Ghost - Prequelle (2018)

Prequelle did not woo me quite as mightily as its predecessor, but over the year of 2018 it did grow on me to a point that I listened to it in regular rotation (ergo, the stuff I'm constantly spinning that is not queued for reviews). Part of this is probably that of all the full length Ghost releases, this one shows the least amount of growth or change from the last, a trait I had really come to expect from them; but nah, this is largely Meliora Part II. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since there are plenty of small details here which strike out on their own, and there's no problem with a band dwelling in its comfort zone for spell...hell, there are major metal bands that, in retrospect, I wish had spent MORE time in their comfort zones, rather than teetering off into an oblivion of mediocrity, or trying to keep scoring with the times and instead getting dunked on.

The "Rats" single was the first I heard of this, like anyone else, it was a fun tune, lot of energy, like a livelier "Square Hammer", and I really dug how they refrain that evil melody at the end from the instrumental on the previous album (it's also used in Prequelle's choral intro "Ashes"). I think it was also a pretty good choice to front-load the more metallic material here, letting us know that Tobias still considers it an important component of their sound, before they traipse off into the more varied territory. "Faith" is probably the hardest tune on the album, which surprisingly drew some parallels to Chastain of all things, with that neo-classical shred line reminding me of David's playing, and the verse groove highly reminiscent of some of the stuff on For Those Who Dare. Coincidental, most likely, but I found that amusing, and the song pretty kickass with a great groove to it and a really awesome, memorable chorus, once again using their trademark organs to supplement a killer vocal hook. If you've got a version containing it, they also do a heavy cover of the Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin", a natural fit to the Ghost style, although I thought the Gamma Ray cover off Power Plant was a far cooler, more metallic transformation of the pop gem.

Not to take away from the mellower material here, because a lot of it is quite catchy, like the folksy piano-driven ballad "Pro Memoria", which picks up quite nicely even though a couple of Forge's vocal lines sound a little goofy in the bridge. "Witch Image" is a nice, driving rock track that I'm surprised didn't turn into a radio single, although the dramatic butt-rocker "Dance Macabre" accomplished exactly that. "Miasma" is another standout, a steady, proggy instrumental that is satisfying throughout its escalation, leads, and tons of ear-worm synthesizer lines. It's not the only instrumental present, but the calmer "Helvetesfönster" didn't impact me quite as much, despite the nice Medieval melodies buried in there. And that's rather an interesting decision, to have about 11 minutes of the album, a full quarter of its playtime (excluding covers) devoted to instrumental journeys, which are mostly successful. Perhaps Tobias could score a film, is all I'm saying, I can certainly imagine some lush, 80s-like young adult fantasy with this sort of music all over it.

There's another cover of Leonard Cohen's "Avalanche" on the deluxe edition, but as well produced as it is, I just didn't enjoy Tobias' rambling vocal style over it, he seems a little weak when he's in that mid-range, spoken word inflection, and the ascending power of the instruments in this one could have used a little more brawn over it. Other than this and a few of the other, slightly less impressive tracks, there are few complaints to be had. The production is excellent, and I'd argue even more dynamic than on Meliora. The lyrics are still pretty good, even if they're not quite as emotionally relevant to me as they were on the prior album. There some cool guest spots nestled in here, like the esteemed Steve Moore on synthesizer, or Mikael from Opeth contributing some acoustics. The Cardinal Copia persona, which I envision to be more of a laid back Papa Emeritus, is fun...let's say Papa Emeritus if he was guest starring on Three's Company. Papa Emeritus if he watched women's prison exploitation flicks while smoking fat cigars. Papa Emeritus if he could tear up a disco floor, which he basically does, only in a city street with a lot of carnage strewn about him. And Zbigniew Bielak's cover art, despite clearly being referenced from a certain old Sepultura record, is just awesome looking. Prequelle's another win to me.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10] (what you've sold you cannot unsell)

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Meliora (2015)

Meliora was the Ghost album I most immediately glomped on to, from the initial release of the "Cirice" single and it's entertaining, strangely alluring video, the ensuing teaser singles ("From the Pinnacle to the Pit" and "Majesty"), onto the full release in August of 2015. I loved just about everything I was hearing, and with a few minor nitpicks, this remains my favorite of their catalog. Granted, I rate this one and the debut about the same score-wise, but the level of stylistic flexibility and the insane level of catchiness here push it just a fraction of a fraction beyond Opus Eponymous. This stands the point where the band's pop, retro, metal and occult ingredients were held in a near perfect balance, and for me the full proof of the band's concept, a bevy of memorable riffs, lyrics, and vocal lines that were all a match for the band's theatrical, sacrilegious live celebrations.

I won't go into detail on every single track, but it features one of the best 1-2-3 punch combos for opening songs that I've got in my entire music collection. The rousing "Spirit" with its eerie and endearing synth-lines, building through a steady driving verse into its epic chorus, a glorious hymnal dowsed in proggy keyboards and choirs. The groovy "From the Pinnacle to the Pit" with its fat, throbbing bass lines, creepy guitar harmonies, and excellent drumming that shifts around until this one too hits a monumental chorus. "Cirice", with those morbid acoustics that lead into one of the best doomy rhythm licks I've heard in my entire life, and some of my favorite lyrics in their discography. Each of these tracks scores on every level, from the strength of the riffing, the ebb and flow of Papa's gracious vocal chords, to the slight bits of nuance like timpanis crashing or smooth, simple leads. The minute-long string instrumental "Spöksonat" is a wee bit useless, but at the very least it sets up the closing segment to their future single "Rats" off the following full-length Prequelle. And right after that you're getting "He Is", the band's ultimate, beautiful mockery of some soaring Christian arena rock power ballad, you can just see the lighters flicking on out in the crowd, but the crucifixes being inverted as they're raised towards the stage.

The only songs that I really wasn't in love with were these small instrumentals, although the organ heavy prog rock piece "Devil Church" is a little better than "Spöksonat". For a while I also wasn't into the vocals for "Mummy Dust". Musically it's wonderful, but I just felt like some of the whispers, mutters and lyric lines felt corny. Eventually I got over that, especially because I love the riffs, solos and synthesizers throughout the tune. Similar, the closer, "Deus in Absentia", while solid, isn't quite on the same level of quality as the other six tunes. Otherwise, Meliora is phenomenal, it's such a fun and meaningful album despite any of its silly eccentricities. The production is polished but potent for the market the band was playing to, since by this time the guys were already circulating on the radio and internet a lot more than you would have thought. Every note, every beat mixed exactly as they needed to be, and yet, despite the accessibility of the record, I never found it mindless, cheap or shallow in anyway. Although the lyrics are set up as your normal verse/chorus refrains like in any pop or rock song, they manage to craft these hypnotic lines that mean a lot in context, like 'I can feel the thunder that is breaking in your heart/I can see through the scars inside you', or 'All those things that you desire/You will find here in the fire'.

For what a clean cut, friendly guy Tobias seems to be, he certainly has his sinister side! And we're all the richer for it. Now I know that Ghost has developed into a rather contentious band, and sure enough they bring out a lot of mainstream music influences from the 60s, 70s or 80s that might not be all that exciting for those who were more into the Mercyful Oyster Cult influences, or just for folks who don't want any sort of pop taint or accessibility within their music. I can understand it. What's the big deal, right? Well as someone who has always enjoyed occult rock, pop, prog rock, and heavy metal, I just really appreciate how these Swedes transmute them into a consistent style, which can maintain all the constituent variability of these genres and still come off sounding like a single band. I also don't mind having the occasional band most of the 'squares' in my life can hear in my car and get into; they don't always take well to my Icelandic black metal or cavern core addictions. And maybe it's a superficial thing, but I also love the subversion of such catchy and occasionally 'friendly' metal carrying its Luciferian undertones, a philosophical inversion of pop music and poppier religion. I mean, only Odin is real, but the Devil can be a hell of a lot of fun.

Version: Epic Win [9/10] (Anti saint wormwood catapulting your mind)

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Popestar EP (2016)

Popestar is anchored by "Square Hammer", the band's most popular non-album track and one of their most popular in general. Apart from the fact that the tune's central riff/melody reminds me a hell of a lot of a heavy metal version of "Message in a Bottle" by The Police, it's a pretty good tune that escalates into a satisfying chorus. About half the Ghost fans I know out in meatspace actually got into the band through this song initially, so there's obviously something to it, although I wouldn't consider it among their top tracks. I did dig the noir horror-like video that went along with it almost as much as the music itself. Fortunately, like If You Have Ghost, this is an EP primarily built from cover tunes, an area Tobias is decently strong with, and like that release, they've made some interesting choices here.

They handle Echo & the Bunnymen's "Nocturnal Me" rather loyally, keeping the similar, solemn textures but inserting a few doomier guitar lines in there to personalize it more towards their own material of the Meliora era. I especially like the ending with the busy drums and the mildly heavier prog atmosphere. The other cover I was familiar with is "Missionary Man" from the Eurythmics, which once again gets a heavier jump start due to the presence of the guitars. Musically I was on board with this, it works well with those chords churning it along, but I felt Papa's vocal here was far too nasally and distracting, especially as he is delivering it in a rather monotonous tone. Not that it's terribly distant from the original, but Tobias Forge is no Annie Lennox, as I'm sure he is aware, and we'll leave it at that. As to the other two tracks, I was unaware of the originals and so I had to go back and listen through them online just to make some comparisons. "Bible" by Swedish 80s rockers Imperiet is played quite close to the original, vocal harmonies and all, and in "I Believe", Ghost takes an English electro-pop cut from the 90s and reduces it to a more purely ambient piece with the shimmering synthesizers and Forge's voice leading it along...

That was a pretty interesting adaptation, but having now heard the original I was kind of missing all the little bleeps and beats that carried the dance version, which was basically a British New Wave track done a decade late, but hey at least it was an introduction for me. Overall, I think the choices here are pretty curious but not always as triumphant as I would have liked. "Square Hammer", itself arguably a half-cover of another famous track, is the main reason to return to this one. David Brinley's artwork is nice, architectural, imperious looking, which sits nicely aside his cover for the Ceremony and Devotion live album and Zbigniew Bielak's cover for Meliora. All the material, original or covered, is produced with a pretty safe poppy mix that emphasizes what it needs to. I'm sure this is sitting in most of the Ghost audience's collection already, but if you haven't already got it, try and grab the 2CD version of Meliora which features this is as the 2nd disc and possibly save yourself a couple bucks. On its own, the value is debatable.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Seven Inches of Satanic Panic EP (2019)

Ghost has proven to be such an ever-evolving species of band drawing upon multiple eras of heavy metal, hard rock, prog rock and psychedelia that you can never quite predict where Tobias Forge is headed next. Once I saw the gaudily bright colors that would provide the cover for Seven Inches of Satanic Panic, a limited edition, wait for it...7" record, I kind of figured he'd be taking us back on a tour of the 60s, or rather the 60s as filtered through Cardinal Copia's imagination. True enough, that seems the primary influence to these tracks, though he's definitely trying to keep them consistent with some of the other Ghost material off the latest two full-length albums, so the differences are superficial at best.

"Kiss the Go-Goat" is a slab of 1968 hard rock circa Iron Butterfly or Steppenwolf, with a stock, predictable, main riff drizzling acidic little leads and organs. Forge's vocals tether it directly to the Ghost canon, but there are a few differences like the mildly fuzzier rhythm guitar tone and so forth that I wouldn't mind hearing an entire album based around. The chorus and bridge definitely feel like other songs you've heard by the Swedes, and overall I was left slightly wanting for some catchier nuances here...for all its experimentation at dialing back yet another decade, this one doesn't have a lot to stand on. "Mary on a Cross" is more somber and atmospheric, and strangely enough captures the nostalgia of the intended era more successfully, even though it's driven by a standard hard rock undercurrent like a "Dance Macabre", which is similar. But it's the vocal harmonies and the way the organs are implemented that sell it, and I like the little break where the beat disappears after 2:30 where it makes you feel like Tobias is crooning at a high school dance 50 years ago, before the rest picks right back up.

The production is pretty good, that's never really an issue on Ghost studio recordings, but I think the two tunes here are among the least impactful of their career the last few years. I don't mind them, but it's easy to understand why they'd be better placed on a novelty item like this EP rather than on a full length where the stakes are higher. Who knows, though, perhaps Forge was thinking of heading even further back in time, channeling earlier chronological influences, and wanted to send this thing out as a crowd test to gauge the reaction. To that extent, at least to me, I would consider it a success, as I think an entire album of better written tunes in this style might be fun...like a Strawberry Alarm Clock meets Ghost effort. But as far as its inherent value, I don't think I'd be including either of these on a playlist of my Forge favorites...most of the material on Meliora and Prequelle sticks with me more than either of these, although they were innocuous enough ear candy for a couple spins.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Ceremony and Devotion (2017)

As slick and polished as Ghost comes off on its studio recordings, the band was pretty much built from the ground up to excel in the live setting. The costumes, the characterizations, the set pieces, and the sheer accessibility of their material lends itself well to the good old sing-along, and lyrically and emotionally they touch upon a number of cornerstones of individualism and rebellion that will appeal to both younger and older audiences both, the former smack dab in the middle of that time of their lives when it all matters so much, and the latter because they remember when it did for them. Theatrically, if not musically, they've got a lot more to bring to a gig than your average quartet of guys in black clothing, not that there is anything wrong with a quartet of guys in black clothing, most of the best shows I've ever SEEN are 4-5 dudes in jeans and black t-shirts, but it's nice that we've got some acts out there who take it a little further over the top and justify those ticket prices. I mean I'm right by your side watching the local death metal bands, but I like to check out some fuckin' KISS, King Diamond and Alice Cooper too.

Now, naturally, an audio live album isn't going to be able to convey that whole experience, and that's one of the obstacles Ceremony and Devotion faces. You're getting some cool new cover art, some photos, a list of tour dates, and a pretty well-recorded physical proxy for attending and listening to them perform. You're not getting a single, complete performance accompanied by a DVD or Blu Ray of that gig, which I think would have been a far superior product for the fans, especially those who haven't gotten to attend one of their tourdates. This is material pulled from several different dates, curated to provide clear, consistent sound quality and crowd buzz and prove that they can largely emulate their studio offerings, which they more or less do throughout this selection. 15 songs, the vast majority of which I enjoy, the only exceptions being a couple like "Per Aspera ad Inferi" or "Body and Blood", but even those sound fluent enough in the live setting. The material is drawn fairly evenly from Opus Anonymous, Infestissuman, Meliora, and "Square Hammer" from the Popestar is the opener, so a lot of my favorites like "Con Clavi con Dio", "Cirice", "He Is", "Year Zero', "Monstrance Clock", "Absolution", and "Ritual" are present and accounted for. No complaints there.

The songs do lose a bit of power on this recording as compared to their studio counterparts, by which I mean the band is so devoted to playing so cleanly that I got a more sterile reaction when listening to these versions. I wouldn't have minded some more flaws and imperfections if they had a slightly dirtier live mix, or changed the material up a little more to give the audience something more novel. The guitars here sound a little constrained, although they pull off all the parts well enough. I think as the tunes move more towards a climax, as in the chorus to "Year Zero" when they've got the choirs, the band firing away, the bells, and so forth, it does come together rather nicely, but there are some points where certain instruments seem subdued, or Papa's voice, while crystal clear, just doesn't carry the same effectiveness you'd expect. In fact he sounds a little too dweeby in some parts with the cleans, but where he might spit out a lower, growled tone it's more potent. That said, this is what's going to happen when you're curating tunes from separate gigs rather than just delivering all the sincerity and bluster of a single performance (although I've read somewhere that many of these were taken from the same show).

Ceremony and Devotion is professional, unquestionably, and most of my complaints here are rather minor since the audience sounds like its having a good time, and the band clearly puts a lot of effort into the performances. However, this isn't one that I'm going to be taking off the shelf to experience in place of their studio offerings. It's not a case like Live Without Sense or Live After Death where I want to specifically listen to that recording, even though I think most of the set list is fantastic and it's a decent overall product in terms of packaging and audio quality. Had it come with a DVD to match, I'd probably give this a boost, it really could use one, but as it stands I think it's just decent enough to give a passing grade.

Verdict: Win [7/10] 

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Dance Macabre (2018)

Here's another digital Ghost single which was of interest to me because it featured an electronic artist I enjoy doing a number on one of Prequelle's singles, "Dance Macabre". Like a lot of that album, I do like the original song, I remember it standing out as semi-unusual in that it felt almost like a hybrid of disco and 80s butt rock, the sort of song you might expect more from Speed Strid and his Night Flight Orchestra than Tobias Forge. It manages to pull of an extremely familiar feel to all of us that survived the 80s, and lyrics that don't exactly live up to some of the Swedes' other work, but nonetheless it was catchy as hell and I listened to it a few dozen times despite the goofy video that went along with it, which can be forgiven since about 99% of all music videos are rubbish.

I'm going out on a limb here to say that I actually dig the Carpenter Brut remix of the song just as much if not more than the original. This is the Frenchman responsible for "Turbo Killer", setting beats for and starring in one of the remaining 1% of music videos that actually fucking rules. While his augmentation of the Ghost tune isn't quite as dramatic or extreme as some of his own tunes, I like the throbbing roller skate-ready synths he mixes for the bass line in the verse, as well as the more exaggerated, very retro radio synthesizer pads, and the reverb he throws onto the vocals. I have quite a lot of fun listening to this, even the slightly more atmospherically enhanced chorus with a couple of slightly acidic tones on top. The synth solo just about matches the guitar solo in coolness, and it's just a well done adaptation which knows what its about and doesn't need to force the envelope too far.

Now, as an overall value, this single isn't much. It's just that remix, plus the album cut, which is not necessary since you could compare it to the one on Prequelle. So it's a fairly useless release that just happens to feature a remix every bit as enjoyable as the one Health provided for "He Is" on that tune's expanded digital single. Perhaps Carpenter would be a trendy pick, but the fact is that he handles this material with respect, injecting just a fraction of his own persona while letting the original structure of the song thrive, and you couldn't ask for much more. It's not much of a product but if you like both of the artists then certainly listen to it online.

Verdict: Indifference [5/10]

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - He Is (2017)

As one of my favorite tracks off the Meliora record, and by Ghost in general, I was pretty curious to explore this digital maxi-single which features four different versions (thankfully excluding a repeat of the original album mix). "He Is" plays like a perfect mockery on some Christian arena rock power ballad, gone from rich, glimmery acoustics to a potent, memorable chorus, electric leads and just an uplifting proof of concept for Tobias' Luciferian lyrical themes and the band's ability to weave classic rock styles onto a present day audience. That being said, the various alternate takes on this tune don't quite hold a candle to the studio one I was accustomed to, as is obvious by how well that one comes off live...

...on the very first track on the single. Possibly an error in judgement, since I think that could have been shoved off to the close of track list, but since this is just distributed digitally it's not like a lot of listeners are going to have any loyalty to a perceived ordering of its presentation. Yes, the live cut recorded in San Francisco is quite good, with the guitars and vocals up loud and front, sounding awesome, proof that Forge can largely pull this all off in the moment. Most of the instruments sound close to studio perfect, the climactic chorus retains its power and the audience roar is kept strictly to the backdrop, almost as if it were sampled in there where tolerable. The second cut here is a more directly acoustic piece, without the electric swells, and featuring Allison Mosshart of The Dead Weather and The Kills. Her style is definitely a little more grainy and emotional in her voice, but I found she was a little overpowered by Tobias once they were singing in duet, and although this plays more like a 90s alt-rock version of the tune it didn't hold a candle to the album cut.

After that, the selections become a lot more interesting...the "HEALTH remix" is a pulsing, rave version which lowers the pitch on the vocals and then becomes a rather mid-paced, atmospheric ambient piece that would be perfect to listen to through a sunrise. Aside from a few throbbing, sparse beats, this one never just goes outright techno, and while I was expecting it to, I was surprised that I preferred it just to stick with this rich, ambient texture with the more ominous vocals. The final version presented here, the "Haxan Cloak Remix" is a far more industrialized version with some more abrasive, noisy electronic sounds after a more ambient intro. I loved this one at first, thinking it was just the whole track being minimalized into these strings, keys and other ambient tones, a gorgeous reduction, but I was a little less interested when they were throwing the subdued vocal samples back in under the ear-rupturing, dirty synth explosions later on. Still, it's good for a few minutes.

Overall, it was curious to hear the different approaches in contrast with one another, but only the "HEALTH Remix" with its L.A. rave inducing-euphoria is one that I'll find myself running back to. The others are pleasant, especially the opening sections of the last remix, but there's never a need for me to listen to them over the album version. I think it was pretty wise to leave this sort of thing as a digital download for the diehards, and it's harmless enough, but mostly just an oddity with one real positive. The live track sounds great but you can also just hear that over on Ceremony and Devotion, a full live album that I'll cover soon.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - If You Have Ghost EP (2013)

The strength of the If You Have Ghost EP, or Ghost's choice in cover songs in general throughout the band's career, is that they take them and make them their own, instantly broadening the pool of material they can pull on for their set lists. Granted, some of the songs might be kept closer to the belt of their originators, and others given a little bit more of a metallic injection, but for any flaw I might pick out in the band's career, the cover songs that they occasionally bless us with would never be one of them. And this is exactly that, a short-player with four tracks you might not expect but lend themselves very naturally to the band's influences in everything from progressive and psychedelic rock to disco.

"If You Have Ghosts" is a very accessible, sweeping, uplifting sort of rock cut that works well in their hands, or alongside the other tracks they've written themselves which give off a mock Christian arena rock vibe, such as "He Is" on Meliora. I've addressed the ABBA cover "I'm a Marionette" on the review of the Infestissumam full-length, but if you don't own the Deluxe version of that then it's a treat to have it here among its neighbors. I'll reiterate that Ghost could cover almost any single tune in that band's history and it would probably work, the groups, despite their genre differences, share that unbridled sense of ear-pleasing pop quality. I was not as familiar with the original "Crucified" or the band Army of Lovers, but this one definitely recurs that hymnal concept that the band really likes to play on with its blasphemous Luciferian theatrics. It's a little goofy when he gets to the more spoken word bit in the bridge, but it's certainly an aesthetically fit for the Papa Emeritus II persona Tobias was using to front the band at this time.

The cover I was most looking forward to, Depeche Mode's "Waiting for the Night", is given a more doomed, melancholic edge than it already possessed, with a pungent fuzz to the guitars, and little organs that glimmer through almost too cheerfully from the somber weight of the tune. Still pretty cool, but I see why they kept it tucked behind the others. There's also a live offering of "Secular Haze" to round out the material, which sounds good in that setting, but just isn't one I find myself revisiting often, much like its studio counterpart. The production on the covers is quite good, I'd say even a little better than the Infestissumam material, with the guitars balanced better against all the vocals, organs, percussion, and bass lines. The EP is a decent value if you're a fan of the band, I might have preferred a full-length of covers without the live tune interfering but this thing is usually sold for only a couple bucks, and if you don't have the tunes elsewhere it's worth a pickup if not some towering success of a product.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Infestissumam (2013)

Opus Eponymous was an album that I found immediately distinct, enjoyable on the first listen, and it only got BETTER from there, so I was a paid passenger on the hype train around Ghost as it climbed the steep track towards international recognition. Naturally, there were some major expectations for its followup, and perhaps those were premature on such a novel act, as Infestissumam came along and hadn't a fraction of the same impact on me as its predecessor. I wouldn't say that I've ever 'struggled' with this sophomore, it's a pleasant enough progression of the concepts they had already laid out before us, but with the exception of a handful of tracks, I didn't find the material here so indispensable, and even on many repeated listens this remains my least favorite of the Swedes' full-lengths. Now, having said that, this one has continued to grow on me in the intervening years such that I still keep it on a semi-regular rotation, especially four particular songs and the second bonus track.

It's instantly clear that Tobias and company were attempting to ramp up the theatrics of their stage personas through the studio component, evident through the fact that the album sounds like you're sitting in a mock Church, complete with bloodstained glass and Luciferian hymnals, surrounding by a carnival on all sides. The organs and other trappings beyond the standard metal instrumentation are whimsical and subtly sinister. There's a wide array of rhythmic exploration which feels light and airy, like a troupe of inverted Christian hippies traipsing down a hillside tossing beach balls to and fro. I would assert that Infestissumam was the band's most progressive offering, covering more new ground than any of its successors (to date), even if it wasn't able to form that into the catchiest of individual tracks. That's not to say you won't hear ear candy-larva burrowing through the DNA of a lot of the songs, but to me the smoothness of how the production locks it all together lacks a little of the power and menace I felt from the debut. The overt influence of your favorite Danish metal royalty and escapist New York hard rock of the 70s and 80s is still present, but a wider net has been cast.

It's eccentricity and all-over-the-place-ness is a positive. For instance, the album doesn't really lose any points from me for shifting between the safe psychedelic pasture-rock and the haunted house rockabilly of "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen", one of my personal favorites here. "Year Zero" is an undeniable strong point with its creepy verse vocals and development towards its sweeping operatic chorus. "Depths of Satan's Eyes" sounds like a track cultivated from Opus Eponymous' outtakes, and the closer of the album proper, "Monstrance Clock" is another highlight with its oozing synth lines, eerie organ breaks, and another of Tobias' wonderful vocal performances. I mean there's a good EP's worth of kickass material that rivals anything else the band has released. To boot, the bonus tunes on the Deluxe edition are quite good, especially the cover of ABBA's "I'm a Marionette". I mean mock the source all you want, their catalog is just perfectly fertile ground for a group like Ghost to come along and transform into their own designs, and this song does it wonderfully. I would probably purchase an entire album of ABBA covers by this group.

I think where this one sinks for me is that it front-loads some of its weaker tracks. "Per Aspera Ad Inferi" has a few high points but doesn't quite deliver on its initial promise, and "Secular Haze", one of the most popular tunes here with its circus-like march, falls short of its potential. "Jigolo Har Migiddo" is fun enough, but doesn't really tickle me until the bridge. The guitars here, while active and occasionally inventive, seem to take a back seat to the vocal production and synthesizers, not to mention the bass which sometimes seems to overpower them. I felt as if the debut was more directly driven by the riffs, whereas here they only occasionally poke out, but when they do, as in the kickoff to "Zombie Queen", they're great. Tobias' vocal production here is quite involved, with a lot of harmonies, but again some of the melodies just don't hit the catchiest patterns and seem to play it a little too obvious rather than hitting you with some unexpected, unforgettable note progression.

Elsewhere, the aesthetics are quite nice. The song titles interesting, the Satanic lyrics hold up through a number of readings, and the artwork a nice continuation from the debut. The flimsy Universal digisleeve edition of the CD sucks, and I recommend avoiding it and tracking down a Deluxe with those bonus tracks that actually add a good amount of value to Infestissumam on the whole. There is no question that this was an important transitional step for the Swedes. Sure, I might like Meliora a lot more, but without this I don't think Ghost would have necessarily gotten there. So for that, and the quartet of originals that really resonates with me, I do think this is an interesting album with enough qualities to recommend, and I'm not surprised that a lot of the band's fans see is as their personal favorite.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://ghost-official.com/

Ghost - Opus Eponymous (2010)

Many arguments have been made for and against Sweden's latest metallic superstar Ghost, but there is no denying that they place a rather refreshing spin on the re-risen popularity of traditional doom and heavy metal by refining it with a tinge of 70s pop rock influence, in particular the faux occult stylings of artists like Black Widow or the late 60s Coven. In fact, I've gotten more requests to review their full-length debut Opus Eponymous than any other album in memory, and while I'm a year late, its hour has come at last. One might describe their sound as a hybrid of Blue Öyster Cult and Mercyful Fate and not be far off the mark, with the clean, psychedelic rocking atmosphere of the former and the piercing vocals and rusted metallic grime of the latter, even if Papa Emeritus doesn't utilize anything near the shrill falsetto of the King himself, nor his decrepit narrative mids.

Where the album really works is in its layered use of melody through both the primary and backup vocals to create a soothing, almost 60s vibe you don't often hear on the heavier end of the rock spectrum. The guitars are incredibly clean, given only the slightest tinge of distortion, and yet they're still loaded with riffs. Naturally, as you might expect of any band whose stage attire includes ominous robes and a cardinals' attire, there are going to be pipe organs, and they are used sparsely and effectively to offset the leads and rhythms. Other tricks include monk chanting ("Con Clavi Con Dio"), Sabbath-like doom breaks ("Death Knell"), or Zombi styled progressive instrumental bits ("Genesis"), but I personally found the band to be at their best when they were just rocking along with their cheesy, Satanic lyrics and fine if understated guitar licks; cult/camp horror underpinnings are cruise control for retro-ghouls.

There are songs here which frankly kill, and then others which, while consistent with their betters, don't build up the same quality of melodic vocal lines or chorus segments. "Con Clavi Con Dio" does wonders to set the stage for the heavy rock equivalent of a Hammer Horror film, with its dark, ghostly lyrical meter and chantings. "Ritual" is an obvious standout for its great chorus and surefooted mid-paced verses. "Elizabeth" flourishes for the speedier licks in the verse and another unforgettable haunted house chorus. "Prime Mover" was another successful piece for its layered, Pink Floyd-ish vocals and pipes. But then there are pieces like "Stand By Him" which feels primarily like a retread of "Ritual", or "Satan Prayer" which seems throwaway apart from a few of the vocal lines. Opus Eponymous clearly hits its target more often than its misses, but it would be dishonest for me to claim it's the masterpiece some have made out.

While the utter polish of the production gives it that nostalgic appeal for 60s/70s pop that the band were no doubt going for, I feel that the lead vocal lines often come out a bit wimpy. Part of this might be Papa's accent, but I'd like to hear him mix in some more lower range passages to give it a better balance. Also, the songwriting could use a spike more variation to capture the breadth of the spooky subject matter. A bunch of samey paced and plotted hymns to the devil seem safe enough for the debut album, but they might inevitable bore the Old Goat if the Swedes can't stretch themselves. Those gripes aside, though, I have certainly had fun with the album enough that it's gotten a few dozen rotations over the past year, and they've got plenty enough of a future ahead of them that their style could damn well explode beyond the 'what's old is new again' aesthetic hanging so heavily from its cobwebbed rafters.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (from thence he shall come to judge)

http://ghost-official.com/