These days, when everyone’s got a mini-computer in their pocket, you’d think the world would be devoid of enduring mysteries or secrets. But this world’s a weird, wild place—who’s to say the country of Creepsylvania doesn’t exist, and that it isn’t producing hooded thrash bands of cannibals like Ghoul? Though there’s no real evidence, parts of the internet will have you believe that Ghoul is an all-star band from Oakland featuring members of Impaled, Exhumed, and Wolves in the Throne Room. But whether or not they’re a pack of murderous psychopaths from a war-torn, plague-ridden European country, Ghoul’s slash-and-burn “splatterthrash” is most certainly real, and it’s real good, too. The band’s latest offering, Dungeon Bastards, has all the gurgling, theatrical mayhem and razor-sharp death/thrash crossover riffs you can handle. Ghoul’s gore-dripping live shows also feature a cast of characters and monsters outside the band themselves, giving Gwar a run for its money. Seeing is believing, but seeing Ghoul could still leave you scratching your head in wonderment. ARIS HUNTER WALES