Ghost's Popestar EP is intended to be a companion piece to the Swedish heavy metal band's third studio album, Meliora (which I reviewed here). In fact, as I discussed in my review of Meliora, Meliora was also reissued with the songs that are present here on Popestar. The band did the same thing with its second studio album, Infestissumam (reviewed here), releasing a reissue of the album with songs that were also featured on the If You Have Ghost EP (reviewed here). As was also the case with If You Have Ghost, most of the songs featured here on Popestar are covers, with the only exception, in fact, being the opening track, "Square Hammer." "Square Hammer" has been critically acclaimed and has been considered by some to be Ghost's opus magnum. Loudwire even named the song the metal song of the decade (2010s, that is), and Tobias Forge has cited the song as one of Ghost's biggest milestones. While I do absolutely love the song (it might even be in my top 5), I definitely wouldn't consider it Ghost's best work. Ghost frontman Tobias Forge explained in an interview with Loudwire that the song was originally written as a show opener, which I think makes a lot of sense because it's definitely more of an arena rock song than it is a metal song. Forge felt that they didn't have a strong opener. "We need[ed] a big opening song," he reflected in the aforementioned interview. "We [didn't] have that." Interestingly, however, as he also discussed in that interview, "Square Hammer" made for a really good opening song for the Popestar Tour (after which this EP is named - a clever name since it is a play on the word popstar and the Papas are usually dressed like popes) but ended up becoming their signature closing song. (I believe that subsequent tours opened with the Prequelle opening track - "Rats.") Forge also mentions in that interview that the song was born from its opening riff which is how many Ghost songs are born. (The entire Ghost project, in fact, was born out of the "Stand by Him" riff that Forge came up with while in another band.) As I said, "Square Hammer" is an energetic arena rock song with an oscillating and infectious guitar riff, and the melody of the chorus is equally infectious. The song is, lyrically, one of Ghost's more difficult songs to decipher (in my opinion), but it seems to be flipping the popular "I swear to God" adage to express that you are telling the truth to make it Satanic, and as discussed in previous reviews of Ghost albums and EPs, subverting Christian passages and adages is typical of Ghost: "Are you ready to swear right here, right now, before the devil?" The song also makes use of masonic themes (hence the title including the word hammer even though the word is never said in the lyrics). As explained on Genius, the lyrics referencing being on the square or being on the level are phrases that come from masonry. "Square Hammer" also features a fun(ny) music video that pays homage to very old films such as Nosferatu (probably my favorite horror film of all time) and Metropolis.
Popestar then gives listeners "Nocturnal Me," a cover that made me really happy when I first discovered it because it is one of my favorite songs from the 1980s. Originally by Echo & the Bunnymen and released in the spring of 1984, I have to admit that I have Stranger Things to thank for being familiar with the original song, and it has always been one of my favorite songs presented on the series. The original version is a new wave song fueled by synth, strings, acoustic guitar, and a pulsating beat, and I definitely find it to lyrically be a fitting song for Ghost to cover for a couple of reasons. (1) There is sexual innuendo in the lyrics when, in the song's chorus, the speaker asks the subject to "take me internally," and Ghost is certainly no stranger to including sexual innuendo in its lyrics. Take these lyrics from the Infestissumam track "Jigolo Har Megiddo" as an example: "...I am the one who comes richly endowed, harvesting crops of fields that others have plowed." Forge even usually closes shows by asking the crowd to promise him that when they get home, they will give their significant others and/or themselves orgasms. In addition to that, the song is thematically somewhat similar to Depeche Mode's song "Waiting for the Night," which Ghost covered on the If You Have Ghost EP. I personally see both songs as being about loving the nighttime. "Waiting for the Night" talks about nighttime being a time for peace, quiet, and reflection, and "Nocturnal Me" is about considering yourself to be a nocturnal being and wanting to share your love of the night and your darkness with someone else. (The song "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera is also thematically similar, as I am sure that many other songs are.) As is typical of Ghost (with few exceptions, such as their cover of "If You Have Ghosts"), Ghost stays pretty faithful to the original Echo & the Bunnymen version. This version is melodically unchanged, although it is, of course, heavier, relying much more on heavy guitar. We then get "I Believe," originally by Simian Mobile Disco. This is a very interesting choice for Ghost to cover for two reasons: (1) the original version is a totally different genre - electronic music and (2) even Ghost's version is very different than their usual sound, as it's very dreamy and ethereal and not really hard rock or heavy metal at all. The original is heavily synthy, sounding like a retro synthpop song from the '80s, whereas Ghost's version is, as I said, light and dreamy. It is lyrically ultimately a love song, heralding someone as being what the speaker needs to believe in love again, although who the subject is and what they are helping the speaker believe is left somewhat vague, meaning that Ghost could be intending the cover to be repurposed for a Satanic theme here on Popestar.
Popestar then provides listeners with "Missionary Man," a cover of a Eurythmics song from 1986. Both the original version and the Ghost cover have a bit of a southern rock flavor to them. I have to say that I overall prefer the Eurythmics version because something about Annie Lennox's soulful delivery brings more power to the song. Ghost does nothing to change the melody, and as is usual (as I mentioned previously), it is very faithful to the original. There is even a voice chanting in the background of the track which sounds very similar to Annie Lennox's chanting in the original song, and Ghost's version also keeps the harmonica part that is prevalent in the original. The lyrics of the song, which warn the listener not to "mess with a missionary man," are meant to be cynical and sarcastic, for as Lennox herself stated, "...I... think that there are a great deal of people in the media, in the form of politicians or religious speakers or philosophical people, people who are generally trying to have some power over other people, who I just don't trust." This makes a lot of sense given the title of the song, as a missionary is someone who travels and tries to recruit people to Christianity. It also therefore makes sense as to why Ghost would want to cover it. Their music frequently looks at Christianity with a critical eye, something that Tobias Forge has also frequently discussed in interviews, so covering a song about religious fanatics being despots definitely seems like an appropriate move. What seems like an odd move, however, is the band's decision to cover Imperiet's 1988 song "Bible." Imperiet, like Ghost, is a Swedish band, so that isn't surprising at all because Ghost also covered songs from fellow Swedish acts on If You Have Ghost. However, the song, on the surface, seems to simply be a recap of the creation of the world in seven days according to how the Christian Bible chronicles it; the lyrics even touch upon the creation of Adam and Eve. While Ghost is certainly no stranger to using religious imagery in its lyrics, it's usually in a more subverted and critical way. However, at the same time, the chorus of the song potentially offers a more complicated interpretation. "Now, who will pray for Babylon?" the melodically powerful chorus asks. "Sing a song to Babylon on your knees before Babylon. Beat that drum because Babylon is falling." As explained on Genius, Jerusalem is biblically considered to be the holy city, whereas Babylon is considered to be the city of sin. This part of the song could therefore be emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding, asking why we don't offer our hearts to those who most need it. The original is an '80s rock ballad through and through, and Ghost's version is sonically almost identical. I love its grand, anthemic sound, and it is definitely a highlight on this EP. I think that I overall prefer If You Have Ghost, but Popestar is a lot of fun, too, with "Square Hammer" definitely being its most exciting number.
Meliora (Latin for better which is possibly meant to follow up on the band's previous album title Infestissumam - which I reviewed here - as that essentially means worst) is Swedish metal band Ghost's 2015 third studio album, and what an album! As I have progressed through discussing and reviewing Ghost's discography (having started with their Seven Inches of Satanic Panic single - which I reviewed here - since that only felt fitting because it was my first exposure to them), I have been teasing that I would eventually reveal which Ghost album of the four thus far is my favorite - as I said that neither Opus Eponymous (reviewed here) nor Infestissumam was my favorite, and seeing as how I only have two albums left to review, I have to reveal that now because I will either way. If I say that Meliora isn't my favorite, then by process of elimination, then that means that Prequelle is, which it honestly is; however, Meliora is a very close contender. The two albums are, in fact, nearly tied, and Prequelle comes out on top by a hair. In my opinion, this is the first album on which Ghost proved what they are truly capable of doing. The amount of unique creativity and dramatic theatricality that went into the creation of this album is astounding (Meliora even won a Grammy, for which it was well deserving), and it only gets even better on Prequelle. (If the pattern continues on the band's fifth album, then it will be an earth-shattering album that changes what we thought we understood about rock and metal music.) Meliora is fictitiously (although not in reality, as the band's frontman is actually Tobias Forge) the first and only album to be fronted by Papa Emeritus III, as each Ghost album, as I have discussed in prior Ghost album reviews, is fronted by a new Papa. (Prequelle is the first time that that sort of changes, but that is a discussion for that review when I get to it.) The album opens with "Spirit," making Meliora the first (and thus far only) Ghost album to open with a full-length song rather than a short introduction. Ghost so often makes religious references in their music - specifically references from the Christian Bible - so that is likely what you would expect from a song titled "Spirit." Interestingly, however, the song is not about the religious or metaphysical kind of spirit but rather the alcoholic kind - absinthe to be precise. "Spirit" opens with an eerie warbling (that sounds like theremin) and a light, subdued choir, and this is one of the songs that initially reminded me of the band HIM. That is eventually broken by a marching beat and persistently thumping electric guitar, but my favorite aspect of the song is definitely the recurring choir that is heard in the chorus. It is, as I said, a song worshipping the liberating power of absinthe, even calling it a green muse.
"From the Pinnacle to the Pit" has a memorable groove to it (as do a lot of Ghost songs), beginning on lightly strumming electric guitar and occasional light percussion. It is arguably one of the heaviest songs on Meliora, however, once it picks up (although definitely not the heaviest). Featuring a fun and theatrical music video drawing inspiration from old silent films (as does the band's music video for its single "Square Hammer"), the song takes on an empathetic view of Satan and his status as a fallen angel; the song title, after all, refers to coming from a high point (the pinnacle) to a low point (the pit): "You are cast out from the heavens to the ground," Papa Emeritus III (who might just be my favorite of the three Papas, as he is probably the most stylish and contemporary) sings in the catchy chorus, "blackened feathers falling down. You will wear your independence like a crown." This is quite clearly referring to how Lucifer used his exile from heaven as an opportunity to rule over his own kingdom, but what I love about this song (and many of Ghost's songs for that matter) is the fact that it definitely does not have to be taken that literally because some of us (myself included) likely know what it's like to be exiled from a place, to be outcasted and ostracized, and a song like this can really help a listener who has felt or is feeling that way look at it from a positive point of view. "Cirice" (an Old English word meaning church) is not only my favorite song on Meliora but one of my favorite Ghost songs period. The song, without a doubt, showcases some of the most impressive and earth-shattering guitar playing that I have ever heard from a hard rock or heavy metal act and is - hands down in my opinion - the heaviest track on the album, with that aforementioned guitar riff slamming and stomping aggressively, begging to be headbanged to. As is true of many Ghost songs, there is a grinding groove and raging rhythm to it. I also love "Cirice" not only for its sound and anthemic melody, however, but also because of its lyrics. Genius explains that the song is about warmly accepting a new initiate into a Satanic cult or church, but I interpret it more as being about having empathy for the listener in general. As the tempestuous guitar riff takes a reprieve in the chorus, Papa gently encourages the listener, "I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart. I can see through the scars inside you." I like to think of this song as Ghost addressing their fans, empathizing with us and assuring us that their music is there for us. "Cirice" also features a memorable music video which definitely echoes the song's theme of empathy, and it features a scene that is definitely inspired by Stephen King's Carrie.
"Spöksonat" (Swedish for ghost sonata) is a hauntingly beautiful instrumental interlude running at just under a minute, and it works well as an outro to "Cirice" because its lulling melody - which is played on a harp - is somewhat similar to the opening of "Cirice" - the somewhat eerie and foreboding guitar strumming. "He Is" is next on Meliora, and this is definitely taking things down a few notches (especially following "Cirice"), as the song is a bit of a power ballad. It, in fact, feels both sonically and thematically a bit out of place on the album in my opinion, but that is probably because, as a band member has explained, "He Is" wasn't originally intended for Meliora. It was intended for Infestissumam, but the band felt like it just didn't fit on the album, and it didn't make the cut. They were apparently attempting to amplify the song and make it more theatrical but eventually realized that the song was always meant to be a simpler song as it is presented here on Meliora. It begins with dreamily strumming acoustic guitar with Papa's somewhat echoey vocals singing the first verse, "We're standing here by the abyss, and the world is in flames. Two star-crossed lovers reaching out to the beast with many names." The sing-songy and catchy chorus praises Satan: "He is, He's the shining and the light without whom I cannot see, and He is insurrection; He is spite; He's the force that made me be." In my review of Infestissumam, I promised that in my review of Meliora, I would discuss in more detail about how the band often uses Satanic lyrics and imagery more so to mock Christianity and organized religion than to actually praise the literal figure that is Satan, and the reason why I planned to discuss that in this particular review is the "He Is" music video. In the hazily filtered video (which looks and feels like a parody of something), Papa Emeritus III is seen leading a service inside a church, a service featuring a choir singing along to the song's chorus, people in the pews singing along, and Papa making his way around the crowd accepting monetary donations on a collection plate and offering people the symbolic body and blood of Christ (which I discussed in my Infestissumam review regarding the song "Body and Blood"). Papa doing so in a stylish white suit and sunglasses looks utterly ridiculous, especially alongside a song about Satan, but that is the point. As does the aforementioned song "Body and Blood," the music video is definitely calling attention to the ludicrousness of Catholic rituals (including baptisms, which is also seen later in the video), while also possibly suggesting that, as do some Satanists (or at least what it means to be a Satanist in the eyes of uninformed people), Catholic people also have their own form of bizarre rituals.
Meliora takes an interesting turn when it goes from the light sounding "He Is" to the considerably heavier "Mummy Dust." (This, however, isn't all that unusual for rock and metal bands; take Evanescence's album Fallen, for example, going from "My Immortal" to "Haunted" and then later from "Hello" to "My Last Breath.") In fact, when the band performs "Mummy Dust" live, Tobias Forge often refers to it as one of their heaviest songs, and while I agree, I don't think that it's heavier than "Cirice." (As I mentioned when I discussed "Cirice," I really believe that to be the heaviest song on Meliora.) "Mummy Dust" begins with a slamming electric guitar riff, and I will admit that the weight of the song is much more relentless than it is on "Cirice," but I still find the oscillating guitar on "Cirice" to be heavier. My favorite part of "Mummy Dust" is the eerie piano trills that punctuate Papa's vocals in the chorus. It is lyrically one of Ghost's more coded songs, and as I said in my review of Infestissumam, there is definitely more than one way to be a Ghost fan. Because so many of their songs are riddled with obscure cultural and religious references, you can either listen to it and take it as it, simply allowing yourself to feel what you feel (which I think is a totally valid and legitimate way of listening), or you can dig into researching the potential meanings of the songs' lyrics. (The third option, of course, is that you don't need to do either because you are already aware of what all of the references mean.) I fall into the second category, as I usually find that I am able to appreciate music more if I understand obscure references. I usually use Genius for such endeavors, and Genius interprets "Mummy Dust" as a song about greed and materialism, supported, for example, by the third verse: "You're the possessée of avarice. I'm the ruler of the earth. I will smother you in riches 'till you choke on sordid mirth." Avarice is, of course, a word that means greed, and this seems to me be referring to people who won't ever be satisfied by wealth because no matter how much money that they have, they will always want more. I love the verses of the song because they are so poetic and have a rhythm to them; Papa's half singing and half speaking is even punctuated by the percussion and guitar riff. In the chorus of the song, Papa also sings, "In God, you trust...," and I don't believe this to literally be talking about God. I believe it to be a reference to the phrase In God We Trust being printed on American money. It is definitely a highlight on the album, but that isn't necessarily saying a whole lot because the whole album, really, is gold.
I like "Majesty," but it's probably my least favorite song on Meliora. (As I said, however, I really love this whole album, so that really isn't saying much, and it definitely isn't saying that I don't like the song.) I just don't find it as interesting or as ambitious as most of the other tracks. As I have discussed in previous reviews of Ghost albums, there are fans who believe Ghost's albums thus far to be somewhat similar to Marilyn Manson's second (Antichrist Superstar), third (Mechanical Animals), and fourth (Holy Wood) albums in that they are a series all telling the same story. With Manson's albums, they were released in reverse chronological order, telling the story of the rise of the Antichrist as he eventually ushered in the apocalypse. The belief with Ghost's albums is quite similar (except not in reverse chronological order). Opus Eponymous is believed to narrate the conception of the Antichrist (evidenced by tracks such as "Prime Mover" and "Genesis"), Infestissumam to narrate the birth of the Antichrist (evidenced by tracks such as "Year Zero"), and Meliora to narrate the rise of the Antichrist (evidenced by tracks such as "He Is" and "Majesty"). (I will discuss the role of the fourth album, Prequelle, as it fits into this theory when I review that album.) As I said, "Majesty" supports this theory because it seems to be about followers bowing down to a leader. The song opens with a bluesy rhythm that reminds me a great deal of blues rock bands from the 1970s but eventually brings in a more modern sounding and amplified heavy riff. "Devil Church" then works as a rather short (running at just over a minute in length) interlude between "Majesty" and "Absolution," and I really love the melody of the track, which opens on a church organ and eventually breaks out into full band, working as an excellent introduction to "Absolution." I really like "Absolution," but my only problem with it is where it is placed on the album. For some reason that I can't fully explain, I don't really like it being placed so close to the end of the album because it sonically sounds like an opener; it has an introductory energy to it. I really like the piano in the chorus, and it lyrically works as a sort of sister song to "Mummy Dust," as Tobias Forge himself has explained that the song is about material greed: "Lyrically speaking, it is a lament of the modern woman or man who spend their lives thinking that their possessions have that something else that allows them to be above any responsibility." The lyrics of "Absolution" definitely speak to this idea: "Even now, when you're here, you are moving," Papa sings in the second verse, "hysterically seeking out what needs improving, and you're still asking for the sun." At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what we have or don't have because we are all simply human and cannot take our possessions with us when it is our time to go.
Meliora closes with my second favorite song (next to "Cirice") on the album, "Deus in Absentia" (Latin for in the absence of God). The song begins with the sound of a clock ticking, eventually broken by Papa's low vocals curtly punctuated by percussion. It is not a heavy song, sounding almost, in fact, like an '80s power ballad, and has a beautiful melody in the chorus practically begging to worm its way into your ear. That catchy melody is, in fact, probably the main reason why this song is my second favorite song on the album. I also love how theatrical that it is, such as when it sonically dies down and brings in a choir. (The outro, in fact, features a choir eerily chanting the song's title in a style similar to a requiem.) I think that there are a number of ways to interpret the song's meaning from a lyrical standpoint. Coming from Tobias himself: "...This song talks about a modern and ambitious person, just at the time of his death or possibly at one of those crossroads of life in which you feel or think you are seeing or reaching the end..." The song title also suggests the possibility that the speaker of the song feels alone in the world, that without a god, there is no purpose to life. I also firmly believe in the possibility that this song (either coincidentally or intentionally) works as a segue into Ghost's fourth album Prequelle, which deals with a lot of apocalyptic themes. The catchy and somewhat poppy chorus of "Deus in Absentia" reads (or is heard) as follows: "The world is on fire, and you are here to stay and burn with me. Our funeral pyre, and we are here to revel forevermore (more)." The term funeral pyre supports Forge's outlook on the song - that it is about someone at the end of their life, but is it possible that they are dying because of a catastrophic or apocalyptic event that has proven to them that there is no God? The world is on fire strongly suggests that to me, and as I just stated and will discuss at further length in my upcoming review of the album, Prequelle is somewhat of a concept album dealing with an apocalyptic event. As stated previously, "Deus in Absentia" does officially close Meliora, but there are various bonus tracks released on different editions of the album. A limited vinyl features the rare track "Zenith," an upbeat hard rock track driven by piano and organ. (I wish that the song - which Genius argues is ultimately about science and knowledge proving Christianity to be a farce - had a wider release because it is so, so good.) Similar to Infestissumam, Meliora was also reissued with four cover songs as well as a new original song titled "Square Hammer," but those five tracks were also released separately as an EP cleverly titled Popestar, so, once again, instead of reviewing those tracks here, I am going to do so in a separate review of that EP. Look out for that!
Before I begin discussing the music that is present on this EP, indulge me as I take a minute to fanboy over the cover art. This is not the first time that a classic horror film has inspired Ghost's cover art, as the cover art of the band's debut album Opus Eponymous (which I reviewed here) pays homage to the Salem's Lot (1979) movie poster. I especially love the cover art of If You Have Ghost, however, because it pays homage to what is probably my favorite horror film of all time - the 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. The cover art, as featured above, features Papa Emeritus II with Count Orlok (the film's antagonist)'s fiendishly long fingers wearing the same robe that Count Orlok wears throughout the film, and the image as a whole is inspired not only by this movie poster but also by a specific scene in the film in which Orlok stands on the deck of a raft. Even the back cover of the physical copy of the EP pays homage to an iconic scene from the film - when Orlok's shadow is seen creeping upstairs. As someone who, as I said, absolutely loves Nosferatu, I am just so thrilled by this, but let's move on to discussing the music on the EP, shall we? As discussed in my review of the band's second studio album Infestissumam, Ghost released a reissue of Infestissumam titled Infestissumam Redux that featured six bonus tracks, and five of those bonus track were collected separately here on this EP - four covers and a live version of "Secular Haze." The EP is cleverly titled because it is a play on the song "If You Have Ghosts" by Roky Erickson, which is the first song covered on the EP. As a fan of Ghost, my opinion on these covers is likely biased, but I do prefer most of these covers to their original versions, and that includes "If You Have Ghosts." The original version (released in 1981) and Ghost's version are like night and day. Erickson's is an upbeat and fast-paced psychedelic pop-rock track including a part approximately halfway through in which he basically rapidly spits out the lyrics in a speaking voice rather than singing them, whereas Ghost's version is a much more intimate and melodic take on the song, beginning with low and booming strings. Even when guitar comes into the fold, it's rather delicate, making this more of an alternative song than a metal song. "If you have ghosts, you have everything," the beautiful chorus preaches, and there are numerous ways to interpret that because the word ghosts means different things to different people. It could be saying that if you have loved ones who have died, then you have everything because that grief is evidence that you experienced love in your life. Ghosts could also be being used as a synonym for skeletons in your closet or inner demons, meaning that if you have baggage or trauma, then you have everything because such things are reminders that you are human.
If You Have Ghost then gives us "I'm a Marionette," a cover of an ABBA song, an iconic pop and disco group from Sweden (from where Ghost frontman Tobias Forge also hails). Ghost covering ABBA sounds like such a strange concept, but it works so very well, and this track might even in fact be the brightest highlight on this EP. The original ABBA version is a moody pop song influenced by disco and progressive rock about, as the title would suggest, feeling like you're living in a simulation in which you, at the end of the day, have little to no free will because of being unable to fight or change destiny. This could very easily be applied to mundane activities such as doing house chores, working a 9 to 5, and so forth, although it also could be applied to the demands placed on musicians: "I'm a marionette, everybody's pet, just as long as I sing." Ghost's version does not change the melody at all but is, of course, considerably heavier and potentially, with its inclusion of organ layered underneath, darker. I love the catchy hook of the song and, even though it's a cover, I remember it being amongst the first Ghost tracks to catch my attention when I listened to their whole discography. "Crucified," like "If You Have Ghosts," is one that takes the original version and dials it down a few notches. The original 1991 version is by Army of Lovers (also a fellow Swedish group) and is an upbeat dance track clearly heavily inspired by the disco movement of the '70s, coming right out of the early '90s rave movement capitalized by artists like Ace of Base and Madonna. Ghost's version, on the other hand, is not as energetic and is a bit slower but is also, as would likely be expected, heavier. Papa eerily half sings and half whispers the verses, gloriously rolling his Rs, and it's really such a great cover. It's probably my second favorite track on the EP next to "I'm a Marionette." It is lyrically about feeling persecuted and unjustly discriminated against, using references from the Christian Bible to emphasize the point. Although I can't say for sure, Ghost likely chose the song not only because Army of Lovers, as previously mentioned, is a fellow Swedish group (as is ABBA) but also potentially because of the Biblical references which Ghost also tends to use (although when Ghost does it, it's usually done in a more mocking and satirical way such as changing and reversing terms and phrases). It is also entirely possible that its lyrics are intended to be a commentary on how the group has been criticized over the years by religious fanatics for being a Satanic band.
We then get a cover of a song from one of my favorite bands - Depeche Mode. Ghost lifts a song from Depeche Mode's 1990 album Violator (my favorite album of theirs), "Waiting for the Night." Depeche Mode's version is a slow synth-pop song (which honestly describes most of Depeche Mode's music) essentially about being in love with the cover of darkness that nighttime offers: "I'm waiting for the night to fall," Dave Gahan and songwriter Martin L. Gore sing in velvety voices on the chorus of the original song. "I know that it will save us all. When everything's dark, keeps us from the stark reality. I'm waiting for the night to fall when everything is bearable, and there in the still, all that you feel is tranquility." This is one (and potentially the only) example of an instance on this EP when I might prefer the original version to Ghost's cover version, but I am also, as I said, a big fan of the Violator album. It seems to be a popular album amongst hard rock and heavy metal acts, as other acts have covered songs from it, as well. Marilyn Manson covered "Personal Jesus" on his 2004 greatest hits compilation Lest We Forget: The Best of Marilyn Manson, and Lacuna Coil covered "Enjoy the Silence" (as did HIM live) on their 2006 album Karmacode, just as a couple of examples. Ghost's cover of "Waiting for the Night" does not deviate too far from the original, although Papa sings the melody in a somewhat higher register than Gahan and Gore do on the original version, and it is, of course, more of a hard rock song than a synth-pop song, bringing in guitar that is absent from Depeche Mode's version. There are also traces of what sounds like organ, which seems to be a favorite instrument of the band since they tend to use it a lot (which never bothers me because it is also one of my favorite instruments). As I stated before, the EP then closes with a live version of "Secular Haze," the studio version of which is found on the band's second studio album Infestissumam. This is the only song on the EP that is not a cover, and it was recorded live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York City (Brooklyn to be more precise). It really isn't any different from the studio version on Infestissumam (other than the fact that it is, of course, a live recording), and I already discussed the studio version of the song in my review of Infestissumam, so that pretty much brings my discussion and review of the If You Have Ghost EP to a close. Next on my agenda is to discuss and review Ghost's third studio album, Meliora, which I absolutely adore, so I am really looking forward to that. Be on the lookout for that!
Infestissumam (Latin for most hostile), released in 2013, is Swedish metal band Ghost's second studio album following its 2010 debut Opus Eponymous (which I reviewed here). One thing that I really love about Ghost's discography is that I think that its sound and lyrical content gets more dramatic and theatrical as it progresses, and you can definitely start to hear that shift between Opus Eponymous and Infestissumam. Infestissumam is still not my favorite Ghost album so far, but I do overall prefer it to Opus Eponymous, especially for that reason - I find it to be more theatrical. It is also worth noting that although in reality, the frontman of the band is Tobias Forge, Tobias Forge has played various characters along the way, a different character, in fact, on each album. While Papa Emeritus I fronted the band on Opus Eponymous, Papa Emeritus II takes on the role on Infestissumam. (As would be revealed in the web-series that Ghost released on YouTube prior to the release of their fourth album, Prequelle, the various Papas are actually brothers.) Moving on to discussing the album, however, similar to Opus Eponymous, Infestissumam opens with a short introduction, albeit not instrumental. The album's title track, it starts with a choir chanting in what almost passes as Gregorian chant although is probably more like a requiem. Heavy guitar eventually comes in to join the choir. The chant is in Latin and, according to Genius (which I had to consult because I don't know any Latin at all), translates to, "The father, the son, and the evil spirit, everything heavenly must be destroyed - Antichrist, son of Satan, most hostile." It's a very strong opening to the album that moves into (much more smoothly than the Opus Eponymous opener moves into its first song) "Per Aspera ad Inferi" (which is Latin for "Through Hardships to Hell"), a song with heavily chugging guitar and a catchy and anthemic chorus. Perhaps because of that energetic and catchy chorus, in fact, this seems to be a favorite of the band when it comes to songs that they play live. Not only is the song on their live album Ceremony and Devotion, they also played it on their most recent tour, A Pale Tour Named Death. It is lyrically rather simple, wishing for hell rather than heaven when enduring troublesome times. As I said in my review of Opus Eponymous, Ghost frequently bastardizes and inverts Christian adages and texts, and although it's often done in a Satanic way, I think that it's often done mostly as satire - to point out the problematic aspects of organized religion. (I will likely be touching more upon that in my review of the band's third album, Meliora.)
I once saw someone comment on a Ghost video on YouTube saying that one thing that they love about Tobias Forge's voice is that it's rather soft and soothing for a voice that fronts a metal band, seeing as how many metal bands are fronted by vocalists with aggressive voices, and I couldn't agree more. That is, in fact, one of the aspects of Ghost that initially attracted me to them when I first heard them, and Forge's voice reminded me somewhat of that of Michael Stipe of R.E.M. That does not mean, however, that Forge isn't capable of taking on a more gruff voice. He pretty much always did so in former band Repugnant, and he occasionally takes on a - shall we say sinister? - tone with Ghost, as well, with "Secular Haze" being an example. "Secular Haze" is one of my favorite Ghost songs, and the term secular haze was actually first used in a song by Subvision, one of Forge's former bands before the genesis of Ghost. (In Subvision's song "Son of May," Forge sings in the song's second verse, "In times of trouble and the enemies to face, go find your shelter in our secular haze.") "Secular Haze" prominently features organ, which is one of several aspects of it that I love, but my favorite part is in the chorus when Papa eerily whispers the title of the song. (As I said, he is definitely capable of enacting different moods with his voice.) The song is lyrically an example of how there is more than one way to be a Ghost fan - three ways of which I can think, in fact. (1) You listen to the songs and just enjoy them for what they are. Perhaps some - maybe even most - of the lyrics resonate with you and you take something away from them, but maybe you're mostly listening for melody and rhythm and that sort of thing and not really going out of you way to do research to make sure that you understand. (2) At the opposite end of that, you do go out of your way to do that research. You look up the translations of song titles and lyrics that are not in English. You research obscure religious and cultural references. You research historical references. (3) Lastly, neither the first option nor the second option applies to you because you're already familiar with most, if not all, of the references made in Ghost's music. I fall most accurately into the second option. Since becoming a Ghost fan, I have done quite a bit of research - primarily via Genius - into what their music means in relation to the obscure religious references that are made. I find that I am usually better able to appreciate the music that way.
The word secular, of course, as I already knew, relates to a nonreligious lifestyle. Holy Christmas music, for example, would include songs like "Oh Holy Night," "Silent Night," "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," and so forth, while secular Christmas music would include songs like "Frosty the Snowman," "Jingle Bells," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and so on. A haze is a mist or a visual obstruction. A lot of fog low to the ground, for example, would cause a haze. It would therefore seem as if the song is about people being ignorantly blind to religious truth while living secularly, but it's actually more complicated than that. Papa opens the first verse of the song with, "You know that the fog is here omnipresent..." In order for something to be omnipresent (which means that it exists everywhere), the implication is that it is godlike, indicating that, ironically, secularism could be a religion of its own. In the chorus, Papa pleads wistfully, "Weave us a mist, fog weaver. Hide us in shadows unfathomable, wallless maze, a secular haze." The request for the "fog weaver" to create the "secular haze" indicates that the speaker of the song welcomes it and even wants it. Why would a Satanic band want secularism, though? Don't they worship Satan? That is where I think that it gets interesting because something that Tobias Forge has discussed in interviews before is the fact that you can be Satanic and secular at the same time. Satanism means different things to different people. For some Satanists, yes, it does involve worship of the actual Biblical figure, and followers do sometimes regard him as evil and commit evil acts - such as ritualistic killings - in Satan's name. Far more often, however, modern day Satanists are actually quite peaceful and might not even believe that Satan actually exists. They simply worship what he represents to them, which is freedom and independence, rebellion against oppressive institutions. That is, after all, what the Biblical character did. He was an angel but rebelled against God due to differences in opinion and was consequently cast out of heaven, which is why he is often regarded as a fallen angel. Satanists therefore look to him as a source of intellectual and personal freedom, and even though I am not a Satanist myself, I totally understand that. I identify as Wiccan, and even though Wicca really doesn't have anything to do with Satanism, the Wiccan Rede is as follows: "An' it harm none, do what ye will." This essentially means that you're at liberty to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't harm anyone. It's a somewhat similar philosophy.
Back to reviewing Infestissumam, however, "Jigolo Har Megiddo" is another one that Ghost seems to like to perform live. It has a certain danceable groove to it, and it, as do many of Ghost's songs, features organ as well as elements of late '60s and early '70s rock. It also subtly incorporates elements of punk rock music, as did Forge's aforementioned band Subvision, and it makes sense because even though Forge grew up inspired by hard rock and metal bands, he was also exposed to and enjoyed punk rock bands such as Ramones and Sex Pistols, and you can definitely hear that punk influence on some of Ghost's records, especially on the first two albums. As Genius explains, the title of the song translates roughly to "Male Prostitute of Megiddo" (Megiddo being in reference to the Israeli city Har Megiddo, although, as good old Genius also points out, the word armageddon is derived from this city, so it could also very well be translated to "Male Prostitute of Armageddon"). The song is lyrically a celebration of lust and sex, and there are so many sexual innuendos in the song's lyrics. In the first verse, Papa boasts that he "comes richly endowed, harvesting crops of fields that others have plowed." Being richly endowed, of course, is in reference to his large penis size, and the word comes is most likely intended to have a double meaning, but I won't go there specifically. Having sexual intercourse for pleasure and not to produce offspring being forbidden is one of the many aspects of Christianity that make it oppressive; it's one reason why members of the LGBTQ+ population are targeted by many Christians. It is also why Satanists rebel by engaging in pleasurable acts, so this song is very likely a rebellion against Christianity in its aforementioned celebration of sexual intercourse. It could also be interpreted as being from the perspective of Satan himself, looking to impregnate a mortal woman to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. "Ghuleh / Zombie Queen" runs at seven and a half minutes, making it the longest track on the album. It is a power ballad driven by piano, with a light and vintage atmosphere to it, sounding almost like a song that the Beatles might have done late in their career. About halfway through the song, however, the atmosphere suddenly changes; the song becomes a tad heavier and brings in organ and guitar. An unnamed member of the band (since all members other than Papa are referred to as nameless ghouls) stated that the song is about the dichotomy of pain and pleasure that come with nostalgia and how nostalgia can sometimes cloud our memories by making us see people and things differently than as they actually were.
"Year Zero" is definitely a good example of what I was talking about earlier when I said that Infestissumam is more theatrical than Opus Eponymous. The song begins with a very loud choir reciting different names that have been used throughout time to refer to Satan: "Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub," the choir chants rhythmically, "Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer." This chant is repeated several times throughout the song as Papa melodically celebrates the birth of the Antichrist (something that is done many times in Ghost's music, and this won't be the last time on Infestissumam). When we look at historical dates, we measure time based on the birth of Jesus Christ. (The current year is 2020, for example, because it has been 2,020 years since Christ was born.) Year Zero is therefore in reference to time "resetting" once again when the Antichrist is born. "Body and Blood" is my second favorite song on the album (I will reveal which one is my favorite once I get to discussing it). It begins with eerie plucking (of what could be a harp, but I am honestly not entirely sure) which is eventually broken by heavy guitar and Papa's voice ushering in the first verse. As could probably be easily grasped by the title of the song, body and blood is in reference to the Catholic Communion ritual of eating bread to signify Christ's body and drinking wine to signify his blood. If you really stop and think about it, the imagery is very vulgar and, well, disgusting. In reality, of course, the bread is just that - bread, and the wine is just that - wine, but why would you imagine that you're eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood? Is the idea that you are absorbing some of his holiness and washing yourself of some of your sins by consuming him? I don't know, but it seems kind of blasphemous which is deliciously (no pun intended) ironic. Ghost even points out the blasphemy and obscenity of the ritual when Papa whispers the process: "Receive, consume, digest, defecate." As I have pointed out before, I think that a lot of Ghost's music is intended to point out the hypocrisy and the oppressiveness of organized religion such as Catholicism and maybe even Christianity in general than it is to actually worship the Biblical figure that is Satan. "Body and Blood" has a very infectious groove to its verses, and the poppy and catchy chorus makes it one of the most memorable tracks on the album. It is a shame that, as Forge once said in an interview, there was a music video planned for this song but that it unfortunately never materialized. This is also true of the Opus Eponymous track "Elizabeth," and both songs are highlights on their respective albums.
"Idolatrine" is next on the Infestissumam tracklisting. This is another one that definitely has a bit of a punk flavor to it and is also another one that has a groovy rhythm to it, especially in its verses. One thing that I had not given any thought until reading up about the song on Genius is the fact that the song title is meant to be a combination of the word idol and the word latrine (meaning toilet). Leave it to Tobias Forge to play with words like that. There are very likely multiple ways to interpret the song (some of which are not mutually exclusive), but I read it as yet another critical jab at Christianity: "Idolatrine for the imbeciles," Papa declares in the song's chorus. In the first verse, he comes in with his soft and somewhat nasally voice with, "Profaner of the vices, a simple charlatan, inflaming puerile minds with the guilt of sin. Imaginations fed to children..." This is where, as I said, there might be more than one way to read the song, although I don't think, as I also said, that these two particular ways are necessarily mutually exclusive. There is the rather obvious way of reading this verse (which I point especial attention to because I believe that it sums up the song rather well) - which is that religious fanatics (perhaps parents, priests, teachers in religious schools, nuns, and so forth) corrupt young minds by teaching them that they are born with sinful souls and that they will go to hell when they die if they don't turn to God for forgiveness and redemption. I think that this is a totally valid way of reading it, and it is even something to which I can strongly relate. Growing up, my father was deeply religious and embedded such type of thinking in me which, as I got older, I was fortunately able to reverse by forming my own opinions on such things, but as a child, I remember being in fourth grade and spending day in and day out in school feeling rather afraid, afraid that I would burn for eternity when I died if I didn't sufficiently make God happy. (Is it healthy to teach a child such a horror story?) The other way of reading the verse, however, is that such religious fanatics could also be corrupting children in a different way - teaching them about sin by actually enacting it on them, if you catch my drift. This is potentially supported in the song's catchy post-chorus in which Papa sings, "Suffer little children to come unto me." I strongly believe that this is meant to be innuendo, to have multiple meanings, but that's as far as I will go with that because I am sure that you get the point. While it definitely does not even begin to apply to all priests, it is a systemic problem that is overlooked even though homosexuality and same-sex marriage are deeply disdained.
Infestissumam then gives listeners "Depth of Satan's Eyes." The opening guitar riff reminds me a bit of the opening guitar riff heard in the Prequelle song "Dance Macabre." According to Genius (and I absolutely agree with its analysis), the song is speaking to people who feel lost because they have lost their faith in Christianity, encouraging them to turn to Satanism. (This theme will be further explored to some degree on Ghost's third album, Meliora.) As I have previously discussed when I discussed and reviewed "Secular Haze," it is definitely possible (although somewhat perplexing) to be secular and also Satanist, as Satanism does not necessarily mean literally worshipping the literal Biblical character, and this song is definitely one that I believe makes that clear. In the song's melodic chorus, for example, Papa sings, "Into the source of wisdom, beyond the Bible lies, into the endless depth of Satan's eyes." I believe that the word lies is meant to have a double meaning, saying not only that wisdom lies beyond the narrow scope of where the Bible lies (as in where it is located) but also that there is wisdom found beyond the lies (as in deception) found in the Bible. If the Bible lies, then does that not mean that it also lies about the existence of Satan? In order to truly believe in the existence of Satan, you have to believe the stories in the Bible, do you not? As I said, this is further evidence that, as Tobias himself has said in many interviews, the Satanic imagery in Ghost's music is not intended to be taken literally. This song is not literally trying to convert people to a set of ideals that literally worships the Devil. What I believe that it is doing is encouraging people to discover themselves, to find their own path and become free, intellectual thinkers. My favorite part of the song is when a chorus of female voices chants a little less than halfway through the song before the song's powerful guitar riff kicks back in. Infestissumam then closes with my favorite song on the album, "Monstrance Clock." This is where, in my opinion, the album is the most creative, the most artsy, and the most theatrical, and it not only closes Infestissumam, but Ghost used it to close shows for a long time before "Square Hammer" eventually took on the role of closing sets. It definitely works as a closer because of its aforementioned dramatic and theatrical nature, and considering the fact that, as I said, Ghost closed so many shows with it, it would seem to be not only a favorite of mine but also a favorite of the band's and maybe even a lot of other fans. (The music video - which features mostly live footage - even opens with fans discussing their love for the band and why they love them.)
As I was first exposing myself to Ghost's music by perusing their entire discography, I remember "Monstrance Clock" being one of the first tracks from Infestissumam that caught my attention, and it remains my favorite from this album. There is a certain anthemic quality to it because of how the chorus is eventually repeated over and over again by a choir over the beautiful sound of an organ. (Have I mentioned that the organ is one of my favorite instruments?) The organ also reminds me a great deal of one of my favorite HIM songs, "Love You Like I Do." The song has been confirmed by Papa Emeritus III (the frontman of the band during the Meliora era) to be a celebration of "the female orgasm in the name of Satan." There are lyrics that clearly corroborate this, as the lyrics seem to be describing the setting of a Satanic ritual: "To the sound of the monstrance clock," Papa gently whispers at the very opening of the song, "air is cleansed, assembled flock. Black candles burn, all minds aligned." He then implies that the chorus of the song is a chant recited by the people present at this ritual when, before the chorus kicks in, he sings, "To the haunting sound of the monstrance clock, singing..." The chorus is as follows: "Come together, together as a one. Come together for Lucifer's son." Forge seems to enjoy using the word come in a cheeky way, implying more than one meaning, and I definitely think that that is what he is doing here, especially given his aforementioned confirmation that the song is about sex. This song supports some of the narrative found on Opus Eponymous - a narrative about engaging in sexual intercourse with Satan in order to bring about the birth of the Antichrist (who would, of course, be Lucifer's son and who would, according to belief, be born of mortal woman, as narratively explored in seasons 1 and 8 of American Horror Story). "Monstrance Clock" is such a sonically powerful way to close the album, although the deluxe edition does feature a bonus track titled "La Mantra Mori" ("The Death Mantra"), a lyrically repetitive rock track (which makes sense because mantras are repetitive) that repeats the same two lines - "We focus on your death" and "You share not the blood of our-our-ours" over and over again. It isn't all that compelling to me, and I am honestly glad that it was relegated to the deluxe edition. Ghost also released a reissue of the album titled Infestissumam Redux which contains "La Mantra Mori" as well as four covers and a live version of "Secular Haze." However, the covers and the live version of "Secular Haze" were also released as an EP titled If You Have Ghost, and I plan to review that EP.
As I mentioned in my review of the band's latest release - the single Seven Inches of Satanic Panic (which I reviewed first because it's the first thing that I heard from them) - I discovered Swedish metal band Ghost in late April when my Discover Mix on YouTube Music included "Mary on a Cross," and I fell so hard in love with the song that I almost immediately proceeded to listen to the band's entire discography and also purchased most of it. (I am still missing a couple of their works as far as purchases go, but I am working on it and will eventually own their whole discography.) Opus Eponymous is their first studio album - released in 2010 - and while it is probably my least favorite album of theirs, it is still a fairly strong effort as far as first efforts go and definitely features a few gems from the band's discography thus far. As do many of Ghost's albums, this one opens with a short (running at only about a minute and a half) instrumental intro. Titled "Deus Culpa" (Latin for "God's Fault"), it is played strictly on a church organ and reminds me a great deal of the introduction to The All-American Rejects' pop-punk hit "Swing, Swing." We then get the album's true opening song (which is honestly a very rough transition), "Con Clavi Con Dio" (Italian for "With Nails with God," referencing, of course, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ). This heavy track has a bit of an industrial air to it that reminds me of something we might hear from the likes of Rob Zombie. It is undoubtedly one of the heaviest songs on the album, featuring screeching industrial guitar and a rapid thumping beat. Lyrically speaking, it is definitely Satanically fueled, as are most of the tracks on the album which is one reason why this is my least favorite Ghost album. While I do appreciate what Satan stands for for a lot of Satanists - freedom, individuality, and rebellion against oppression - I am not a Satanist myself and believe the Biblical character to be nothing more than that - a character. As Ghost frontman Tobias Forge himself has said, the band has written less and less about Satan as it has progressed, and even when it has continued to do so, the themes are usually meant to be metaphorical. While metaphors are likely the intention even here on Opus Eponymous (as Forge has also said that the Satanic lyrics are not intended to be taken literally), they are definitely much more blunt (albeit satirical) than they are on later albums. "Con Clavi Con Dio," after all, opens with the following: "Lucifer, we are here for your praise, evil one."
"Ritual" is one of the first songs that Ghost ever recorded as a band, given that a demo version of it appeared on the band's 2009 demo tape. Forge's somewhat nasally vocals (which remind me a great deal of R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe) narrate a Satanic ritual as participants attempt to appease Satan to usher in the coming of the Antichrist. This is a highlight on Opus Eponymous for me because I love its energy. It has somewhat of a punk rock sound to it, and its chorus, in which Papa Emeritus I (Forge's first fictitious character to front the band) sings, "This chapel of ritual smells of dead human sacrifices from the altar," is very catchy. My favorite part of the song is the guitar solo heard starting at around the 3:54 mark which reminds me of the opening of one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, "Leave." Opus Eponymous then offers up (see what I did there?) "Elizabeth," another highlight for me. I love this one not only because of its sound (especially its beautiful and melodic chorus in which Papa dares a somewhat higher register than usual on this album) but also because of its lyrical content - tackling a deeply disturbing but also fascinating event from history - Elizabeth Bishop's legendary murders. The Countess Elizabeth Bathory was a noblewoman living in Hungary in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and is one of the most notorious serial killers in history, having killed hundreds of young girls. (The number, in fact, is estimated to be around 650.) She brutally tortured and killed hundreds of young girls, and it is believed (although not proven) that she bathed in and drank their blood to remain young. (She has gone on to inspire several horror villains such as that in the film Stay Alive and Lady Gaga's Countess Elizabeth in American Horror Story: Hotel.) This song makes it clear that Ghost's Satanic lyrics are merely all in good fun and are being shared simply to tell a story. In the bridge of the song, Papa Emeritus I declares in a growling tone over a thumping beat, "Her pact with Satan, her despisal of mankind, her acts of cruelty, and her lust for blood makes her one of us." This, to me, makes it clear that Ghost isn't expecting to be taken seriously because (a) there is no evidence to the best of my knowledge that Bathory worshipped Satan and (b) most Satanism, as Forge has explained in interviews himself, is not about doing evil deeds and making blood sacrifices. This is a story and, dare I say, maybe even a parody. Forge has said in an interview that he had planned a music video for this song (which he loves because it features one of his favorite guitar riffs of any Ghost song) but that the video was unfortunately never made, and I deeply lament that.
Prior to Ghost forming and releasing Opus Eponymous in 2010, frontman Tobias Forge had been involved in several other bands such as Repugnant and Subvision. (I really love Subvisions's song "Necropolis.") It was in these days when Ghost was first conceived, and it was ultimately because of the song "Stand by Him," which would, of course, eventually find a home on Opus Eponymous. Forge came up with the song's guitar riff, and it then took off from there. This is another song that tackles Satanic themes (as, like I said, pretty much all of this album does) but in an exaggerated and ridiculous way, once again making it clear to me that Ghost is using these themes to tell a story. (Marilyn Manson did something somewhat similar on his second, third, and fourth albums - a trilogy of concept albums intended to chronicle the Antichrist ushering in the apocalypse.) I say that because "Stand by Him" is the second time on the album that the band uses historical inaccuracies and falsehoods to represent a false concept of modern day Satanism. While Elizabeth Bathory was in fact a real person who did in fact torture and kill hundreds of girls, it is, as I said, unlikely that she was a Satanist, and her having bathed in and drank blood because she believed that it would keep her young is unproven. On "Stand by Him" (a somewhat anachronistic metal song as it features a very heavy guitar riff but a somewhat poppy melody reminiscent of songs from the '60s), the band touches upon the antiquated idea of witchcraft - that witches gain their powers due to making exchanges and pacts with Satan. This, during historical times such as the Salem Witch Trials, is what many Puritan Christians believed to be true - that some people (especially women although not always) were witches because of having sold their souls to the Devil. None of the people actually accused and/or executed for suspected witchcraft, however, were actually witches. It was nothing more than religious hysteria as well as political and social gain. (If you wanted someone's land, for example, all that you had to do was accuse them of being a witch, and if convicted, their entire family would lose all rights to their property.) "All witchcraft comes from carnal lust," Papa Emeritus recites from the Malleus Maleficarum, "which is, in women, insatiable." This is a highly sexist and misogynist viewpoint, and if you watch Tobias Forge in interviews, it's easy to tell that he is a progressive individual who wouldn't actually believe that. It's clear to me that this is satirical and is making fun of what oppressive religion believed and believes Satanism to be.
Next on the Opus Eponymous tracklisting is "Satan Prayer," a song that is lyrically exactly what you would expect from its title. Genius explains that the prayer in the song is a reversal of the Nicene Creed (which the band makes clear in the song's chorus when Papa sings that the song's prayer is "our anti-Nicene creed"). The Nicene Creed is a statement held to be the ultimate statement by which Catholics live, and Ghost, as previously stated, reverses the statement so that it is a prayer to Satan rather than Jesus Christ or God. Ghost frequently does this in its music - bastardizes and/or reverses Christian text, and this, to me, is evidence that the Satanic lyrics and imagery used throughout the band's music and performances is done more so to make fun of religious fanaticism than it is to actually worship Satan. "Satan Prayer" is a low point on the album for me, doing little to stand out as it follows the standard Opus Eponymous formula - heavy guitar and a swift drum beat - but with a flat melody that honestly does little to interest me. (Ghost, as I have said before, has quickly become one of my favorite bands of all time, but even with favorite bands and artists, there are typically songs of theirs that I don't much care for, and this is definitely one when it comes to Ghost.) That standard formula is another reason, in fact, why Opus Eponymous is my least favorite Ghost album so far. While the rest of the albums (especially Prequelle) meander in style more frequently, Opus Eponymous sticks to a relatively singular sound. "Death Knell" and "Prime Mover" are both songs that were included on the aforementioned 2009 demo tape. "Death Knell" - a progressive rock track with Papa seeming to punctuate and carefully enunciate each word, especially in the first verse - is another track worshipping the glory of Satan, and "Prime Mover" - a somewhat more upbeat rock song that has a bit of a punk flavor to it - is essentially about a mortal woman carrying the son of Satan, who would, of course, be the Antichrist. There is also a theory amongst Ghost fans that the current Ghost frontman - Cardinal Copia - is the son of Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, and Genius points out that this song could be supportive of that theory. (If you are not familiar with Ghost lore, then none of that likely made any sense to you. I talked about Nihil in my review of Seven Inches of Satanic Panic, and I will try to explain the complex lore and mythology as best as I can as I progress through the band's discography.)
I would have to check the running times of Ghost's other albums to be absolutely certain, but I am fairly confident that Opus Eponymous is Ghost's shortest album thus far. With only nine tracks (the first of which is a rather short instrumental opening), it runs at only just under thirty-five minutes in length. (It is, in fact, almost exactly the same length - save about half of a minute - as Lady Gaga's album The Fame Monster, even though that is generally considered to be an EP. Anyone who knows me well knows that that is a bone that I often pick as The Fame Monster is 100% a full-length album to me through and through, but I digress, as I am getting way off topic. This is supposed to be about Ghost, not Lady Gaga.) Opus Eponymous closes with another instrumental piece titled "Genesis," another highlight on the album. Genesis is, of course, a Biblical word that refers to the creation of the universe at the very beginning of the Christian Bible ("In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..." I am sure that most, if not all, of us are at least vaguely familiar with that.) Generally speaking, however, the word refers to something's origin or formation. With it following "Prime Mover" and its lyrical content, it could therefore be interpreted as signaling the birth of the Antichrist. Some Ghost fans even believe the albums thus far to have done something similar as those aforementioned Marilyn Manson albums have done - chronicle the birth and rise of the Antichrist who eventually brings about the end of the world. The band's most recent album Prequelle, in fact, even features a plethora of apocalyptic themes in its lyrics. "Genesis" sounds exactly like a psychedelic and progressive rock track that you might hear from a late '60s or early '70s band, and it has a fun and playful energy to it, with rapidly strumming guitar and a thumping beat. As I said, it is definitely a highlight on the album, along with "Ritual" and "Elizabeth," but Opus Eponymous is, as I also stated already, probably my least favorite Ghost album to date (although I love how the album pays homage to the iconic Salem's Lot movie poster). As I progress through reviewing the band's discography, I will make note of which one is my favorite. (It is also worth noting that the Japanese edition of the album contains a bonus track - an interesting cover of The Beatles' classic hit "Here Comes the Sun." The song is slower and darker than the Beatles' sunny version and is fueled primarily by church organ. Japan always gets the good stuff. It isn't fair.)
Officially speaking, Chromatica is American pop singer Lady Gaga's sixth studio album, but I would personally argue that it is her seventh album - including The Fame (2008), The Fame Monster (2009), Born This Way (2011), ARTPOP (2013), Cheek to Cheek (2014), Joanne (2016), and now Chromatica (2020). The fact that it is officially considered her sixth album means that either The Fame Monster (which is usually considered an EP even though eight tracks is enough for it to be considered an album) or Cheek to Cheek (a collaborative jazz album with Tony Bennett) isn't being counted. It is also possible that neither is being counted, but the soundtrack to A Star Is Born (2018) is being counted, although I consider that unlikely because even though Gaga does have an album length's worth of material on the soundtrack, the soundtrack also features solo songs by co-star Bradley Cooper. I digress, however, because how many albums that Chromatica caps Lady Gaga's career thus far off at isn't really important. What is important is that for many Lady Gaga fans, an album like Chromatica has been very long awaited. Following the EDM infused album ARTPOP, Lady Gaga seemed to have taken a hiatus from dance music (perhaps because of how ARTPOP as a whole was received by many critics and fans alike, myself included, as it is my least favorite pop album of hers). She, as previously mentioned, collaborated with Tony Bennett on Cheek to Cheek, an album that primarily featured covers of jazz standards such as "Anything Goes" and "Nature Boy." Joanne was another album shifting the focus away from dance music, with country, rock, and blues being its primary focus on tracks such as "Diamond Heart," "A-Yo," "Million Reasons," and "Sinner's Prayer." The country vibe offered by Joanne continued into much of the A Star Is Born era, such as on songs like "Shallow," "Diggin' My Grave," and "Always Remember Us This Way." Gaga then embarked on a Las Vegas residency show titled Enigma, which prominently featured a jazz and piano show, so, as I said, many fans were eager to hear Gaga return to her dance-pop roots, and Chromatica is absolutely that return for them. Not once on the album's standard cut of thirteen songs (not counting the three short orchestral interludes) does the album ever shy away from demanding the listener to let loose on the dance floor, which is definitely a first for Gaga because every album prior has featured at least one slower ballad (such as The Fame's "Brown Eyes" and ARTPOP's "Dope," just to name a couple).
I would argue that Chromatica is, in some sonic ways, a follow-up to Born This Way (my favorite Lady Gaga album to date), in ways which I will explain further as I progress through the tracklisting. Chromatica is essentially broken up into three sections divided by short instrumental pieces fueled by light and cinematic strings - titled "Chromatica I," "Chromatica II," and "Chromatica III." The album kicks off with "Chromatica I" which swiftly dives into the powerful dance track "Alice," definitely a highlight on the album. When I first saw the Chromatica tracklisting, this is one of the songs for which I was most excited because I had a feeling that it was a reference to what is probably my favorite novel of all time - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There - and I was not disappointed. "My name isn't Alice," Gaga sings in a higher register as a powerful melody, "but I'll keep looking, I'll keep looking, for Wonderland." Given all of the chaos that has unfolded thus far this year - such as the COVID-19 pandemic (which even led to Gaga delaying the release of Chromatica from April 10th to May 29th) and the completely unnecessary murder of George Floyd, "Alice," which lyrically longs for a better place to call home, feels so fitting. Both of Gaga's documentaries - Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden and Five Foot Two - show that the singer occasionally suffers from depression and low self-esteem, and that is definitely presented here on Chromatica. Although definitely not what I had been expecting from the album's lead single "Stupid Love," Chromatica definitely presents Lady Gaga at her most emotionally vulnerable yet, and "Alice" - the first of many songs on the album to be reminiscent of rave and dance music from the '90s - is certainly no exception, making it an effective opening to the album: "Sick and tired of waking up," Gaga sings in an electronically modified voice in the second verse, "Think I might've just left myself behind." In the pre-chorus, Gaga declares that she is "in the hole" and "falling down...," another allusion to Alice in Wonderland. Before she reaches Wonderland, Alice falls for some time down a hole. Gaga is therefore expressing that she may be falling down a hole, but it will hopefully lead her to a bright and wondrous place. What's interesting, however, is that in the song's post-chorus, she demands, "Take me home; take me to Wonderland," but Wonderland is not Alice's home. This could perhaps be one of the very few lyrical aspects of the album that speak to Gaga's apparent concept of Chromatica being another planet on which she resides.
The album then gives us the first and second singles released from the album - "Stupid Love" (which I reviewed here) and "Rain on Me" (which I reviewed here). "Free Woman" is another definite highlight for me, and although a demo version of the song leaked some time ago, the final album version is so much better and has so much more energy, calling forth dance-pop and house music from the mid to late '90s. I would argue that "Free Woman" is one of the most lyrically emotional songs on Chromatica, even making me somewhat emotional when I first heard the album version, especially when, in the chorus, she sings in a steady but powerful melody that "I'm still something if I don't got a man." I especially love the wistful melody of the verses, such as when, in the second verse, Gaga declares that "this is my dance floor I fought for." For reasons already discussed prior about this ultimately being Gaga's first dance-pop album since 2013's ARTPOP, this line sums up the album fairly well. Gaga is taking the dance floor back and reclaiming it, saying that she deserves it and deserves to let loose on it. Although not even remotely similar sonically, I lyrically liken this song to Born This Way's "Scheiße" because of how both songs are speaking to feminine energy and female empowerment. Chromatica then, in my opinion, takes a dip on "Fun Tonight," one of the album's weaker tracks. It is, however, very different than what I had expected given the title. The title, in fact, is definitely meant to be deliberately misleading. I think that it is probably safe to say that most people seeing a song title like "Fun Tonight" would assume that the song is a party song, but it isn't. It is sonically one of the lower key songs on the album although definitely still not a ballad. The lyrics speak to Gaga's physical and emotional pain that she has endured over the years: "I'd do anything to numb the flame." This is likely a reference to not only emotional pain but also, as I said, physical pain. As closely documented in Five Foot Two, Gaga suffers from Fibromyalgia which, at times, causes her immense physical pain. The track also likely speaks to failed relationships: "Yeah, I can see it in your face. You don't think I've pulled my weight. Maybe it's time for us to say goodbye 'cause I'm feelin' the way that I'm feelin'... I'm not havin' fun tonight." (As I said, the song, despite its title, is about not having fun.) Although not a highlight for me, I do like its nod to Gaga's debut album in the second verse, which made me smile when I first heard it: "You love the paparazzi, love the fame."
"Chromatica II" is a jaunty instrumental intro to "911," and the transition between the two tracks is very cool. Another one of my favorite artists, longtime Lady Gaga fan Greyson Chance, even commented on this transition on Twitter. It's definitely one of the album's more ambitious moments. "911" is one of the catchiest songs on the album and is definitely a lot more upbeat than I had been expecting. One of the more disappointing aspects of Chromatica, I have to admit, is that when I first saw the tracklisting and saw titles like this one (as well as others which I will discuss as I progress through the tracklisting), I was expecting some of the dark electronic music heard on past tracks like "Dance in the Dark," "Marry the Night," "Bloody Mary" (which is probably my favorite Lady Gaga song of all time), "Heavy Metal Lover," and "Electric Chapel." The album's cover art also gave me that indication, but that is really not the case. "911," for example, is sonically light (as opposed to dark) and very upbeat, with Gaga experimenting with heavily filtered vocals in the song's bridge, vocals that are so filtered, in fact, that they almost don't even sound like her. This song is the closest that Lady Gaga has come to her sound on The Fame in a very long time, as it is an electro dance track with electronically altered vocals and an electronically altered male voice layered underneath hers, reminding me of early tracks like "Starstruck" and "Monster." Gaga has stated that the song is about her use of an antipsychotic that she refers to as "911" becomes it comes to her rescue when she needs it. (This context is very important because the phrase in the chorus - "pop a 911" otherwise makes very little sense.) She laments in the chorus that "my biggest enemy is me," perhaps the most brutally honest and self-aware that she is on Chromatica. "Plastic Doll" is a light and dreamy pop number, and while I definitely don't hate it and consider it stronger than "Rain on Me" (which is potentially the weakest track on the album in my opinion) and "Fun Tonight," it is one of the more mainstream pop offerings on the album and does very little to blow me away. While still a dance track and definitely not a ballad, it, like "Fun Tonight," is one of the lower energy tracks on Chromatica and is lyrically about reclaiming herself as a human being rather than a manufactured object not only as a pop star but as an object of men's desires: "Don't play with me," she commands in the ascending chorus. "It just hurts me... I'm not your plastic doll."
A day before the album's release, Lady Gaga dropped the song "Sour Candy" (a collaboration with K-Pop girl group BLΛƆKPIИK) as a surprise promo single, and I immediately loved it so much that I almost immediately got to work on reviewing it. It is both lyrically and melodically, in my opinion, one of the album's strongest highlights. We then get "Enigma," a song that is very likely, in part, named after the aforementioned Las Vegas residency. This one along with the following track "Replay" are both songs that really didn't blow me away. Although it sonically reminds me a bit of Born This Way (especially the song "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)"), "Enigma" never reaches much of anywhere interesting lyrically, with its chorus mostly just repeating the phrase "I'll be your enigma." (Repetition in choruses sometimes works really well - as it does in my opinion on MARINA's 2015 track "Forget" - but other times does not.) Lady Gaga paints herself as a mystery not only on this track but via the album's imagery overall, seeming to want to go back to the days of telling interviewers in a flat and robotic monotone that all she cared about in a potential partner was "a really big dick." (She was, of course, trolling such interviewers, and it was all a part of the character that she was playing behind those early records.) She has since then presented a much more human version of herself as previously mentioned, but perhaps because of the concept of the album being that she is now an alien on a different planet called Chromatica, she has been presenting herself a bit more like she used to. If you check out her recent interview with Zane Lowe, for example, in which she's rocking hot pink literally all over, her signature monotone from the days of The Fame is easily recognizable, and she definitely seems like she has popped or smoked a little something. In a way, it evokes a great deal of nostalgia - bringing me back to the days of summer 2009 when I first became a Gaga fan and found myself attracted to, well, the enigma. The problem, however, is that she has already bared her soul on projects like Joanne, Five Foot Two, and her raw performance as Ally in A Star Is Born, so it doesn't translate like it used to. I have absolutely loved seeing Gaga more down to earth in interviews and performances, so don't misunderstand me, but the problem with mystery is that it is very hard to maintain it, whereas someone like Björk has, in my opinion at least, done a much better job of maintaining her mystery.
As previously mentioned, "Replay" is another one that isn't all that impressive to me. It has somewhat of an '80s synth flavor to it, especially in its intro, although it also gives us a very modern dance beat, with that somewhat anachronistic nature potentially because of the track, according to Genius, sampling the 1979 song "It's My House" by Diana Ross. Although not really a highlight for me, I do like that she calls back to the early days and why Lady Gaga, for more than a decade now, has affectionally called her fans "little monsters," the idea that we all have monsters inside of us in one way or another that we battle. One of Gaga's biggest monsters has been her fame monster (hence the title of the second album), but it has also been her battles with emotional and physical pain. "The monster inside you is torturing me," she sings on this track. I believe this to be Gaga addressing herself as if she is two split personalities, and she later sings in the song's second chorus that "you're the worst thing and the best thing that's happened to me." It's easy to say that she is talking about an (ex) lover here, but I think that it is a bit more complicated than that and that she is referring to her pain. Pain can absolutely be the worst thing that has happened to us but can also be the best because it can make us stronger and can also be a reminder that we are human. ("As much as it hurts, ain't it wonderful to feel?" Amy Lee asks rhetorically on the Evanescence song "The End of the Dream.") "Chromatica III" then moves into my favorite song on the album, "Sine from Above." (It is, in fact, one of the best songs from her entire discography thus far.) "Sine from Above" is a collaboration with pop-rock legend Elton John, with whom Gaga has been friends for many years. They, in fact, previously collaborated on a live medley of her song "Speechless" and his song "Your Song" (which she also covered in the studio) as well as on a studio track titled "Hello Hello" which, although featured in the end credits of the animated movie Gnomeo & Juliet, was, to the best of my knowledge, never released. Gaga explained in the aforementioned interview with Zane Lowe that the title is a play on the phrase "sign from above" but that the word "sine" was used in its place because of it being a soundwave. The song - an absolutely powerful electronic house song with a beautiful and memorable soundscape - is therefore intended to celebrate music as a healing factor, something to which I can definitely relate. Music has saved me more times than I could ever attempt to count.
The last two tracks on the standard edition of Chromatica are "1000 Doves" and "Babylon," both of which are different than what I was expecting when I first saw the titles. "1000 Doves" has a bit of a softer quality to it (which is what I was, for some reason, expecting), although it is heavily electronic and reminds me a bit of "In My Blood" by The Veronicas. A user on Genius even said that when they first saw the song title, they were expecting a song like Joanne's "Angel Down" but were in for a surprise, and that is exactly how I feel. It has a lot of energy, with Gaga's powerful and soulful vocals over a clubby and electronic track that reminds me of Céline Dion's cover of Cyndi Lauper's "I Drove All Night." I really like this song because although I by no means consider it to be generic, I can definitely imagine it doing well on the radio. The lyrics are stunningly beautiful. As do most of the songs on Chromatica, "1000 Doves" addresses emotional struggle and finding hope at the end of that struggle. "Lift me up; give me a start," Gaga pleads in the wistful and catchy chorus, "'cause I've been flying with some broken arms. Lift me up, just a small nudge, and I'll be flying like a thousand doves." It could be that Gaga is saying here that in order to get out of an emotional funk, she just needs a single word or act of kindness from someone, but she could also be once again addressing herself and her own inner strength, and that is one thing that I do really appreciate about Chromatica. It is by no means a lovey dovey album worshipping the ground on which a lover walks, nor is it an angry and bitter breakup album cursing the ground on which an ex walks. It isn't, in fact, about anyone else, really; it is primarily about herself - her struggles, her losses, and her victories. That doesn't mean that she isn't ever involving other loved ones in the healing process, but this album, as I said, is not primarily about topics such as sex and romance. Chromatica ends with "Babylon," a song that speaks primarily of the toxic nature of gossip. It is another song that is very different than what I was expecting. Even though Gaga does often close albums with bangers rather than ballads (with "Applause" closing ARTPOP being the best example), I, for some reason, was expecting another ballad here or at least something with more weight and emotion. The song reminds me both of early '90s tracks such as Madonna's "Vogue" and Gaga's own song from Born This Way, "Black Jesus + Amen Fashion" (to which, on some levels, it sounds strikingly similar, another reason why the album reminds me in some ways of Born This Way). It is also somewhat jazzy with its use of saxophone.
I, being the little monster that I am, had to have the exclusive version of the album on CD from Target, since it features three bonus tracks that cannot be legally purchased anywhere else in the United States (with the exception of a "Stupid Love" remix). The first of these tracks is "Love Me Right," the only song of the three that is original as opposed to an alternate version. If Gaga's goal on Chromatica was to feature dance track after dance track with that energy never fading (with the exception, as I said, of the interludes), then I can understand why "Love Me Right" was cut from the standard edition because it is a bit of a ballad, albeit a power ballad, reminding me a great deal of some of the A Star Is Born numbers such as "Heal Me" and "Before I Cry." I love the reference that she makes to the aforementioned Netflix documentary Five Foot Two (which is phenomenal) in the first verse: "I'm tall in high heels, but I am only five foot two." Because of the opening lines at the beginning of the first verse - "My life is a story. Do you wanna know the truth?" - I definitely think that this could have made for an effective opening track, but I also completely understand why it was cut and why something like "Alice" was chosen as an opener instead. The Target edition then offers an absolutely beautiful and intimately raw piano version of "1000 Doves." It is labeled as the piano demo which strongly suggests to me that it might have been originally intended to be a ballad. If so, then that would explain why I pick up a bit of a ballad energy from it. The Target edition finally closes with a forgettable remix of "Stupid Love." I overall appreciate Chromatica and am happy to have new music from Gaga. I love the previously discussed emotional vulnerability in the album's lyrics like there never has been so persistently on a Lady Gaga album before, and I also love her ability to tackle dark themes on upbeat dance tracks (which I think works better on some songs than on others), but there is also a part of me that is a bit disappointed. I think that Born This Way might always be her magnus opus, that she isn't ever going to top the raw and vehemently creative energy heard in examples such as "Government Hooker," "Bloody Mary," "Heavy Metal Lover," etc. There is heart on that album that I have yet to hear her replicate, but at the same time, I don't fully know if I would want to hear that replicated because it would then stop being as special as it is. I guess that I just, from the cyberpunk and sci-fi visuals released alongside the album (including its incredible cover art), I was expecting more, something more grandiose and something more theatrical.
