Ghoul – Hang Ten (Tankcrimes)
Thursday, 17th April 2014
April 19th (Record Store Day) is a day that has grown more fertile for interesting and limited releases for the metal community over the years. Producers of many splits, Tankcrimes has contracted Ghoul to create a slight anomaly from their usual brand of death/thrash. Seemingly following the sound of Transmission Zero’s “Death in the Swamp,” Hang Ten is a 10” that sees Ghoul creating some “surf metal” that mostly sticks to the instrumental side of things.
Hang Ten plays out as a fun record from a band that has always kept a playful sense of humor. The only track with significant vocals, “Kreeg,” features appearances from R.A. MacLean (ex-Deadbolt) and Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste) and as someone who shies away from spoken word, it does fit the mood and motorcycle theme quite well here. The dirty melodic grooves of the tracks, and laid-back atmosphere compliment nicely and the leads on “The Midnight Ride of the Cannibals MC” and “Hang Ten” are impossible not to enjoy. There’s a sense of urgency in “Sidehackers” and a brooding feeling to “Blood on the Street” that insures that things don’t get too “fun in the sun” for you. Rounding out the festivities is an interesting cover of “It Was a Very Good Year” (made famous by Frank Sinatra) that injects the track with the necessary surf/thrash flavor without souring the original vibe.
Come Record Store Day, if you are in the mood for something a little bit different, seek out Hang Ten. While it won’t convince you that Ghoul should stick with this direction from here on out, it’s a fun distraction made for a good cause. Head to your local record store!
