There’s no easier way to piss off a headbanger than by calling Ghost a metal band. As songs like the ABBA-meets-Def Leppard “Spillways” and disco-leaning “Dance Macabre” have proven, they’re a pop group with a penchant for pentagrams. The Swedish band’s reliance on Satanic theatrics and elaborate lore—such as the way they represent a “clergy” bringing about the birth of the antichrist—can feel, well, a bit silly. But they possess the rare ability to write songs that, upon first listen, sound like familiar favorites.
Starting with 2018’s Prequelle, though, Ghost began drawing influence less from ’70s hard rock and more from ’80s AOR bands like Journey, and the transition hasn’t suited them. Their sixth studio album, Skeletá, suffers from wearyingly similar production, with vocals consistently at the front of the mix and the same guitar and synthesizer sounds repeated throughout.
Tracks like “Peacefield,” “Umbra,” and the uptempo “De Profundis Borealis” are decent slices of ’80s stadium rock, but it’s all overly compressed, robbing songs like “Satanized” and “Cenotaph” of any real edge. Lyrically and thematically, things aren’t much better: Album closer “Excelsis,” which emphasizes the importance of accepting death, serves as a reprise of 2015’s “He Is,” a parody of Christian-rock power ballads, only sans that song’s biting irony.
Written from the point of view of a pope tempted to convert from Christianity to Satanism, “Satanized” lacks the drama of a man going through such a spiritual crisis, while “Lachryma” employs vampire imagery to enhance what’s otherwise a straightforward breakup song. Ghost have always been able to fully inhabit the characters they sang about and make their world-building come alive, but compared to past songs like “Ritual,” “Absolution,” and “Cirice,” there’s little to no mystique to Skeletá’s tales of the occult.
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Your opening line gave away your true position.
Open up.
The whole review came off sounding rushed and not giving the record a chance, because not Metal.
yes, what he said. your bias shows.
You say the transition hasn’t suited the group well, but they are going from strength to strength selling out arenas and winning over a lot of new fans. Some people listen to music for fun and really appreciate a great pop band with a penchant for pentegrams
I’m sorry to tell you this, but Satanized is not in fact about a pope concerting to satanism. Tobias Forge himself has stated it’s an allegory for falling in love through the lens of a demonic possession. Did you actually research this album or are you just going to dismiss it because you think you’ll get brownie points?
wow. the first paragraph reads “I’m completely biased.” then the review goes on to be typical snobbery with a little bit of audio engineering cosplay. and if we’re going to call 80’s Ozzy metal, I don’t see why we wouldn’t call Ghost metal.
Have to agree with this review. Not a fan of the direction Ghost has been going. A one man band and now leaning into a more pop style fused with 80s. It’s not bad at all just for Ghost fans that have been following since the beginning, it’s just been disappointing.
Hate to break it to you Steve, but I saw Ghost in a small tent at Download Festival in 2011 and Skeletá is my favourite album so far. Don’t presume to speak for all fans who have been following from the beginning, there are plenty of us who love Opus and all of the different albums. Some people are actually capable of enjoying multiple styles of music… wild hey!? Enjoy being disappointed, just don’t claim to speak for a large number of fans.
Clearly poorly researched material for the review. Para 2 in fact calls the band “Ghosts” and there’s quite a few incorrect assumptions over what songs mean. I agree it is not their strongest work but trying to oust them from the metal genre for one screams bias. Ghost are doing what no band has done in the last two decades – win fans over with catchy melodic rock with a heavy twist, and consistently selling out arenas. Also look at what Tobias himself has to say about the record – this is not the usual Ghost template.
I think Steve is scared of Metal music.
You lost me in the first paragraph. And the entire review reeks of having little to no knowledge whatsoever about what this album is about. Tobias Forge put out tons of interview videos explaining everything you got wrong about Skeleta. You sound like all the other jaded Ghost fans that are crying because they’re not doing what YOU want them to do. Here’s my better, more eloquently written review: 5/5
It’s good to see a critical reviewer among the sea of blowboys. You’re right, the album is derivative, over-produced and the gimmick has become silly. The album is one cliche after another. Drop the stupid satanic schmaltz, the silly costumes and just come out as the pop band you are.
this review is just like the album, lazy
Look, if you’re going to really give this album a bad review you have to be substantive about it and i’m sorry but four small paragraphs is not enough. everyone is out there saying it’s the greatest thing of all time. we need a level headed substantive review, not someone whining about how ghost is not metal