Just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets, The Lurking Corpses have risen from the grave after a decade to release Lurking After Midnight, the follow-up to 2014’s Workin’ for the Devil. 

For nearly 25 years, The Lurking Corpses have been carrying the flag for all things horror metal in Fort Wayne and beyond, and they show no signs of letting up. 

Though the lineup has changed over the years, the current ghouls consist of vocalist Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul, guitarist Pharaoh Formaldehyde, bassist The Nameless Horror, guitarist Richie Retch, and drummer Uncle Kreepy. Together, they have put together an impressive fifth full-length album, the second for Hells Headbangers Records. 

You too will be able to appreciate it when they host a CD release show at The Brass Rail on Saturday, June 1, with Wastelander, Tentakills, and Strange Waters.

Perfect man for the job

So, how did we get here? 

Things started to take shape last fall when the guys went into Chipped Tooth Audio to begin recording with Dan Kinnaley. 

“I’ve been a fan of The Lurking Corpses for more than 20 years, and I was excited to work on an album I wanted to listen to,” Kinnaley said. “Von Ghoul and I met to talk about goals for the record before we started recording, and he was adamant that it should be the best Corpses record yet. 

“They wrote killer songs, delivered great performances, and spent a lot of time with me in the studio to make sure the mixes and production were exactly what they wanted. 

“I think it’s their best yet, and I hope everyone has as much fun listening to it as we did making it.” 

Demon-crooning frontman Von Ghoul told Whatzup their latest effort is similar to previous albums and covers a wide variety of styles, ranging from ’50s doo-wop to surf to death metal and punk. 

“There’s a good variety and something for everyone on the album, and it’s our best production yet,” he said. “Dan went above and beyond for us in the studio and is super-easy to work with. He helped give us the exact sound we were looking for.” 

‘The whole album is killer’

Together, they knocked out 15 tracks including the ghoulishly catchy songs “Murder Sweet Murder,” “Burned Alive,” and “Satan is Real.” Those titles alone are guaranteed to scare the oversized undies off grannies everywhere. 

The last track on the album, “My Sweet Lenore,” is a favorite of Pharaoh Formaldehyde. 

“I’ve always been a sucker for the power ballad on an otherwise heavy album,” he said. “The clean intro into the slow and heavy main riff over the verse hits hard while still maintaining the overall emotion of the song. It ends by returning to the clean intro riff and slowly fades out with Von Ghoul’s signature laugh which creates a very satisfying conclusion to the album.” 

One soul that was taken in by the new gem is former drummer Friar Frightengale who gave his two cents: “Von Ghoul’s voice is as strong as ever with his wide vocal range and some of the best King Diamond-esque moments I’ve ever heard him perform. The whole album is killer, great songs, the drums sound awesome, cool solos, etc.” 

Other credits include Collin Jordan of The Boiler Room who did the mastering, Sean Peters who did the killer album cover, and Eric Horval who did the artwork in the CD booklet. 

Party with the guys

On Friday, May 24, Lurking After Midnight will find its way to the streaming world, and CDs can be purchased at the Hells Headbangers website. Don’t be surprised if they release it on vinyl somewhere down the line. 

An opportunity to get your hands on the CD will be at the official release show at The Brass Rail on June 1. This will be an opportune time to feast your eyes and ears on the new material as well as other Corpses classics. 

Also, if you want to be the coolest guy in the room that evening, you can start learning the words to “Murder Sweet Murder” from the lyric video on YouTube. With lyrics of “Hail Satan! Hail Satan! Hail Satan!” just be careful where you practice.

One thing is for certain, The Lurking Corpses have put the “fun” back in funeral with Lurking After Midnight. It’s 49 minutes that speaks to the soul and makes for a one-two punch few other albums can top. 

And for a band that really seems to sing about murder and Satan, at least they have a good time doing it.