Ghost (or Ghost B.C. or w/e) -- Swedish Pop Metal in Satan's Service

figured they oughtta have their own thread, as they've got a new album out and the last was pretty well liked around here. first single, "secular haze", is a proggy five-minute waltz that saves its biggest hook for the closing moments. weird move, and it took me a while to come around, but now i can't get it out of my head:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyQZ13jobIY

Love the vid.

Nice one, loved their last album!

well, from the name/image etc, the vocals are nothing like i expected ..

i was waiting for gruff/indecipherable shouting, and certainly nothing as melodic as this is !

this is really good stuff ...

digging this record a lot. worshipping satan has never sounded so wholesome.

okay, so this thread hasn't gone far since i started it

ALBUM OF THE FUCKING YEAR - calling it here, daft punk or no

everything about this is magnificent, a huge leap forward from the already brilliant debut. unlike the new uncle acid, they don't sacrifice a bit of what made them initially compelling. if anything, they double down. creamier, sweeter, catchier, more deeply infused with pure fresh (demon) seed. opus eponymous was approximately four brilliant songs padded out to album length, but this thing never flags, it just keeps building and building. i was convinced at "jigolo har megido", but holy shit at what, ska surf doom on "zombie queen"? that's after an intro that for a moment might be air or goldfrapp. sounds godawful, but it works! it's unspeakable and absolutely perfect, like the drooling bastard whelp of satan spawned upon a limpid nun. the single, "secular haze", is really just the jumping off point.

i sometimes think that "don't fear the reaper" is my all time favorite song, and this album is like that song turned into a band. soaring, glossily seductive, almost comically dark (okay, more than "almost" in this case), and catchy as all holy hell. maybe the most telling thing about this is that they cover an abba song and it doesn't overshadow the originals in any way. they're writing at that level, or near it, anyway. "year zero" is the real "first single", and it comes halfway through the album. like before they unfurl the full majesty, they want to show you that the tier two material is at least twice as good as any sane person had right to expect. and fuck, "body and blood", giving saturation era urge overkill a run for their money.

i expect it'll be way too cartoonish and cartoonishly "rock" for ILM in general, and it does maybe flag a bit at the very end, but this shit was weaponized specifically with me in mind. gorgeous goth pop horror metal from dimensions lost, beaming in on late night radio. "suffer little children to come unto me." have never heard a band take blue oyster cult so much to heart. brings a tear, i tell you. bloody, perhaps fecal, but a tear nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkBt7yLXyDk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtin1QiLrEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRB1hTjxjMg

this is pop

This sounds like Sensefield

kind of kidding with the AOY! biz, but i really do like it

thanks for ringing the bell only to leave a bag of flaming shit on the mat, JD.

had never heard "sensefield". gonna be all morning scrubbing that shit outta my brain with a toothbrush.

note to all interested parties: this sounds nothing like sneesefield.

also, it is possible that i may have been a leeetle bit drunk when i wrote that long "review" last night...

up from the stinking earth she rises ghastly pale
shapeshifting soon, but now she's rigid, stiff and stale

realize i'm out on a storm-lashed promontory in the moonless night with this one, but that's cool. i think i passed a castle back down the road a few miles. maybe they have a telephone i might use.

obv the BOC references are obvious but i never thought of Saturation by Urge Overkill until you said it contenderizer, but yeah totally....also the Stull EP

that said they are kinda like a less funny/varied/amazing BOC

but yeah i like the satanic pop bubblegum vibe

they say satan so much on this album it made me lol at points

and surely thats the point ?
panto rock a la alice cooper etc ...

Yeah I mean I love the campiness of it

me too ..
the sound. the concept. the look. etc.
if ever there was a band who dreamt up the perfect 'klf vs doom' colective, then ghost b.c. would be damn close to the outcome.
tis one of my favourite albums in a long long time ..

zombbbbiiiieeeee quuueeeeeennnnn

that said they are kinda like a less funny/varied/amazing BOC

you forgot less talented, which is the real problem.

thanks for ringing the bell only to leave a bag of flaming shit on the mat, JD.

had never heard "sensefield". gonna be all morning scrubbing that shit outta my brain with a toothbrush.

note to all interested parties: this sounds nothing like sneesefield.

― I have many lovely lacy nightgowns (contenderizer), Thursday, April 18, 2013 7:20 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ha! I was just being mean. It WAS the first thing that popped into my head when I heard it, though. Can't get behind this band at all.

nor can pitchfork metal dude, which bums me out cuz so many (apparently) take tips from them :(

accessibility and catchiness get a bad rap in certain quarters. a shame, imo.

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this thread. I didn't even know they had a new album out. Opus Eponymous proved that Satan does have the best music, and if this anything like that, it will be well worth a download.

dig the look. reminds me of a less manic arcturus

On first listen, I'm not sure I like this better than Opus Eponymous. It seems the organ is more prominent and there's more of an oompah-band rhythm going on, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the songs didn't grab me as much at first, except for "Secular Haze" which is pretty catchy. Calling Opus "approximately four brilliant songs padded out to album length" sets a pretty high bar. It doesn't seem like there are even four songs on this as good as the best stuff on Opus, but I'll try to keep an open mind.

Maybe I was a bit too hard on this. It's been growing on me. I still think it could have been a couple of songs shorter, and I'm not sure it matches the highs of Opus, but complaining would be churlish of me.

can not keep a straight face listening to this record, and i mean that in the best possible way

totally.
its a proper chesiree cat grin album ..

Dang, Opus is good. I love the concept (bubblegum Satanic ought to be perennial), so I'm glad I like all of the songs too.

*Satanism

The new record definitely isn't as strong as Opus Eponymous for me, but I still like it a great deal.

I'm with the man from Pitchfork on this one. Too many weak melodies. I do really like Ghuleh, though.

"Ghuleh" is great.

new album !

kids vs satanic doom rock :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Ao4t_fe0I

cannot wait.

"Cirice" is so goddamn catchy. I hope the whole album is like that.

whole album is great. ends with an evil hymn

Album is rocking in a strange kind of Darkness / Queensryche manner.

The world is on fiyah.

I haven't heard this yet, how does it compare to their previous stuff?

On first listen (so apply liberal grains of salt), I'm leaning towards "return to form". A bit front-loaded perhaps, but doesn't wear out its welcome.

very brief discussion of the new one on Rolling Metal

He Is = one of 2015's best songs

almost embarrassed by how much I like this album

when i return to normal life, i.e. next week when mk2 goes back to school and i go back into the office,
this is top of the list to help me get through the week.

suspect that the more excessive/prog/psych they become the more i will love them.

Old-school Satan worship filtered through contemporary Swedish pop production. The record's producer, Klas Ahlund, has previously worked with Robyn, Britney Spears and Katy Perry.

that moment at the end of "Spirit" where Papa Emeritus hits the high note on "spiiiiii-iiii-riiiiiit" right into the dope riff is ace

THE WORLD IS ON FI-YAH

The world is on fiyah.

― obstacle illusion (calstars), Tuesday, August 25, 2015 5:24 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^ this song just makes me want to start it all over again

HE IS

the beginning of "Kaisarion" sounds like John Mayer's "Say"

"Twenties" works in spite of the lyrics because the character is obviously a witless piece of shit. The backup vocals save it.

Something about the back half of the album

the beginning of "Kaisarion" sounds like John Mayer's "Say"

this sounds likke what The Darkness coulda been if they weren't so half-assed and were Satanic af

roto tom fill

I'm sold, this album is awesome.

it always take a few listens for the glory of GHOST to properly kick in, but f^ck it.
one listen and yeah, this is absolutely the album i needed from GHOST.
from comments here and there i was concerned that the guitars had been held back and they were going for daytime radio play a la 'he is', which got a lot of radio2 play in the uk.
note : this is not a complaint at all as i loved hearing ken bruce announcing GHOST in amongst the usual r2 stuff.
however, it turns out that the new album has not softened the bands core sound one iota.
massive tunes, production and guitars.

basically, as jmm said : "I'm sold, this album is awesome."

lol this is ridiculous

and awesome

call me little sunshine is great, love it so much

This is such a blast, way more fun and more consistent than I’d expected. “Twenties” is the obvious wrong move, but it’s not quite the train wreck I expected based on early reviews. Other than that this is a really good direction for them.

Honestly think the "hoo-ha" line is the only misstep in that song, and only because it's kind of obvious and overdone.

"Watcher in the Sky" needs an animated video in the spirit of Heavy Metal

gonna listen to this today while on a long drive.

a week on, and several listens in ...
yeah, this is exactly the album i needed from GHOST.
love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Uz9xkBoxs

new album by Magna Carta Cartel, featuring some (one?more?) of the previous ghouls: https://mcc-official.bandcamp.com/album/the-dying-option

This is nice. Better than the most recent Ghost album IMO.

check out TID too - three great releases so far ( https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Tid/3540382936 )

that Magna Carta Cartel album really is so good too - it kinda crept up on me and now I can't stop listening

I keep trying to get into the MCC songs I've heard, they are fine and I get the appeal for fans of Ghost, but they never really quite grab my like the best Ghost material does.

I can't get into the last two Ghost albums but still like this MCC stuff - new single btw:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izl4v_OT6m0

SEARCHLIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHTS

LOOKING FOR THE WATCHER IN THE SKYYYYYYYYY

Honestly think the "hoo-ha" line is the only misstep in that song, and only because it's kind of obvious and overdone.

― jmm, Wednesday, March 16, 2022 8:20 PM bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dNeIAxll2A

2 half hour sessions by MCC (who should have their own thread even though only I would post on it probably)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IEZgMzoYf4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJVKxzCaLKY

^ audio on bandcamp: https://mcc-official.bandcamp.com/album/digital-greetings-from-nielsen-s-und-2022

omfg, covers EP and they cover Genesis's "Jesus He Knows me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE3kJeBr9QI

hmm trying once more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE3kJeBr9QI

fuck it, just click the through link. lol

lol i'm guessing it's age-restricted because the preacher gets pissed on by hockey players at the end

ok after a rewatch please substitute "piss" with "cum"

clearly catering for their newfound radio 2 audience.

we know the titles but the original artists?

See No Evil - could be one of several
Jesus He Knows Me - Genesis
Hanging Around - The Stranglers maybe?
Phantom Of The Opera - Iron Maiden probably?
We Don't Need Another Hero - Tina Turner

Despite loving Ghost I'm usually underwhelmed by their covers but that one was pretty good. Really liked Bible too, from years ago.

Also

[Lt. Huff smells a mask]

Lt. Huff: It's urine.

Lt. Steve Milford: Oh thank God. Phil thought it might be semen.

Lt. Huff: Phil needs to talk to a therapist.

I 100% would be down with Ghost doing Andrew Lloyd Weber but yeah probably Maiden

the cover art for the EP is giving me big Maiden/Eddie vibes

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0521/6023/3669/products/TOPSECRETPhantomimecover_1024x.jpg?v=1680806869

A faithful cover of one of my favourite songs ever, and good gravy it rules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-VdZ4LEKg

the whole EP is on YT - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pExnH7HVHtw

okay, linking to playlists doesn't work - anyway, that's the first one & you'll find the rest there too

See No Evil - could be one of several
Jesus He Knows Me - Genesis
Hanging Around - The Stranglers maybe?
Phantom Of The Opera - Iron Maiden probably?
We Don't Need Another Hero - Tina Turner

I haven't heard the whole EP yet, but it is the Television "See No Evil", The Stranglers' "Hanging Around" and definitely Maiden.

i fucking love the Tina Turner cover

the timing

Yeah, the Tina cover is crazy good, which really threw me. I had the lowest expectations for that one, but man do they crank up the bombast in a fun way.

OH man this is so great. Don't overlook the Genesis cover either

Was very surprised/ intrigued that the new 2xCD Ghost live album was one of the few items in the Target music section today. Alongside Taylor Swift, BTS, Weezer etc.

Tobias has an extraordinary ear for 80s pop/glam metal detail, and that nuance keeps me interested in Ghost as they lean toward the pop side more and more. However, Vixen might want to have a word with him about that (undeniably catchy) chorus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLG9oTH-ZbQ

Which vixen song do you hear

"Cryin'".

The album is like a Heart album from the 80s if the Wilsons were really into Satan

lol