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Ghost

Opus Eponymous

Review by Gary Hill
For a while I really struggled with Ghost. I wanted to like them, but I wanted them to be more of a pure metal outfit. Once I embraced that they are more arena rock, I got it. Now they are one of my favorite bands. This debut release is probably the only one I would consider to be real heavy metal. Yet, even this features more melodic hooks and the quirky elements that make Ghost recognizable as Ghost. There is some strong music here, and this album really works as a whole, from start to finish.


This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2025  Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2025.

Track by Track Review
Deus Culpa

There is an otherworldly vibe to this instrumental. The track has a definite “church music” vibe, focusing on organ sounds.

Con Clavi Con Dio

Bass guitar brings us in here. The track drives forward with some of the most potent metal Ghost have ever done. There is a dark, majestic doom metal sort of vibe at play. The melodic vocals bring another angle to the proceedings.

Ritual

The guitar sound that starts this has a definite 80s rock vibe to it. The track shifts after the introduction, getting into more of a metallic grind. This has some cool vocal hooks and is generally a smoking hot rocker.

Elizabeth

Frantic and meaty metal sounds drive us in here. The cut is another that’s on the more metallic side than a lot of the band’s catalog. In some ways I’m reminded a little of King Diamond at times on this number. That said, this turns more mainstream pop rock at times and it has some rather proggy changes built into it. This is one of the standouts on the disc for me.

Stand by Him

Percussion bring us in here. We get some tasty metallic riffing joining from there. There is a quirky, meaty vibe to this number. It still manages some hooks.

Satan Prayer

An almost Judas Priest like droning gives way to more meaty metallic jamming. This gets worked out to more rhythm guitar based metal from there. This is meaty and still manages some hooks in the mix. I really love the guitar soloing on this. It has some melodic vibes, but also plenty of old school metal in the mix. The synthesizer stuff later in the track is a nice touch.

Death Knell

Quirky, almost proggy, song construction merges with meaty metallic guitar sounds as this gets underway. The cut works through a number of shifts and changes and really drives with a lot of style and charm.

Prime Mover

Prog, metal and more merge on this powerhouse tune. It has a lot of drama built into it.

Genesis

Bass starts this closing instrumental. It turns metallic as the guitar enters later. This is another smoking hot powerhouse. It has hints of prog, but really is driving metal. It reminds me to some degree of Iron Maiden. It has some great melodic elements at play. It drops to a Spanish guitar leaning movement later to end the track and the album.

 

 
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