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GHOST
Prequelle

Spinefarm / Loma Vista Recordings (2018)
Rating: 8/10

And here we are again; back at the altar of Ghost, although still not quite prompted into kneeling in adoration.

Prequelle comes, as expected, with the usual spooky sparks and fizzes of melodic rock as Papa (who’s now morphed into Cardinal Copia) and his clan of ghouls continue to bewitch in rather watery fashion by way of the spellbinding ‘Rats’. ‘Rats’ brings extra vim to the Ghost brigade’s familiar churn; timely passages of Euro-pop gloom are furnished with esoteric rumbles, Tobias Forge still hell-bent on creating those sinister hints and engaging occult flirtations. All the while, Forge incorporates them into one big accessible coven, even if I still remain that seemingly sole outsider nonplussed by the entity before me which attempts to flap its wings with demonic vigour.

Ghost click, crack, and jerk like an antique doll that refuses to be fixed, and indeed, why fix something that continues to work? ‘Faith’ emerges from marble halls on a doomy trudge and some cool, nifty lead work that worms towards that sinister vocal smirk. Nice on the ears, ‘Faith’ is clever, hard, dark rock with so many paler tones embedded.

‘See The Light’ is just (im)pure piano pop leaking towards rocky chugs. “And of all of the demons I’ve known… nothing can compare to you” bemoans our master of ceremonies through those haunting melodies, Ghost continuing to display their varying shades of grey. Ghost entice new members through the likes of ‘See The Light’ on a weekly basis, some of whom must surely be blind to the darker aspects of this intriguing yet flawed posse of the perverse.

‘Miasma’ is bony in its drum work and flighty with its guitar weaves, the track building into a lofty stable groove bereft of vocal presence before the stern stab of ‘Danse Macabre’ comes nodding in. Again, we’re treated to that not quite summery swagger. “You’ll soon be hearing the chime close to midnight…” Forge sings, the vocals caressed by a stark piano key as Ghost creates an ethereal love song to dance to. “It keeps on giving me chills but I know now…” kind’ve sums up my feelings on Ghost on the whole; a band I appreciate, I get, but then don’t get what all the fuss is about.

Nevertheless, the beautiful strokes of ‘Pro Memoria’ showcase the talent of the band as they effortlessly construct morbid poetry and hymns of disharmony. The sweeping piano threads are a joy to behold (“Don’t you forget about dying… don’t you forget about your friend death”), and genius at times with their ghoulish black comedy traces.

Then the hip-shaking saunter of ‘Witch Image’ comes swaggering in until a sudden drop in temperature means again that Ghost embarks on less stony, less rocky pathways. That swagger re-emerges, however, the shroud of Ghost encompassed within ‘Witch Image’ as we’re treated to both ends of the spooky spectrum before we’re lead into the dark fairytale forest of instrumental ‘Helvetesfönster’ with its cavorting wisps and mystical prowess. All the while, a foreboding atmosphere lurks just beyond the trees of a will-o’-the-wisp piano prior to the build-up into even stranger, cosmic territory – the nameless ghouls creating a rather extravagant glam rock flirtation.

Finally, ‘Life Eternal’ sweeps us up as a mournful ballad. “This is the moment of just letting go…” the vocals swirl, haunting the ears as Ghost pretty much bids farewell to any “heavy metal” connotations which may of course disappoint the headbangers, but will no doubt please the worshippers who’ve followed this outfit from day one.

Of course, it’s all still very much Ghost. Prequelle does provide more class than previous outings, and by eradicating the metal musings, we’ve been rewarded by a rather sparkling beacon of an opus sure to light up the very darkest corners of Hades. Ghost is a theatrical rock act with darker flourishes, so why it ought to be anything more? Oh, and nice touch with the nod to Sepultura’s Bestial Devastation with the cover art.

Neil Arnold

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