The first time you see GWAR is something that you will never forget. They are as entertaining to watch as they are to listen to and everyone there leaves the show covered in blood. During their live set, they behead all sorts of characters, including the piece of shit Nazis and our current President, Mr. Donald Trump. They have been playing solid jams and offending crowds all over the world for almost 30 years and somehow their show has only gotten better. Their costumes and characters are amazing and they need to be seen in person. I had a chance to get up close and personal with the band the last time they were in town. Check that out below.
They will be coming back to Detroit to play St. Andrew's this Sunday, December 10th. They will be playing alongside some amazing bands that night including He is Legend, Ghoul and U.S. Bastards. Tickets to get into the show are $35 in advance and they can be purchased here. You can also win a pair of tickets form Hip in Detroit and Live Nation by emailing your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #Sundaybloodysunday. We will draw one lucky person to get weird with Gwar this Sunday!
This past weekend fans got their fill of metal and fake blood at Berserker. This was the third year for the fest, put on by Shawn & Veronica Knight with help from the fine folks at The Crofoot. This year the event moved to the Masonic Temple in Detroit, spreading bands out across 3 stages on 3 different floors, and also featuring a level full of vendors. This was quite the change from the past two years, which took place at The Loving Touch and the WAB. It allowed for more fans, more room, and louder sets. Plus, it was in an area of the Masonic Temple that isn't used very often, giving concert goers a new venue to explore.
This year Berserker featured big names like Cannabis Corpse, Voivod, Macabre, Conan and the masked men in Ghoul,. In total, about 50 of the best metal bands around played throughout the three day festival. We managed to grab some videos from a few sets over the weekend. Check them out below.
The highlight of the weekend was definitely Ghoul, leaving fans covered in blood, puke, and other unidentifiable substances. But, every band that played this festival was outstanding. There was not a single band on the bill that disappointed, in fact we discovered quite a few bands that we hadn't heard of before and absolutely loved. The top of that list was definitely Black Tusk. Yeah, we might be a little late to the party on this one, but we urge you to check these guys out and pick up their latest album Pillars of Ash.
And of course Detroit was well represented at this event, with locals like Snakewing, Rebel Spies, Dead Church, Old Gods, and more playing alongside visiting acts. But, out of all of the local favorites that played, Child Bite probably topped the list. It was definitely a close call, because amazing sets were played by all, but every time this band comes back to town they seem to be better than the last time we saw them.
All in all Berserker III put on a hell of a show! Detroit is truly lucky to have such an awesome event held here every year, showcasing some of the best metal bands that Detroit and the world have to offer. We are thrilled to see this event growing and can't wait to see what the Berserker crew has in store for us next year.
Last night Berserker III officially kicked things off at The Masonic Temple in Detroit. If you missed out, don't worry! You still have 2 more nights to check out this awesome fest. Berserker brings out about 50 of the best bands in metal and punk, on both a national and local level. One the bands that you absolutely have to check out this weekend is Ghoul.
Ghoul is a metal band from Creepsylvania featuring Digestor (Guitar & Vocals), Dissector (Guitar), Cremator (Bass & Vocals) and Fermentor (Drums & Vocals). They play a mix of thrash and death metal that you can check out here, all while wearing masks to hide their real faces. To get a feel for what this band is all about, check out the music video for their track "I Spill Your Guts" below.
We wanted to catch up with Ghoul before they hit the stage in Detroit to see just what they have in store for the audience at Berserker. Here's what they had to say.
HID- Describe Ghoul to someone that has never heard you before. Digestor- "We're like a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day, if the lemonade was screaming in your face about robots and monsters and spraying blood all over you."
HID- Who are your biggest musical influences? Digestor- "The shrieks of our victims, the howling of rabid dogs, and the pounding of nails into coffin lids. Also, we enjoy Christopher Cross." HID- So, you're coming to Detroit for Berserker. There's a chance that the people that come see your set might get eaten alive, why should they come anyways? Digestor- "There isn't a mere chance that people will be eaten alive, there's a certainty. It's in our rider! The reason they should come is so they can die an honorable death at the hands of seasoned professionals, instead of dying of Faygo withdrawal on the floor of some filthy Detroit free clinic."
HID- Where did you buy your hoods from or did you make them yourselves? Digestor- "We got them from the corpses of executed criminals. I think mine was hung for stealing jokes on Twitter. Creepsylvania is very strict about internet etiquette."
HID- Have you ever thought about selling them at your merch table to help out your super ugly or horribly disfigured fans? Digestor- "We did sell them when we went on tour with Skeletonwitch, but I kept mistaking audience members for band members. I did about 5 pre-set prayers with different strangers before I figured it out. Missed the gig completely."
HID- You guys just got back from cruising on the 70000tons ship. How was it? Digestor- "It was great. We were free to murder the captive audience, and the ones who jumped overboard were eaten by sharks. Highly amusing. By the time we pulled into harbor the ship was empty but for the few people we kept alive as bargaining chips."
HID- Don't you have a new album in the works? What can you tell us about it? Digestor- "We do. We're almost finished with it, and what I can tell you is that it is going to be the album of the year. Nay, it is the album of our lives, and will never be surpassed by the hand of man or claw of machine."
HID- What are you looking forward to most while you're in Detroit? Digestor- "The weather."
HID- Are there any other bands playing Berserker that you want to check out? Digestor- "I want to see Troglodyte, but mainly because they're hot."
HID- Anything else you would like our readers to know? Digestor- "You are doomed. Doomed to a brief existence filled with pain, desperation, and horror; the spectre of decay hanging over you like a flock of circling vultures, waiting to pick at your diseased flesh with razor sharp beaks. But the good news is you can always move to Grand Rapids."
Ghoul hits the stage at Midnight on Saturday night on the 5th floor of The Masonic Temple. To see the full schedule for the weekend, head over to BerserkerDetroit.com.
This weekend Berskerker is bringing a lineup of some of the best names in Metal to Detroit for three crazy nights. This is the third year for the festival that is the brainchild of Veronica and Shawn Knight (Child Bite). The first two years the event took over The Loving Touch and the WAB, but the fest has grown so much in just a couple of years that they needed to move to a new venue. So this year Berserker will make The Masonic Temple its new home.
The event will feature 3 nights of music across 3 stages. It's happening this Thursday thru Saturday, March 3rd - 5th. The lineup includes local greats like Snakewing and Old Gods, alongside national acts like Macabre and Cannabis Corpse. Check out the full list of who is playing each night with set times below.
Tickets for Berserker are available two different ways. First, there are the single day passes that will run you $25 a day if you purchase them in advance or $30 a day if you wait 'til the day of. But, for just $45 you can get in to all 3 nights. $45 to see about 50 bands is a pretty amazing deal! The price of weekend passes will also go up $5 to $50 if you wait until the day of to buy them, so do yourself a favor and purchase your pass in advance at BerserkerDetroit.com. While you are there, check out previews and music videos from all of the bands on the bill. You can also buy tickets in person at UHF in Royal Oak or at The Crofoot box office.
Thanks to the amazing people behind Berserker we are also giving away one pair of weekend passes! That means you and your friend will get in to all three nights for FREE, saving you about 100 bucks! If you would like to enter to win these passes, please send your name over to hipindetroit@gmail.com with your name in the body and Berserker in the subject. If you would like to double your chances at winning, tell us you want to go on social media! Just tell everyone you want to go to Berserker for free and make sure you tag Hip In Detroit (@hipindetroit) and #Berserker in the post so we see it! You can hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or all three!
Before things kick off on Thursday there is one more night of music on Wednesday night that you won't need passes to get into. PREserker is the FREE kickoff party for Berserker and this year it's happening at Small's. The lineup for PREserker includes Cloud Rat, The Armed, Gore, Reverend, Stone Ritual, Plasticizer and Pandemonium. Things kick off at 7 p.m., there will be two stages of music, and all ages are welcome.
Whether you make it to PREserker, just one night of Berserker, or all four nights, this is a do not miss event! One of the best punk & metal fests around and we are lucky enough to have it right here in Detroit.
