A man singing into a microphone while playing a guitar

A man playing a guitar next to another man playing a double bass

A man singing into a microphone while another man plays a guitar

A man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket is singing into a microphone.

A group of people are standing on a stage playing instruments.

A shirtless man is playing drums in front of a sign that says el camilly

A group of people posing for a picture with one woman holding a red cup

A man in a black shirt is playing a double bass

A man is playing a guitar in a dark room

Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul (The Lurking Corpses) Interview

May 14, 2024

One of the things that I’ve cherished the most in my years of music journalism/PR is that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be around as new bands creep on to the scene. While a great deal of these bands fall by the way side due to various reasons, there are those who not only flourish but remain a staunch main-stay in the scene and wreak havoc every chance they get. This couldn’t be more true when it comes to The Lurking Corpses. The band burst onto the Indy Horror Punk scene in 2003 with their debut album 23 Tales Of Terror and we certainly felt it in our neck of the woods – it would seem a lot of others felt it too. I won’t talk about that album too much, but it was basically 2 albums on one release – long as hell and there’s not a track to be skipped! We have always been smitten with the band, it also helps that they’ve been so cool to everyone in the scene and through the years they’ve remained humble, working tirelessly to release the best albums they possibly can for their hardcore fan-base. Now here we are in 2024 and the band is quickly approaching the release of their latest album “Lurking After Midnight”, which we’ve already covered – go check it out while you’re here. Naturally, TJ & I wanted to be the first one’s to get an interview with the band on this album release so we can spread the good word of The Lurking Corpses a little further and a little deeper into the minds of all you monster babies! A few days ago we were able to catch up with the band’s front man and driving force, his lordship, Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul!! Without further a do……

I know you’ve been asked this question a ton at this point but who and what specifically influenced you to start The Lurking Corpses?

It was a combination of my love for horror movies, horror comics, heavy metal, and The Misfits.

As a musician, how long have you been in your scene playing shows? Any juicy details of it was like to be a young up and coming Lord Von Ghoul?!

I’ve been part of the Fort Wayne, IN punk/metal scene since around 1998. That’s the year my first band, Ghoul, started playing gigs around town.

Coming from the underground scene and not doing the weekend warrior cover band thing, what’s the most difficult challenge the band faces on a normal basis?

Drawing a blank on this one.

Through the years the band has had some member changes, I’m sure. What happened with the previous members, change of heart, fatigue or did they find Jesus hiding behind a dumpster?

Ha ha!! Various reasons. A lot of the guys started families, settled down, and couldn’t tour anymore. Some of the guys wanted to go a different direction musically and focus on other projects.

Why would anyone want to leave this monstrosity of a band?! At this point are you the last Ghoul standing?

I AM the only original member in the band and I have been for many years. When the other original members had their fill and moved on, I decided to keep the horror dream alive. This was an obvious choice for me considering I wrote the majority of the songs on our debut full-length album, 23 Tales of Terror. I’ve been the main driving force of the band ever since. I’m still good friends with the rest of the original members and they all have been very supportive of me continuing the band over the years.

What keeps you coming back to the Corpses and wanting to keep giving us Monster babies the goods?

It’s my passion and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Of all the Horror bands in the underground scene, we find this one to be one of most unique, fresh and the most fun of’em all. How much longer do you think you’ll continue to beat a dead corpse and keep the band going?!

Thank you! We try and keep it fresh and fun, even though we’re corpses.I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. We’re all getting older, but as long as we’re physically able to do it and able to give it our all, we’re going to do it.

The new album is entitled Lurking After Midnight, it invokes thoughts of the long-lost movie “London After Midnight”. Was that the influence behind the album title? Have you seen the movie, if so do you care to share with us where and how we might be able to view it!

The title, Lurking After Midnight , WAS inspired by the London After Midnight film title. It was also inspired by the Judas Priest song title, “Living After Midnight”. I have only seen stills from London After Midnight. I believe the last known film print was destroyed in an MGM vault fire in 1965. I’ve always liked how Lon Chaney’s character looked in the stills and we have incorporated that image into some of our artwork over the years.

What inspired you the most when you were working on this album?

Well, my favorite band is Cancerslug and I was listening to them a TON during the writing of LAM. I was also reading a lot about real-life murderers and such, which influenced a lot of the lyrics.

Do you have a favorite track off the album, if so, which?

I honestly like all of them on this one. If I had to choose one, it might be “Black Dahlia”

Which track was the most difficult to write and record, if there was one?

As far as arranging the songs as a band, the most difficult were “Funeral Home”, “Lost in Shadows”, and “A Gruesome Find”. It took us a while to get them arranged the way we liked them. “A Gruesome Find” took me the longest to write the lyrics for. The most challenging for me to sing while recording was probably “My Sweet Lenore”.

Did you all track the album separately or did you record “live”? I prefer to record live, if possible, it just has a better feel to me.

We recorded the songs live in the studio initially to get the drum tracks down. We were able to keep a lot of the guitar and bass tracks in the process. We recorded everything else separately.

You have an upcoming cd release show, will you be playing the album in its entirety? Do you have anything special planned for the show?

We’ll be playing 5 songs off of the new album, 9 older songs, and one cover song. Trying to pick songs for a setlist is kind of challenging these days since we have 86 songs in our catalogue now to choose from!

Speaking of live shows, you all have movie excerpts in a great deal of your music, do you all recreate those in a live setting?

We actually don’t. For live shows, we mainly focus on our stage presence and performing the songs well. Having one of us run a sampler machine would just be a distraction and a pain for one of us to do. Maybe one day when we hit the big time, we can have our own sample tech guy.

The band has been signed to Hell’s Headbangers Records for a while now, what are the advantages you have now being on a label that you didn’t have when you all were just recording and releasing albums on your own?

Working with Hells Headbangers has been amazing! They are the best underground metal label out there in my opinion and they have definitely helped us in garnering a wider audience.

It’s been 10 years since the release of Workin’ for the Devil. Over that course of time, how have things changed for the band and how would you compare Lurking After Midnight to that album?

Overall, I think LAM is a better album than Workin’ For the Devil. Not that I think Workin’ For the Devil is a bad album, I like it a lot, it just has some songs on it that are better than others, whereas LAM is all killer, no filler!

Would you mind sharing with us the reason why the long wait in between albums?

Why did it take us so long between albums? A lot of reasons really. A lot of the members came and went. Cousin Eerie suffered from health problems and had to take some time off to recover. Then covid hit and we didn’t rehearse much for 2 years.

Speaking of Workin’ for the Devil, you guys did a killer cover of Slayer’s “Tormentor”. Why that specific track and what do you feel it added to the album?

We originally recorded that song for a compilation album that never came out, so we decided to throw it on Workin’ For the Devil as an unlisted track. Show No Mercy is my favorite Slayer album and “Tormentor” is one of my favorite songs off of that album. The lyrics are horror-based which worked well for us and it seems to not be as widely covered as some of the other gems from that album like “The Antichrist”, “Die by the Sword”, and “Black Magic”.

Out of all the albums/singles/tracks the band has released to date do you have a favorite? If so, which and what makes it perfect to you?

It’s really hard to choose. I guess “Maggots Ate Her Brain” is probably one of the best songs I have written due to its popularity.

The Lurking Corpses have released a few acoustic tracks over the years. Are there any plans to release any more in the future? A full-length album with acoustic versions perhaps?

I have thought about doing an all-acoustic versions album for years. Hopefully one of these days it will come to fruition!

Let’s get to some fun questions!

What’s the strangest/wildest thing that’s happened at a Corpses show? Obviously, we’ve all seen our share of breast wishes from the stage. Any dead corpses, necros or other ritualistic pleasures shown up and been requested?

Ha ha!! Nothing that crazy, unfortunately.

Do you ever get nervous before shows and if so, how do you beat the pre-show jitters? Any pre-show rituals that you do beforehand? I like to separate myself from everyone and everything for 20/30 minutes to practice rudiments and warm up to some of my favorite Motorhead & Nashville Pussy tracks. It’s comforting and helps get my game face on.

I don’t really get nervous anymore. Having the mask and robe on help immensely. I just put the garb on as Shane and transform into Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul. It’s a Jekyll and Hyde-type of thing. A lot of people don’t even think it’s me on stage because I’m so reserved in everyday life.

Clearly, you’re a fan of classic horror films. What are some of your favorites and what are your feelings about today’s modern horror movie scene?

I pretty much love all horror films from the Silent Era through the 1980s. Some of my favorites are The Shining , Suspiria , Phantasm , The Thing , and City of the Living Dead. I’m not a huge fan of modern horror movies, but there are some good ones that come out now and again like The Witch , Hereditary , and Terrifier.

We must assume you’re an avid reader or at least you’ve read a few books that may or may not be Horror. What are some of your favorite authors? I’m a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft, I like King, but I find him wordy and overindulgent at times.

As much as I love books, I often have trouble finding the time for them because I’m a slow reader. I read mostly True Crime books. As far as fiction goes, I do really like Stephen King. I’ve read more of his books than any other author.

When you’re not on-stage terrorizing audiences and melting faces, what would we be surprised to find Lord Von Ghoul doing? Any other hobbies and passions outside of music?

I love a good crossword puzzle! I know that’s a nerdy answer, ha ha! I’m a huge collector of VHS tapes and other dead video formats. I also collect old horror comics and records.

Let’s play the word association game. What word comes to mind when you hear:

Christopher Lee – Dracula

Boris Karloff – Frankenstein

Bela Lugosi – Dracula
Peter Cushing – Helsing

Vincent Price – Fly

Caroline Munroe – Hottie

Elvira – Boobs

The Toxic Avenger – Superhero

Death Metal – Deicide

Horror Punk – Misfits

Thrash Metal – Anthrax

Hammer Horror – Lee

Guillermo Del Toro – Visionary

Now that we’ve reached the end of our journey, what’s in store for Lord Von Ghoul? This is your chance to tell us about all upcoming shows, releases, thoughts, hopes and nightmares!

Here’s our show schedule. Come out and see us if we are in your area!!

5/23 Columbia, MO @ PDM

5/24 Des Moines, IA @ XBK

5/25 Kansas City, MO @ Farewell

5/26 Saint Paul @ White Rock Tavern

6/1 Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail

10/12 New Castle, IN @ The Riot Room

Thanks for your time, congrats on such a wonderful release in Lurking After Midnight!! Please don’t wait another 10 years before you unleash another full length.

Thank YOU!! I will try not to!

Well, there you have it folks – Von Ghoul has bared his soul for us all! TJ & I strongly urge you to not only check out the new album, but go back and check out some of their older efforts too. This band is truly one of a kind!