Exclusive Song Premiere: Ghoulhouse’s ‘Rotten Rancid Remains’
Ghoulhouse is a band for the people. The people of Philadelphia, specifically. The metalheads of Philadelphia, even more specific than that. Sealing together grindcore and extreme metal – or “old-school, rotten, crusty grindcore/death metal,: as the band’s label, Horror Pain Gore Death illustriously describes it – Ghoulhouse’s new album drops Dec. 5 on said label.
If you need even more convincing to check out the band, Ghoulhouse recommend them for fans of Repulsion, Autopsy, Coffins, Dismember and Exhumed, among others. While Realm of Ghouls doesn’t street for a few more weeks, Ghoulhouse graciously offered The Bad Penny the chance to premiere one of the cuts from the record, “Rotten Rancid Remains,” weeks in advance.
Read our interview with guitarist/vocalist Rogga Johansson (also of Paganizer and Revolting), then check out The Bad Penny‘s premiere of the Ghoulhouse’s brutal new song.
Congrats on Realm of Ghouls, and many thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about the record and the song premiere. For starters, what can fans expect from the record?
Thanx! And thank you for doing this interview! People can expect more of what we have delivered on the previous two albums: down-tuned, gritty, filthy death/grind, heavily rooted in the simple and straightforward style that we’ve always loved.
For fear of asking a redundant question, what vision did you have in mind for the record going into the making of it? In what ways did the final result match that vision and deviate from it?
Well, I might sound boring, but we really wanted to make something sounding just like how we always have sounded. We have our thing, which we do good, I think, and we just wanted to make more of it. Same style but new songs really. No one that likes Ghoulhouse should be disappointed.
Given that the title of Realm of Ghouls most closely resembles your band name among the soon-to-be three LPs you’ve issued, do you feel like the new album more fully captures the essence of Ghoulhouse?
We tried to make it sound like trademark Ghoulhouse indeed, haha, so yeah, maybe so. For me, the three albums we’ve done could have come in any order really. It’s all one huge filthy monstrosity compiled of songs that all crawl in the same cesspool.
There was a four-year gap between your first two records, yet you’re delivering the third one less than two years after the second. Is that change in the pace of releasing albums due to COVID, having more songs for the second record than you could pack onto it – or simply feeling more connected to your artistic muse?
Oh, I don’t really know! I don’t recall why the gap was longer the first time. We did actually in that period make a split EP with another band, a very underground release, only released on CD-Rs. I don’t know what number, but not more than 50, I suspect. But Ghoulhouse music writes itself really, it’s so fun and easy to write. I could easily make a couple of albums a year if there would be interest, haha.
Did you try to time the release of Realm of Ghouls with Halloween Day?
Yes, we did, actually, [Manager] Mike [Juliano] at HPGD thought it would be a perfect time to release this monster indeed.
Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, what are some of the best costumes you’ve worn over the years?
As I’m 49 years old, I must say no, I don’t, haha. On the other hand, people might think I’m dressed up all the time anyways, with my long hair, tattoos and dark clothes. The kids like it, tho – or one of them, anyways. Last year she and her mother dressed as Wednesday and a witch, I recall. So it’s a fun thing even if I don’t do it myself really.
How many encounters have you had with the supernatural? Which one makes for the most entertaining anecdote?
I’m actually really bummed out there, as I haven’t had any encounters like that myself. Besides drug-induced hallucinations, I’ve not come across much of that variety. I’ve heard stories from my family, which I believe. And I’ve felt creeped out sometimes when I’ve been alone at places where it supposedly is haunted. But that’s sorta natural, I think.
What are your favorite horror movies of all time?
I’m sure anyone would get out their list now and start dropping classics, but I think that’s just meaningless. I love the old classic stuff just as you’d expect, everything from Fulci and Romero to the Carpenter classics. I grew up on that stuff, as music, horror, movies and books was what I loved as a kid. But I can say that I’ve always had a soft spot for Jason Voorhees. And a film that many people, at least in Europe it seems, might have missed, which is a total classic, is Nightbreed.
What do you hope tomorrow brings?
Oh, I don’t know man. He likes the simple things really, hanging out with my family, maybe doing BBQ for dinner and then having some beers and playing some guitar, coming up with new riffs for Ghoulhouse.
Check out Ghoulhouse’s new raucous ripper “Rotten Rancid Remains” right here:
Go to Ghoulhouse’s Bandcamp page to pre-order a copy of their sick new record, Realm of Ghouls.
The Bad Penny (beta) 
Leave a comment