Ghost - Meliora

Ghost Meliora cover
Ghost
Meliora
Loma Vista Recordings
2015
6.5
Ghost, somehow managed to hijack a spot in rock’s prime time, by their bizarre costumes and pretentious nature and pushed by the same management as Slayer and given a fair share of opportunities, seem to be on the rise.
 
Exploiting the “PAPA” persona to the maximum with silly gimmicks that however seem to be working no-one can deny that they have been inventive, but on the other hand, they seem to be too much of a one trick pony… with all their efforts to diversify themselves, ending up in them becoming progressively lighter and poppier, than their original BOC meets 80s pseudo-occult “metal”.
 
Donning new capes and transforming the “nameless ghouls” from dark Venice Carnival type of “ghastly” figures to, modern day fiends, doesn't change the overall sound and feel of the band that however now appears to be carving a road between their two previous words, maintaining the melody of “Infestissumam” but also going for a doomier sound that’s a little more akin to their “opus eponymous” debut… if not a little more modern and urban in feel in places.
 
Spirit”, following a rather modernist intro with a drum barrage, that doesn’t barge is more akin to the bands earliest attempts, but makes full use of a choir and has some nice organ as well. It’s got this relatively old school, 60/70s tone with some nice guitar motif making the transition between “Popes” a little easier to “swallow” :D It’s pretty typical of the band’s style and not overtly impressive, to be quite honest.
 
From the Pinnacle to the Pit” is creepy and a little uneasy and quirky, monolithic and minimalist to the point of becoming almost a bit boring with all the repetitions of the chorus, but a simple change and it’s decent enough riff and the chorus that changes the mood quite a bit help it to stand out in a rather positive way.
 
Cirice” is the “catchy” single and it’s not that bad, quite melodic it actually is as it is simple and straightforward. Gets the job done, well enough.
 
Spöksonat” is one of two interesting instrumentals and it's quite eerie and spooky, just as it should... with its “softer” sound being quite the antithesis of all the band’s tainted “soul” is all about…
 
Following in suit, “He Is” is quite interesting as it has a quite different, softer, folk-sy feeling and it was funny to see, how the band used the song title as a bit of propaganda, for the “third change” of Papa/Vocalist… hehe. It’s acceptable, but not highly palatable, even though I have to say that the lead, is pretty smart.
 
Mummy Dust” is a full tone darker, bordering on proper doom and a relative highlight, if someone can claim that, for a band, whose music is usually gloomy, subdued and hypnotic… it’s a bit repetitive yet  stronger and more dominant than a number of other tracks on the album.
 
Majesty” is another quite decent track with nifty melodic ideas and a rather cool chorus that once again gravitates more to a 70s inspired sound. But while listening to it, I really started thinking of how “different” the songs might have sounded with a different, more “capable” and unmasked singer (so as not to cause difficulty during the performance). The band manages to “hook up” because of their minimalist and repetitive approach, which is commendable, but can also become a little tiresome at times.
 
Devil Church” is the “other” instrumental, a lot gloomier with both choirs and organ but feels a lot like an intro for “Cirice” or something, judging by its overall tone.
 
Absolution” which is darker and more mystical and rather groovy, more metal than rock, but still with an old school approach over the proceedings, but here it’s the latter that protrudes... it’s rather epic bridge and chorus, contrast quite nicely.
 
Last but not least “Deus in Absentia” a rather poppy and pompous, piece with a flair for the theatrical from the 70s sympho-rock approach to its conclusion with some outworldly psalms… not bad, I must say.
 
The band seems capable to write at least 1-2 good songs per album, which should keep them going for a while. On this one, their third opus, they seem to just change, minor things in their overall approach, in an album that feels a bit like a mix of their two previous ones. “Infestissumam”, has so far been their best, but most poppy sounding album. “Meliora” is heavier, but a lot of the songs, tend to be less engaging. In that respect, it will probably strike a chord with already established fans, while the rest will probably remain either unimpressed or completely indifferent. Since they did something, somewhat original, in a time when everyone was busy, copying the latest trend, they seem to have actually carved, their own little niche, which they serve, just like their master... I’m not taking sides in this whole papal, controversy or religious matters as of principle, so other than saying that I do find the whole style a bit overbearing, I can’t say that I particularly hate it either. I am rather amused at how big a business this has grown to be, but yet, isn’t that what all modern denomination of the various churches have turned out to be? Businesses! And business is good… holy smokes!