GHOUL’S TRANSMISSION ZERO KEEPS ITS RIFFS AND BLADES SHARP

October is upon us, and with it, the lot of us are bombarded with kitschy, brass-hinged, cardboard jack-o’-lanterns and rubber bats spewing over-dyed corn syrup via time-release mechanisms settled in their plastic innards. It’s a time of haunted hayrides, zombie-infested corn mazes, and other equally tepid Halloween-esque activities likely only to scare those under the age of six.

Now, imagine if you will, a world so ghastly, so horrifically twisted and hellish, even the most sadistic of creatures would break down in violent sobs at the very notion. A town so riddled with death and dire desperation that the streets overflow with tribes of gargantuan maggots and the most thriving business is that of the local coffin shop. Halloween isn’t just an overly-saccharin-ized holiday in this realm, and maybe this is why the anthems derived from this environment continue to bombard us with vigorous, horror-fueled thrash.  That’s right; drenched in the bloodied sewage from the bowels of Creepsylvania, Ghoul has come back with Transmission Zero, and they’ve kept their riffs (and blades) sharp.

*Ahem*

Alright, back to the real world, wherein this band actually does continue to rule — as horribly deranged, disfigured numbskulls or otherwise.

A follow-up to 2006’s Splatterthrash, Transmission seems on point with the progression the band has made over the years, and that’s made clear right off the bat. The album opens with the instrumental track “The Lunatic Hour,” giving the listener a taste of what to expect from the balance of the record: eerily robotic and peppered with tight, catchy riffs. Even past the blood and the hoods and purportedly missing eyes, Ghoul has time and again proven to be pretty fucking proficient in their musicianship as well as their songwriting. These are skills which they continue to perfect, and it shows — songs like “Off with Their Heads” and “The Mark of Voodoo” are prime examples of this on all fronts.

That said, it could be argued that this album is, on the whole, a touch less raucous than what they’ve released in the past. But that doesn’t means this is a slow album — there are plenty of face-melting tracks worthy of a decent bang-over. I foresee many a sweat-soaked studded vest in the crowd at their shows coming up with GWAR this month, that’s for damn sure.

Like it or not, there is no ignoring Ghoul’s penchant for theatrics, both in their music and in stage show. Their newest album is, of course, kept in a similar, terror-fueled vein, in that each song is written as if the goal were not to complete only a record, but to construct a massive, blood-soaked comic book. This fact alone either draws new listeners in or sends them running to the hills, screaming about the outlandish ridiculousness of it all. Fans of Ghoul (or “Ghoulunatics”) not only appreciate these tactics, they embrace it. While I stand by my belief that they are more than just a joke-band (again, their musical proficiency speaks for itself in that regard), the fact remains that this band is out there, shredding faces, and laughing at the prospect of being taken completely seriously. After all, these guys didn’t crawl out of the sewers to rub elbows with the metal elite, staring down at the rest of us through their soiled hoods; they came to  rage. As long as they continue to dole out ripping guitar and bass-work, painfully violent drumming, and a fucking good time with each album like they have on Transmission Zero, I don’t think many metal fans will be disappointed.

(four out of five horns)

-Kellhammer