Formerly known as Ghost B.C., this Swedish outfit has developed an almost cult like following. With a sound that is a cross of prog rock, doom metal and hard rock, and an eccentric presence, that includes seven of eight members dressed as “Nameless Ghouls” under the rule of the anti-Pope character of Papa Emeritus, I’m still trying to find my ‘like’ for this band.
Costumes are fine, make-up is fine, your main character of Papa going thru five recreations is fine. But I can’t quite get on board with the band’s actual sound.
In an interview, one of the Nameless Ghoul’s said that Ghost is influenced by “everything ranging from classic rock to the extreme underground metal bands of the ’80s to film scores to the grandeur of emotional harmonic music.”
They have taken all the things that have influenced them and have been able to create a sound that is unlike anyone else that I’m aware. They’ve won a Grammy in 2016 for Best Metal Performance, they were nominated for two others in 2019. They have masses of fans and major hits like “Rats”, “Dance Macabre”, “Square Hammer” and more. And each song takes on its own life and sounds different from the last.
The band’s newest album Impera, brought the single “Hunter’s Moon” that was featured in the latest installment of the Halloween horror film series, Halloween Kills.
Their second single, “Call Me Little Sunshine”, embraces the band’s evil image even more as Mephistopheles reigns supreme as topic. Mephistopheles, is a demon from German folklore and the Faust legend. More specifically, Mephisto, sold his soul to the devil and is now an employee of Lucifer. So essentially this new song, comes from the perspective of a demon tempting the one who is listening to come on over to the Dark Side. (Sorry, my Star Wars nerdom had to leak through).
Check out the video for “Call Me Little Sunshine”
