I was pretty shocked to hear this, personally. Despite all appearances, Dave didn't have any visible signs of even using drugs, and police have
confirmed there were no drugs found at the scene.
GWAR was a breath of fresh air in a genre that was starting to take itself way too seriously. The fact that the idea for the band was born from a university art club (in Richmond, Virginia, of all places) says it all. They hyperbolized and cartoonified everything about metal, creating an entire mythology about and around their characters. These were pioneers who paved the way for Rammstein's hosing strap-on and Slipknot's costume drama. While they certainly could rock when they wanted to (
NSFW) GWAR were good for metal by bringing humor, the absurd side of darkness, and just genuine fun to metal.
I only saw them once, as RAWG. Which meant there was no costume nor stage show. But it was 500 people in a club with a permit for 200, and it was absolute mayhem.
Dave will be missed, but we can rest in the consolation that his soul will remain preserved in Antarctica, ready to be transplanted into an even greater monster.
