Ready to shock: GWAR continues its sci-fi thematic concept with stop in Albuquerque

To understand GWAR, means to keep an open mind.

As the heavy metal band nears its 40th anniversary in 2024, there’s no chance of them slowing down – not even for a moment.

“We’ve had quite a run,” says Michael Bishop, who performs under the stage name Blothar. “Humans have a vast appetite for self-destruction, and they are starving for it. It’s almost as if GWAR has done its job too well, and humans are more and more cruel to one another. What we try to do on stage is have fun. With our band, you learn to expect the unexpected.”

For the better part of four decades, the members of GWAR are identified by their distinctively grotesque costumes.

The band’s core thematic and visual concept revolves around an elaborate science fiction-themed mythology which portrays the band members as barbaric interplanetary warriors, a narrative which serves as the basis for all of the band’s albums, live shows and media.

The band is currently on Mudvayne’s “The Psychotherapy Sessions,” which is slated to make a stop at Isleta Amphitheater on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Mudvayne is the headliner and has brought along GWAR, Coal Chamber, Nonpoint and Butcher Babies.

With 40 years of material under its belt, GWAR’s music catalog is long. The band is releasing the 10th anniversary edition of “Battle Maximus,” on Sept. 1. Prior to that, 2022’s “The New Dark Ages” is the band’s latest album of new material.

“Reaching back over the years, we find the songs that match with the content of our current live show,” Bishop says. “Every show is something different and a new experience for us all.”

While Bishop has been in the band since the inception, there’s always been a freedom within the band to dream as big as each one can.

“It’s definitely true that in GWAR, if you think of something, it can happen,” he says. “Humans help make our wishes come true. GWAR’s dreams become reality through Blothar.”

Bishop says performing was always an option for him since he was a child.

“I’ve always loved attention, even when I was a little whippersnapper,” he says. “I first found attention preaching in front of a group of adults. They says, ‘That guy, he’s got something because he can talk.’ ”

Bishop’s love for performance has changed over time as he’s grown as a man and a musician.

“When we started out, we started playing somewhere we’d never been,” he says. “All the rules are suspended and we’d shock them. Now that we’ve been around for a long time, the audience knows what to expect, so we have to go bigger and more dramatic. Though it is fun seeing some audience members see us for the first time and trying to figure us out.”

Being part of Mudvayne’s tour is something that the band hasn’t ever done before.

It’s outside in amphitheaters, and each member wears a heavy costume.

“Touring is the best part,” he says. “GWAR is a tiring band to be in. You have to put on a suit and do what you’re doing. The minute we’re out there, we feel the crowd’s energy and everything metals away. We try to put on a show each time that makes us happy. In the suits, being outdoors has been super hot, but we do the best we can.”

With the 10th anniversary of “Battle Maximus” coming out, Bishop says it will be an interesting record to revisit.

The album was the last album that David Brockie, known as Oderus Urungus, was the lead vocalist. Brockie died in 2014 and Bishop took over vocals.

“It’s been remixed,” he says. “It was a good record and it sounds a lot better. We added an extra song on the anniversary edition.”