Classic Review - das Ghoul - Noise-Das-Noire

 

das Ghoul

Noise-Das-Noire

Originally released on October 31st 2019

Calling this a 'classic review' is perhaps a misnomer. Not you understand because of the quality of the release (more on that in a second), but because when you read the word 'classic' your mind no doubt is taken to Horror Punk of old; the big daddy, The Misfits. Maybe Blitzkid. Screaming Dead to keep things local. Maybe even some old school T.S.O.L.? Well, whilst a release from 2019 may not be of the same vintage as those mentioned (indeed, for this blog 'classic' will just mean anything released before the blog's inception!), this initial offering from Oxford's das Ghoul does share something in common with at least one of those bands. T.S.O.L. could have been their own scene's Horror tinged synth masters ('Beneath the Shadows' remains a chronically under-appreciated second album from the So-Cal masters of gothic-punk) if audiences were more open, and Das Ghoul could very well be the UK's current answer to that admittedly slightly niche sub-genre of a sub-genre. Describing themselves as 'Gothic-tinged, horror-stained, punk'n'roll terrorpop', this is 13 songs of incessantly catchy synth-pop-horror-punk that runs through the usual horror tropes and themes, but does it extremely well. It never outlives its welcome (the band being masters of writing short songs that indeed leave you wanting more, a rare commodity) and the gothic, slightly-Victorian feel to the album evokes a pretty original and enticing sound.

Starting off with the chillingly strong 'There's Something Wrong with Sara-Jane', a rollicking horror punk masterclass on the theme of possession and exorcism, the album never lets up. As an opener it sets things up well - gothic, strong horror theme, catchy-as-hell, a distinct synthy sound that perfectly encapsulates the self described 'terrorpop' of the band. 'Invisible Simon' is possibly my favourite song on the album, a wickedly delicious 2 and a half minute tale of an invisible, trouble making friend. It slows the speed down, but remains memorably catchy and is another sign of the gothic element that is evident throughout - and carries on, seamlessly, to the next song, steeped in Victoriana and a twisted tale of 'Jacqueline' the Ripper. 

'Death Warmed Up' punks things up a bit, taking inspiration from the new millennial wave of horror punk. A sub-2 minute slice of the genre which nevertheless retains the distinct the feel the band goes for, and is carried on with the infectious 'You Are the Plague' and 'Intruders'. The quality of the gothic terrorpop never drops, straight into the fun 'Sound Receptive Crawling Hand' showcasing the band at perhaps their most punk - but remaining somewhat fresh, spookily tingly with the keyboard-led undertones and obvious love of horror. They sound like a band having fun, and its hard not to feel the same. The classic gothic, Victorian coldness returns in 'She's Not Of This World' to an extent, the ghostly tale touching on the atmosphere the band seem most comfortable with; theatrical, steeped in classic horror and yet again undeniably memorable.

They dip into more contemporary lore with a song about everyone's favourite killer clown, 'John Wayne Gacy's Circus', which takes a more upbeat, modern sound before they return to another classic tale of horror in 'Flies In The Windows' and display more excellent gothic keyboards. This record is most definitely 'Horror Punk', as far as that description can ever be fairly applied to anything, but the real selling point is the supernatural, electronic elements they are able to mix into their sound without ever losing the 'punk' element. 'She's So Cold' and 'V.E.R.M.I.N.' are decent, if not quite stand out, songs before the record ends with the excellent 'Goodnight Kitty', which is great fun and is a perfect companion to Zombina's 'Running On All Fours' in the UK Horror Punk scene's niche feline-focused repertoire, although somewhat from a different perspective.

 The half hour it takes to listen to Noise-Das-Noire are full of sounds that you wouldn't probably expect if this was your first experience of the band, especially if you were expecting straight-ahead horror punk. It's more 'Goth' than many of the bands contemporaries, and the theatrical elements and delicious synthy bits just help to highlight the mastery of short songs which tell tales that perfectly evoke wintery horror and establish the band as a rather unique gem in the UK Horror Punk scene. das Ghoul have gone on release three further EP's and an album, whilst this debut is now available from the always-excellent 'We Are Horror Records' on vinyl, which somehow feels like the perfect way to listen to it - preferably on some sort of antique grammar phone setup. In a haunted, musty Victorian librarian. 

das Ghoul can be found on Bandcamp here, where you can amazingly download this entire record for the princely sum of nothing. Their entire discography is available for the same, and frankly you'd be insane not to sample these delights - and then throw the band some money via their own page or by buying some of their merch on the We Are Horror Records store and whilst your at it picking up this modern classic on vinyl here. 

The band also have a Facebook and an Instagram, if you kids like that sort of thing. 

You can also listen to the album on the evil Spotify, which I've also embedded below. Listen once and I promise you'll be hooked.