I’ve taken way too long to review this album, but sometimes unanticipated things occur and take over your entire schedule! Anyway, after an unintentional break, I’m back to write about one of the most popular bands in our favorite genres. I’m of course talking about Ghost. On June 1st of this year, they released their fourth studio album called Prequelle. So, what exactly have we got here? Did the band live up to our expectations?
Ghost is one of those divisive bands. You either love them or hate them. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of in between. My first introduction to them was in early 2016; so I got into them when they were already well established. I was at work one day and decided to give Meliora (2015) a try. I put my headphones on and thought I could listen to it in the background while getting some work done. Well, I didn’t get any work done until the album was over! I was just amazed. I still am, to be honest. That album gets better with each listen! I loved how unique it was, I’d never heard anything like it! The way the vocals contrasted the music, the way the keyboards were used, and the way the dark lyrics were delivered with so much tasteful melody. I couldn’t believe how incredible it was! I then went back and listened to some of their earlier material, which, although good at times, couldn’t touch Meliora!
I’ve been following Ghost‘s new releases since I became a fan early in ’16. In September of that year, they released the Popestar EP, which mostly consisted of covers except for Square Hammer, and then the anticipation for a new full-length studio album began. I knew I was anxious to hear some new original material from them – if Meliora was so good, I was just imagining what else they could do!
But before the album could generate any excitement, there was a lot of talk about Ghost in some other way. Former members of the band, previously known as nameless ghouls, sued the band’s founder and main songwriter, Tobias Forge. They claimed Forge wasn’t paying them their fair share from albums and tours. Furthermore, they argued there was a partnership and they were owed money. Forge, on the other hand, claims that no partnership has ever existed between him and other members and that Ghost was always set up like a solo project with hired musicians coming in to do the tours. Time will tell how this will resolve; but one consequence of the lawsuit was that all names that were previously hidden now became public in court documents! That’s how we know the main songwriter in Ghost as Tobias Forge, along with his former and current stage names like Papa Emeritus III or Cardinal Copia. In terms of the lawsuit, Forge has a very positive way of looking at it: he says most rock bands go through something like this and it needed to happen for Ghost to move on. He seems to be in a better place overall now that Prequelle drove attention away from the lawsuit to where it belongs: music!
No matter what happens with all this drama, don’t expect anything to change in terms of how Ghost writes music or how Forge conducts himself in front of the press. My impression is that Ghost’s music has always been determined by Forge himself. From the first song he wrote back in 2006 (Satans Natt, or as it was later known, Stand by Him), all the way through Prequelle, this band has been Forge’s baby. He also did almost all of the interviews, posing as one of the “nameless ghouls”. There’s nothing else to say about the lawsuit, really. Let’s hope the guys can work it out and we, the fans, can keep enjoying the music without any distractions.
Prequelle was produced and recorded by Tom Dalgety, who’s worked with the band before on Popestar (2016), and mixed by Andy Wallace who performed the same duty on Meliora (2015). It looks like most instruments were played by Tobias himself, like the previous albums. I couldn’t find a lot of info on songwriting credits, but if you look on Google’s lyrics database, you see that a lot of the songs were co-written with some other musicians, like Nicholas Frisk, Sarah Hudson, Tom Dalgety, Salem al Fakir and Suzy Shinn.
Remember when I said Ghost was a fairly divisive band, in that you either love them or hate them? Well, this new album seems to have generated the same effect. Basically, I saw two kinds of reviews everywhere. Some called it a “masterpiece”, and others slammed the musical direction because it wasn’t as heavy as the previous album. I don’t agree with either. I don’t think this album is a “masterpiece”, as some have called it. Prequelle is a solid effort, but the reason why I can’t call it a “masterpiece” is that a masterpiece to me is Meliora. Prequelle, overall, doesn’t sound as unique as Meliora did. While it’s unmistakably Ghost, the sound explored makes Forge’s influences a little too obvious, taking away from that truly rare sound he came up with for the previous album. That’s just how I see it. But I also don’t think it’s a bad album. Look, I can understand if some didn’t like it. Everyone has different tastes. But to not like an album because “it’s not heavy” or “it’s poppy” just makes no sense to me. I still think this album is a heavy metal/hard rock album, but who really cares that much about genres? Does it really matter if the music is good? If you don’t like it, that’s okay. But I’d expect you to come up with a reason that goes beyond “it’s not heavy”. There’s gotta be something else there, no?
Anyway, perhaps it’s unfair to judge an artist’s recent work with its highly successful predecessor. Meliora will always be special to me, but Prequelle is a solid album, a natural progression for the band, and paves a strong path for Forge to walk through. After many listens, that’s my overall impression.
Let’s dig deeper…
The album’s lyrics draw a lot of inspiration from the tragedies of the Great Plague. In the 14th century, the plague was so deadly that 1 in 3 Europeans lost their lives, according to some estimates. While Ghost definitely tackles the subject of imminent death, Forge says there’s another way to look at it. He says Prequelle is “a record about survival, start to finish.” After all, the people who survived showed huge strength to do everything they possibly could to hang on. And the survivors learned a big lesson that carried through generations. All of these make their way as you listen to the album.
The opener, Ashes, is something you’d expect from a horror film, or perhaps a King Diamond album. Yep, you guessed it! Children are singing a creepy rhyme. Then, drums, guitars, and keyboards kick in and it turns into something awesome! I know this was meant as an interlude, which is why it’s short, but I wish it was longer. This is very much in the vein of Meliora, so I’d have loved to get something that could sustain that vibe. Then we get into Rats, possibly the most popular song on here. The band released this track before the whole album was available, so it’s well known at this point. It is believed that the plague was carried into Europe by rat fleas living on black rats, so, in a way, Forge is setting the stage with this one. Musically, it’s a happier sounding song, doesn’t have the dark vibe of the opener anymore. The singing is the highlight here, and I also love the melodic breakdown and the heavier riff kicking in towards the end.
Faith is one of my favorites! It has a cool, heavy start. The chorus is just beautiful – only something Ghost could come up with! I just love the eerie vibe. I only wish there was more of it on the whole album, but this song is a great example of what Forge can deliver. The demonic vocal effects towards the end add so much to that haunting dark vibe. And Ghost then counters the darkness with melodic vocals. One of this band’s main strengths is taking advantage of contrasts in music. The last 30 seconds or so serve as a bridge to the next track, See the Light, which is one of the slower songs. It starts with some pianos and Tobias… erm, Cardinal Copia, singing. Then the rest of the instruments kick in. While I’m not a 100% sure what the lyrics talk about, I get the sense that this one is more about the human will to survive. It talks about our character facing many demons, but “none could compare to you”, which I interpret as the plague. But despite what the plague does, he says he grows stronger! It’s an amazing way to look at a situation as dire as the plague. It is about survival in the end, isn’t it? While I liked this song lyrically, musically it didn’t do much for me. Nice melody, but it didn’t stand out the way Rats or Faith did.
Luckily, the next song is Miasma and it’s absolutely amazing! It’s an instrumental track that reminds me a lot of ‘70s prog rock. No surprises there as Tobias Forge is very open about his love of the rock music of that era. The synths work so well in creating harmony with the guitars, and I thought that the drums were so tastefully done. No instrument steals the spotlight, but rather they all come together to create a vibe that’s really uplifting. I really liked the melodic guitar and keyboard solos in here too. And just when you think they’re done, they introduce a saxophone solo! Yep, you read that right! Hey, whatever will get the job done – it all seems to work here. This is a really strong song and one of Ghost’s best.
Dance Macabre was also one of the songs they released before the whole album was available. There’s some nice back vocals and it is a catchy song, but it didn’t do much for me. Nothing to do with the genres, I just didn’t find it as memorable as some of the others here. There’s a great solo, though. But then we get another amazing gem called Pro Memoria. It has a ballad vibe, but then Tobias starts with the word Lucifer, so you know you’re still in Ghost territory! Although don’t mistake this for a Satanic song, it’s got nothing to do with that. There’s poignant lyrics, good guitar tone, and it talks about how society had to be reminded of death constantly during the plague. I think the chorus is repeated too much, I wish they’d streamlined this song a little; but it’s still a great song. I wanted to like the next song, Witch Image, but I can’t get into it. Compared to all the wonderful input I previously heard from this band, songs like this just don’t stand out. This one just doesn’t create that unique Ghost sound people loved in the first place. This is why I can’t bring myself to call the album a “masterpiece”.
Having said that, we do close the album in a brilliant way. The last two songs, Helvetesfönster and Life Eternal are both excellent pieces of music. The former is an instrumental and can be translated as “Hell Window”. According to some fans on Reddit, “hell window” used to refer to some dresses in the middle ages that showed some cleavage. It was believed that whoever took a peek was full of sin, staring into “hell window”. The music is some of the best on the album – I kind of get a Queen vibe from it. The first image that popped into my head was this fantasy world where Freddie Mercury was collaborating with Tobias Forge for the song. Not possible, but didn’t stop me from imagining! The song goes to many different places, which is exciting to hear. We start with some flutes, like any song with inspiration from the middle ages would, but what I loved about it the most was how the piano and bass were so smartly used to create an eerie vibe. I also heard hints of earlier songs, which I think was deliberate. The mid-section with some guitars kicking in is also brilliant with lots and lots of melody. The traditional rock instruments are used to create some beautiful orchestration, it almost feels like you could stage a theater play and use this as the song in the background. Maybe that’s why I’m getting the Queen vibe. I can’t say enough good things about this one, I couldn’t get enough of it. And then the latter, Life Eternal, another slower tempo song, has some of the best lyrics. I interpreted it as someone having to say goodbye to a loved one as the plague takes over. Having started our story with rats crossing into the European continent, this is the way Cardinal Copia chooses to end it; with a reminder that even when you say goodbye, the bigger question is if we can keep the bonds we’ve built during our lifetimes. And with that question, we conclude our journey.
I feel your hands are cold
Within your heart, a story to be told
This is the moment of just letting go
– – – – –
Can you see me longing for you forever, forever?
Would you let me touch your soul forever?
Can you see me longing for you forever and ever?
My thought about Ghost is that they are one of the most interesting metal bands out there. I think that their body of work is fairly unique and I love the breath of fresh air they introduced to the scene. Being a fan of King Diamond, I also appreciate the theatrics they bring to their live shows. And while I don’t think Prequelle is as strong as Meliora, I still found lots of moments I enjoyed. Tobias Forge is a genuine fan of music and cares about melody, that much is clear. And it’s reflected in how he tells the story of one of mankind’s darkest chapters. He had to deal with a big loss in his life in 2010, and I think some of these emotions like fighting to carry on despite the hurt is personal to him. I appreciate the effort he spent to craft these lyrics with his co-writers. All in all, this is a solid album for fans of melodic heavy metal with lots of ‘70s prog-rock influence. And now that we have this chapter concluded, let’s wait and see what Cardinal Copia, Tobias Forge, or whatever name he’ll ask us to call him, has in store. I know I’m already excited!
