Ghost - If You Have Ghost EP [Review]

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!