Masks, secret identities and scary pseudonyms are nothing new but Oakland horrors Ghoul clearly aren’t here to rely on gimmicks. Formed in 2001, the Californian act comprises four members who go by names like Digestor, Cremator, Fermentor, and Dissector.
With five full length albums and numerous splits and singles to their name, Noxious Concoctions (Tankcrimes Records) is the band’s third EP and is sure to please longterm fans and new listeners alike as the foetid foursome combine grindcore and death metal with so much more to make the unholiest and most disgusting of rackets.
In suitably creepy style, the seven minute ‘The Eyes Of The Witch’ opens with a Wiccan ritual before commencing properly with a simple but chunky riff, rolling drums and distorted sixties surf guitar. With each member of the band contributing vocals, we get a wide range of gutturals and screams, from higher pitched snarls to low phlegmy rumbles. A great way to kick things off, the guitar solo is absolutely on point, as is the punishing, groove-inflamed middle section, the only disappointment being that the song annoyingly just fades out rather than finishing with the blast of climactic feral energy is deserves.
A lightning fast facemelter with a neck-breaking tremolo riff and a guitar solo lifted from the Kerry King School of Whammy, the title track is an absolute beast and even ends on a fantastic “bleh!”, an objectively more decisive denouement this time. Next up is “Shotgun Gulch”, all mid-paced chugs and vocals that sound like the contents of someone’s stomach being emptied into a toilet bowl before climaxing with gang vocals and more surf guitar.
The charmingly titled “Ratlicker” is a suitably foul blast of rotten punky violence before the EP ends with a pleasingly putrid cover of “1-900-DTH-LINE” by now defunct Washington death/thrash crossover act Funerot.
Incorporating elements of thrash, death, punk, hardcore and grindcore, Noxious Concoctions might only last a little longer than a quarter of an hour but it still manages to cram in so much decomposing goodness without ever feeling overloaded. A short, sharp shock of brutal, horrific fun.
Buy the album here:
https://tankcrimes.merchtable.com/
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK