There is a certain subset of people that have an inner glee at the strange and macabre. The Scabby Ghouls are most definitely these people. Scabby Ghouls have released an ode to zombies, horror, and fun. Scabby Ghouls (Out-O-Tune Records) is full of merry Halloween Punk. Short punchy songs make up the album. Thematically, Scabby Ghouls may only appeal to a niche audience, which is a shame as the song construction and musicianship are solid.

The first thing you notice listening to Scabby Ghouls is the guitar work. The guitar sound, provided by Louis Hazard, from start to finish is a nice earthy peat. There is full richness in the tone. It’s perfectly matched to singer Denise Hazard’s vocals. Alternating between scary around the campfire storytelling camp counselor, Siouxsie Sioux, and Exene Cervenka, Hazard’s vocals are a fantabulous focal point for the band. Scabby Ghouls attack horror themes such as shark attacks, stabby ghouls, tongue in cheek zombies from the Midwest, a hard-driving song about the Black Dahlia, a pogo-esque ode to Freddy Krueger, road rage, and a frenetically paced song about a knife fight.

Scabby Ghoul’s Scabby Ghouls clocks in at twenty minutes long. It’s a blitzkrieg attack of delight. The listener has fun whilst spinning the disk so it’s OK to play it over and over again. Scabby Ghouls is perfect party music.  As a whole, Scabby Ghouls has an upbeat enjoyable vibe. You can happily head-bang and frug to the beats. Despite the ghoulish themes, get it now and enjoy all year-long.

6 / 10

VICTORIA ANDERSON