While driving to meet the members of The Lurking Corpses for an interview I began to consider asking whatzup for additional compensation. I don’t remember “3 a.m. graveyard interviews with members of the walking dead” mentioned anywhere in my job description. whatzup clearly doesn’t realize that these guys have a song called “Graveyard Devourment.”

The Lurking Corpses began as a one-off project when – according to Lord Vladamir Von Ghoul, the only original member still in the band – Ghoul, a now defunct band, were asked to play a Halloween party in 2001. Some of the Ghoul band members couldn’t make the show due to other commitments, so three members, Von Ghoul, The Leper and Count Lupos Lycanthrope the Mad, started a side project called Wolfsblood. After a couple members of Ghoul left to pursue other interests, the three remaining members turned their Wolfsblood spirit into a new project, The Lurking Corpses, rather than worrying about replacing lost members of Ghoul.

While remaining consistent with their longtime horror theme, the band has managed to evolve over the years with lineup changes and improvements to their live show. The current lineup has been together since late 2005 when the band opened for the Independents in St. Louis.

In addition to vocalist Von Ghoul, the band now includes Wolfgang the Shredder on guitar, The Nameless Horror on bass and Friar Frightengale on drums. With names like that, could they be part of any other band? After listening to The Lurking Corpses new album, Lust for Blood, while sharing some bats head soup with the boys, it became obvious that the band bows at the altar of the Misfits. Their unique sound, however, also claims influences from King Diamond, Iron Maiden and other various death metal bands.

But it is their stage show that sets them apart from other bands of their ilk. Reportedly, a Lurking Corpses “live” show is an experience unto itself. The band takes great pride in putting on a good show, as they have focused on their ability to maintain stage presence and unleashing the unexpected. Their performances are high-energy and include plenty of crowd participation. “It’s not what most people are used to seeing, but by the end of the show we have usually won them over,” said Von Ghoul when asked about the band’s live performances.

The band has also taken its act on the road, recently playing a short East Coast tour, haunting venues in Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and New York. They have also played in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Indianapolis. The group has been able to develop a network of like-minded bands through the Internet, which has resulted in gig swapping and, thus, more out-of-town bands playing Fort Wayne stages.

The Internet is also responsible for the national following The Lurking Corpses are starting to see. Through Myspace the band has been able to connect to fans who otherwise might not have heard of them or their music. As for the local scene, they list the Brass Rail as one of their favorite places to play, and the goddammits, Systematic Overthrow and Daisy Cutter as some of their favorite local bands to play with.

Overall, Von Ghoul echoes the opinion of a lot of local artists in that he believes “the Fort Wayne music scene is pretty decent, but no one really supports it.” Although they just released Lust for Blood (now available in the CD review archives at www.whatzup.com) in late 2006, the band is already working on new material. Expect to see a split CD with Rabid, a Boston-based band, sometime this summer, as well as a new full-length album in early 2008.

As I left the graveyard, impressed with the commitment of these undead musicians and full of bats head soup, I couldn’t help but think that there is a lot more in store for The Lurking Corpses in the near future. This is a band that Boris Karloff and Glenn Danzig would be proud of.