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It might have taken 15 years and 6 albums, but the hype machine surrounding Tobias Forge and Ghost has finally gone into overdrive. Thus, meaning that the release of studio album number 6 ‘Skeletá’ is a bona fide worldwide event. Midnight openings at record stores around the world; huge billboards; a New Year’s Eve-like countdown to the release on the Vanessa Warwick-fronted Ghost YouTube channel, G-TV, sparks to life every time a different territory passes midnight – in much the same way that news channels report the NYE fireworks from Sydney Harbour while other countries are still having dinner. Make no mistake, this is an event.
Sure, naysayers and the “That’s-not-Metal” crew will tell you that Ghost were hyped as soon as Metallica started pushing them. But, Metallica’s ’72 Seasons’ aside, when was the last time a rock or metal album received coverage like this? One in the eye for the dull and annoying “Rock is dead” harbingers of doom.
The satanic imagery and theming have proven to be a bit of a double-edged sword in that those expecting a black metal band purely on the strength of some corpse paint are usually disappointed once they delve past the make-up. And those who would run a mile from anything classed as metal miss out on some of the hookiest hooks of recent times. Does this mean that Ghost are the ultimate radio band? Previous tracks like ‘Spillways’ and ‘Dance Macabre’ would sound massive on mainstream commercial radio, but the chances of radio station executives outside of the rock market taking a risk are slim. Which is a great pity because Ghost are perhaps the ultimate crossover band out there at the moment.
‘Skeletá’ is great fun. It’s pop-rock with ghoulish trimmings, but with lashings of heart. At times, it is also easy to connect with quickly. Opening track ‘Peacefield’, for instance, a choral intro that gradually builds into a hook-laden slice of 80s mainstream rock, complete with Tom Scholz-like rocket-fuelled guitar riffs, and Journey-esque vocals: perfect. Watch your parents tap their toes to it, and then watch them recoil in shock when you show them who is responsible for the dance with nostalgia.
‘Lachryma’ is Latin for “tear” and Google describes it as being “…used in music, literature, and other contexts to evoke feelings of sorrow, sadness, or vulnerability.” And when Forge, in the guise of Papa V Perpetua, sings “I’m done crying/Over someone like you/I’m done crying/Hope you’re feeling it too now/I’m done”, he is at his most relatable. Anyone who recently watched an arena full of Ghost fans collectively losing their shit over a new song will attest to that. The chorus is AOR through and through, and any fans of the genre will marvel over the hooks and melodies that Forge has come up with. The fact that it only takes a single listen before the listener will find themselves singing along massively helps. As do the sharp metalized riffs that wander through the song courtesy of Opeth’s Fredrik Åkesson, who performs lead duties on 7 of the 10 tracks and never misses his target once. His solo on ‘Satanized’, in particular, is delicious.
Weighing so many singles and such big hitters to the front of the album might sound like a risk, but Forge is a wily fox that knows how to pace an album. The ballad ‘Guiding Lights’ pops up, and without the ghostly atmospherics in the background, it would not be a million miles away from a Peter Cetera offering in the 80s. Darkness has to follow light, and ‘De Profundis Borealis’ is a far sharper offering, and highlights how Forge can meld heavier moments with some killer hooks in the chorus: “Every time you feel the wind blow/And a glow within you dies/When tomorrow comes, you will know/That the morning thaws the ice”.
‘Cenotaph’ follows on, and has Ghost mixing it up again; this time it is ultra-light and simple, with a soupçon of a boogie shuffle here and there. Musically, especially the guitars, very 80s era Queen. If ‘Cenotaph’ is 80s era Queen, then ‘Missilia Armori’ is 80s era Metal in a Scorpions, Ratt kinda way. Right down to the double-entendre-laden lyrics. ‘Umbra’ continues in the same vein, and there is a suggestion of a Jake E Lee influence to Åkesson’s solos.
Forge ends ‘Skeletá’ with the longest track on the album, ‘Excelsis’. At 6 minutes in length, Forge weaves his magic on a track that has many twists and turns. Played at a waltz-like pace, it’s a tale of loss and having to accept that “Everybody goes away/You will, too, I will, too”. The Blackmore-esque guitar solo is especially noteworthy. In the hands of many others, ‘Excelsis’ might have ended up as a schmaltzy, saccharine-filled moment, but in Forge’s hands, it is quite beautiful and a perfect manner in which to draw the first chapter of Papa V Perpetua to a close.
Haters are still going to hate, but ‘Skeletá’ is a strong album – it gets stronger with each listen – and one that should help deliver Ghost and Papa V Perpetua to the mainstream masses.
Available now via Loma Vista Recordings
Review – Dave
Photo: Mikael Eriksson/M Industries
