Ghost - Infestissumam
Sonet Records
Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
10 songs (47'47'')
Release year: 2013
Ghost
Reviewed by Jared

Sweden’s Ghost has experienced a surge of popularity of late, and their debut album Opus Eponymous has a lot to attest for that. One of the most unique acts I’ve come across lately, they were also one that I felt the need to avoid. After constant recommendations to give them a listen, I finally caved in and gave their new album a chance. Most people related the band in similarity to that of King Diamond which was something I wasn’t too keen on getting involved in, of course sounding nothing like the legend. I have my share of King Diamond albums such as Abigail, Fatal Portrait, and who could forget Mercyful Fate's classic, Don’t Break the Oath. But I never grew to love King Diamond as much as others did. Sometimes the high pitch singing was just a little too much for me. I thought Ghost was going to be an almost exact experience in comparison to King Diamond. Both show similarity in stage presences but their sound is 100 percent different. The “Nameless Ghouls”, as the members of Ghost like to call themselves, deliver a pretty awesome live show from what I have seen, including a Satanic pope look from the lead singer that is a complete and utter mockery of the Catholic Church image. The image and theatrics are something I’ve always loved that bands like to do with their live performances, but it doesn’t really mean anything if they don’t have the music to back it up. Ghost’s sophomore album Infestissumam is slightly harder to like than their debut Opus Eponymous, but is still one fantastic album to explore.

So in my complete and more than obvious reluctance to give this band a chance, I finally hit play and listened to not only their newest album, but their debut as well. Their newest album begins with a church like choir to begin things, with a great lead melody from the guitars. Immediately I was happy with what I had gotten myself into. Per Aspera Ad Inferi, the first track, jumps right into great heavy metal influenced rock sound, feeling like the music is older, yet still new in its own way. There was something about the main chorus of the song and the marching style of the snare that just sounded simple, but perfect. Now not all songs are complete gems on this album as their debut was, but there is still a lot to love on this album even though the main focus seems way too pin pointed on the lead vocals rather than the melody of the instruments, which are still very well done. The song Secular Haze sounds more along the lines of a church carnival with yet again some memorable layered vocals to polish it all off. Jigolo Har Megiddo takes the album to a more jam like feel and was rather fun to get into. The more I listened to the album, the overall feeling I had was that they are just a fun as hell band to get into.

At the halfway point, the album dishes out its longest track, Ghuleh/Zombie Queen. The first three minutes which focus on piano and a slow approach was a bit hard to stomach, but hurdles away from that and strives to deliver one hell of a catchy chorus and amusing sound that I loved blasting in the speakers of my car as I was making a rather lengthy trip home this week. Year Zero just combines a simple sounding riff to once again accompany yet another obviously focused vocal performance but a choir shading the background makes it all the worthwhile. Body and Blood was a little less appealing as I found the second half the album to be, except for the final track Monstrance Clock. It’s probably one of the best the album has to offer and really makes the album end very well. A very churchy heavy metal sound calls upon us to “come together for Lucifer’s son”, as the lyrics clearly state.

Ghost will more than likely grow in popularity over time. They are a band with an amazing atmosphere live from what I gather, and I am more than happy to put aside some time to see them in the future. Its bands like Ghost that make me glad that I look past my usual set of bands that I tend to linger on in metal, and start to explore more rock oriented acts. Their song writing and ability to capture an audience wider than most bands can is something that is well respected. Do not miss this album, as it is one of the hardest albums for me to put down this year.

Killing Songs :
Per Aspera Ad Inferim, Jigolo Har Megiddo, Ghuleh/Zombie Queen, Year Zero, Monstrance Clock
Jared quoted 80 / 100
Other albums by Ghost that we have reviewed:
Ghost - Prequelle reviewed by Goat and quoted 55 / 100
Ghost - Meliora reviewed by Jared and quoted 90 / 100
Ghost - Opus Eponymous reviewed by Charles and quoted 85 / 100
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