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GHOST
‘Impera’
Album Review

(27th March 2022)

Review by Paul Tadday

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PHOTO CREDIT: JIMMY HUBBARD

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“Tell Them All… It Is Time”…

GHOST is one of those bands that you either “love to love” or “love to hate”. I’ll be totally upfront from the outset here and declare that I stand firmly in the camp of the former.

If you’re yet to delve into the world of Ghost, then there is no better time than right now! Sure, they’re not going to be everyone’s cup of poison, but if your kick is theatrical rock in the vein of Alice Cooper, Kiss, King Diamond or Queen, you might just be converted to become a member of the GHOST clergy.

Mixing its 70’s hard rock influences with a prog edge and European pop sensibility more suited to Eurovision than metal, Ghost has forged a sound that is simultaneously retro and futuristic, combining all elements into a band that is gaining more popularity with each release.

Hailing from Sweden, front man Tobias Forge (AKA “Papa Emeritus” and “Cardinal Copia”) formed the band Ghost in 2006. The band’s brand new release IMPERA is its fifth full-length studio release, heavily influenced by the Timothy Parsons book – “The Rule of Empires: Those Who Built Them, Those Who Endured Them, and Why They Always Fall”. The concept takes place several hundred years forward from the band’s previous album, PREQUELLE, which was based on the European Black Plague of the 14th century.

The cover art by Zbigniew Bielak is a reference to legendary English occult leader, Aleister Crowley. Bielak’s previous works has adorned the album covers of many other metal acts, including Watain, Destroyer 666, Vader, and Mayhem amongst others. The artwork of this album is outstanding as you would expect. Meticulously detailed in every aspect, it provides the perfect visual accompaniment to the soundtrack located within its stunning gatefold.

Sonically, it’s a brilliant sounding album, with production helmed by Klas Ahlund and mixing handled by Andy Wallace, who also did the same for the band’s Grammy Award winning 2015 album, MELIORA. Reviewer tip: Kick back with a great pair of headphones to really appreciate the nuances and characteristics of this album to their fullest.

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IMPERIUM

This opening instrumental interlude sets the tone for the album. A very melodic intro, with a real Iron Maiden feel to the guitars. Listen for a refrain to the melody later in the album.

KAISARION

A track which will no doubt become the perfect ‘up tempo’ song to kick off Ghost’s live set on the band’s upcoming tour. The song has a melody very reminiscent of early Queen, a catchy chorus and an unexpected opening scream from Tobias. Not quite Bruce Dickinson or Roger Daltrey, but definitely cool. Brilliant guitar work in this track. The mid-section breakdown reminds me a bit of Dream Theater.

Lyrically the song tells the story of ‘Hypatia’, a highly intellectual Platonist philosopher and scientist who lived in Alexandria around 400 AD. She was ultimately murdered by a Christian mob that dragged her into the ‘Kaisarion’, a Christian church that had been transformed from a pagan temple and was the heart of the Roman imperial cult in Alexandria. The mob then stripped Hypatia naked and slaughtered her. After removing her eyeballs, they ripped her corpse apart and hauled her limbs across the town to Cinarion, where they set fire to them. Pretty uplifting stuff.

SPILLWAYS

Another up-tempo song that gives off a bit of an Alice Cooper vibe. The song is underpinned by a staccato piano line, not too dissimilar to ‘Runaway’ by Bon Jovi. Another catchy chorus that will surely become a live sing-along fan favourite.

CALL ME LITTLE SUNSHINE

This was the first single released for the album. A bit more of an ‘old school’ Ghost track, particularly in its melody structure. This track has a really cool, memorable guitar line and a classical pipe organ underpinning the rhythm section. Another great melody and chorus, ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ makes reference to the German legend of ‘Faust’, a scholar who sells his soul to the demon ‘Mephistopheles’ in exchange for knowledge. Think of ‘Crossroads’ with Steve Vai or ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’.

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HUNTER’S MOON

Released for the soundtrack of the 2021 slasher flick, HALLOWEEN KILLS, ‘Hunter’s Moon’ was the first taste of IMPERA for Ghost fans. When producers of the movie approached Tobias Forge to write a song specifically for the new Michael Myers bloodfest, Forge believed the song to already be a great fit for the concept of the film, and so it was. Another catchy tune with definite commercial appeal.

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WATCHER IN THE SKY

Very reminiscent of 80’s metal. The opening guitar riff reminds somewhat of something Zakk Wylde would have pulled out for Ozzy in the late 80’s. The track has a chugging mid-tempo drive but a repetitive chorus that (eventually) fades out to end the song. Probably not my favourite track from the album, but it’s not bad either.

DOMINION

Definitely go grab a coffee and skip this mid-album instrumental dirge! Next…

TWENTIES

An interestingly constructed song that would definitely not feel out of place in a Broadway musical. ‘Twenties’ has a touch of irony and lyrical humour. Comparisons are clearly made between the political landscape of the 2020’s and the rise of fascist regimes in the 1920’s (such as Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy). There’s a humorous Trump reference thrown in as well. The song has a distinct ‘marching’ rhythm, which definitely suits the lyrical content.

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DARKNESS AT THE HEART OF MY LOVE

If you thought that Ghost wouldn’t be the type of band to write a lovey-dovey ballad, you’d be poorly mistaken. This song is exactly that. Another tune with a touch of 80’s rock nostalgia, it’s not quite a power ballad, but not far off. It’s listenable but probably a track to go grab a beer if it’s included in the band’s live set.

GRIFTWOOD

The opening guitar riff could almost be a tribute to the late, great Eddie Van Halen. It definitely has a touch of “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love” in its composition and sound. The song is pretty cool actually, albeit another throwback to 80’s hard rock hair metal. I can hear some Dokken-style influence in the melody, chorus and guitar work. Not bad at all.

Tobias told Kerrang!: “That song’s about [Mike Pence] and anyone like him who’s willing to soil everything they’ve worked for. They definitely qualify for a front-row ticket to Hell. Which is so ironic, because that’s what they believe in. [People like that] completely demean themselves, and just eat shit out of someone’s ass in order to achieve whatever they’re trying to achieve.

Again, he stands as a symbol for people of all times, where the end game is wrapped with some sort of religious [thing]. He’s known as this sort of Bible thumper, believing that he has strong faith, and he’s just this awful, awful person in any way. He tries to tell the world that he serves God, that he’s part of the good side. Whereas at the end of the day, the only thing he wants is power. But it doesn’t have to necessarily be all about him. It’s about people like him: a lot of politicians, lot of preachers, a lot of clergymen throughout the history of time.”

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BITE OF PASSAGE

A short instrumental that more or less serves as an intro into the final track of the album.

RESPITE ON THE SPITALFIELDS

The final song of IMPERA is an ode to Jack the Ripper. Starting with a clean guitar line that reminds me of a slowed version of Alice Cooper’s “Poison”, the song begins slowly then ratchets up to become a pretty solid track. I can also hear a bit of Whitesnake’s “In The Still Of The Night” mixed into the second half of the song. The track concludes with that reprise of the album’s intro, IMPERIUM that I mentioned earlier. This is one of my favourites on the album for sure.

Tobias told Kerrang!: “[Jack the Ripper] did the people of Spitalfields and that part of London an enormous disfavour, because he was never caught. Which meant that even though he had technically stopped killing at some point, they were never sure that he was not going to do it again. So, for a long time after, there must have been fear, especially among women, that it could happen again, because you don’t know where he is. You don’t know where he’s hiding. You don’t know what happened.”

Overall, it’s a very enjoyable album. However, if you’re looking for the ‘album of the year’, then this sadly isn’t it.

Musically, there are some very catchy tunes on this album. It’s certainly not ground-breaking by any stretch, and the influence of 80’s commercial hard rock/metal is more apparent on IMPERA than any other Ghost album to date. Not that that’s a bad thing necessarily.

But, it definitely won’t please many OG fans of the band who have been there since OPUS EPONYMOUS and who will no doubt be disappointed that IMPERA isn’t a darker continuation of the brilliant PREQUELLE from 2018.

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IMPERA
Track Listing:

01. Imperium
02. Kaisarion
03. Spillways
04. Call Me Little Sunshine
05. Hunter’s Moon
06. Watcher In The Sky
07. Dominion
08. Twenties
09. Darkness At The Heart Of My Love
10. Grift Wood
11. Bite Of Passage
12. Respite On The Spital Fields

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Follow GHOST

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Press Release 6th March 2022 (below) HERE

GHOST
‘TWENTIES’
new single and lyric video
live now

+ New album
IMPERA
out March 11
on Loma Vista Recordings 

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AMNPLIFY – DB