Heavy Metal Kings Emcee ILL BILL Joins Forces with Creepsylvanian Splatterthrashers Ghoul for Split 7-inch (Tankcrimes/Uncle Howie Records)
Tankcrimes is an Oakland, California-based Hardcore/Punk Rock/Heavy Metal label, who, for the past 14 years, has been releasing a constant stream of projects from a bunch of awesomely-named bands, such as: John The Baker & The Malnourished, Instant A$$hole, Population Reduction, Face The Rail, Annihilation Time, F**ktard, Cannabis Corpse, Final Conflict, Victims, and my personal favorite, F**ked Up. Along with Violation Wound & Cliterati's Cliterati / Violation Wound 12-inch split and Brainoil's forthcoming Singularity to Extinction, one of Tankcrimes' latest and most critically-acclaimed releases is ILL BILL / Ghoul's self-titled 7-inch split. Although, it was released this past March/May on 200 Splatter, 250 Half/Half, 550 Blood Red, and 1,000 Silver 45's, only the Silver ILL BILL / Ghoul 7-inches—as well as digital downloads/streams—currently remain available in stock from Tankcrimes and ILL BILL's own Uncle Howie Records. Tankcrimes proclaimed they were "thrilled to announce this split EP from Creepsylvanian mutant Splatterthrashers, GHOUL and Brooklyn MC, ILL BILL (Non Phixion, Heavy Metal Kings) also, featuring Goretex." ILL BILL has been a long-time member of Non Phixion, Secret Society, and of course, Heavy Metal Kings with Jedi Mind Tricks emcee Vinnie Paz. Ghoul, on the other hand, are "supposedly, a group of mutants from Creepsylvania that were tricked into signing a record deal with Razorback Records," according to Discogs. Ghoul are a troupe of masked shredders only known as Cremator, Digestor, Dissector & Fermentor, who have released a number of projects in conjunction with Tankcrimes. Below, I've included Heavy Metal Kings' "Meryful Fate" music video feat. Goretex from their 2017 full-length, BLACK GOD WHITE DEVIL, as well as an excerpt from Carlos Ramirez's March 2018 NO ECHO interview with both Non Phixion's ILL BILL & Goretex.
'"Digestor from Ghoul hit me up and asked if I'd be interested in doing a record with them," says Rap vet ILL BILL. "We started talking and were like, "what if KRS-One had done a split 45 with Sick of It All? What if King Diamond had done a split 7-inch with The Geto Boys?" It all snow-balled from there." The Brooklyn native and Non Phixion co-founder is chatting with me about his new collaboration with Ghoul, the Heavy Metal mutants from Creepsylvania. "Ghoul is one of the few great bands that are next-level enough to have birthed this idea, in the first place. They saw the potential fun in putting out a record like this and then, actually, took it from just another sick idea, to making it a reality. I'd say the mutual admiration and vibes is why the record came about and why this split speaks the same language, even though both genres are very different..."'
- NO ECHO (Hardcore, Metal & Everything In Between)