There is something gloriously unhinged about a band that mixes horror movies, punk attitude, heavy metal riffs and a Cadillac once owned by Alexi Laiho.
Enter The Ghoulstars, Finland’s newest horror punk spectacle who have finally crawled out of the crypt with their long awaited debut album The Dark Overlords of the Universe, arriving May 15 through Season of Mist.
Since first appearing in 2021, the skeletal horror crew have been teasing crowds and press across Finland without releasing a single track. The mystery only made their reputation grow louder. Now the ghouls are finally ready to unleash their first full length slab of monstrous fun and the result is a wild mash up of heavy metal, punk rock swagger and B movie madness.
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A Love Letter To Monsters, Metal And Movies
At the centre of The Ghoulstars stands mastermind Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso, whose vision for the band pulls directly from the pop culture obsessions of his youth.
“The Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to everything that blew our minds as kids,” Laakso explains.
The album blends huge metal riffs with fist pumping punk choruses, playful curveballs and countless references to classic horror and science fiction films. It is a record built on nostalgia but delivered with the reckless energy of a band clearly having the time of their undead lives.
The album title itself comes from the grotesque mutant villains in the cult classic Howard the Duck, giving you a perfect snapshot of the twisted sense of humour running through the entire record.
Too Ghoul For School
Lead single Too Ghoul for School sets the tone perfectly.
The track plays out like a supernatural high school comedy captured on an old VHS tape. Surf driven drums crash through the track while spooky tremolo guitars and rowdy bass lines propel a chorus that is built for raised horns and shouted hooks.
The video pushes the concept even further with evil teachers, a pet werewolf and a rebellious joyride in a Cadillac that once belonged to the late Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho of Children of Bodom.
For Laakso, the inspiration came from the movies that defined his youth.
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Lost Boys and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are some of my favourite movies,” he says. “I love the classic characters. The nerds, the jocks, the cool kids and the rebels. They remind me of my junior high school days.”
A Supergroup Beneath The Skeleton Paint
Despite the tongue in cheek horror aesthetic, The Ghoulstars are far from amateurs.
Behind the skeletal masks sits an impressive lineup of musicians drawn from Finland’s heavy underground. Laakso and drummer Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen previously played together in the Finnish death doom outfit Kuolemanlaakso, while bassist Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen once handled low end duties for Hooded Menace.
Vocalist Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure brings his own rock pedigree from the stoner band Thermate, adding another layer of grit to the band’s energetic attack.
Helping bring the entire monstrous creation to life is producer and mixer V. Santura of Triptykon, whose work behind the desk ensures that the album’s blend of punk chaos and metal muscle lands with serious weight.
Horror, Surf Beats And Heavy Metal
Across its tight thirty four minute runtime, The Dark Overlords of the Universe jumps between horror themed storytelling and explosive riffs with gleeful abandon.
Tracks like Graverobbers from Outer Space nod to classic B horror cinema while delivering straight up headbanging metal energy, while the title track fuses surf rock rhythms with heavy riffing before exploding into a massive chorus.
Elsewhere, The Dead in Purgatory takes listeners on a darker journey into the Wild West with a galloping melody that tips its hat toward Ennio Morricone while weaving in shades of Volbeat style groove.
Beneath all the horror references and cinematic easter eggs there are real emotional themes hiding in the shadows too.
Without giving too much away, Laakso hints that some songs dig into feelings of abandonment and isolation, proving the band’s storytelling runs deeper than just campy horror fun.
Horror Punk With Teeth
The Ghoulstars may dress like creatures from the grave, but their music is anything but lifeless.
The Dark Overlords of the Universe delivers exactly what the band promised. A monstrously catchy collision of punk attitude, heavy metal riffs and cult movie madness that feels both nostalgic and strangely fresh.
For fans of The Misfits, White Zombie and classic horror cinema, this is one hell of a ride.
And judging by the pure joy bleeding through every riff and chorus, it sounds like the ghouls are just getting started.
