Smoot, 34, was best known as Flattus Maximus in the band GWAR. After a performance in Minneapolis on Nov. 3, Smoot retired to the tour bus where his bandmates found him already dead.

A report from a North Carolina coroner said that Smoot died from a heart attack caused by a pre-existing artery disease. In respect to their former bandmate, GWAR has announced that the character of Flattus Maximus, who is best known for his dinosaur head, reptile feet and red face, has been permanently retired.

The band has not announced anyone to take Smoot’s place in the band, and the World Maggot European Tour 2012 has been cancelled. Stay tuned for updates on GWAR tickets, news and more.

The tour kicks off on Feb. 17 at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, N.C. and runs through Feb. 25 in Richmond. Along the way, there are also stops at Crocodile Rock in Allentown, Penn. on Feb. 18; Mr. Small’s Theatre in Millvale, Penn. on Feb. 19; Brooklyn on Feb. 20; Syracuse on Feb. 21; Burlington, Vt. on Feb. 22; Providence, R.I. on Feb. 23; and Sayreville, N.J. on Feb. 24.

“It seems we were about 8,000 zombies short of our goal, which was to fill every hull of our Skumdog War Fleet with blood-mad slavering zombie shock-soldiers,” Gwar’s Oderus said. “So we decided to come back to the U.S., reopen the Bloody Pit, and mutate some more of our helpless followers. Then we shall invade the very heart of the galaxy with our infected hatred and lust for war against all things alive. That and party.”

Okay then.

Well, if you want to join Gwar’s Skumdog War Fleet all you need are Gwar tickets. And a twisted sense of humor.

In a magazine interview posted on FEARnet, Gwar frontman Oderus Urungus explained that the song “really plays like a mini-horror story. It’s about the connection between the ‘Old Ones’ [of H.P. Lovecraft lore] and the Nazis, how Cthulhu-spawn helped [Josef] Mengele and others to escape in U-boats to South America, where they continued their experiments… with the assistance of the ‘KZ Necromancer,’ who came from the sea, crabs clinging to his uniform.”

In support of their new album, the band has kicked off a North American tour that runs from now through Dec. 6 at The Cabooze in Minneapolis. Additional stops along the way include Nov. 16 at the House of Blues in Hollywood; Nov. 19 at the Knitting Factory in Reno; and Nov. 21 at the Grand Ballroom at the Regency Center in San Francisco.

Don’t miss your chance to see these monsters live, get your Gwar tickets today! 

Guitarist Balsac the Jaws of Death called this “the Tertiary Tornado Tour… the tour where we hit all the places we missed the first time across the US, from a host of reasons ranging from bad weather, poor directions or venereal diseases.  Many people in these cities think they have escaped the wrath of Gwar, while others pray for our arrival.  One thing is for sure… everybody’s gonna die!”

This summer Gwar will also make an appearance at Bonnaroo, pledging to fans they will “nasally violate the entire Dave Matthews Band.”  I warn festivalgoers to be cautious of the metal head mayhem -  it is not for the fainthearted.  Gwar definitely stands all alone among the dozens of other artists that are not metal like Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, Kings of Leon, Les Claypool, Jeff Beck, Weezer, Regina Specktor, etc.

Keep checking back for more Gwar news. And get your Gwar tickets, or prepare to suffer the consequences!