Ghost/Opus Eponymous/2010

When I was in high School 1,000,00 years ago, I listened to a lot of Danzig. Which was great, because that was when he and his band were really fuckin’ good. I can also remember a preacher from a local church spending a great deal of time hanging around our High School, buddying up with students, talking to faculty, and basically worming his way into the culture of our school. He especially zeroed in on the “troubled” kids, of which I was one — by his estimation anyway. I don’t know if any of this was appropriate or even legal, but it happened. Our principal was perfectly OK with it. I suspect they both shared a mutual admiration for that Jesus fellow.

ANYWAY…I remember enthusiastically sharing my new CD, “Danzig II: Lucifuge” with our local High School-stalker-preacher-guy. We’ll call him “Bob” for the purposes of this story. I was totally stoked to have my grubby little paws on the Danzig album. I told Bob it kicked ass and even took the time to demonstrate how the CD sleeve folded out into an inverted cross. Bob was not amused. He explained to me that out of all the satanic metal bands, Danzig bothered him the most. To Bob, Danzig posed the greatest threat. Danzig’s music, with its tendency toward catchy hooks and sing-along choruses, had the greatest potential for commercial success. In Bob’s opinion, musically abrasive satanic bands like Slayer or Morbid Angel would never have the ability to reach a wider audience. Therefore, while he found their message troublesome, they posed little threat.

In the end Bob’s analysis was somewhat accurate. Danzig scored a huge radio hit with “Mother”, proving that the band could enjoy some widespread, mainstream success. However, Slayer did eventually win a couple Grammy’s. Which proved that they too, could enjoy commercial success. Either way the world didn’t come to an end.

So what the fuck does any of this have to do with Ghost’s “Opus Eponymous?”

“Opus Eponymous”, is an album packed full of un-metal melody, which at times borders on pop. The songs will borough their way into your skull and sit their like some kind of satanic tumor. Like early Danzig, Ghost’s songs are accessible enough to eventually yield some mainstream success. Also, like Danzig, their lyrics are always about Satan, Satan, and every once in while for a change of pace, Satan.

Bob should be worried.

“Opus Eponymous”, is best described as a cross between Blue Oyster Cult and Merciful Fate. The riffs are retro in a wonderfully 70’s kinda way. The production is bone dry. The music on “Opus Eponymous” will remind you of other bands at times, but it never sounds derivative.

I imagine most metal heads will take umbrage with the vocals. Lead vocalist, “Papa Emeritus”, sings on “Opus Eponymous.” He doesn’t shout, bark, growl, belch or fart into the microphone like most modern metal vocalists. He doesn’t appear to suffer from any bro-like tendencies of metal machismo. Instead he delivers a poppy vocal performance, peppered with just enough falsetto to remind you of King Diamond. The approach works and serves as the perfect compliment to the retro metal groove being laid down by the backing band.

The album clocks in at around 30 minutes, which I personally love, because you can listen to it again and again without growing a long white beard. Every track is outstanding. My favorites are “Ritual,” “Elizabeth,” and “Stand by Him.” There are two instrumentals.

The Japanese version contains a cover of The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” as a bonus track. Oddly enough, it makes for an outstanding album closer and sounds positively evil while not deviating too much from the original.

“Opus Eponymous” is an outstanding debut album for Ghost. The album has an undeniable classic rock vibe. The playing is progressive, yet tasteful. The songs are amazingly well crafted. Give it a few spins and I guarantee you’ll find yourself singing, “This chapel of ritual Smells of dead human sacrifices”, while in the shower. Not since the Misfits have poppy choruses and Satan sounded so good together. 9.5/10