Flying saucers, a pet werewolf, Ghostbustinâ proton streams, joyrides in the Cadillac that once belonged to Children of Bodom vocalist and guitarist Alexi âWildchildâ Laiho. Meet The Ghoulstars, a fresh – and frightening blast from pop-cultureâs 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, hits shelves tomorrow, Friday, May 15.
âA monstrously good opening move thatâs sure to invite repeated listensâ, Soundi wrote about The Dark Overlords of the Universe in a 4/5 review. âThis is a band youâll definitely want to hear more from in the futureâ.
âItâs like a delicious kidâs cereal that has a shockingly healthy nutritional label and way more fiber than you remember: itâs good shitâ, New Noise attests in an interview with The Ghoulstars guitarist Markus âDaddy Ghoulâ 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.
âThe Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to our fifteen-year-old selvesâ, Laakso says. âItâs crammed with headbanging metal riffs, shout-along punk rock choruses, B-movie Easter eggs, â80s 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!â.
Listen to The Dark Overlords of the Universe
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12″ Colored Vinyl Gatefold (Yellow, red and white marbled)
Despite their ghostly appearance, The Ghoulstars are a collection of real talent. Axeman Daddy Ghoul and goose-bumping drummer Toni âGhoulioâ Ronkainen shared a past life together in Kuolemanlaakso. Bassist Markus âHella Ghoulâ Makkonen formerly haunted the low end for Hooded Menace while moonhowler Arthur âLL Ghoul Aâ 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 bandâs minds as kids. The title track crosses surf beats, heavy riffing and a hair-raising transition into a chorus thatâs absolutely to die for. With Mötley Crüeâs pomp and the canât-do attitude of Twisted Sister roaming its halls, lead single âToo Ghoul for Schoolâ is jam-packed with more fun-filled â80s antics than Saturday afternoon detention.
âThe record is unique, catchy and a really fun listenâ, 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 albumâs crisp 34-minute runtime. âGraverobbers from Outer Spaceâ 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 horrorâs hallowed crypt. Set amidst the cruel unfeeling world of the Wild West, âThe Dead in Purgatoryâ rides a galloping melody after Morriconeâs heart into a sunset thatâs colored by the fifty shades of Volbeat.
The Ghoulstars may be undead, but thereâs 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!
More advanced praise for The Dark Overlords of the Universe
âThe Ghoulstars are not here to politely tap on the coffin lid. They are kicking it open, dragging a stack of old VHS tapes behind them, cranking the riffs, and throwing listeners head first into a world of horror punk, metal, cult cinema, big choruses and glorious B movie madnessâ – Crannk
âThe Ghoulstars look every inch the genreâs breakout act of 2026â – My Global Mind
âThe Dark Overlords of the Universe is unique, catchy, and disturbingly entertainingâ – The Metallist
âHorror punk at its finestâ – Ramzine
â[â¦]The Dark Overlords of the Universe is pretty irresistibleâ – Sentinel Daily
âFans of The Misfits, Wednesday 13, and White Zombie should swarm to this like freshly turned corpses sniffing out warm fleshâ – Black Angel Promotion
âIf you enjoy music steeped in pop culture and horror films, grab this album and devour it like the vile creatures you areâ. – Pavillon666
âThe 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 anotherâ – Soundscape
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