sun" and "Carry On Wayward Son"
* John Angelo - Producer / Recording Engineer
* Glen Robinson - Mix Engineer
* Howie Weinberg - Mastering Engineer
Category:Albums