Ghoul is an American death/thrash metal band from Oakland, California, formed in 2001. Though the members conceal their identities, some members or past members of Ghoul play or have played in other bands such as Impaled, Dystopia, Wolves in the Throne Room, Exhumed, Phobia, Morbid Angel, Asunder and Morbosidad. Ghoul has released five studio albums.
Contents
History
The band released its first album, We Came for the Dead!!!, through Razorback Records in 2002. It followed with Maniaxe in 2003 and Splatterthrash in 2006. Across these releases, Ghoul developed a continuing fictional storyline that became part of its identity.
The story takes place in Creepsylvania, an invented country whose inhabitants include the band’s characters. Elements of this setting also appear in its concerts, which feature costumes, fake blood, and staged encounters with monsters and robots. www.kerrang.com
In 2011, Ghoul released its fourth album, Transmission Zero, through Tankcrimes Records. The album continued the band’s narrative and placed greater emphasis on its thrash metal influences. A review in Lambgoat noted that some earlier recordings had leaned more toward death metal and grindcore.
Ghoul explored surf music on the six-track EP Hang Ten, released in 2014. The mostly instrumental recording was prepared for Record Store Day and recorded by Salvador Raya at Earhammer Studios in Oakland, with mastering by Dan Randall. www.horrorsociety.com
The band’s fifth studio album, Dungeon Bastards, was released by Tankcrimes on July 29, 2016. music.apple.com That year, Ghoul was announced as one of the supporting acts on Carcass’s American “One Foot in the Grave” tour, alongside Crowbar and Night Demon.
According to Kerrang!, Dungeon Bastards brought Ghoul and Tankcrimes their first appearances on Billboard’s Heatseekers and Hard Rock charts. The magazine also reported that the band had opened for Cannibal Corpse and GWAR.
In 2018, Ghoul released a split single with rapper Ill Bill, featuring “Pentagram” and “Splatterthrash 2: Thrash Damage.” The following year, the band announced a crowdfunding campaign for Ghoul: Born to Kill, a horror comic written and illustrated by Ross Sewage. The project expanded the Creepsylvania storyline through stories involving the band and characters from its stage shows. Its planned format included a color cover and 24 black-and-white pages, drawing on the tradition of EC and Warren horror comics.
Style
Ghoul plays a blend of thrash metal and grindcore with death metal vocals and lyrics. Kerrang! described the band as "cannibal thrashers".
The masked members go by the stage names Digestor, Cremator, Dissector and Fermentor. The band's lyrics describe a large cast of characters, including themselves. Much of the known information concerning the band comes from the "Curio Shop Owner", one of the many characters mentioned in their songs. They claim to be mutants that come from Creepsylvania.
Members
Sean "Digestor" McGrath – lead guitar, lead vocals (2001–present)
Ross "Cremator" Sewage – bass, backing vocals (2003–present)
Peter "Dissector" Svoboda – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2014–present)
Adam "Fermentor" Houman – drums, backing vocals (2022–present)
Former members
Justin "Dr. X" Green – drums (2001)
Raul "Fermentor" Varela – drums (2001–2004)
Andrew "Cremator" LaBarre – rhythm guitar, bass, backing vocals (2001–2003)
Dino "Fermentor" Sommese – drums, backing vocals (2004–2013)
Dan "Dissector" Randall – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004–2014)
Peژ "Fermentor" Mon – drums (2013–2017)
Justin "Fermentor" Ennis – drums, backing vocals (2017–2020)
Live crew/character performers
Scott Bryan
Peter "Pove" Povey
Scotty Heath
Dave Swafford
Peter "Hmong the Living" Vang
Characters
Mr. Fang – The Curio Shop Owner
The Swamp Hag – Witch
The Mutant Mutilator – aka The Gore Boar
Killbot – Mark I and Mark II (with Walt Disney's brain)
The Ghoul Hunter
Kogar the Destructor
Baron Samedi
Constance Spoogeous – Death Humper – Holocaust survivor – Child Predator – Salvation Army Bell Ringer
The Grand Basilisk – The Cult Leader
Skuz – Crusty punk and owner of the Dog Armpit
Kreeg – Motorcycle and surfing enthusiast, monster
Commandant Yanish Dobrunkum – Ruler of Creepsylvania
Bernard Fussbottom – Tech entrepreneur and inventor of the I-Eye Mark I
Discography
Studio albums
We Came for the Dead!!! (2002, Razorback Records)
Maniaxe (2003, Razorback Records)
Splatterthrash (2006, Razorback Records) (reissue 2011, Tankcrimes)
Transmission Zero (2011, Tankcrimes)
Hang Ten (EP) (2014, Tankcrimes)
Dungeon Bastards (2016, Tankcrimes)
Noxious Concoctions (EP) (2024 Tankcrimes)
Live albums
Live In The Flesh (2021, Tankcrimes)
Compilation and split albums
We Came for the Dead & Maniaxe (2008, Tankcrimes)
Ghoul / Brody's Militia (2008, Rescued from Life Records)
Splatterhash (split with Cannabis Corpse, 2013, Tankcrimes)
Ill Bill / Ghoul (2018, Tankcrimes)
Demo
Ghoul's Night Out (2001, self-released demo)
"Graveyard Mosh"
"Ghoul"
"Rot Gut"
"Ghouls Night Out" (Misfits cover)
Single
"Kids in America" (2012, Tankcrimes; Kim Wilde cover)
"Nazi Smasher" (2020, Tankcrimes)