Ghostbustinâ proton streams, blaster-packing astro clones, creatures from a galaxy far, far away, an astro clone army, and a hit song to die for. 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 and other international press. Their blockbuster debut album, The Dark Overlords of the Universe, hits shelves on 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.
Today, The Ghoulstars are beaming with excitement to release the third and final advanced single from The Dark Overlords of the Universe. While a reference to an â80s cult classic, the title track is destined for instant world domination with its stellar mash-up of metal and punk.
âThe Dark Overlords of the Universe are an evil alien race from the 1986 film Howard the Duckâ, The Ghoulstars guitarist Markus âDaddy Ghoulâ Laakso says. âThe movie bombed at the box office, but Iâm glad those many-teethed mutants never left my brain. Not only did they give us the perfect name for our first album, they also spawned the title track, which is probably the catchiest song Iâve ever written. We are excited to finally unleash it upon the world!â.
Watch the fun and far-out music video for âThe Dark Overlords of the Universeâ, written and directed by Daddy Ghoul himself, on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/IN2ayt2im0Y?si=b0LKG1-mzQOxWYvl
The Dark Overlords of the Universe comes out May 15, 2026 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/theghoulstarsdarkoverlords
Available formats
Digital Download
CD Digipack
12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12″ Colored Vinyl Gatefold (Yellow, red and white marbled)
Despite their ghostly appearance, The Ghoulstars are a collection of real talent. The band features an all-star cast of current and former members of death-doom royalty and Season of Mist labelmates Hooded Menace, stoner rockers Thermate and Finlandâs Top Ten charting Kuolemanlaakso.
What bands these ghouls together on âThe Dark Overlords of the Universeâ is their expansive knowledge of the pop-culture galaxy. With its opening crawl, the music video quickly displays its admiration for George Lucasâ longest-running franchise. Fellow film buffs will marvel over the visual cues to Barbarella, Kill Bill, Sin City and the Swedish buddy cop romp Kopps. The song itself is an irresistible crossover. The ingenuous combination of surf beats, heavy riffs and a cameo from Finnish star and Fly-Eyed master Tuple Salmela produces a chorus that shall never ever grow old.
âThe Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to everything that blew our minds as kidsâ, Laakso says. âThe album is loaded with huge riffs, big choruses, surprising curve balls and Easter eggs from old horror, sci-fi and coming-of-age movies. Holding it all together is our sheer joy in watching all the pieces fall into the right place.
The video for âThe Dark Overlords of the Universeâ was written and directed by Markus âDaddy Ghoulâ Laakso.
Additional video credits
Cinematography, editing and VFX by Riku Jokinen
Lighting by Sami Kokkonen
Set design and villain wardrobe by Markus Laakso
Starring
The Ghoulstars feat. Tuple Salmela as the Dark Overlords of the Universe
Miika Kinnunen as the Astro Clone Army
Pasi Kankkunen as the Fly-Eyed Master
Tuple Salmela as the Fly-Eyed Master reincarnated
Toni Hiltunen, Kalle-Pekka Salmela, Sami Kokkonen, Maasu Matilainen and Pasi Kankkunen as the Unfortunate Five
More advanced praise for The Dark Overlords of the Universe
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
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