Balsac the Jaws of Death
Encyclopedia
Balsac the Jaws of Death is the rhythm guitarist in the rock band Gwar
. He appears as a humanoid
creature with a face resembling a bear-trap. Balsac is usually portrayed wielding a giant battleaxe. In contrast to the other bandmates, Balsac speaks with a pretentious British accent until Lust in Space
, where he speaks with an American accent during an argument with Oderus Urungus
on the track "Where is Zog?", though he also speaks without an accent during the argument in "Have You Seen Me" from The Road Behind EP. The character is a combination of two previous Gwar characters BalSac
and Jaws of Death.
In the original Gwar
lineup in 1985, Jaws of Death and BalSac were two different characters. Jaws of Death (played by Death Piggy
guitarist Steve Douglas) wore a crude version of the familiar trap jaw BalSac the Jaws of Death wears, while BalSac (Chris Bopst) played bass and wore a simple open-face piece of spiked headgear. After several lineup changes, Douglas would return to the band as Balsac the Jaws of Death for the recording of Gwar's first album Hell-O
, only to be replaced by Michael Derks shortly after.
Balsac has occasionally been featured as a vocalist. Balsac's vocals can be heard on the songs "Obliteration of Flab Quarv 7", from This Toilet Earth
, and "Mary Anne" from We Kill Everything
. Derks' first Gwar song was "Black and Huge," and the first song featuring him on vocals was "The Needle." "The Needle" was never released on a Metal Blade album, but it was a Slave Pit Single, and was re-recorded as "Escape From The Mooselodge" on We Kill Everything, featuring Oderus Urungus
on vocals. "Black and Huge" was originally recorded after Hell-O was released in the United States.
Balsac was originally played by Chris Bopst, and at that time, Balsac was the band's bassist. It was Bopst who gave Balsac The Jaws of Death his full name. However, by the time Hell-O had been released, Beefcake and Balsac switched roles and Steve Douglas had replaced Bopst. Douglas played the character until soon after Hell-O was released when he passed the torch to Michael Derks. With the exception of a few gigs in Europe in 1991 where Balsac was played by Barry Ward
, Derks has played the character ever since. Derks also runs the Gwar mailing list and has performed in Gwar spin-off bands X-Cops
, Rawg, and the Dave Brockie Experience
.
A large portion of Gwar's catalog was written (or co-written) by Derks, who has also contributed to the production of several songs.
According to the timeline of Slave Pit, Inc., Michael Derks joined the band in 1988, making him the second longest (after Dave Brockie) serving member of Gwar. The character is one of the two longest-serving, having been in every single incarnation of Gwar.
When asked how exactly he walks in his awkwardly shaped boots he replied, "it's hard, man." The boots in question are actually an optical illusion, with Derks's legs and feet going straight down, but the way the boots are made make it look as if his legs are bent backwards like a horse's leg.
Derks currently plays ESP Guitars and Krank amplifiers. He seems to prefer guitars similar in shape to the Gibson Explorer (for a brief time, he actually played one) - most photographs are seen of him playing ESP's equivalent. He currently has a custom signature variant of the ESP EX series
, which features a single emg 81 bridge pickup and a custom balsac graphic. In the video to "Immortal Corrupter," he is seen playing a yellow-to-black Washburn
Dimebag Darrell
333 guitar with red lightning bolts. Only two people had this paint job - Derks and Dimebag Darrell himself. Derks' guitar was stolen after the August 16, 2002 Dave Brockie eXperience concert which was recovered and given back to him by a fan in 2010. He also owned (it was sold on eBay in 2005) a Steinberger P-series guitar, an instrument he seemed to like (though few of his fans thought it was a real guitar). He also played Fernandes guitars for a time in 1997-9. He has played through Fatboy, Crate, Marshall, and Mesa Boogie amplifiers in the past.
Gwar
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
. He appears as a humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
creature with a face resembling a bear-trap. Balsac is usually portrayed wielding a giant battleaxe. In contrast to the other bandmates, Balsac speaks with a pretentious British accent until Lust in Space
Lust in Space
-Line-up:*Dave Brockie - lead vocals*Cory Smoot - lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Release the Flies"*Mike Derks - rhythm guitar, backing vocals...
, where he speaks with an American accent during an argument with Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus, played by Dave Brockie, is the lead vocalist of the Metal band Gwar. He appears as an intergalactic humanoid barbarian with devil horns and a meaty looking face, and always carries around a long sword named "Unt Lick"...
on the track "Where is Zog?", though he also speaks without an accent during the argument in "Have You Seen Me" from The Road Behind EP. The character is a combination of two previous Gwar characters BalSac
Balsac
Balsac may refer to:* Balsac the Jaws of Death, a character and guitarist in the rock band Gwar* BalSac, a former Gwar bassist* Balsac, Aveyron, France...
and Jaws of Death.
History
Gwar
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
lineup in 1985, Jaws of Death and BalSac were two different characters. Jaws of Death (played by Death Piggy
Death Piggy
Death Piggy was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1982 in Richmond, Virginia. They flourished briefly, before Dave Brockie, then their lead singer/bassist, decided to play a joke set while wearing monster costumes as an opening act for Death Piggy. This joke act would later be the basis for...
guitarist Steve Douglas) wore a crude version of the familiar trap jaw BalSac the Jaws of Death wears, while BalSac (Chris Bopst) played bass and wore a simple open-face piece of spiked headgear. After several lineup changes, Douglas would return to the band as Balsac the Jaws of Death for the recording of Gwar's first album Hell-O
Hell-O
Hell-o! is the debut album by Gwar. The album was released in 1988, on Shimmy Disc Records.Gwar's angle on the album is that of a morbid punk band obsessed with debauchery, violence and toilet humor...
, only to be replaced by Michael Derks shortly after.
Balsac has occasionally been featured as a vocalist. Balsac's vocals can be heard on the songs "Obliteration of Flab Quarv 7", from This Toilet Earth
This Toilet Earth
This Toilet Earth is the fourth album released by rock/heavy metal/punk band Gwar. Released in 1994, this album was to be one of their oddest and most bittersweet albums. It was the first Gwar album to be censored , due to their gain in popularity as a result of MTV exposure...
, and "Mary Anne" from We Kill Everything
We Kill Everything
-Story:The album's story differs slightly than the version told in "It's Sleazy" and on tour.The first three tracks on the album do not follow one particular story, and focus on Gwar's generally decadent ways...
. Derks' first Gwar song was "Black and Huge," and the first song featuring him on vocals was "The Needle." "The Needle" was never released on a Metal Blade album, but it was a Slave Pit Single, and was re-recorded as "Escape From The Mooselodge" on We Kill Everything, featuring Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus, played by Dave Brockie, is the lead vocalist of the Metal band Gwar. He appears as an intergalactic humanoid barbarian with devil horns and a meaty looking face, and always carries around a long sword named "Unt Lick"...
on vocals. "Black and Huge" was originally recorded after Hell-O was released in the United States.
Balsac was originally played by Chris Bopst, and at that time, Balsac was the band's bassist. It was Bopst who gave Balsac The Jaws of Death his full name. However, by the time Hell-O had been released, Beefcake and Balsac switched roles and Steve Douglas had replaced Bopst. Douglas played the character until soon after Hell-O was released when he passed the torch to Michael Derks. With the exception of a few gigs in Europe in 1991 where Balsac was played by Barry Ward
Barry Ward
Barry Ward born 13 January 1971 in New South Wales, Australia is a former rugby league player. He played for the Bulldogs, Illawarra Steelers, Sydney Roosters and St Helens as a prop and in the second-row....
, Derks has played the character ever since. Derks also runs the Gwar mailing list and has performed in Gwar spin-off bands X-Cops
X-Cops
X-Cops was a side project composed of members from the band Gwar and their extended "family" of musicians. Each member of X-Cops performed in a police uniform and had their own character. They released the album You Have The Right To Remain Silent... on Metal Blade Records in 1995...
, Rawg, and the Dave Brockie Experience
Dave Brockie Experience
The Dave Brockie Experience or DBX is formed of three of the current members of Heavy metal band GWAR. The band is composed of David "Oderus Urungus" Brockie , Brad "Jizmak Da Gusha" Roberts , and Mike "Balsac the Jaws of Death" Derks . DBX is a pet project of GWAR and shows some of their earlier...
.
A large portion of Gwar's catalog was written (or co-written) by Derks, who has also contributed to the production of several songs.
According to the timeline of Slave Pit, Inc., Michael Derks joined the band in 1988, making him the second longest (after Dave Brockie) serving member of Gwar. The character is one of the two longest-serving, having been in every single incarnation of Gwar.
When asked how exactly he walks in his awkwardly shaped boots he replied, "it's hard, man." The boots in question are actually an optical illusion, with Derks's legs and feet going straight down, but the way the boots are made make it look as if his legs are bent backwards like a horse's leg.
Guitars used
ESP EX
The ESP EX is a series of electric guitars produced by ESP produced in the United States, Europe and in Japan with the ESP logo as part of the ESP Original Series....
, which features a single emg 81 bridge pickup and a custom balsac graphic. In the video to "Immortal Corrupter," he is seen playing a yellow-to-black Washburn
Washburn Guitars
Washburn Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer. It was established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Washburn is a part of U.S. Music Corporation.- History :...
Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
333 guitar with red lightning bolts. Only two people had this paint job - Derks and Dimebag Darrell himself. Derks' guitar was stolen after the August 16, 2002 Dave Brockie eXperience concert which was recovered and given back to him by a fan in 2010. He also owned (it was sold on eBay in 2005) a Steinberger P-series guitar, an instrument he seemed to like (though few of his fans thought it was a real guitar). He also played Fernandes guitars for a time in 1997-9. He has played through Fatboy, Crate, Marshall, and Mesa Boogie amplifiers in the past.