The Ghoulstars pay homage to Ed Wood classic on ‘Graverobbers from Outer Space’

Flying saucers, open graves, mind pollution, mushroom clouds and evil villains with a smile on their face. Meet THE GHOULSTARS, a fresh – and frightening blast from pop-culture’s past. Since beaming down onto their native haunt of Finland, this White Zombie-loving group of horror punks have captivated press and tantalized crowds without releasing a single bloody track. Until now! On their blockbuster debut album, The Dark Overlords of the Universe, no tome is too sacred for these ghouls to summon back to life!

Now, The Ghoulstars shared the second advance single from The Dark Overlords of the Universe. “Graverobbers from Outer Space” pays faithful homage to Ed Wood’s 1957 cult classic Plan 9 from Outer Space, but the band spin off a few spooky twists of their own.

“‘Graverobbers from Outer Space’ is one of my favorite songs on The Dark Overlords of the Universe”, The Ghoulstars guitarist Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso says. “Horror movies are practically in my blood flow, especially quirky classic like Plan 9 from Outer Space. This song was written as a straightforward pile-driving tribute, though I can’t think of many punk rock songs that have a doomy C-part and güiro”.

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 Finland’s Top Ten charting Kuolemanlaakso.

What bands these ghouls together on “Graverobbers from Outer Space” is their morbid fascination with classic cult cinema. Filmed in grainy black and white after Ed Wood’s own heart, the song’s music video leaps off the screen. Fellow horror aficionados will spot plenty of Easter eggs: Beetlejuice’s threads, the dashing and deadly Vampira, a flying saucer cited from a thinly veiled piece of string. The song’s infectious chorus will have even the crustiest of old metalheads barking at the moon. But it’s the dark and doomy riffs, followed by a mysterious presence of güiro, that add a delightfully unexpected twist to this monstrously catchy mash-up.

“The Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to everything that blew our minds as kids”, Laakso says. “The 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.

Old crusty metalheads can be stuck in their ways, but THE GHOULSTARS are a fresh — and frightening — blast from the past. Since invading the land of the living back in 2021, the horror punk supergroup has captivated press and tantalized crowds in their native haunt of Finland without releasing a single bloody track. Until now! Evil mastermind Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso and his fellow pop-culture junkies are raising the cobwebbed curtain from their blockbuster debut album. On The Dark Overlords of the Universe, no tome is too sacred for these ghouls to summon back to life!

“The Dark Overlords of the Universe is a love letter to our fifteen-year-old selves”, Laakso says. “It’s crammed with headbanging metal riffs, shout-along punk rock choruses, B-movie easter eggs, ‘80s 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!”.

Despite their ghostly appearance, The Ghoulstars are a collection of real talent. Axeman Laakso and goose-bumping drummer Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen shared a past life together in the Top Ten charting Finnish death-doom band Kuolemanlaakso. Bassist Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen formerly haunted the low end for Season of Mist labelmates Hooded Menace while moonhowler Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure croons for the stoner rockers Thermate.

Banding The Ghoulstars together is a freaky obsession with the classic metal, punk and movies that blew their minds as kids. The Dark Overlords of the Universe is named after the many-teethed mutants from the 1986 cult classic Howard the Duck. “I grew up during a time when movies in Finland were censored, so my hobby was collecting uncensored VHS tapes of horror and sci-fi movies any way I could”, Laakso reveals. As a young skeleton, he frequently raided European record store crates for The Misfits, Bad Religion and obscure metal finds though the album’s lead single spun off from his schooling in the U.S. With Mötley Crüe’s pomp and the can’t-do attitude of Twisted Sister roaming its halls, lead single “Too Ghoul for School” is jam-packed with more fun-filled ‘80s antics than Saturday afternoon detention.

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Lost Boys and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are some of my favorite movies”, Laakso applauds. “I love the cliched characters: the nerds, the jocks, the cool kids and the rebels. They remind me of my junior high school days”.

To bring their ingenious creation to life, The Ghoulstars summoned V. Santura of the mighty Triptykon for the mixing and mastering of The Dark Overlords of the Universe. “Graverobbers from Outer Space” pays homage to Ed Wood’s B-horror classic Plan 9 from Outer Space with a straight-up headbanging chorus, though not many clear-cut punk rippers are enlivened by a doomy C-part and güiro. “That’s one of my favorite moments on the album”, Laakso recalls. The Wolfman, a zombie apocalypse, the brain that wouldn’t die and other cultishly beloved touchstones jump out during the album’s crisp 34-minute runtime. Though the band also enter original plots to horror’s hallowed crypt. Set amidst the cruel unfeeling world of the Wild West, “The Dead in Purgatory” rides a galloping melody after Morricone’s heart into a sunset that’s colored by the fifty shades of Volbeat.

“No spoilers, but all cowboy hats aside, that song deals with feeling hopeless and abandoned by someone close to you who needs but refuses your help”, teases Laakso.

The Ghoulstars may be undead, but there’s nothing pale or lifeless about The Dark Overlords of the Universe. The title track crosses surf beats, heavy riffing and a hair-raising transition into a chorus that’s absolutely to die for. “We can’t wait to unleash this delightful horror upon the world”, Laakso says with an ominous glint in his bloodshot eye. “As V. Santura told me: ‘The record is unique, catchy and a really fun listen’”.

With The Dark Overlords of the Universe, The Ghoulstars direct a monstrously catchy mash-up between metal, punk and B-horror.

Lineup:
Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso — Guitars
Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen — Drums
Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure — Vocals
Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen — Bass