Track Info. For Ragnarok

## Track Info. For Ragnarök

Listed below are information for specific tracks off of *Ragnarök.* All information taken from Genius.

## The New Plague

“The New Plague” is a rather energetic rock song about the consequences of HIV/AIDS and its spread amongst humanity being a modern version of the Black Death. It describes an unnamed human character who prusemably gets drunk and has a one night stand, only to wake up and find out he's contracted HIV/AIDS.

The verses are sung by an unnamed human character played by Dave Brockie, and the choruses are sung by Genna Anderson, Danielle Stampe and Erika Jefferson with Brockie interjecting.

Lead singer Dave Brockie’s older brother Andrew was a gay man who contracted HIV in 1983.

The song has a very similar meaning to "Elimination" by thrash metal band Overkill in the sense they both discuss the fact the AIDS epidemic wasn't a "gay cancer" as it was known to be during the time, rather an issue that effects everyone. (Suggested by the lines "I've got, you've got, we've got AIDS")

## Whargoul

“Whargoul” is a song about an eternal shape-shifting entity that lives for chaos and war. Whargoul is a shapeshifting monstrosity, unkillable, and able to take the forms of (visually at least) a human being. The Whargoul changes it’s face many times throughout the novel, first a Russian, then a German, eventually an Arab, and finally an African American. Whargoul has regenerative powers, able to heal even from the most grievous of injuries (Albeit needing to regenerate into a completely new form each time). In order to facilitate these dread abilities, the Whargoul must feast on the souls of humans. The Whargoul is conflicted as to the nature of it’s existence, being of human form but inhuman ability, morality, etc. Initially he suspected himself to be an otherworldly creature, but later in the novel it is revealed Whargoul was once a human, but heavily mutated and corrupted by the eldritch entity known as the LoiGoi. In the song the Whargoul joins the elite Nazi unit, the “SS” AKA the Schutzstaffel, after changing sides during the battle of Stalingrad, his remarkable unhuman powers drawing the attention of the German elite. Whargoul is described to have participated in the Malmedy Massacre, and later is found and tortured by those seeking revenge for this horrific war crime. One of the Whargoul’s human forms was that of an Arab woman who fought against the U.S. The Whargoul was destroyed once again in this form by M1 Abrams tanks equipped with a bulldozer plows, which ran over a trench where the Iraqi soldiers had been hiding. The Whargoul, naturally, survives being destroyed repeatedly by regenerating into a new human form. Approximately 40 thousand Iraqi soldiers died during the war. Stalingrad is the first battle the Whargoul remembers participating in, first as a soldier on the side of the Soviets after being fished out of the Volga river (The soviets finding the frozen Whargoul’s massive penis amusing), tricking the Russians into believing he was simply a particularly amnesiac soldier. Stalingrad is one of the most bloody battles in all of history. After WW2 and his time as an SS officer, Whargoul retreats to France and even has a romantic partner whilst hiding his former identity. Whargoul is able to keep his identity hidden for 40 years after the war, albeit succumbing to extreme alcoholism and other vices to dull his thirst for bloodshed. During this time he was unaware of those seeking vengeance against him for the terrible crimes he committed as a Nazi during the war. Eventually Whargoul is caught, tied to his lover, questioned, tortured by various cruel methods (including a propane torch), albeit this has little effect on the monster, so his torturers eventually simply blow up his house, himself, and his lover, where he had lived in relative peace for 40 years. After being destroyed by his torturers, he revived as a woman who joined the Iraqi army against the USA, and was eventually destroyed once again by an M1 Abrams with a bulldozer blade attached, crushing him alive inside a trench dug by the Iraqis. Whargoul, after being destroyed by the USA and yet again regenerating, eventually sneaks into an airbase and uses his unhuman powers to steal the body of a soldier, who he then uses to pilot an A-10 Warthog. Whargoul’s A-10 is shot down by a one-in-a-million shot by an Iraqi T-72 tank, where “his” body, stolen from a respected army captain, is sent back the USA for a funeral service. He regenerates inside the coffin into an African American and crashes his own funeral, and sets off to New York City.

"Whargoul" eventually became the concept that is further fleshed out in the book of the same name by lead singer Dave Brockie. Brockie, an avid war historian, began writing the book after a European GWAR tour in 1995 and completed it in 1999. After self-publishing the novel for free on his personal website, *Whargoul* would receive a paperback release in 2010, published by Deadite Press.

## RagNaRök

Sung by Sexecutioner (Chuck Varga), “RagNaRök” is about the imminent apocalyptic threat faced by humanity from the comet RagNaRök, which is later revealed to be Cardinal Syn.

“RagNaRök” is the final GWAR song to feature Chuck Varga and the Sexecutioner character. Varga would retire from touring and leave the band in 2000, only making sporadic appearances thereafter.

“RagNaRök” is also the first GWAR song to make use of a non-standard guitar tuning, being in drop C# as opposed to GWAR’s usual E-flat standard.

At the time of the album’s release, fans speculated that Varga had been replaced as Sexecutioner, due to his vocal delivery being more gruff and less accented than his debut song.

The opening line of the song is an allusion to the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Hamlet by William Shakespeare. In Act 3, scene 1, the character Hamlet says,

> “To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come”.
>
>

## Stalin's Organs

“Stalin’s Organs” is a sludgy metal song about the Russian Katyusha rocket launchers used during World War II. The rocket launchers were nicknamed “Stalin’s organ” due to their resemblance to church organs and the horrible howl of their rocket motors, which terrified German troops.

## Knife in Yer Guts

“Knife In Yer Guts” is a song about disemboweling an ex-lover. Within the album’s story, the song serves as the story of Oderus Urungus, after having his sperm stolen by aliens, forcibly removing his un-wanted fetus from the womb of Slymenstra Hymen.

On the RagNaRök tour cycle, “Knife In Yer Guts” was played while Slymenstra has her unborn fetus removed via forced C-section. Certain shows also featured Slymenstra shooting milk from a pair of fake breasts.

## Think You Oughta Know This

Sung by GWAR’s manager Sleazy P. Martini (Don Drakulich), “Think You Oughta Know This” (misspelled as “Outta” on the album) is a parody of rap-rock songs and artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More. In it, Sleazy brags about his riches while also fueling alien conspiracy theories. Notably, the verses all follow the same AAAA rhyming pattern.

Due to Drakulich’s retirement from full-time touring in 1994, “Think You Oughta Know This” was only performed on the Halloween mini-tours between 1996 and 2000 and as an encore for a few shows on 2008’s Electile Dysfunction Tour.

## Marytr Dumb

A play on the word “martyrdom”, “Martyr Dumb” is a sample-heavy song about GWAR’s distaste for the religions of the world, Christianity in particular. The line "Doomsday starts when we kill the sun" references to an original working title and concept for *RagNaRök*, *Mad at the Sun*, the story of which involved GWAR attempting to destroy the Sun. The phrase “mad at the Sun” refers to the futility and foolishness of being upset at something beyond your control.

6 years later, *Mad at the Sun* would be listed as an unused album title for The Dave Brockie Experience’s 2001 debut album, *Diarrhea of a Madman*.

18 years after the release of *RagNaRök*, *Mad at the Sun* would again resurface in an interview with Dave Brockie as the working title for GWAR’s then-upcoming 2013 album, *Battle Maximus*, the fifth track of which is called “They Swallowed the Sun”.

## Fire in the Loins

A fiery and energetic duet between Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) and Slymenstra Hymen (Danielle Stampe), “Fire In The Loins” is about the conflict between men and women. This is the first GWAR song to feature Stampe in a lead singing role.