Chief Ghoul Shares New Single & Video 'The Blackest of Souls'

Louisville's "Delightfully menacing" (Baeble Music) Chief Ghoul shares his new single "The Blackest of Souls" today along with a spooky, sultry and shadowy new video. As the first visual to accompany the forthcoming sixth album, These Lycanthropic Blues, due out June 4, 2021, "The Blackest of Souls" video is ripe with allegory. Like something out of "Grimm's Fairy Tales," the story ends with Chief Ghoul unveiling who the real monster is.

Describing the new song, Lee Miles says, "The Blackest of Souls" is my ode to the Stoner Rock genre. It's inspired by all of the deadly sins and completely surrendering to them... completely disregarding the concept of "sin" altogether." This motif of self-acceptance by inviting all parts of one's soul -- even the blackest parts -- is a major theme on the upcoming album.

"I'll Be There," the previously released single, showed a different side of Chief Ghoul -- still haunted, but in a way that makes room for light by accepting darkness. Describing the song, Lee Miles says, "'I'll Be There" is a sort of love song. Imagery and vibes in my head are those of classic gothic literature like Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. Lyrically, I wanted to compare and contrast mundane issues with apocalyptic events."

The new album's first single, aptly named first single, "Let's Go," is now streaming everywhere and kicks off the journey of the upcoming LP. With its upbeat tempo and darkly poetic lyrics, it's clear that Miles is returning to the spirit that previously landed him on the cover of Performer Magazine, where he was quoted saying, "When you get discouraged, use it and don't let it defeat you. Don't let it overwhelm you to the point where you don't do anything at all." Pain is one hell of a motivator and Miles haunts with purpose and raw power, using elements of alt-country, folk, rock and blues to craft a sound that is "a truly special sound," according to Performer Magazine.

Music as therapy has always been an underlying theme of Miles' songwriting, and the autonomy of self-producing has made the sound of the record even more personal, vulnerable and true to his old-soul. Guitar-playing has been an impulse and necessity when times are tough, and it's obvious that his guitar playing up levels with every release -- hinting that life doesn't get easier, but the therapy is working. A gut instinct to connect to the deeper parts of his subconscious come through the strings and the wildness of the sound, and the new single is just a starting point for where the album is leading. A deeper, darker path lays ahead, but the catharsis builds along with the blackness. The intimacy of getting to know what plagues Miles deepens to the bond, and although he always says he makes this music for himself -- it's hard not to feel connected and relate.

With that raw energy, "Let's Go" opens the path forward and leads toward These Lycanthropic Blues' release and "I'll Be There" reminds us that sometimes everything isn't as extreme in reality as it feels in our hearts -- everything except love dies.

Listen here:

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