The Official Ghost Thread v. summer 2023 US tour

[twosuitsluke]

Impera is still their third best album in my eyes - I never got the appeal of the debut and Infestissumam is too spotty.

Buddy, I don't often fully get behind statements you make, but this is one I endorse. Prequelle is #1, Meliora is #2 and Impera is clear #3! I do enjoy the first two albums but they got so much better after that.

[Buddyhunter1]

Buddy, I don't often fully get behind statements you make, but this is one I endorse. Prequelle is #1, Meliora is #2 and Impera is clear #3! I do enjoy the first two albums but they got so much better after that.

I'd swap Meliora and Prequelle any day of the week, but other than that, yes.

[twosuitsluke]

I'd swap Meliora and Prequelle any day of the week, but other than that, yes.

Ohhhhh, we were so close.

[Buddyhunter1]

If you're into underground metal and classic rock, the debut is as good as it comes. That era was so incredible. People kept vigorously theorizing about who could be in the band. I was so confused when I first heard them and could not find any of their names. In fact, I didn't even know the band was a 6 piece so when I first saw them and Martin had to bail on the show because he was puking his guts out back stage, I was none the wiser that there was only five people. Papa I even remarked in a raspy voice they were one ghoul down. I didn't know what the hell it meant. He spent the times he was singing slowly prowling around the stage and when they played an instrumental, he just stood motionless at the back of the stage. So much better than the cha cha shit he does now. The place smelled of frankelincense and was kind of unsettling. Truly one of the best shows I've ever been to.

Sure, but I'm just talking about the albums themselves, not the live performances or context surrounding them. To me, the debut is too stripped back. It's also lacking in the great melodies and songwriting that appear on later albums and doesn't really make up for them with anything. If you like Ghost darker and heavier, Meliora surpasses the debut in both aspects, while also having better songwriting and production.

[Buddyhunter1]

(double post)

[Madman Shepherd]

Prequelle was hard to swallow at first but I came around. Yeah it's poppy, but there is still that darkness and some amazing melodies. My dog was having some health issues and Life Eternal helped me get in a place where I could maybe accept that he may not make it because the bond we forged was too strong to be broken by death. Spoiler alert: he's still alive and kicking.

I basically rank Opus, Meliora, and Prequelle on par with each other. Infestissumam a pretty distant second. Impera wouldn't even exist in my mind if it weren't for Little Sunshine.

Sure, but I'm just talking about the albums themselves, not the live performances or context surrounding them. To me, the debut is too stripped back. It's also lacking in the great melodies and songwriting that appear on later albums and doesn't really make up for them with anything. If you like Ghost darker and heavier, Meliora surpasses the debut in both aspects, while also having better songwriting and production.

I love the rawness of the first one. The melodies are Ghostly and the mystery adds to it. At first I honestly thought Ghost might have been a forgotten project from the late 70s. Right up my alley. Sometimes raw is just what the Papa ordered.

Edit: Quote function is being weird but the second part is in response to your last post buddy

[Buddyhunter1]

My dog was having some health issues and Life Eternal helped me get in a place where I could maybe accept that he may not make it because the bond we forged was too strong to be broken by death. Spoiler alert: he's still alive and kicking.

I was gonna say, Life Eternal might honestly be the best song Ghost has ever made. It was a pretty unassuming ballad the first time I heard it, but it just got more and more powerful the more listens I gave it. It's a simple song but the execution is basically perfect.

[Madman Shepherd]

I was gonna say, Life Eternal might honestly be the best song Ghost has ever made. It was a pretty unassuming ballad the first time I heard it, but it just got more and more powerful the more listens I gave it. It's a simple song but the execution is basically perfect.

Perfect album closer too except I have the Deluxe edition or whatever so I have some underwhelming songs that follow it. I always try to shut it off before those start playing.

[cramx3]

I remember I was road tripping with a friend who had a slight interest in Ghost so I played the entire Prequel album while driving, at the end for Life Eternal, my friend said "can you play that one again?"  and at that moment I realized how good that song was.

[nick_z]

Hard for me to rank Meliora, Prequelle and Impera. All three are fantastic.

I do remember when the debut came out. I, too, really enjoyed it. But I generally agree with Buddy on the improvements in the songwriting department that came with the later records. I’ve stated it more than once on these pages, but to me Ghost really went next level when they fully embraced the full gamut of their influences, including pop. In a way, some of that was there on the first album, but then all of these influences truly come together. And that resulted in something special, imo. Is it incredibly catchy? Yes. Not afraid to be POPular? Sure. But awesome. And it seems to me that Tobias has a genuine love for the classics of rock and metal too. Just listen to the guitar arrangements on Impera. There’s so much nifty stuff going on under the surface.

Anyway- if I were to pick one record that is a more obvious step down, that would be Infestissumam…not bad by any means, but not quite as effective as the debut, and not quite “there” for what Ghost was becoming…