GWAR, Antarctica’s famous alien warlords took over Summit Music Hall last night and, despite the recent loss of guitarist Corey Smoot (Flattus Maximus onstage), they lifted the place up with gore, vivisection and bodily fluids for the better part of two hours.

Fronted by Oderus Urungus, flanked by Balsac the Jaws of Death and Beefcake the Mighty and rhythmically anchored by Jizmac Da Gusha, the stage literally throbbed with their essentially pointless brand of thrash metal, a perfect backdrop for the ongoing fantasy. Through a disembowelment of Snooki from TV’s “Jersey Shore,” bloody battles between multiple aggressors and the band members themselves and Oderus’s laments about never being invited to play festivals such as the Mayhem and Warped tours, the band soldiered on. The audience, meanwhile, loved every minute of it.

Since the show was built around their elaborate costumes and heavy metal alien personas, the music definitely took a back seat. It wasn’t really forgettable, but it didn’t stick out over stage antics either. And the gallons of blood and semen sprayed all over the audience more than made up for any lack of musical hooks.

The recent death of guitarist Smoot, who played the part of Flattus Maximus from 2002 until November 3 this year (the character was retired after Smoot’s death), was marked after the final encore, as an un-costumed Mike Derks (Balsac the Jaws of Death) held up the late member’s axe, and even passed it over fans in front with reverence. The audience reached up to touch the guitar, and then stood, silently, as Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” ushered us out.

It was a fitting, classy tribute, and I’m sure Flattus would approve.

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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at DenverThread.com, and his giglist at Gigbot.

Allen Klosowski is the social media strategist for The Denver Post. Check out his photos online.