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Ghost: Opus eponymous

28/12/10 || cadenz

You don’t know who they are. That doesn’t matter. They are passing on a message from the Devil himself. That does matter. They want to spread the gospel of Satan to as many as possible, with music as tempting and intoxicating as virgin Mary’s wet cunt. With cunning expertise and flair, their vision is being fulfilled – and the world lays down at their feet. Ghost has arrived.

This mysterious group rose up from the Stockholmian underground earlier this year, manifesting their presence via demo songs on their MySpace page, and a 7” EP titled “Elizabeth”. The members’ names are not revealed, and they prefer to stay anonymous. The messenger is not important, but the message is. Remember? This is both an admirable statement of integrity as well as a clever PR trick – if you say something is secret, everybody wants to get in on it. Still, this gives Ghost and their music a mystic aura and makes everyone listen to the music with a sharper focus. I applaud this idea, and will not reveal anything about their identities.

The vision of Ghost is to reach the masses with their black masses, and they have therefore decided to compose music with catchy choruses, melodies and lyrics in classic heavy metal style, with many vibes from the 60’s and 70’s psychedelic rock genre. Mercyful Fate meets Coven. Despite the accessibility of the material, there’s an ominous, occult and fucken evil atmosphere throughout the album, and Ghost never stray from their concept. Most songs are instantly memorable, and your mind will be haunted by their hooks forever. Just as intended. Try the chorus of “Satan Prayer”:

Hear our Satan prayer
Our Anti Nicene creed
Hear our Satan prayer
For the cuming of seed

Or the genial chorus of “Stand by Him”, with one of the coolest bass lines ever performed:

‘Tis the night of the witch
‘Tis the night of the witch tonight
And the vengeance is hers for as long as she stands by Him

These chorus lines are so catchy you’ll be humming them even when jerking off. Or in the case of “Satan Prayer”, especially when you’re jerking off. The lyrics are straight-forward, occult, Satanic and awesome. If you think they’re funny or humoristic, good. If you don’t, good. They are what they are, and they convey the Devil’s message loud and clear. Just as intended.

The closest comparison to this band that I can think of is Mercyful Fate, though Ghost are more psychedelic rock and less metal. The vocals remind of King Diamond as well, and though they are a bit more laid-back and not as high-pitched, they share the King’s quality of being passionate and superb. The organic production fits like a glove; the guitars don’t have too much crunch, there’s just the right amount of reverb on the vox and everything isn’t compressed to shit. There are lots of cool keyboards thrown in, most prominently an old school fucken gospel organ that kicks ass, but also other cool effects that enhance the “old” vibe in the music. In the words of the band themselves: “Imagine a Satanic rock album recorded in a prolific recording studio with a million dollar budget in 1978.”

This is without a doubt one of the best albums I’ve heard. Period. The concept, the songs, the execution, the atmosphere – the fucken atmosphere! This is one for the ages, an instant classic. If you like metal or rock, this is for you. If you don’t like metal or rock, this is for you as well. This is an all-encompassing, passionate and flawless record, and I wouldn’t want to change one fucken second on it. It is magic. It is perfection. It is Satan. Just as intended.

Information
Released: 2010
Label: Rise Above
Website: Ghost MySpace
Band
Namnlösa Gastars Grupp (Group of Nameless Ghouls)

Tracklist
01. Deus Culpa
02. Con Clavi Con Dio
03. Ritual
04. Elizabeth
05. Stand by Him
06. Satan Prayer
07. Death Knell
08. Prime Mover
09. Genesis

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