So in late April, Ghost’s new album Skeletá comes out. I was gunning to get a chance to hear it ahead of time, to prepare a review, to continue to go all fanboy on this Swedish band…again.
You’re in for a letdown.
I really wanted to like Skeletá. I listened to it, over and over. I checked it out in the car, in my office, in a music room, hoping that a different environment would increase my appreciation. No such luck.
Don’t get me wrong – Skeletá is a good album. It’s just nowhere close to Impera…which makes it a disappointment in my book.
It shouldn’t have been that. In its way, Skeletá is the flip side of the Impera coin. The latter was lashing out at the world; the former is very introspective, talking about feelings and emotions of various sorts.
So here’s my take on things, cut by cut.
- “Peacefield” leads things off in a fairly typical Ghost-like fashion. Keening vocals on top of a church organ give way to a guitar break that this band does so well. The song is about hope (what?!?!?!). But it lacks the bite and grab of “Imperium/Kaisarion” from the last record. Not an auspicious beginning.
- “Lachryma” (which refers to tears) is much heavier. In fact, it might have worked as a cut on an album two or three back. The song is about self-deception, according to Maestro Forge.
- “Satanized”… Yeah, now we’re getting into real Ghost territory! Or not. Because it’s not about the devil. Or ghouls. Or whatever other evil beings you can think of. It’s about the power of love, how it can make one crazy, as if possessed by a demon. It’s a jaunty little 8/4 time tune, one that reminds you that Ghost is not a metal band. Not that that’s a bad thing… “Satanized” was originally in the mix to be included on Impera, but it didn’t make the final cut. I agree with that choice; it’s just not that strong.
- “Guiding Lights”… Forge says this one could have been an instrumental, as Impera had a couple of such cuts. But that didn’t fit the new one. This song is a rock ballad about the road less traveled – or maybe that shouldn’t have been traveled at all.
- “De Profundis Borealis”, which basically translates to “from the northern depths.” It starts with a quiet piano section before the guitars burst in (a cool sound, by the way). This is a real rocker, like “a driving snowstorm that never stops.” This one is a highlight.
- “Cenotaph”… Obviously, our boy Forge is a reader with a very strong vocabulary. A cenotaph is a memorial or monument that doesn’t include any bodies within or underneath. The lyrics talk about losing part of oneself as the guitars chug along with a toe-tapping flow.
- “Messilia Amori” is something that Ratt or Def Leppard or another hair band might have come up with, a rocker that encourages the crowd to sing along with the chorus. Oh, and the title means “missile of love.” So take that any way you want (so to speak). Forge calls it “stripper pole music.” This one is fun.
- “Mark of the Evil One” just sounds like a Ghost title. And Forge says the song is a “dummified but cool” interpretation of biblical stuff, as he sees it in the world today. Ooookay. But the hook is absolutely killer on this one.
- “Umbra” starts with a moody synthesizer section – that then breaks into a rocker complete with MORE COWBELL! Tobias says this one is about the need for human touch: it is a coital song. And if you don’t know what that means, ask your pastor.
- “Excelsis” wraps up the proceedings, a power ballad talking about changes.
Everybody leaves one day
I know it hurts
Everybody goes away
Come with me to the rainbow’s end.
Come with me to the Holy Land.
That message may be more than it seems. Of late, Forge has been talking about the end of the Ghost lore, the characters and tales of the papas and cardinals, and sisters et al. Maybe he’s preparing us for a seismic directional shift for Ghost (one that I’m sure he’s got fully planned out).
Musicians:
- Tobias Forge / Vocals and various instruments
- Nameless Ghouls / Various instruments and background vocals
Skeletá Track-list:
- Peacefield
- Lachryma
- Satanized
- Guiding Lights
- De Profundis Borealis
- Cenotaph
- Messilia Amori
- Mark of the Evil One
- Umbra
- Excelsis
Order Skeletá here
Dem dry bones. Skeletá is bones without enough meat, an album that fails to rise to the high standards of the previous record Impera and may mark a disappointing end to this era of Ghost
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Songwriting
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Musicianship
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Originality
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Production
2 Comments
Imperia is my least favourite Ghost album of all time so perhaps I’ll like this one more than you, lol. Will have an opinion tomorrow.
This review puts into words the feelings I was having listening to it. Probably my least favourite album since Opus Eponymous. Feels like someone just shut the doors after the call for an encore, like a cocoon of escapism, like a plunge into warm tepid waters where you end up drowning in the insipidness of straight forward love songs.