Record Label: Rise Above/Metal Blade | Year: 2010/2011 | Genre: Hard Rock
By Willard Shrapnelspear
Death Cab For Cutie is one band you will never dream of mentioning in an album review about a band under a record label like Metal Blade, and one that was even featured on the June cover of extreme metal magazine, Decibel, earlier this year. However, I am about to accomplish the unthinkable: When this album’s opening instrumental track, “Deus Culpa”, started off with tranquil synths, I had to double-check that I was not playing Death Cab For Cutie’s Plans album by mistake. It simply sounds so similar to the introduction of “Marching Bands Of Manhattan”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Se4NBz5N_SA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YNCiVKAjrc&feature=player_embedded
Of course, the similarities stop as soon as the dark, muddy, and unmistakable sound of down-tuned electric guitars greet your ears like a Venus Flytrap snapping up an unsuspecting fly. The culprit, of course, is the second track, “Con Clavi Con Dio”. Whew, talk about a sound (pun intended) sucker punch! Ghost may be a hard rock band, but these bunch of mysterious Swedes are probably the most novel yet extreme, c-l-e-a-n—s-i-n-g-i-n-g act I have seen in recent years. I mean, who the hell sings about Lucifer in a sweet and sappy voice that is reminiscent of pop rock vocals?
For example, right after the crotch-wetting barrage of riffs at the start of “Con Clavi Con Dio”, the anonymous cult leader of Ghost croons “Lucifeeeeeeeeeer~”, before unabashedly continuing with the sensible follow-up, “… we are hereeeeeee~”, and then—gasp!—“for your praaaaaaaaise.” The straightforwardness of the lyrics is as stunningly cringe-worthy as the music can get, and yet the sheer malice behind the apparent motive of writing in such an appealing style sends chills down your spine, freezes your coccyx, shatters it, and makes it utterly torturous to take a dump after reading that Ghost “have decided to use the ever so popular rock music medium as a way to achieve their ends.”
By “their ends”, they mean spreading the socially-unacceptable Word of the Satanic Gospel to the masses, and mark my words, if they ever trick any mainstream radio station into giving them some airtime, the downfall of morally righteous society will begin. Imagine the sight of teenaged, indie rock gals swaying to “Death Knell”, unsuspectingly chanting along to nefarious lines like “Six six six, evoke the king of hell” and “Sex sex sex, receive the beast of evil”. Let’s put it this way, if 30 years of mostly hard-hitting, growling/shrieking black metal didn’t convince humanity that Satan is the one for us, well… it shows that a different approach is needed for the Dark One to really get through to us just how awesome he is compared to Jesus! And Ghost have most certainly taken the first step in this benevolently malevolent mission.
Intelligently packaged as a seemingly innocuous and extremely accessible record, Opus Eponymous is the latest secret weapon of Satanic music, and a vile aural concoction of addictive pop-influenced hard rock numbers that is sure to get many young and weak minds corrupted. Standout sermons include “Con Clavi Con Dio”, “Ritual” and “Death Knell”.
Come, fellow new followers: Let us lose ourselves in the lush soundscapes of this sinful yet irresistibly sappy masterpiece of the Devil’s latest breed of insidiously clever preachers.
RATING:
1 – Sore Throat | 2 – No Voice | 3 – Shredded Uvula | 4 – RIPPED UP LARYNGES | 5 – Throat Cancer
26 Responses to “GHOST: “OPUS EPONYMOUS””
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I don’t know anything about this band, so I didn’t know what to expect.
Not bad at all, but are they Satanists for real or for play?
I’m not sure if they’re serious or not but it feels good to sing along to such evil lyrics in such a poppy melody. Ritual is probably my favorite Ghost song.
It’s kinda like Liz Phair’s H.W.C.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpx_VXRG_qc
Give it to me, don’t give it away
Don’t think about what the others say
My skins getting clear, my hairs so bright
All you do is fuck me every day and night
You’re my secret beauty routine
Na, na, na, na, what my body has seen
I am lookin’ good and I’m feeling nice
Baby you’re the best magazine advice
Gimme your hot white cum
Gimme your hot white cum
Gimme your hot white cum
Gimme your hot white cum
How often do you sing along to this?
How often do you think?
Multiply that by about awesome times.
Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. G! I! JOE!!!
Wait, why are you talking to me about hot white cum instead of doing something with your hot white cum and your way, significantly better half on vacation????
Well, at least we know your priorities are in order.
I’m trying to get my better half to memorize these lyrics. But she’s now circling me with a knife in her hand.
Is she making that noise from Psycho? If not, I can only assume she’s just playing.
*REE!! REE!!! REE!!!*
Yeah, the Psycho noise. That. No more HWC lyrics.
Awww…that sounds so sweet and sexy!
*knowing nod/smile*
Let the afternoon delight begin!
I had no idea Liz Phair was such a dirty whore. New found respect.
I don’t think she’s a whore. Maybe a bit dirty, but if liking to give oral sex makes you dirty, I don’t think anyone should be clean.
I may have listened to a Liz Phair song once. Clearly my mental image of her popular image was inaccurate.
I really just know that one song. The rest of her music sounds similar, I think, but with less fun lyrics.
Maybe she should cover some Cannibal Corpse or something???
I’m phrasing from memory, but I believe one of her lyrics went
I love it when you take me from behind
cuz then we can fuck
and watch tv at the same time
They are probably Satanists for real man, hence the anonymity. Deathspell Omega are like them too, extremely protective of their identities, only that they believe in sounding totally indigestible to mainstream society so as to filter out the “select few” who are better than the rest of humanity in that they can understand Satan just like them. In short, Ghost are friendly Satanists and Deathspell Omega are elitist Satanic bastards.
Hahahaha!! Friendly Satanists vs elitist Satanic bastards. What a schism.
Your line of reasoning makes sense.
But I can’t listen to songs about Satan without thinking their just fucking around.
I’ve trained myself to equate satan back to it’s generic definition of adversary which really helps me with digesting most of my metal. I have no method or desire to digest christian metal, though.
Is that Harsh Singing rating scheme a new thing? I think I’ve only been here for less than a year; i dont remember seeing it but I love it. Thoroughly ironic considering Ghost’s clean singing.
…..Unless thats the joke? I don’t get (post)ironic humor very well. I’d make a terrible hipster.
The first thing that came to mind listening to “Ritual” was that I was listening to a chunkier sounding Satanic version of The Blue Oyster Cult.
Wait, you are are just hearing about them for the first time??????
Anyways, this band features members of the death metal band REPUGNANT & In Solitutde. And don’t be surprised if they do a US Tour next year with Behemoth and possibly The Devil’s Blood and Waitain.
That would be a stupendous tour. I hope it happens.
Okay, just found out apparently that Ghost won’t be part of that tour, But Waitain and Devil’s Blood look like a go.
I just saw a press release announcing that Ghost will have a short NorthAm tour with Blood Ceremony and Ancient VVisdom:
January 18 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
January 19 Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
January 20 Boston, MA Middle East (downstairs)
January 21 Montreal, QC Corona Theatre
January 22 Toronto, ON The Mod Club
January 24 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
January 25 Saint Paul, MN Station 4
January 27 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
January 28 Salt Lake City, UT The Vertigo (The Complex)
January 30 Seattle, WA El Corazon
January 31 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
February 1 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
February 2 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
Useless band IMO. Playing the ‘obscurity card’ doesn’t make them real Satanists, sounds more like they’re milking it for all they can get. King Diamond is way better. Honestly…what is all the hype about this band really?!?!