Posted by As one leader dies, the faithful mourn and celebrate news of his successor, Papa Emeritus IV has passed and Ghosts new album Skeleta welcomes his successor Papa V Perpetua. Their sixth record is a continuation of the big, shiny and pop friendly sound that Prequelle and Impera started.
Their love affair with the 1980s is firmly entrenched, the riffy doom of their first two records is a distant memory. Big, theatrical and cheesy pop rock is the name of the game. As such ‘Peacefield’ gets things started in a bombastic manner, a well polished nugget of upbeat ‘80s rock with the sky high hooks and guitar lines to match. It continues where the arena friendly Impera left off, only polished to an even glossier, crowd pleasing shine. Single ‘Satanized’ is a classic Ghost track, a radio friendly rocker talking about temptation and demonic possession with a thick coat of lacquer applied and a wonderfully camp video. ‘Cenotaph’ is a marriage between Def Leppard and AOR, with an incessantly chugging rhythm, silky smooth vocals and a Survivor-esque synth solo.
The lyrics are just as korny but more emotive, there is still a light sprinkling of Satan but it is more human and accessible. The aforementioned ‘Cenotaph’ is about a loved one that is gone but not forgotten. “I’m done crying over someone like you” Tobias laments on the pulsating rocker ‘Lachryma’, with its stacked vocals and Brian May-esque guitar solo. Whilst the stomping 80s rock ‘Missilia Amori’ is about love gone bad and has the cock rock lyrics and riff The Scorpions would be proud of. The propulsive rocker ‘Umbra’, driven along by an irresistible drum beat and starring some nifty Jon Lord like synth, is about that age old rock obsession – sex, but this time it is taking place in a church!
The cheesiest, and most generic stuff, is saved for the ballads. ‘Guiding Lights’ is an overripe Guns N Roses esque power ballad about someone going down the wrong path, with the cherry on top being the requisite overwrought solo. The curtain closer ‘Excelsis’ is a soft, sweeping number warning you to live life to the fullest as you will soon die.
Despite the overproduction and the predictability, the Scandinavian ghouls sixth record is a catchy, crowd pleasing record of entertaining ‘spooky’ rock n roll.
7/10.
Lofty Music and Film 