Album Review: Ghost - Skeletá

Ghost has always been known for their ability to combine catchy pop hooks with hard-hitting riffs, paired with lyrics that touch on the occult, social commentary and even history lessons (No really. I learnt all about Hypatia because of their song Kaisarion). Their latest release, Skeletá, takes a little bit of a step away from the "norms" of Ghost. A bold move some may say - one that could be a game changer or a bad decision.

Frontman Tobias Forge has stated that with Skeletá, he wanted to make something a lot more introspective. With everything going on in the world, it would have been easy, possibly, predictable, to make another social commentary album such as Impera. Skeletá is a little bit more of an insight into Forge's personal feelings and diary, something we haven't seen since his previous bands Subvision (and even more personally, the leaked solo album 'Passiflora').

Forge also stated that he wanted this album to have a song to represent each core human emotion, which of course means that things will get a little deep ahead of us, but fear not as the opening track 'Peacefield' is here to take us on a journey of hope, that nothing bad lasts forever or is permeant. "We all need something to believe in until it's over, anything anyone anytime". I will say, however, I heard this live before I heard the record version, and I feel the studio rendition is missing some of the synths that the live show provides that fill the song out a little more and scratches an itch in your brain.

'Lachryma' is a cathartic anthem for those who have had their hearts broken. Tobias said that he wanted this album to be like therapy, and I think he’s done it. From the ABBA-esque intro to the Thin Lizzy dual guitar solo, this track is possibly one of Ghost's best. It provides the best of both worlds with heavy chuggy riffs in the verses to one of the most catchy choruses of their career.

'Satanized' is said to portray the feeling of how love can often feel like a demonic possession, how one may do terrible things in the name of love. Old school Ghost fans will rejoice "we are so back" at the heavy breakdown accompanied by the Latin excitement of 1 Corinthians 6:19, very Opus era Ghost.

With 'Guiding Lights', I'm going to be honest, I saw a lot of hype for this song in the media and it just didn't live up to me. Possibly my least favourite on the album, by no means bad, but if you were going to ask my top 10 foods, one has to come at number 10. Allegedly this song was written for a specific scene for the Netflix series Arcane but was never used. I do appreciate however how the guitar solo is reminiscent of Def Leppard's 'Women'.

In 'De Profundis Borealis' I can definitely hear where Forge has worked with a pop songwriter with the intro, I can't fully explain how I get that vibe but it's what I pick up. The chorus has a much more modern sound than Ghost usually gives us - almost like something you would hear in an anime, having said that parts of the song peak at a throwback to the Prequelle era, especially in the guitar tones, think 'Miasma' and 'Helvetesfönster'.

'Cenotaph' took me by surprise. When reading other early reviews on the theme of this song, I expected something a bit more sombre, but oh? this is very Status Quo (think 'Whatever You Want') mixed in with the iconic Brian May of Queen's guitar tones. Those who know Forge's personal history with family loss will probably put two and two together with the lyrics, "Wherever I go, You're always there, Riding next to me".

One song I was excited about was 'Missilia Amori' (or Love Rockets). This song is very typically 80's, think Def Leppard (not necessarily their song 'Rocket'), Alice Cooper, a stripper pole and the Hollywood Sunset Strip. While the song sounds like it would be a great bedroom time song, the lyrical content conveys the feeling of when love is not requited and can often turn to hate.

'Marks of the Evil One' simplifies the tale of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This song would make for a great film soundtrack piece, something Ghost are not a stranger to. In fact, it could be easily be paired with 'Hunters Moon' (used in Halloween Kills).

Little did we know back in October when the band dropped their latest webisode 'Chapter 18' that we were in fact hearing a sneaky preview of new Ghost music, this turned out to be the intro for 'Umbra', a song that touches on the primal instinct to, in the words of Forge, 'Bang'. This track again I think holds up best live, especially with the cowbell. Sticking with the 80's sound of the album, this song could have easily been featured in Stranger Things.

Finally, 'Excelsis' closes the album, and throughout the tears of me crying I think about how this is almost 'Life Eternal: 2' - "Everybody goes away You will, too, I will, too", "This is the end of the avenue, I am afraid of eternity, too". Much like Life Eternal, the song deals with the subject of death, and a harsh reminder that it is inevitable, so go and live your life. I personally don't think the ending is as strong as their previous 'Respite on the Spitalfields', but it's still pretty damn good.

Okay so overall, I have conflicting feelings. I will preface by saying as a huge Ghost fan, sometimes I have to come back a few weeks later and say I was wrong. I was not a fan of the single 'The Future is a Foreign Land' at first. Now? Different story. Many of my "skips" in Ghost's discography soon switched to favourites as soon as I heard them live.

With Skeletá, I feel it's early days. The beginning of the album is super strong, with tracks I fell in love with on first listen, but I felt a little bit of a dip towards the end. I can't put my finger on exactly why yet, I don't want to say "they peaked too early" on this record but it had crossed my mind. Nevertheless, I really appreciate Tobias trying something new with this record, especially when it comes to his vocals. Do I think the lyrics have been simplified a bit too much at times? Possibly. I'm so used to having to Google clerical terms or niche synonyms from previous tracks, I felt their absence. I will say, though, as someone who attended all four UK shows prior to hearing the album, with a few more lined up, I am still very excited for this era and the future of my favourite band!