IoMP 90: GWAR: Gimmick or Genius?
The Influencers of Metal are launching a brand new segment: “Gimmick or Genius?” — where Collin and Tom ask one simple question about your favorite bands… are they brilliant innovators or just weirdos in costumes?
In this debut episode, the boys tackle GWAR, the kings of chaos and fake bodily fluids. What started as a shock-rock joke in the ’80s became a multimedia metal empire — complete with lore, comic books, festivals, and a literal restaurant.
But can GWAR’s music stand on its own without the outrageous stage antics? Collin and Tom dive deep into the band’s legacy, the death (and resurrection) of their frontman, and how GWAR blurred the line between art, theater, and absolute insanity.
This one’s messy, loud, and gloriously stupid — just how metal should be. Click play to hear the full blood soaked fun!
DISCLAIMER: Copyright Exceptions under the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42), allowance is made for "fair dealing" for the purposes of criticism or review.
Check out more from the Influencers of Metal Podcast!
Collin and Tom dive into their favourite September listens, revisit one massive release that narrowly missed August, and more!
Collin finally saw HammerFall headline Toronto — and somehow walked away loving them even more.
HammerFall and Sabaton are invading the GTA in the same week, so Collin and Tom are building their dream setlists!
Collin and Tom summon a whale and dive into Gojira’s discography to settle one of the toughest Heaviest Songs rankings yet.
Powerwolf has werewolves, vampires, church organs and enough Catholic imagery to make one hell of a Sunday service — but does the gimmick overshadow the music?
Some bands spend decades chasing their masterpiece. Others release it almost immediately, and never top it.
Metal meets the squared circle again as Collin introduces an extremely underprepared Tom to wrestling themes from Killswitch Engage, Fozzy, Code Orange, Megadeth, White Zombie, Metallica and more.
Forget the trade war — we’re heading south of the border to pick six of our favourite American bands!
Deep Purple might sound like hard rock today, but would heavy metal exist as we know it without them?
August may have been an underwhelming month for new metal, but Collin and Tom still found plenty to keep their playlists busy.
The Influencers of Metal Podcast heads to Cambodia to uncover a small but fiercely underground metal scene.
What if you could book ANY five bands for your own metal festival? Also, I thought we escaped the island by now?
Is Pizza Thrash actually a metal subgenre... or did somebody just slap a stupid name on 2000s thrash and call it a day?
We're halfway through 2026, so our duo are joined by Chris Thrash to rank their Top 5 albums of the year so far!
Van Halen helped revolutionize guitar playing, inspired generations of metal musicians and laid some of the groundwork for the hair metal explosion — but does that make Van Halen a metal band?
It’s Van Halen Week on the Influencers of Metal Podcast! Collin and Tom continue their quest to find the most metal Guitar Hero game by diving into Guitar Hero: Van Halen.
Hear which records from Galneryus, Haserot, Protest the Hero, Left to Die, Motionless In White, and more survived the chaos on this month’s edition of “What Have You Been Listening To?”
Sabaton brought tanks, pyro and 18 songs of Swedish power metal to Toronto — but getting through the parking chaos, opening bands and merch prices was a battle of its own.