Sold Date: August 10, 2018
Start Date: March 24, 2018
Final Price: $16.00 (USD)
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GHOUL - Splatterthrash LP (2016 Tankcrimes TC19)

Track Listing:
Into The Catacombs
As Your Casket Closes
Bury The Hatchet
Merde!
Cult of The Hunter
Mutant Mutilator
Psychoplasm
Gutbucket Rules
Rise, Killbot, Rise!
Life Of the Living Dead
Baron Samedi

Item Condition:
New. Factory sealed on color wax with download card.

Description:
There are many bands that have attempted to merge the elements of an abrasive, caustic metal sound with horror and humor. Very few succeed in this endeavor. Ghoul did that. There are some bands that have tried to cultivate a stage identity and use props and wear masks or costumes. Less bands have tried this and for many music fans, including myself, it does not work for me due to too much attention to the masks or props instead of the music. Ghoul nailed it, with right balance of gimmick and musical substance. But almost none can say that they had Oderus Urungus appear in their music videos. Ghoul achieved such an honor. Ghoul also created a smashing album with Splatterthrash. Unlike other albums like “We Came For the Dead,” “Splatterthrash” takes a more humorous and slick take on their monstrous sound. The style is also much more thrashy approach instead of the 100% death metal approach of their earlier years. The slick Halloween-y (yes I just said Halloween-y) sounding production allows for more creepy and eerie riffs and licks to rise to their full potential in terms of their range. I say Halloween-y due to songs like “Psychoplasm” and “Baron Samedi.” They both sound like a chase through a cemetery at night. There is also a “surf” element to these tracks because of the guitar picking and drum rhythms that are scattered about these two songs that make them absolutely unique. The sound and vibe of Ghoul on this release is also one of a kind. “Into the Catacombs,” “Merde!,” and “Rise, Killbot, Rise” were arguably the best songs on the album for a multitude of reasons. The first of these three is the album’s most well-rounded instrumental and lures its listener in with a quiet guitar that sounds like a lonely crow calling its last caw, and then Dissector and Co. sweep you off your feet with a full band assault of guitars and drums. Merde! had a nice groove throughout littered with bass key changes under the guitar riffs, eerie synths, and changes in tempos that make the song complete. “Splatterthrash’s” longest track and my favorite of this album is “Rise, Killbot, Rise.” I loved the robotic voice used in the verses and the humorous references to the album art of this release. Also, the song structure was entertaining and offers the listener a great insight into the band’s full spectrum of sound. The content and quality of the music and lyrics in “Spaltterthrash” was good in some categories but seriously lacked in others. The biggest problem with this record is by far the repetitive nature of the chord progressions used in songs like “As Your Casket Closes” or “Into the Catacombs.” But the production by Dan Randall was different than “We Came For the Dead” and “Maniaxe.” The playing on “Splatterthrash” was more sensitive to the sound of all instruments used. I can tell that the band members actually listened to each other when they were recording these tunes. The lyrics of this album were very original. None of it was the stereotypical lyrical content about metalheads destroying things, some nuclear waste meltdown or causing a riot. It was nothing like that, only completely unique lyrics. I think that the most Ghoul fans will like or at the very least appreciate the change in sound for this great band. The band went from being a no-nonsense pure death metal band, to this morbid comedy group. This concept worked for me, but I doubt that it did the same for others. This issue of changing your band’s sound and image has worked for some (Death) but completely backfired for others (Metallica). The record even features a didgeridoo player and an organist, Baron Samedi and “Mr. Fang.” This band’s taste is eclectic, and it’s obvious. And speaking of change, check out the album art of “Splatterthrash.” It’s too much to handle at first due to its over the top cartoon-like look, littered with speech bubbles and all sort of morbid debauchery. It features all of the members of the band (including Cremator playing an upright bass), Killbot, Gore Bore, and a pack of ravenous characters who entertain the eye. - Metal Archives

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