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May 19, 2017

Ghoultown – Ghost of the Southern Son (CD)

By Mr. Dark
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Produced by Alex Gerst
Released by Angry Planet Entertainment


Dallas legends Ghoultown return three years after their last release for Ghost Of The Southern Son, and I’m here to tell you it’s one hell of a ride.

Ghoultown, for those who have not experience the joys of their music, plays a very unique blend of western, metal, and horror. If Marty Robbins had a love child with Elvira, the Mistress Of The Dark, and that kid joined Alice Cooper’s band, you’d have something like Ghoultown.

Western arrangements complete with trumpet grind along with metal distortion while lead man Count Lyle sings tales of haunted ghost towns and doomed gunslingers.

It’d be easy to say that this disc is more of the same and leave it at that, but there are some unique aspects to this release that deserve a mention.

While there is indeed more of the same on display here in tracks like “Ghost Of The Past”, “I Am The Night”, and “Tombstone”, this might be the most accessible Ghoultown release yet.

Tracks like “Blood, Bullets, and Whiskey” and “Black-Lung Revival” cry out to be featured on modern rock radio. (Jose Mangin at SiriusXM, are you listening?) They have the Ghoultown feel, but have a certain hooky, rock-radio-ready feel that can’t be ignored.

Meanwhile, “Stick To Your Guns” has almost a punk-metal Motorhead grind to it, a bit speedier and punchier than your standard Ghoultown tune.

“Revenge Of Dirty Sanchez” is a departure of another kind. While the music lands in that radio-friendly slot that the above tunes reside in, you’ll never hear this on your favorite FM station. No, this song is about a very special kind of outlaw…one who sneaks in through the backdoor and isn’t afraid to get dirty. That’s one thing Ghoultown hasn’t dabbled in before: usually a pretty PG-rated band, this double-entendre anthem to filth is funny and just all sorts of wrong.

Ghoultown have yet to drop a bad record, and this is no exception. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and the D-Town outlaws know what works for them. Check out Ghost of the Southern Son and prepare for a spooky ride through the old west…just watch out for Dirty Sanchez, he isn’t afraid to ride the dusty trail, so get ready…this is gonna hurt!