THE GHOULSTARS are a Finnish horror punk supergroup assembled in 2021 by guitarist and mastermind Markus "Daddy Ghoul" Laakso, formerly of the Top Ten-charting death-doom outfit KUOLEMANLAAKSO. He is joined by fellow KUOLEMANLAAKSO alumnus Toni "Ghoulio" Ronkainen on drums, ex-HOODED MENACE bassist Markus "Hella Ghoul" Makkonen, and THERMATE vocalist Arthur "LL Ghoul A" Thure. Guest appearances on the record come from Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns (...AND OCEANS, FINNTROLL) on backing growls and Tommi "Tuple" Salmela (TAROT, RASKASTA JOULUA, LAZY BONES) on the title track. Their debut full-length, The Dark Overlords of the Universe, is due 15 May 2026 via Season of Mist.
The band's path to this debut is unusual. After forming in 2021, THE GHOULSTARS spent four full years building a reputation in their native Finland purely through live shows and image — no demo, no single, not a single bloody track. In that span they still managed to draw international attention, including coverage from CNN, on the strength of presence alone. That kind of patience is rare in modern metal, where most bands rush something out within months of forming, and it sets up a high bar for a debut. Mixed and mastered by V. Santura of TRIPTYKON at Woodshed Studio in Germany, The Dark Overlords of the Universe is the moment the curtain finally rises.
The visual identity is fully committed: a logo cut from the same cloth as DANZIG and THE MISFITS, ghoulish corpsepaint on every member, and music videos that extend the same aesthetic into moving images. Nothing about the package is half-committed — it is a coherent world, not a costume layered over a metal band. Lyrically, the album is a guided tour through pop-culture horror. The songs travel from outer space to Wild West train robberies, from purgatory to high school detention, and the bestiary on display covers nearly every classic monster: ghouls, vampires, wolfmen, zombies, brain-in-a-jar nightmares — you name it, it shows up. The album takes its name from the many-teethed alien mutants in the 1986 cult flop Howard the Duck, and that B-movie love runs through the whole record, with nods to Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space, Lucio Fulci, George Romero, and the '80s coming-of-age comedies Laakso grew up on.
Musically, the album is fast-paced and catchy from start to finish. Tracks sit tightly in the three-to-four-minute range, with nothing overstaying its welcome — the whole thing wraps up in a crisp 34 minutes. The foundation is heavy metal, with horror rock riffing layered on top, and Ghoulio's drums are the anchor. On most tracks, the drums are the first instrument the listener hears, setting the tone and the pace before anything else enters the frame. They function as the rhythmic spine that lets the riffs and the cinematic flourishes work without losing momentum.
The title track is probably the catchiest moment on the album and works as the band's mission statement — it distills exactly what THE GHOULSTARS are about, blending surf beats, heavy riffing, and a chorus designed to lodge itself on first listen. "Too Ghoul for School" channels MÖTLEY CRÜE's swagger and TWISTED SISTER's attitude into a high school romp. "Graverobbers from Outer Space" pays tribute to Ed Wood with a headbanging chorus, a doomy C-part decorated with güiro, and a death metal finish that arrives just when the song seems ready to wrap. "The Dead in Purgatory" rides a galloping Morricone-tinged melody into VOLBEAT-coloured territory, dealing lyrically with feeling abandoned by someone who needs help but refuses to take it.
"The Ballad of the Cursed Bandits" deserves its own spotlight. The track opens with punk vibes before heavier riffing takes over toward the end, and it is masterfully accompanied by cinematic sound effects — gunshots, train horns, galloping horses — that fully sell the Wild West setting. It's the clearest example of how committed THE GHOULSTARS are to atmosphere — the samples never feel like decoration, they feel like part of the song's structure.
What holds the record together is sequencing. The Dark Overlords of the Universe is not a collection of random songs stitched together into an album — it is a tastefully assembled, consistent piece. The flow between tracks is deliberate, themes echo across the runtime, and the album plays like one continuous experience rather than a playlist. That kind of cohesion is hard to fake on a debut, and it is one of the album's biggest strengths.
This is a solid debut, but it is no surprise given the pedigree behind the masks. THE GHOULSTARS are not a band of beginners — every member has years of recording and touring behind them, and the polish on display reflects that. The Dark Overlords of the Universe is unique, catchy, and disturbingly entertaining. Four years of patient build-up have paid off in full: the world finally gets to hear what Finland has known since 2021.
Promo provided by Season of Mist.
Links:
- Official site: theghoulstars.com
- Season of Mist: season-of-mist.com/bands/the-ghoulstars
- Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/2Pr3ThFZK0tnUDqDSlMuBX