Here’s a band that needs no introduction at all. If you don’t know who Ghost is, you probably have been living under a rock for the last twelve years. But one thing is clear, pretty much everyone in the world of Hard Rock has an opinion of them. When Ghost first started out they were surrounded by mysticism and became a huge hype right off the bat. Today, Ghost has turned into a love-to-hate band – among the pretentious True Heavy Metal Soldiers In The Night, that is. “Dude, Ghost’s not Metal, they play Pop”. Garbage like that can be read on a daily basis on forums and on social media. Well, I’m not a True Metal Soldier so I gladly buy Ghost’s records. I think they’re fabulous, see. And yes, there are influences from everywhere musically – which in turn makes them so much more interesting to listen to than loads of true Metal bands out there.
To call Ghost a band today, however, isn’t all that accurate. What started out as an unknown singer with masked Nameless Ghouls as the band is now Tobias Forge’s solo-project. Forge’s alter-ego – Papa Emeritus, the evil Pope – has been known for many years now and the Nameless Ghouls change all the time. Ghost is also one of the biggest Hard Rock bands out there today, which they should be and their records becomes more popular by each release. They are now into album # 5 and for me the expectations are enormous since the last two albums are masterpieces in my book, with none of the albums worse than good.
The opening instrumental intro “Imperium” builds up an atmosphere and the acoustic strumming that goes into some 80’s riffage that holds a slight Iron Maiden vibe paves vibe for the real opener “Kaisarion”, an uptempo rocker that blends different parts of rock-history. While it do brings on some 80’s AOR:isms it also throws in a nod or two towards Queen and some progressive elements as well. It’s a Hard Rock number for sure yet very melodic with some distinct and memorable guitar-lines and a direct and infectious chorus that will have you hum “far away from the stench of the heavens” for months. Brilliant stuff.
The latest single “Spillways” is one of those songs that the True Metal Soldiers will hate just as much the rest of us love it. Here Forge with his co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare throws in the 80’s – clear signs of both Toto, Boston, Journey and Styx comes up for air as well as ABBA – and gets us into a satanic pop-swirl with catchiness enough to sell. The keyboard intro throws a nod to Bon Jovi’s “Runaway” and I can also find traces of Trash era Alice Cooper. You know where this is going – yes, a total pop-metal stomper with Forge’s personal melody-arrangements. People can say what they want – this is a hit and so damn good it’s mental.
Second single “Call Me Little Sunshine” is darker, heavier and more sinister sounding with some edgy metal-riffing – and it’s a bit surprising it’s actually a single. It’s slower in tempo, deep and even a bit creepy with a pipe-organ in the background. It takes a while to get into the song – fact is I didn’t even like it the first time I heard it – but it grows hard and fast and once it has stuck, you’re hooked. Great. It’s almost the same with leading single “Hunter’s Moon”. This one I did like right off the bat but as a single it’s not really direct although the refrain sure catches on after a couple of spins. It’s classic Ghost with a spooky outlook, an upbeat groove and some stellar guitar-work. Damn good.
The Classic Rock laden hard-rocker “Watcher In The Sky” is a real winner as well. On a fat, crunchy rhythm and chunky riffing, the number throws out memorable melodies no matter if it’s verse or refrain. It’s a mid-tempo rocker with chugging guitars and an 80’s Hard Rock touch. The chorus is striking and effective but without any radio-hit potential. A beefy track that will work live. Great. The brass-fueled short instrumental interlude “Dominion” leads us into “Twenties”, a strangely bizarre rocker that swings with danceable rhythms that has reggaeton woven in with both Jazz and Swing and holds a brass section and 20’s sounding melodies. A very unpredictable number that’ll probably be a watershed moment among fans. I, however, dug it right off the bat.
“Darkness At The Edge Of My Love” is a lush ballad, quite smooth with a late 70’s/early 80’s AOR touch. With harpsichord sounding keyboards and dramatic guitars it holds a powerful edge and a sombre twist that holds any chessiness at bay. It sports gorgeous vocal melodies and arrangements and an emotional soundscape. Brilliant. Opening with a riff that’s part “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” (Van Halen) and part “Parental Guidance” (Judas Priest), “Griftwood” is a mid-paced rocker with a big Melodic Rock touch where the sound is late 80’s and reminds me some of Prisoners In Paradise era Europe. It’s a pop-metal laden hard-rocker, quite slick but never sugary and again, another amazing chorus is thrown our way. Phenomenal.
Before we get to the closing track, another short interlude called “Bite Of Passage” – a haunting and creepy intro – takes place which leads us into “Respite On The Spitalfields”, a slow-burner with a ballad-ish structure that holds a large, dark and quite smooth musical landscape. At nearly seven minutes, this is the most epic and ambitious track on the record. It’s a theatrical piece of music that holds both smoother melodies, a fat and heavy breakdown, an ominous soundscape and some strikingly effective hooks. It’s on the proggy side and I hear influences from both Queensrÿche and Savatage on one side and Whitesnake on the other. To me, it’s a perfect closer on an album like this – a brilliant number.
I admit that after the first spin, I thought this album was somewhat “meh” but it grew on me after first spin and has continued to do so rapidly. I can see why many Metal Soldiers will hate this album as there’s a lot of “duuuh, it’s not Metal, duuude”-songs on here but for us not so narrow-minded there’s a lot of goodies here to digest. The way Forge with musicians and producer Klas Åhlund weaves in influences from left to right with no thoughts of genre and still makes it very personal and unpredictable is in my opinion bloody amazing. So while there are pop-isms that makes this record for the masses to embrace, the album is at the same time so much more. To call this a Pop record isn’t only wrong, it’s dumb. It’s a Hard Rock record – and a phenomenal one!
9/10
More Ghost reviews:
Infestissumam
Meliora
Prequelle
Tracklist:
1. Imperium
2. Kaisarion
3. Spillways
4. Call Me Little Sunshine
5. Hunter’s Moon
6. Watcher In The Sky
7. Dominion
8. Twenties
9. Darkness At The Heart Of My Love
10. Griftwood
11. Bite Of Passage
12. Respite On The Spitalfields
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