Sweden's always mysterious Ghost continues to haunt the metal world as their musical meanderings strike a dark chord. This week the band release their third mighty opus called Meliora, via Loma Vista Recordings/Spinefarm Records. In the latest bout of BraveWords' Crossfire, scribes Mark Gromen and David Perri dissect the album!
 

Mark Gromen - 8.5/10

Third platter from the masked Swedes, eager to prove the bland sophomore effort was a misstep and they're more than a secretive one-trick pony. Musically, the eight songs (plus a harp-only intermezzo 'Spöksonat' that lasts just 56 seconds and 'Devil Church', ten more), while never belying the past, particularly an affinity for Blue Öyster Cult, opt for the heavier edge that was minimalized on the initial pair of albums. That's not to say this is thrash or anything, as the sinister seductive '70s rock melodies remain the calling card, but the tempo frequently transcends mid-paced easy listening. Greater reliance on guitars and stomping bottom end, all housed in an almost child-like innocence vocal, it's their most devilish trick yet.

Beginning with an eerie, off kilter, almost Twilight Zone inspired electro-keyboard rhythm, it leads directly into 'Spirit', with its recognizable staccato riffing. Non-stop segue to rollicking 'From The Pinnacle To The Pit', which details the Biblical story of Lucifer's fall: "Blackened feathers falling down, you are cast out from the Heavens to the ground." A romp, 'Mummy Dust' kicks off with aggressive guitar and drums, rhyming the title with "In God we trust" come the chorus. Hammond organ and a brief nod to Deep Purple takes the form of 'Majesty', a catchy sing-along ode to the Dark Lord. Speaking of dark and unsettling, listen to the opening strains of 'Absolution'. Later it sprinkles in some piano and keyboards, while giving the guitars room to roam. Definitely the fastest/heaviest choice in the hymnal. Accented by choir and commencing with the ticking of a (Monstrance?) clock, the 'Deus In Absentia' finale, claims "The world is on fire". You are here to stay and burn with me, a funeral pyre. We are here to revel, forever more." Wickedly underhanded lyrics and the multiple levels behind the album artwork are just icing on the Communion wafer. Hallelujah!

 

David Perri - 7.5/10

Back in 2011, when the extreme metal world was just beginning to seriously do battle with its current nemesis, hipster metal (a battle that resembles, not surprisingly, the previous episodes of scorn and vitriol leveled against glam, grunge, nu-metal and metalcore), Sweden’s Ghost and its Opus Eponymous debut made their sudden appearance. As extreme metal’s anger towards Liturgy and Deafheaven’s annexation of black metal escalated during the summer of 2011, Ghost’s simplistic heavy metal charm resonated, loudly, with metal’s faithful, a collective that considered the New York City hipster haven of Williamsburg to be more hellish than any God Dethroned or Deicide album cover ever could be.  Ghost’s ritualistic reanimation of Blue Oyster Cult, Mercyful Fate and Manilla Road brought the extreme metal scene right back to its early progenitors and, in the face of Liturgy’s Hunter Hunt-Hendrix saying things like "there's a fundamental substratum

of chaos in black metal and the only way to deal with that void is to affirm it" with an ironic grin, Opus Eponymous soothed extreme metal’s blackened, eternally damned soul.

Praise from the high priest of black metal, Fenriz of Darkthrone, had preceded Opus Eponymous’ release and, by the time the record fully impacted in 2012, no less than the high priest of mainstream rock and all around nice guy Dave Grohl had embraced Ghost. The reason was simple: Opus Eponymous is a record replete with highly listenable, engaging songs that were meticulously written, compelling the listener to visit and re-visit. Even four years later, “Ritual”, the immense “Con Clavi Con Dio” and “Stand By Him” are songs that find themselves burned into the memory banks. 

Don’t get us wrong: there is a downside here. Is a lot of Ghost’s faux-horror sound campy? Of course it is. Is there an annoying and unnerving reliance on Doors-style organ/synth all over the place? Yes, much to the band’s detriment. Can vocalist Papa Emeritus sometimes sound weak and resigned, the listener wishing for a more menacing presence? Sure. But, despite those flaws, Ghost is a band that channels something organic and primal about extreme metal’s roots, bloody roots. Ghost revisits our genre’s various birth places and reawakens them for us, sort of like uploading those grainy, 30-year-old printed Kodak photos on to your laptop and sharing them on social media.

And now here we have Ghost’s third record, Meliora. While the worst elements of the band are undoubtedly still around (for the love of God stop playing those goddamned synths), Meliora is a continuation and progression of what’s brought Ghost acclaim. After some thought, maybe the best word to describe this album is ‘refinement’: Meliora is a more sophisticated version of the group but, not to worry, Ghost hasn’t lost the plot. There’s no outlandish and inappropriate experimentation here à la Cold Lake, precisely because Ghost’s foundational concept would never allow for it. 

In terms of specifics, “From The Pinnacle To The Pit” is probably Ghost’s most muscular song, and in league with career highlights from the aforementioned Opus Eponymous and “Year Zero” from 2013’s Infestissumam. The unfortunately titled “Mummy Dust” is another robust track, though its mid-section ends up unwittingly, and hilariously, sounding like the soundtrack to a ‘80s WWF highlight reel. Elsewhere, “Absolution” is a memorable and menacing take on the big existential questions (“Ever since you were born, you’ve been dying,” Papa Emeritus reminds us), while both “Spoksonat” and “He Is” tell us that, yes, things can get saccharine and sentimental in the Ghost environs, despite the gothic imagery.    

And now, to the questions: where can the band go from here? Does this homage-as-revival have an elongated lifespan? Partial answer: even if Ghost never releases another record, its mission has been more than accomplished. These Swedes from Linkoping have served an important historical function for extreme metal by reminding us of the impact of the genre’s early forefathers. Secondly, Ghost also played a cathartic function for extreme metal during the genesis of its latest bout of outsiders-be-gone (i.e. the hate of hipster metal) and, who knows, Ghost might still be around to anchor our world’s response to the next perceived enemy.