For Those About to Squawk: Waldo Pecks on Ghoul, Ringworm & Black Crown Initiate

OK, there’s going to be NO trash-talking this week, I mean, nobody wants death threats from KK Downing. I mean, what is that? A quintessential metal musician threatening people? That’s not cool… What? It WASN’T KK Downing? Well then who was it? I dunno, not familiar with him… anyway…

Ghoul is rolling the dice on their fifth full-length Dungeon Bastards on Tankcrimes. This is super crossover fun, I mean if you don’t know Ghoul by now, they are a thrash, death, crossover amalgam that dresses up in executioner’s hoods and like sprays blood on the audience a’ la GWAR. But here’s the rub, they don’t sound anything like GWAR, instead think of some ’90s thrash, mixed with early death and throw in some melodeath hooks and you have Ghoul. The production here is crisp and choppy and adds to the fun of this release. Anyway, what’s my pecking opinion on this? This is pure fun, add in the sing-a-long choruses and you have a pretty beaking cool release. The vinyl here, is super awesome, the disc comes in different colors (of course) and the LP sleeve folds out into a Dungeon Bastards board game. We are Ghoulunatics… Yes. Yes, we are. 7 Fucking Pecks.

What is there to say about metallic hardcore stalwarts Ringworm? Well, one thing you can say is that they have a new full length entitled Snake Church and it’s pretty pecking ripping. Calling Ringworm hardcore is a little unfair, as they definitely have their metal roots, and they aren’t “traditional” hardcore. Anyway, shall we talk about the release? This is intense, and realistically, the spotlight here should be on vocalist Human Furnace’s annihilating, throat-shredding vox. The production here is slick, but not too slick, and could certainly benefit from being a little nastier. This is cool and seems to be varied musically a little more than past releases. This doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s pretty kickass. 6 Fucking Pecks.

Black Crown Initiate, whatever that means, is coming at us, full force with Selves We Cannot Forgive, did I say full force? Well… not so much. I gotta say I REALLY don’t like this. This is more mainstream than I would’ve thought, and kinda has no beak. This is metal and not like throwback—it’s slick, it’s overproduced and the clean vocals are killing me. Thrashy parts lead into death and then throw a little prog into there and you basically have BCI. Not my thing at all. This might be better if it was a little rougher around the edges, I dunno, maybe I just don’t get it. 3 Fucking Pecks.

Werd up, fools… ‘til next time, keep on pecking in the free world.