LIT Music Awards Gold - The Ghoulstars

2026

The Dark Overlords of the Universe

Entrant Company

The Ghoulstars

Category

LIT Music Album - Best Hard Rock Album

Client's Name

Country / Region:

Finland

The Ghoulstars
The Dark Overlords of the Universe

Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure - vocals
Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso - guitar
Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen - bass guitar
Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen - drums

The Ghoulstars are a fresh – and frightening - blast from the past. Over the last four years, this supergroup of horror punks has captivated press and tantalized crowds in their Finnish haunt without releasing a single bloody track. Now, at long last, Merkus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso and his fellow pop-culture junkies are raising the cobwebbed curtain from their blockbuster debut album. On The Dark Overlords of the Universe, no tome is too sacred for these ghouls to summon back to life! Even though the initial inspiration for the band came after burning rubber to Venom, The Dark Overlords of the Universe is possessed by a love for everything that blew their minds as kids. With Mötley Crüe’s pomp and the can’t-do attitude of Twisted Sister roaming its halls, lead single “Too Ghoul for School” is jam-packed with more fun-filled ‘80s antics than Saturday afternoon detention. The Misfits, White Zombie and other cultishly beloved touchstones like The Wolfman jump out during the album’s crisp 34-minute runtime. “Graverobbers from Outer Space” pays homage to a B-horror classic with a headbanging chorus, though not many straight-up punk rippers are enlivened by a doomy C-part and güiro. The Ghoulstars may be undead, but there’s nothing pale or lifeless about The Dark Overlords of the Universe. The title track crosses surf beats, heavy riffing and a hair-raising transition into a chorus that’s absolutely to die for. “And we shall never ever grow old”. With Dark Overlords of the Universe, The Ghoulstars direct a monstrously catchy mash-up between metal, punk and B-horror.

Credits

Producer & Engineer
Markus Laakso
Engineer
Erkka Närhi
Engineer
Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns
Engineer
Samu Männikkö
Mixing & Mastering
V. Santura
Backing growls
Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns
Backing vocals
Tommi “Tuple” Salmela
Cover art
Niko Anttila
Photography
Sam Jamsen
Photography
Marc Sabat
Photography
Toni Hiltunen
2026
LIT Music Video
LIT Talent Awards - AURA “ Live From The Andes “
iurisekero , Lera Sonzogni , Seba Dentis

Winner/ Winner's Company

Vistalba Producciones

LIT Talent Awards Winner

Category

LIT Music Video - Best 360-Degree Music Video

Country / Region

Argentina

2026
LIT Music
LIT Talent Awards - MOON FEELINGS (Album)
ALVARO PAZ A / IGNACIO SALVATIERRA P

Winner/ Winner's Company

INDEPENDENT PRODUCER

LIT Talent Awards Winner

Category

LIT Music - Best Composer

Country / Region

Panama

2026
LIT Music
LIT Talent Awards - TRANSPLEX-AG-OMEGA
Akihisa Yorozu

Winner/ Winner's Company

Personal

LIT Talent Awards Winner

Category

LIT Music - Best Experimental Music

Country / Region

Japan

2026
LIT Music Album
LIT Talent Awards - RAYP: Partners — A Labor-Exchange Experimental Music Album
Paliulius Band

Winner/ Winner's Company

Paliulius Band

LIT Talent Awards Winner

Category

LIT Music Album - Best Folk Album

Country / Region

Taiwan