The Official Ghost Thread v. summer 2023 US tour

[WardySI]

Catchy it is and really enjoying it regardless think it could've and should've been given more oomph and a heavier album overall. 

And regardless Griftwood has me thinking Hysteria or Call Me Little Sunshine gets me thinking all kinds of early Metallica and likewise a few other tunes have the same effect, this is a good fun album but not surprised many of their old-school fans may be disappointed

[The Realm]

Just put the new album on. First song sounds like a new take on Metallica's Battery intro.

[WardySI]

Just put the new album on. First song sounds like a new take on Metallica's Battery intro.

HA!  See my post minutes above yours seems we on the same page

[SchecterShredder]

This album is getting better with every listen. It's clearly a long way from Opus Eponymous' gritty sounding 70's style. I just took another listen to Ritual and Con Clavi Con Dio, and....wow has the production come a loooong way. Impera feels like a natural progression from Prequelle, though, and I think it's my favorite album in the catalogue. To echo what bluefox4000 said, I also find most of their albums are full of boring fill songs around a couple good tracks. I'm finding all the tracks on this record entertaining.

The thing that sticks out most to me is the guitar work. Bringing on Fredrik Akesson to record the guitar is very evident, and was a top notch idea. The solos and harmonies are on another level compared to all previous Ghost albums.

[Buddyhunter1]

I would have no idea Fredrik Akesson was all over this thing if it wasn't mentioned here. He usually has an incredibly distinctive solo style that isn't really present here.

I'll probably pick up this album, but the tracklist is definitely spottier than Prequelle was. Highlights for me so far are Kaisarion, Call Me Little Sunshine, and the closer, whereas Griftwood and Spillways are doing nothing for me. Everything else I have mixed feelings on.

[emtee]

Very enjoyable ride! Love where they went on this one. Melodies are great. Probably will be a top 5 for 2022.

[MirrorMask]

I was away on a short vacation when the album was coming out, so I couldn't resist and heard bits and pieces, now I've just completed my first full run.

First impression? It's a good album that takes a nosedive after the middle. It starts with the strongest songs - The energetic and bombastic Kaisarion, the illegally catchy Spillways (love at first listening), the very decent singles and also Watcher in the Sky is not bad, and as wacky and weird as it is, Twenties somehow is ok. I'm still not sold on the poppy songs that come after.... Darkness at the Heart of Love is not worth of the awesome title it has, and Griftwood is kinda cheesy and Spitalfields is nowhere near a closing epic.

Maybe I will change my mind with future listenings, which of course will come!

[Zoom E]

I picked up my copy of Impera today and loved it on first listen. Heavier than I expected based on the comments here. I don’t find it any more poppy than Prequelle.

[SchecterShredder]

I picked up my copy of Impera today and loved it on first listen. Heavier than I expected based on the comments here. I don’t find it any more poppy than Prequelle.

Disagree.  Rats and Dance Macabre were certainly poppy, but this album has 3 catchy tunes (Spillways, Griftwood, Respite on the Spitalfields), 1 straight up top 40 track (Darkness at the Heart of my Love), and 2 other 80s rock inspired songs (Kaisairion, Watcher in the Sky). In my opinion this is the poppiest, most commercially accessible album in their catalogue.

[EPIC Outro]

This is the least "spooky" sounding Ghost album. I tend to marathon their discography every Halloween, and this may be the first album from them that doesn't seem to fit that season. Solid album, but missing some of the spooky personality I found and enjoyed on their previous albums.

[SchecterShredder]

^^that is a sentiment i can rally behind

[MirrorMask]

This is the least "spooky" sounding Ghost album. I tend to marathon their discography every Halloween, and this may be the first album from them that doesn't seem to fit that season. Solid album, but missing some of the spooky personality I found and enjoyed on their previous albums.

Indeed. Prequelle was more accessible, but still had a lot of dark moments - and all the lyrics were somehow quite dark since they were all about the plague and death. The only "darkness" on this album is on Little Sunshine and Hunter....

[Metro]

Gave it a few more listens over the weekend and my opinion hasn't changed. This is by far their weakest album, IMO. Kaisarion is honestly the only track I'm enjoying.

I'm aware that this poppy side of Ghost has been there since the beginning, and has gotten more prevalent with each new release, but Impera takes that aspect of their sound too far. Prequelle had plenty of poppier songs, but it still sounded like Ghost. Outside of one or two songs, Impera doesn't even sound like the same band anymore. (And yes, I know it's really just one guy for the most part)

I don't dislike it because it's poppy, catchy, and more accessible and less metal than their previous work, but much like the Black Album by Metallica, I dislike it because it because it's a watered down, simplified, and boring version of their typical sound. Yes, bands supposed to evolve over time, but this is a step in the wrong direction. Hell, my favorite song is Kaisarion, and that doesn't sound like anything they've done before. So clearly they can try new things and still sound good. But the other 90% of this record doesn't do anything for me.

[Zydar]

I've had Kaisarion stuck in my head all weekend. It's probably my favourite track off the album right now, I really like the fast tempo of that one. Twenties is kinda cool as well, aside from the lyrics. Hunter's Moon has grown on me since I first heard it as a single. My least favourite is the power ballad, Darkness At The Heart Of My Love.

[nick_z]

Kaisarion is fantastic, can't get enough of it. One of my favorite songs of the year so far 

[Grappler]

This is the least "spooky" sounding Ghost album. I tend to marathon their discography every Halloween, and this may be the first album from them that doesn't seem to fit that season. Solid album, but missing some of the spooky personality I found and enjoyed on their previous albums.

I definitely agree with this.  I've only really listened to the album once in full and need to spend more time with the record, but it is missing that element.

Watcher in the Sky is slamming - there are some awesome riffs throughout the album.  It's not all poppy, but it's not all heavy either.   Meliora is still my favorite. 

[EPIC Outro]

I will say this album has the potential to add a lot of variety to their future setlists. I just hope they don't lean into this less "Ghostly" style too hard going forward

[me7]

I enjoy it more than Prequelle, but it is a compromise for me. I want  the heaviness of Meliora and the eerie quirkiness of Opus Eponymous to return into the band's sound.

[soupytwist]

Gave it a few more listens over the weekend and my opinion hasn't changed. This is by far their weakest album, IMO. Kaisarion is honestly the only track I'm enjoying.

I'm aware that this poppy side of Ghost has been there since the beginning, and has gotten more prevalent with each new release, but Impera takes that aspect of their sound too far. Prequelle had plenty of poppier songs, but it still sounded like Ghost. Outside of one or two songs, Impera doesn't even sound like the same band anymore. (And yes, I know it's really just one guy for the most part)

I don't dislike it because it's poppy, catchy, and more accessible and less metal than their previous work, but much like the Black Album by Metallica, I dislike it because it because it's a watered down, simplified, and boring version of their typical sound. Yes, bands supposed to evolve over time, but this is a step in the wrong direction. Hell, my favorite song is Kaisarion, and that doesn't sound like anything they've done before. So clearly they can try new things and still sound good. But the other 90% of this record doesn't do anything for me.

This is more like 'Risk' than the Black Album!!!

[Metro]

File it under “Weak Albums from Bands Who Are Capable of Doing Better” 

[nick_z]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of love for Darkness At The Heart Of My Love...I'm actually really liking it. Kind of in a similar vein to Pro Memoria from Prequelle (which I also liked).

Such a cool arrangement in the verses, and overall.

[Ben_Jamin]

This is the least "spooky" sounding Ghost album. I tend to marathon their discography every Halloween, and this may be the first album from them that doesn't seem to fit that season. Solid album, but missing some of the spooky personality I found and enjoyed on their previous albums.

I view Ghost as not a band about the spooky, but about spreading the message that is part of their entire lore and story. It's a reason why I do not mind their style now, actually this is the first album that got me back into Ghost since Infestissumam.

And I just saw that a lot of these songs are co-written. I dug into who Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare are, and I understand why those song contributions sound the way they do. Even Call Me Little Sunshine I can hear Justin Bieber singing to, because Max Grahn made songs for him as well.

In a way, I think it's hilarious how the point was to popularize the message and this album proves they have infiltrated the mainstream with it. And also, that this album fits my musical listening styles right now. 

Oh yeah....Darkness At The Heart of My Love is an amazing song.

[MirrorMask]

Me: Meh, Darkness at the Heart of my Love is kinda average.

Also me: "There's a darkness at the heart of my love".... over and over in my head 

Second listening done, as it happens with all Ghost albums, it's a very enjoyable experience, it does not "tire" you, but I wanted some more highs. In the context of the album, Twenties works quite good.

And I agree that Kaisarion is an amazing song.

[Buddyhunter1]

I listened to Opus Eponymous again and it's still easily their weakest album for me. It's got some decent tunes but overall it's very... unexciting? I get liking their darker sound more than their recent stuff but Meliora did that style so much better, and while Infestissumam is pretty inconsistent it's a lot more interesting, and the highlights are better than anything on Opus imo.

[me7]

Being unexcited about it's "satanism" is what I like about Opus Eponymous so much. It's not Shock Rock, it's just Rock that happens to be evil. Period.

[nick_z]

Second listening done, as it happens with all Ghost albums, it's a very enjoyable experience, it does not "tire" you, but I wanted some more highs. In the context of the album, Twenties works quite good.

This is so true for me too. I remember going into Prequelle having loved Meliora and, one listen in, thinking - this is very good, but I don't know if I'll love it as much. Then I couldn't get enough of it, and kept going back. Same thing with Impera. It's almost addictive. Regardless of how I end up ranking the albums, it's been consistently true of the last three...the more I've listened, the more I've liked them.

And it's kind of funny - it's not like Ghost's music is complex or hard to get into. Most songs you pretty much sing along to by the time you've heard them once. Yet, the melodies, the production and the arrangements are so clever and well crafted, the songs keep pulling you back in (if you actually like them, that is  )

Bottom line, I really enjoy this band

[The Realm]

OK, after a handful of listens I am loving this album. Some really great rocking and catchy songs here. I think it is a much more consistent album than the last one which to me had some great songs and some average ones.

[MirrorMask]

Most songs you pretty much sing along to by the time you've heard them once. Yet, the melodies, the production and the arrangements are so clever and well crafted, the songs keep pulling you back in (if you actually like them, that is  )

I have to agree.... I woke up with so many refrains stuck in my head 

There's a darkness at the heart of my love.... [...] I'm with you always.... (the  choir part)

In the Twenties.... TWENTIEEEEEEES!!!!

Nothing ever lasts forever.... [...] We will go softly into the night....

Some more random thoughts:

- I'm still not sold on the unifying theme of the album. I know it's not a concept but, since it's been presented as an album about rises and falls of empires, I thought I would "feel" it more.

Let's take Meliora for example, even if the songs are disconnected, there's a consistent mood, a vibe - the antichrist announced in the debut and arrived in the second album is finally here, and is dominating the songs with an obscure presence. When you reach the end of the album, with Deus in Absentia, you really "feel" it - the world is on fire, and the journey in a dystopic world dominated by the antichrist has ended.

Also Prequelle is very consistent in its theme - death and the plague in medieval times, death is all over the album and Life Eternal concludes with a bittersweet tone about letting loved ones go.

I don't feel (yet) this theme, this vibe with Impera. As I said - I know it's not a concept and I don't expect all songs about empires, but I had come to expect some sort of thematic continuity, even with subtle hints.... Kaisarion is the triumphant beginning, the "yeeeeh we're on top of the world" song, then in the middle of the album there's the wacky Twenties about being arrogantly drunk with power, but Respite on the Spitalfields does not give me the feeling of "wow, we've come at the end, another empire has crumbled". Yeah, there's the line "nothing ever lasts forever", also "we will go softly into the night", but it does not leave me feeling at the end of a journey like Deus in Absentia and Life Eternal did.

- Griftwood is a bit of a drag in that place of the album, not because it's a terrible song, but I feel it slows down the album too much. Let's take Prequelle as a comparison - after Dance Macabre we have a slower piece (Pro Memoria), a slow instrumental (Helvensomethingingerman) and another even slower piece (Life Eternal), BUT, in the middle of it all, we have Witch Image to spice things up and being a cool rocking song.

After the ballad (Darkness) and before a useless intro and a slower final piece (Spitalfields), a faster and heavier songs would have balanced the album much better than Griftwood does. It's not a terrible song per se, as I said - it just drags the album down too much.

[DoctorAction]

Loving this record. I felt Prequelle was their most consistent and this continues that consistency. Superb.

[Deathless]

I've listened to the record a few times and agree with a lot of the sentiment in this thread. Overall I've really enjoyed it, even if Tobias is leaning heavily arena rock etc.

With that being said, my only real negative feedback is the album length. With the singles being out as long as they have, and the filler/interludes, there is not a lot of actual new music to digest! My only hope is if he's going to take 3-4 years to release an album, that there will be more material.

[Buddyhunter1]

With that being said, my only real negative feedback is the album length. With the singles being out as long as they have, and the filler/interludes, there is not a lot of actual new music to digest! My only hope is if he's going to take 3-4 years to release an album, that there will be more material.

Funnily enough, this is Ghost's longest album other than Infestissumam, which is only a minute longer. It doesn't really feel like it, though.

[WilliamMunny]

I am really happy that I waited to post...

For whatever reason, 'Hunter's Moon,' 'Call Me Little Sunshine,' and 'Twenties' all failed to land. And when I first listened to the album on Friday, I struggled to find anything that really caught my ear.

It's not that I don't like the poppier side of the band, because I LOVE tracks like 'Dance Macabre' and 'Square Hammer.'

Well, I got in my car this morning and decided to give it a solid 'no distractions' listen during my commute, and I don't know what it was, but man, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. This album is a gem!

For me, Meliora has been the high water mark since its release, and while Prequel has a handful of awesome tunes on it, I felt like the abundance of segues and instrumentals really bogged it down. Well, to me, Impera is like the perfect mix between the two.

I checked out a ton of live clips on Youtube tonight, and Forge's new touring lineup sounds fantastic...so happy to see this brilliant band hitting their prime.

When I think about all of the amazing shows I saw with my father, a list that includes Kiss, Alice Cooper, and the Scorpions, it kinda bums me out because I'm beginning to realize that there is little chance that I will have the chance to take my son (who just turned 4 months) to see any of those bands. Hell, I'd be surprised if DT is still touring a decade from now, and even if they are, they will be way past their prime.

But Ghost just might be a band I can take my kid to while they're still firing on all cylinders. Assuming, of course, that WWIII hasn't dropped us all into the dark ages.

[MirrorMask]

Anyone realized yet that the theme of Imperium (opening intro) gets reprised at the end of Spitalfields during the fade out of the song and therefore of the album?

[soupytwist]

Now I've tempered expectations that this album isn't going to be as dark or weird as Sunshine and Twenties suggested I can enjoy it for what it is, which is most a extremely catchy 80's rock album.  Most of the songs are well made, the only I dislike is 'Watcher in the Sky' which feels it aims for epic but runs out of steam (and lyrics) oh and the instrumentals are completely pointless on this album.

[me7]

Now I've tempered expectations that this album isn't going to be as dark or weird as Sunshine and Twenties suggested I can enjoy it for what it is, which is most a extremely catchy 80's rock album.  Most of the songs are well made, the only I dislike is 'Watcher in the Sky' which feels it aims for epic but runs out of steam (and lyrics) oh and the instrumentals are completely pointless on this album.

Word.