Ghost – Prequelle
(Loma Vista Recordings)
Reviewed by Doug Peters.
Ghost is back with a new album, and with it a new singer and a whole new set of Nameless Ghouls… Ok, let’s back it up a little here. As the semi recent drama has proven – Ghost has always been (SPOILER ALERT) the brainchild of Swedish singer/songwriter Tobias Forge, but for the purposes of theatrics and damn good fun let’s play along for a bit.
Ghost threw themselves onto the Swedish metal scene back in 2006, fronted by Papa Emeritus and releasing the magnificent album Opus Eponymous, an album with a good mix of horror and satanic themes in 2010. In 2014 Papa Emeritus was out, and the slightly more commercial and more polished Papa Emeritus II was in, along with the new album Infestissumum, this time with a theme of the birth of Satan. 2015 saw Papa Emeritus II fired from the band and replaced with the infinitely more stylish (and arrogant) Papa Emeritus III, along with yet another album, this time an Art Deco themed masterpiece called ‘Meliora’ that was commercial enough to attract hundreds of thousands of new fans and followers while still being just evil enough to appeal to the long-time fans. Cue 2018 and all three Papa Emeritus’ have been ritualistically killed off (their “embalmed bodies” to be on display in glass coffins during VIP meet and greets during Ghost’s 2018 tour), Cardinal Copia is in and we have this plague themed masterpiece, Prequelle, to indulge in.
The first track (Ashes) is a creepy intro of children singing ‘ring-o-roses’ before the album kicks into gear with the first single ‘Rats’. Yes, it’s a new singer and a new personality (we’re all still playing along, right!? Good…), but it’s all still unmistakably Ghost. And yet, it’s all just slightly different. There is a more positive vibe to this album, many tracks invoking a true 80’s stadium rock feel (‘See The Light’ a standout here) while the traditional religious themes of past albums continue to bubble just beneath the surface, sometimes breaking through in the form of lyrics such as choruses chanting “drink me, eat me, then you’ll see the light”.
One of the standout tracks for Prequel is the synth heavy intro-ed Instrumental track ‘Miasma’, starting off as a nod perhaps to previous album ‘Meliora’ while also showcasing the new guitar sound and, ahem, saxophone. Its huge building intro is going to be a thing of absolute beauty live, and a great chance to showcase the new Nameless Ghouls. ‘Dance Macabre’ is as if Van Halen were being performed by The Mission or The Sisters Of Mercy, while ‘Helvetesfonster’ transported this reviewer back to the backing tracks of educational films from the late 70’s, early 80’s.
Overall, Prequelle is another win for Tobias and Ghost, albeit one that may not be quite up to the same heady standard of past releases for older fans, but an album that is still far and away better than 90% of anything else released this year and is sure to be another commercial success. Long Live The Cardinal, and fingers crossed New Zealand gets included in the round of touring this time!
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