The GhoulsThis awesome four piece comes from the wonderful city I call home, Philadelphia, home of cheesesteaks and gun violence. Also home to some of the best punk rock you'll hear. They say it's in the wooder (water for you out of towners). They formed in 2001 and pretty much had a total lineup change with the only original member being the singer Robert Price. Thus far they have released the "We Are Dead Demo" and the "It's Your Time to Die" EP which was released on Mark Unseen's label, ADD Records.
I'm glad these guys got in contact with me because this shit is some top shelf horror hardcore punk with loads of well used melody driven choruses and awesome horror punk influenced lyrics. At times these guys remind me a lot of Protagonist's early days, except the lyrics, although the song "Servants of Youth" really reminds me a lot of them, and the lyrics also help in that comparison. You can definitely hear the bands influences: The Misfits, The Ramones, The Clash, The Unseen, The Casualties, and their hometown boys, The Virus.
These guys kept my attention throughout the 12 tracks on this album, they keep it moving throughout each song, which is typically around the 2:30 minute mark. Their energy really bleeds over onto recordings so I can only imagine how hype these guys must be live.
Their lyrics are quality, you can definitely tell they are huge fans of The Misfits. While the band takes a serious stance on some issues such as the alarming suicide rates among teens (Suicide Club), searching for yourself throughout your young life (Lose Control), having a friend who is bipolar (Jekyll & Hyde). They also like to have fun with their lyrics, the song "No Fear" is about exorcism, "Kill Doll" is about a werewolf running rampant, "Desolation" is about aliens taking over the Earth. A nice balance of lyrical themes that kept me interested throughout.
They got some awesome production and recording done for this album. Mark Unseen (who also provides some back up vocals as well) and Jim Seagel produced and recorded this over at the legendary Outpost. It was then mastered at New Alliance by Nick Z. The tone of the album is nice and full which compliments the driving anthems the band plays. The guitar tone is nice and meaty, the bass is twanging around in the background with just enough presence, the drums are crisp and clean, the vocals are balanced perfectly in the mix. Also, the little sound clips from what I believe is Night Of The Living Dead, at the opening, middle, and closing of the album were a nice touch.
I am really liking this layout, shit is vicious. The front cover mixes in the classic punk aesthetic with modern day photoshopping. I love how they contrasted newspaper articles over top the Philadelphia skyline with a blood red sky. The band logo is sweet without being too over the top and the album title is displayed in typical punk fashion. The band and label put a lot of work into the layout; the booklet folds out to display a 6-panel poster of the band standing in some graffiti covered abandoned house. On the other side is a template of a tattered newspaper titled "The Philadelphia Review" aptly titled October 31, 2006 which displays all the quality lyrics. The tray art has the band members name and duties in the band. Good shit.
Rating: 4.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Suicide Club, Jekyll & Hyde and Stand Alone
Synopsis: I've been playing the shit out of this since I got it and I'm sure I will be in the future, one of the best up and coming punk bands out there, if you like punk I HIGHLY recommend these guys. The music is top notch, I really like the layout, production is straight quality. There is no reason not to pick this up.