by joseangeles@muchomail.com

This 3rd release from Ghoul isn't really like the previous two. The first one, my favorite Ghoul offering, had that killer gory death metal sound with a very creepy atmosphere. Then came the second release, a thrash worship album with death metal vocals, had its moments but I still enjoyed the first a lot more. Now comes Splatterthrash which has not only death metal and thrash but progressive metal and psychobilly too?! There's even some parts that sound bordeline black metal. I miss those thick death metal riffs We Came for the Dead had. Instead we get light thrashy punk riffs that sound like beer-soaked party music instead of gore-soaked horror metal. For being punk at the core (thanks to the DIY punk-quality production), the songs oddly have a prog-like structure, especially the instrumental one with long solos and taps. As much as I do dig that kinda stuff, it just isn't something I prefer Ghoul doing. I like my chinese restaurants cooking chinese food, not Mexican..if that makes sense. Then there's also those psychobilly/surf melodies, reminds me of the Munsters instead of an EC horror comic.

All in all, Ghoul has brought a lot of diversity into their sound but what got lost is that solid death metal grindiness that made me a fan of Ghoul to begin with. The only thing that somewhat stays the same to the original Ghoul sound is the shireky vocals trading off with low growls. There's actually one song with Killbot sounding like a Transformer though, so even the vocals get something new. It's tough being a band with a faithful following since the first release. You don't know whether to make the same album over and over again (thus boring fans) or to do something new (thus making fans cry for the old days back). I don't really know what would have been the right move for Ghoul, but all I know is that We Came for the Dead still has a special place in my heart. Yeah, it's a very original ambitious release but I personally can only listen to it for the novelty value of fusing progressive death/thrash punk with the occassional surf rock elements. Neat concept but not something I can enjoy daily or listen to often pretty much.

7/10