Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Flying saucers, a pet werewolf, Ghostbustin’ proton streams,  joyrides in the Cadillac that once belonged to Children of Bodom vocalist and guitarist Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho. Meet The Ghoulstars, a fresh – and frightening blast from pop-culture’s past. Since beaming down onto their native haunt of Finland, these horror punks have tantalized crowds and captured the attention of CNN, Metal Hammer and other international press with their monstrously catchy mash-up of metal, punk and cult classics. Their blockbuster debut album, The Dark Overlords of the Universe, hit shelves yesterday, Friday, May 15.

“A monstrously good opening move that’s sure to invite repeated listens”, Soundi wrote about The Dark Overlords of the Universe in a 4/5 review. “This is a band you’ll definitely want to hear more from in the future”.

“It’s like a delicious kid’s cereal that has a shockingly healthy nutritional label and way more fiber than you remember: it’s good shit”, New Noise attests in an interview with The Ghoulstars guitarist Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso.

Lucky ghouls can hear all of The Dark Overlords of the Universe before the album comes out tomorrow by listening to the full album stream today on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.

“The Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to our fifteen-year-old selves”, Laakso says. “It’s crammed with headbanging metal riffs, shout-along punk rock choruses, B-movie Easter eggs, ‘80s aesthetics, surprising curveballs and the sheer joy of all the pieces falling into the right places. Move over, Rover, and let the ghouls take over!”.

Listen to The Dark Overlords of the Universe:

Order the album here: https://orcd.co/theghoulstarsdarkoverlords

Despite their ghostly appearance, The Ghoulstars are a collection of real talent. Axeman Daddy Ghoul and goose-bumping drummer Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen shared a past life together in Kuolemanlaakso. Bassist Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen formerly haunted the low end for Hooded Menace while moonhowler Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure croons for the stoner rockers Thermate.

While the initial inspiration for The Ghoulstars came after burning rubber to Venom, The Dark Overlords of the Universe is possessed by a love for everything that blew the band’s minds as kids. The title track crosses surf beats, heavy riffing and a hair-raising transition into a chorus that’s absolutely to die for. With Mötley Crüe’s pomp and the can’t-do attitude of Twisted Sister roaming its halls, lead single “Too Ghoul for School” is jam-packed with more fun-filled ‘80s antics than Saturday afternoon detention.  

“The record is unique, catchy and a really fun listen”, says Triptykon guitarist and vocalist V. Santura, who mixed and mastered The Dark Overlords of the Universe.

The Misfits, White Zombie and other cultishly beloved touchstones like The Wolfman jump out during the album’s crisp 34-minute runtime. “Graverobbers from Outer Space” pays homage to an Ed Wood B-horror classic with a headbanging chorus, though not many straight-up punk rippers are enlivened by a doomy C-part and güiro. The Ghoulstars also enter original plots into horror’s hallowed crypt. Set amidst the cruel unfeeling world of the Wild West, “The Dead in Purgatory” rides a galloping melody after Morricone’s heart into a sunset that’s colored by the fifty shades of Volbeat.

The Ghoulstars may be undead, but there’s nothing pale or lifeless about The Dark Overlords of the Universe. Thanks to the rapid anticipation around the album, the band have signed to Nem Agency, which is one of the largest music promoters in Finland. Keep your eyes peeled for more live dates coming soon!

Tracklist
1. Too Ghoul for School (3:57) [WATCH]
2. The Dead in Purgatory (4:04)
3. Zombie Apocalypse (2:52)
4. The Dark Overlords of the Universe (3:43) [WATCH]
5. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (3:16)
6. Graverobbers from Outer Space (3:46) [WATCH]
7. The Wolfman (2:48)
8. The Ballad of the Cursed Bandits (2:19)
9. Vampire (2:58)
10. They Dance Upon Our Graves (3:52)

Old crusty metalheads can be stuck in their ways, but The Ghoulstars are a fresh — and frightening — blast from the past. Since invading the land of the living back in 2021, the horror punk supergroup has captivated press and tantalized crowds in their native haunt of Finland without releasing a single bloody track. Until now! Evil mastermind Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso and his fellow pop-culture junkies are raising the cobwebbed curtain from their blockbuster debut album. On The Dark Overlords of the Universe, no tome is too sacred for these ghouls to summon back to life!  

“The Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to our fifteen-year-old selves”, Laakso says. “It’s crammed with headbanging metal riffs, shout-along punk rock choruses, B-movie easter eggs, ‘80s aesthetics, surprising curveballs and the sheer joy of all the pieces falling into the right places. Move over, Rover, and let the ghouls take over!”.

Despite their ghostly appearance, The Ghoulstars are a collection of real talent. Axeman Laakso and goose-bumping drummer Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen shared a past life together in the Top Ten charting Finnish death-doom band Kuolemanlaakso. Bassist Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen formerly haunted the low end for Season of Mist labelmates Hooded Menace while moonhowler Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure croons for the stoner rockers Thermate.  

Banding The Ghoulstars together is a freaky obsession with the classic metal, punk and movies that blew their minds as kids. The Dark Overlords of the Universe is named after the many-teethed mutants from the 1986 cult classic Howard the Duck. “I grew up during a time when movies in Finland were censored, so my hobby was collecting uncensored VHS tapes of horror and sci-fi movies any way I could”, Laakso reveals. As a young skeleton, he frequently raided European record store crates for The Misfits, Bad Religion and obscure metal finds, though the album’s lead single spun off from his schooling in the U.S. With Mötley Crüe’s pomp and the can’t-do attitude of Twisted Sister roaming its halls, lead single “Too Ghoul for School” is jam-packed with more fun-filled ‘80s antics than Saturday afternoon detention.  

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Lost Boys and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are some of my favorite movies”, Laakso applauds. “I love the cliched characters: the nerds, the jocks, the cool kids and the rebels. They remind me of my junior high school days”.

To bring their ingenious creation to life, The Ghoulstars summoned V. Santura of the mighty Triptykon for the mixing and mastering of The Dark Overlords of the Universe. “Graverobbers from Outer Space” pays homage to Ed Wood’s B-horror classic Plan 9 from Outer Space with a straight-up headbanging chorus, though not many clear-cut punk rippers are enlivened by a doomy C-part and güiro. “That’s one of my favorite moments on the album”, Laakso recalls. The Wolfman, a zombie apocalypse, the brain that wouldn’t die and other cultishly beloved touchstones jump out during the album’s crisp 34-minute runtime. Though the band also enter original plots to horror’s hallowed crypt. Set amidst the cruel unfeeling world of the Wild West, “The Dead in Purgatory” rides a galloping melody after Morricone’s heart into a sunset that’s colored by the fifty shades of Volbeat.

“No spoilers, but all cowboy hats aside, that song deals with feeling hopeless and abandoned by someone close to you who needs but refuses your help”, teases Laakso.  

The Ghoulstars may be undead, but there’s nothing pale or lifeless about The Dark Overlords of the Universe. The title track crosses surf beats, heavy riffing and a hair-raising transition into a chorus that’s absolutely to die for. “We can’t wait to unleash this delightful horror upon the world”, Laakso says with an ominous glint in his bloodshot eye. “As V. Santura told me: ‘The record is unique, catchy and a really fun listen’”.        

With The Dark Overlords of the Universe, The Ghoulstars direct a monstrously catchy mash-up between metal, punk and B-horror.

Lineup
Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso – Guitars
Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen – Drums
Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure – Vocals
Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen – Bass

Guest musicians
Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns (…and Oceans, Finntrol) – Backing Growls
Tommi “Tuple” Salmela (Tarot, Raskasta Joulua, Lazy Bones) – Backing Vocals on “The Dark Overlords of the Universe”)

Production credits
Produced by Markus Laakso
Guitars recorded by Markus Laakso and Erkka Närhi
Vocals recorded by Markus Laakso and Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns
Drums recorded by Erkka Närhi
Bass recorded by Samu Männikkö and Markus Laakso
Percussion recorded by Markus Laakso
Mixed & Mastered by V. Santura at Woodshed Studio in Germany

Cover art: Niko Anttila

Follow The Ghoulstars
Official website: http://www.theghoulstars.com
Bandcamp: https://theghoulstars.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Pr3ThFZK0tnUDqDSlMuBX
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-ghoulstars/1872811142
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGhoulstars
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theghoulstars/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theghoulstars/