Release date: 15th May
Usually what happens when you discover a band is that you hear some songs by them and dig them, and then go and see them live to see how the songs translate in a live environment. Or sometimes you discover a band at a gig, enjoy their live spectacle and then check out their back catalogue when you get home. However Finnish horror punk outfit The Ghoulstars decided to do things a little different…they played their first show before they’d even released a single note of music, meaning the sole opinion you were able to form of them could only be from what you witnessed live! And personally? I feel that method of approach fits the whole vibe of the band pretty well.
The Dark Overlords of the Universe is a pretty fun debut piece. Clocking in at just over half an hour in duration, The Ghoulstars just get right down to business and deliver ten tracks of no-nonsense and to-the-point noisy songs, leaving you barely any room to catch your breath as they hit you with one solid track after another. Perhaps there’s a little bit of a lack of variety at times but hey, it’s punk – and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel when there’s nothing wrong with it to begin with.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, my personal favourite is The Brain That Wouldn’t Die, which happens to be the track with a vaguely doomy vibe and some absolutely gloriously heavy riffs to power the song forwards. The main melody that drives the song will just get stuck in your head, and you’ll keep wanting to come back to the track as a result. Along with opener Too Ghoul For School, which is just a fun, bouncy song tailor-made to be performed in front of an audience, it really stands out from the crowd and makes you want to pay attention.
Although The Ghoulstars are best enjoyed in a live environment, The Dark Overlords of the Universe stands nicely on its own as a standalone listen with really solid foundations, and is an all-round really enjoyable piece. Already keen for the next live show!
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