The Swedish heavy metal band Ghost has just released its third studio album, “Meliora,” via Loma Vista Recordings. Known for their elaborate costuming and stage sets, Ghost is made up of a vocalist, Papa Emeritus III who takes on the role of a Satanic pope and five (5) musicians who are referred to as the Nameless Ghouls. Despite their outwardly evil appearance, the music is not all gloom and doom, in fact at times it’s hauntingly beautiful. The lyrics focus on the occult but the music is a mix of classic metal with some 70s’ style prog rock mixed in, a kind of Black Sabbath meets Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
“Meliora” opens with the eerie strains of “Spirit” followed by a great riff in “From the Pinnacle to the PIt” which has a fantastic spooky sounding guitar solo. It’s clear that the Nameless Ghouls are seasoned musicians despite their unknown identities. Papa Emeritus has a wide range vocally whether he takes on the hippie pop vibe of “He Is” or belts it out on the heavier “Absolution.” “Majesty” is a fantastic track that has a great keyboard opening reminiscent of early Deep Purple and “Devil Church” is a beautifully orchestrated instrumental. Closing out the record is “Deus In Absentia” which ends with a Gregorian type chant.
“Meliora” is a great prog rock/metal mix and definitely Ghost’s best work to date. I hope that their controversial image doesn’t get in the way of mainstream metal fans enjoying this killer album.
