Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Sweden has done more than its share for the progression of the Metal genre through the years. The land of Vikings has birthed some of the best that Death and Black Metal has to offer, no doubt about it. Once upon a time, it seemed like every month there was a new Swedish Metal act seemingly melting their way through the snow with a fiercely new, exciting sound designed to push the envelope of extreme music even further. Sweden’s latest export: Ghost, ensures that tradition continues… albeit in a bit more retrospective manner.
At first glance this 6 piece band, composed of Lord Emeritus on vocals and 5 other “Nameless Ghouls,” would seem to be just another Metal band milking Satan for inspiration, if not outright shock factor (although, let’s face it… just who is actually offended by the Devil’s presence in Rock music anymore?), but that is where the similarity ends. This band (formed in 2008) is drawing it’s inspiration from the Hard Rock of 30 odd years ago. No blast beats, no demonic gargling (well, a bit…) and no super speedy kick drums chugging along at 280 BPM on this album. Instead you get well-crafted songs that are simply oozing with blatant vocal hooks (all about human sacrifice, women who bathe in virgin blood, and generally raving about how cool it is to hang out with Satan), epic sinister riffs, and chugging, mid-tempo rhythms that seduce the listener with each subsequent spin of this disc.
Imagine Blue Oyster Cult fused with early Mercyful Fate and a touch of dare I say Cheap Trick, and you’d be in the ballpark. Lord Emetrius has an incredible grasp for delivering an emotive, soulful performance that is truly the black icing on this Satanic cake. Obvious comparisons to the legendary lungs of King Diamond are easy to make, but Emetrius’ vox are not really in the same register at all. He sings with a clean, almost reserved quality that rarely enters the falsetto. For me, I like that he’s not trying to sound hard whatsoever; it gives it all a really hypnotic feel. And in this musical climate for Metal, I think it’s a pretty fearless choice. Power Metal screaming would just kill the vibe, and gruff stuff would loose the band’s identity altogether.
What I find to be the most compelling aspect of the band is their seeming disinterest in all the baggage that plagues current Metal trends. No Viking pageantry, or “Troo” Black Metal chest thumping here. It feels like Ghost was frozen in Lucifer’s meat locker in 1981 and unleashed upon today’s world, blissfully unaware of Metal’s last three decades of stylistic evolution. I for one, find it a breath of fresh evil.
I really can’t say enough good things about the sound of this album as a whole. Opus Eponymous sports one of the most honest sounding engineering jobs I’ve heard on a modern Metal album in a long, long time. The band’s choice of tones are superb. No super-digitally compressed, lifeless guitars on this bad boy. Just warm, tube amp crunch very much along the lines of Tony Iommi’s tone back in the ’70s. Same goes for the bass: really deep-and mildly overdriven, providing an excellent low end that is mixed very prominently, but is never muddy. The drum tones, while not quite as old-school as the sound from the Elizabeth 7-inch, or the band’s previous demo tracks, are still refreshingly natural and anchor the mix with a solid foundation. Instead of overblown choirs and cheezy, melodramatic string samples, the band’s keyboardist uses a Hammond organ tone very reminiscent of Deep Purple, with the occasional Prog Rock, Moog synth, or church bell thrown in for good measure. These embellish the tracks, and serve up some dark atmosphere, without becoming redundant.
I won’t waste time going through the album’s individual songs, as I believe it as a work to be digested as a whole; not unlike the concept-album format. Each tune flows seamlessly into the next, and (as is the mark of a great record) all seems to end way too soon… requiring yet another listen. Trust me, it’s been in my car’s CD player for a month straight. There is a lot to like in this music; it’s arranged to perfection. My current theory is that the musicians must be from other bands, because this is not the kind of musical focus and maturity bands usually display on a first album.
I’m really curious to find out just who the dudes are, besides “Nameless Ghoul, Nameless Ghoul,” etc…
This is my favorite album of 2010, and now that it’s been released in North America this past Jan 18th, I believe it’s destined to become many an open-minded Metalhead’s favorite of 2011.
(2) Comment(s)
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Deathbringer said:
This is the same Mars who did the soundtrack for the Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown documentary, right?
That’s a fucking must-see movie, but what a long-winded bastard.
MARS said:
Haha! Yes, it’s the same guy; me. VERY glad you enjoyed “LOVECRAFT…”
That was a true labor of love.
Yeah, I tend to rant on the things I love (and hate actually.
Cheers-
MARS
http://www.deadhousemusic.com
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