from the clergy - from the pinnacle to the POLL: Ghost studio albums poll

Nice idea. I'm still kind of gobsmacked by how huge this band became. That said, and even though I've found something to like on everything they've one, they'll never top Opus Eponymous, so easy vote.

"in this chapel of ritual smells of dead human sacrifices from the altar bed" over the catchiest melody made me an instant-fan

Honestly, I'm more interested to see what would come in second place here.

fwiw, my quick and dirty ranking of the albums

Opus Eponymous
Meliora
Prequelle
Infestissumam
Skeleta
Impera

the only one I never really cottoned to was Prequelle, it starts out with two fire tracks and then just kinda....goes nowhere.

I really love the glitter metal-sheen of the newest one, but Impera to me blended old and new elements more to my liking.

Meliora is probably the one I know best because I was obsessed with it when it came out.

I need to revisit Impera honestly, for some reason it didn't click with me at the time and I never really spun it as often as the others.

first three are a level above everything else ... picking between them is hard.

i, too, was *obsessed* with Meliora when it came out. i'd need to re-listen to Opus and Infestissumam (which i've always thought was underrated / unfairly slagged) to see if either beats it.

I agree that the first three are where it’s at. Prequelle is the last one I purchased. I should probably give the more recent ones more time. I used to think Infestissumam was a bit of a letdown but played it again recently and enjoyed it more than I would have thought.

I was quite amazed to meet up with some old friends at the weekend and one of them, who is not a metal or rock guy in any way, said Ghost was hi most listened to music. I know these guys aren't exactly Darkthrone or anything, but it really didn't seem like his vibe at all

over the years i have dragged quite a few non-metal heads into the world of GHOST.
not so sure that's a good or a bad thing to be honest.
but tis the truth.
as for my fave album ?
absolutely no idea.
i do find it interesting how that they have been pushing hard the fact that their cover of 'It's a Sin' by PSB is now released via the various options given that it has been available on the cd edition of 'prequelle'.
guess there was not clearance for the cover version on spotify etc.

oh, and in other news : listening to Opus Eponymous via my Sonos Connect was when i was exposed to the limitations of 320/mp3s.
for a long time the opening track, 'Deus Culpa' distorted massively.
i checked the cd, checked every component and could not find the source of the distortion.
eventually i raised a fault with Sonos.
amazingly i got someone there really on the case.
i sent audio files etc of examples as to what caused distortion.
and yeah, via their advice, i "found" a hidden option in the phone app that is not availble via the desktop app that totally fixed the problem.
however, as part of the investigation i decided to re-rip all of my GHOST collection (only a couple of albums at the time), into FLACs.
to this day i still do this, but only for GHOST.

Infestissumam : quite possibly the most insanely shiver inducing album opening track ever.
or is that just me ?

the intro or Per Aspera Ad Inferi?

the intro.

yeah it's awesome.

I don't care if you're a punk, a blues rocker, a hesher, or some stoner off of the streets. If you sing about Satan, pentagrams, goat sacrifices, drinking blood, and whatever else, I'll buy your music. If you sing about God, but don't call him a bitch, fuck you. If you sing about sunbathing or your dream house, fuck you. If you sing about or some celestial being named Sleep, fuck you. That basically how I break it down to an extent.

-or

OTFM.
but it also helps if you wrap up such dark chaos with radio friendly tunes and some facepaint.

(Zombie Queen currently shaking the walls at hq and having no regrets re this evenings soundtrack !)

I'm still kind of gobsmacked by how huge this band became.

I'm not surprised at all, they were writing arena-friendly anthems from day 1, they just needed that public to find them. And it's not like they're playing in a very crowded field like, say, the hundreds of hair metal or emo bands trying to make it big with hooky rock.

I still maintain that with better management/label they would have become Rammstein-sized within 3 albums already. It has taken them three additional albums and ten more years, but it's true, they really are there now.

I liked it when they dipped into early 70s pscyh rock on Kiss The Go-Goat

They operate absolutely in their own space. The closest thing I could compare them to is Andrew WK. It's extremely poppy music dressed in the raiment of occult metal. It's Phantom Of The Opera with electric guitars. It's corpse-faced heavy metal as seen on the Scooby Doo show. And I'm here for it

so, seeing as we are here ..
did anyone get one of the special covers of 'prequelle' ?
i got the standard 3d cd of course, but even then there were rumours re special editions.

https://www.discogs.com/forum/thread/771985

Prequelle is sounding really f^cking good this evening.
Basically i still have no idea how to vote.
As brilliant as they are often are, I am ignoring the EPs options.

I'm still kind of gobsmacked by how huge this band became.

I'm not a metal guy and only known Ghost by name and face-paint, but I was really surprised that they're playing the big college basketball arena here in town this weekend. (Assuming this incoming storm doesn't shut it down.)

no idea what has created the massive crossover.
however, they have been very good re their choices re being a support act.
seem to recall that they were the support act for metallica for a tour.
that's going to give them a lot of exposure re the live scene.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'll say Meliora. I just love the heavy, proggy sound on that one. It's not leaning hard into being pop, but it's really catchy anyway.

I have a weird thing with them where I often find myself fatigued when new material comes out, but then I end up loving it anyway. Even so, I'm kinda waiting for them to get away from the AOR/80s hard rock sounds.

Opus Eponymous is one of the most original-sounding metal albums I have ever heard.

Infestissumam was a real curveball, kind of a critical dud at the time, but it has aged well since. "Year Zero" might be their best song overall, though "He Is" might have something to say about that.

Regarding the moment Ghost crossed over, it was thanks to "Square Hammer". They did the right thing by touring the States relentlessly, and Meliora started to gain traction. But that standalone single became a sleeper mainstream hit because of that steady word of mouth. Tobias found the right mix of '80s metal, '70s rock, and pop, and he's wisely ridden that formula ever since. I still love Prequelle to bits, it has riffs aplenty, those prog instrumentals are amazing surprises, and "Dance Macabre" is just a craaaazy good hard rock song.

I still find Skeleta a bit tired (exhausted actually) but in a Scorps' Savage Amusement kinda way. Very soft around the edges, sometimes too soft, but "Lachryma" really nails that 1987 sound.

yeah, a friend of mine about a week or two after they played here in 2016 actually paid the local karaoke host to add Squarehammer to the library so he could sing it the next week. it just blew up so fast. was smart to open with it on that tour

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Hands up re the solo vote for Infestissumam.
Could have voted for any of their 1st four albums, but the double whammy of Guleh/Zombie Queen still makes me tingle all over whenever it kicks in.

I think my five track picks would be Absolution, Witch Image, Spillways, He Is, and Dance Macabre.

The one breakthrough track I never saw coming is "Mary on a Cross". I shrugged it off initially, but seven years later, yep, that track has staying power.