We sent The Dark Cookie the new album from those Northern DIY thrashers Ghost Keeper… here’s what he thinks about the lads 2nd offering …

Ahhh, exactly what I needed after a bit of a crappy day at work, a dose of groove laden moshing madness from these Manc (well Northern nomads) masters of Mosh! GHOSTKEEPER, and their 2^nd album The Dread Legion. The chaps give us a mix of classic Metal, 80s Old-school Hardcore Thrash, 90s Death, Groove, the kitchen sink! Heck the whole damn kitchen, but not in some “chuck the shit at the wall and see what sticks” sort of thing, nope there is method to this madness!

As always let’s start with the cover. Zombies, Aliens, Nuclear Meltdown on the idiot box, and a defiant Metal dude just giving it all the finger!  Oh yes, a proper mad Thrash cover ah-la MUNICIPAL WASTE and their kin.  And their logo would look grate as a patch on my cut (hint hint lads).

Anyway on with the music. No mess no fuss, just straight into it with “Reject! (Non-Essential Bullshit)”. Straight between the eyes with a rusty nail of a Mosher in the truest sense of the word.  Then how about a song about a living brain in jar like some twisted episode of The Twilight Zone, as if written by a deranged Metal band.  Oh wait, that’s exactly what “The Screaming Brain” is! There is some great bass – guitar interplay (that groovy bass break is sublime) How Darren can drum with that speed and precision is beyond me, but then that’s why he’s the drummer and I’m the humble reviewer.

“Dissenter” Deaths it up nicely. Dave’s vocal have sufficient grunt and heft to give it the feel, but remain clean to be fully understood by these old ears (I prefer a clean vocal over the full on Death grunt, and Dave has the balance right for me).

“Acid Infected Grin” another Deathly twisted tale from the bands collective deranged imaginations. I mean Celebrities injecting acid into their faces! Why? Who cares if this is the results, bring on the madness every time! 

It has its name on the cover so “The Dread Legion” has to be good right? Right! The question is who is the Dread Legion?  The irradiated mutants from the rad-infected wastelands or the survivors who have to fight to stay alive?  The sone is some sort of 2000AD-like comic strip crossed with a bloody and twisted shoot-‘em-up video game realised in ultra-hard, ultra-fast music, and is bloody good!  Then let’s keep the apocalyptic dystopian outlook going with “Dead World, Cold Earth” I love the relentless pounding beat and the solo is (probably literally) to die for.

I love the way “Sociocide” references “The Dread Legion” in the lyrics.  I love the way is grooves and changes from Thrash to Sludge and back.  Remember people this is a DIY album, no big, high-tech studios, no rock-star producer. All done by the band.  And this is the sound they achieve.  Oh my frikkin Christ! Lads this song is worth the price of admission on its own.

 “Brain Rot” feels like it is about society and the way the majority buy into the bull-shit and fake news that rots our brains if we let it, and threatens to zombify all who listen to the hype.  Well don’t listen to what have GHOSTKEEPER to say. “Everything Sucks!” and they are right to be sick of this shit!  I can’t see myself getting sick of “The Dread Legion” anytime soon.

A relentless, and repent less massive sounding beast of an album.  Well balanced sound, everything in its place, great vocals, hell, grand everything!  I think you get the point, now go out and buy it! 

The Dread Legion by Ghost Keeper is out everywhere on Monday the 13th May… stream it, buy it… just get it!!