My love for Ghost… my fanatical love for all things Ghost, happened on the release of the band’s first album Opus Eponymous quite a few years ago now. I plugged them and defended them wherever I could. Many laughed at me but over time, those laughs became fans as well. You know who you are!
The beauty and magic of Ghost was that they looked so positively evil and extreme, yet their music was anything but. This confused many,
Impera kicks things off with the melodic and incredibly beautiful Imperium. A sombre march that leads off the album so sonically perfectly. You’ll find the ensuing melody lock itself into the sinews of your mind quite nicely thank you very much.
It tethers off nicely into the record’s heaviest tune Kaisarion. Live versions of this have been permeating YouTube over the past few weeks but I avoided them at all cost as I did not want it to spoil my enjoyment of the album. (Besides, I hate poor quality live versions of songs I have not heard yet!). This is a solid balls-to-the-cathedral-wall rocker. It reminds me of 80’s Rush in places, especially during the lead break that comes at the mid-point of the song.
So far, so good. A great start to the album.
Spillways kicks things off and I had to do a double-take to shake the thoughts of ABBA out of my head as the song kicks off. Big Rock. Big vocals. Big production.
Continuing on with the albums first two singles Call Me Little Sunshine and Hunter’s Moon. Both these tracks I just could not get into with they were released over the past few months. I’ve grown to dig Sunshine somewhat but I’m finding them both kinda dull. It’s at this point where I really begin to miss past Ghost classics like Circe, or Mary On A Cross, or Year Zero et al.
The disappointing fact tho, these are probably a couple of the album’s better tracks. Goddamn we’re starting to sink fast here!
More 80’s Cock Rock stylings continue with Watcher In The Sky. Chug-along guitars with nice keyboard embellishments underneath it all with big vocals and chorus’ from the main man Tobias. (I can’t call him Papa anymore cos the Papa Emeritus guise seems to be disappearing with each new album. What we have in its place is Tobias prancing around live like an anorexic Liberace. Umm why even bother with all the Church and Papal stuff when you largely ignore it these days? Bring back Papa and stick to fucking Papa! Phew! Got that off my chest!)
Having said that, not a bad track at all.
And that wraps Side A nicely I’d say. A good record so far. Not a brilliant one. (Go grab the new Zeal & Ardor if you want a mega album!)
Let’s flip this sucker over.
Another intro instrumental. No where near as powerful as Side A’s opener. And then… Twenties. Holy fuck! What is this dross? Just stupid. Just not Ghost. Just garbage. Sorry.
Darkness At The Heart Of My Love is next and a glorious Tobias Forge ballad which we’ve come to expect on Ghost records. A good song let down by a corny chorus but one would work nicely live with the Papa leading the crowd to a sing-a-long but no doubt, we’ll get that skinny ponce Liberace doing this one hey? BRING BACK PAPA AND KEEP HIM FOR THE FULL SET YOU MORONS!!!! (Sorry, had to get that off my chest again!)
Probably the catchiest tune on the record Griftwood continues it’s big 80’s Rock flavouring. Reminds me of the Scorpions it is THAT 80’s! Great song! Don’t mind this one at all. Yeaaaaaah!
Respite On The Spitalfields wraps it all up. More Scorpions moment with the big guitar solo midway. The song seems to improve the more it drags on but by the time it gets to all the cool funky big chorus bits, it all feels kinda dull and boring and lacking and just not truly Ghost-like. Granted the guitar and melody towards the last third of this track is beautiful and repeats the theme of opener Imperium.
Dammit this album frustrates me. Maybe I should have waited before reviewing. Maybe I should have given it more time. Maybe I am wrong about it all.
So there it is. After a decade and a bit shouting my allegiance to all things Ghost to all and sundry… my love and fandom has taken a bit of a dent in what was impenetrable armour of devotion once. It’s not that Impera is a bad album, it is far from being that, it is just lacking one or two more magic moments to truly make it a Ghost masterpiece. And after the amazing slew of music they have given us over the years… a masterpiece is what I was expecting. This is not it. Bummer!
(Please ditch Liberace and bring back the Papa like you promised us!)
