Call Me Little Sunshine

I've approached the last few Ghost albums with low expectations. The band has a lot of haters in the metal community, and I think that it sometimes clouds my opinion of the band. With each new album, I really don't expect to like it, but each time they end up winning me over in the end. Ghost had released a killer single with Hunter's Moon for the Halloween Kills soundtrack at the end of last year, and then to kick of the promotion of the new album, Impera, the band released a video for Call Me Little Sunshine. That was it. I was sold. Those two songs were cool as fuck, and I was excited to see what the new Ghost album would deliver.

You can always count on Ghost to have some great artwork for their albums, and Impera does not disappoint on that level. Papa Emeritus on the front cover totally reminds me of Iron Maiden's Eddie from the Powerslave tour posters. This album looks amazing, and while I generally dislike metallic gold vinyl, I find that it really fits here.

Every time that I listen to this record I'm surprised with just how much I like it. Side A is a damn near perfect run of songs from top to bottom. Side B is great as well, but doesn't pack the same punch as the first side. Man, this record is great.

As with most Ghost records, the packaging is total quality. The 28 page booklet full of artwork and lyrics is always a cool addition.

The gold vinyl came with a slipmat as well. It looks great, but will most likely be tucked back inside the record cover and not see the light of day for about 20 years.

Hunter's Moon

I was recently talking with a friend the other day about how crazy the prices are for older Ghost records. The Secular Haze 10 inch single that I bought back in 2013 currently has an average selling price of $90... and that is for the common black vinyl pressing. Kind of makes me wish that I'd bought the Year Zero single around that time as well... and don't even get me started on the original single for Elizabeth... that is a whole other level of insanity. Anyway, the point is that when I heard that Ghost had recorded a song for the Halloween Kills soundtrack, and were releasing the song as 7 inch single, I made sure that I added one to my collection.

With each new Ghost album, I always expect to hate it. I don't know why I'm so hesitant on them because I always come around to their new records, but I always seem to fight against them and then eventually get won over. This single for Hunter's Moon, plus the video for Call Me Little Sunshine, on the other hand, both have me really looking forward to the new Impera album due out later this year. Hopefully the album can build on the excitement of those two songs and deliver something special. I'm really expecting that this new one will hit me hard.

The Hunter's Moon single was pressed on red vinyl for indie stores, and I was happy to grab this from a local Bull Moose store.

Kiss The Go-Goat

This post wraps up the final surge of 2019 releases that I had ordered before the end of the year. Of course I've recently been reviewing some people's lists for their favorite metal albums of the year, and I'm discovering that there were a number of records that I'd forgotten about or missed completely. Time will tell if any of them are worth buying the record for, but my playlists will be full of some new music for the next couple of weeks for sure.

When I heard that Ghost were releasing a new 7 inch in 2019, I assumed it was another EP of goofy cover songs. I don't care for that side of Ghost...I mean it was cool when the band was new and they were doing cool covers from The Beatles or ABBA, but the gimmick is played out for me, and I don't care about their recorded cover songs these days. With that assumption, I was prepared to ignore the new Ghost 7 inch...and then I discovered that they were actually new Ghost songs. Okay okay. I'll give them a listen.

Officially titled Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic, this EP is great! Two songs that really capture where Ghost are today. It's not Doom like their first album, and I don't even know if you could call it metal, but for some reason, I'm really digging these songs.

Colored vinyl options for this 7 inch appear to have long sold out, and they are already commanding high price tags on Discogs. I wasn't going to throw too much money at this new Ghost record, so I'll settle for the black vinyl option.

Ghost Macabre

With each release from Ghost, I've grown more and more resistant...pushing back and half expecting/half wanting to not like it. Each time I've been proven wrong, but still, when they were set to release their forth album, Prequelle, once again, I found myself feeling a bit jaded and ready to write them off.

While I was entertained by their new video for the song Rats, I initially wasn't feeling the song. I think it had to do with the singer doing his impression of Gene Kelly in Singing In The Rain, and the dancing in the streets image clashed with my expectations for a Metal band. I immediately reached out to Doug to gauge his impression, and he loved it (as I should have expected), so I didn't write it off completely, and I let things settle before revisiting it.

I came back to that video a few times, and while the dancing was still putting me off, I started to hear the song instead of just being drawn to the visuals, and you know, the song was actually pretty good. I've been enjoying a number of new albums this years, so I rolled the dice, and took a chance, preordering the record.

I was a bit underwhelmed at first, and I was getting caught up in some negative reviews, so I was initially lukewarm on the entire album...but just like Meliora, with each listen I find that I like the album more and more.

Let's not forget to mention how amazing this packaging is. The art is incredible and the 3D lenticular cover is cool as hell. This shit looks so good, you almost have to buy it just for the cover.

4,000 pressed on this great red with black smoke colored vinyl for the US, and it comes with a bonus 7 inch.

Sign Of The Square Hammer

When Ghost released their Popestar EP, I had every intention of ignoring the damn thing. While I love Ghost, I really struggle with their cover songs. I mean, it was fun when the band was new and they were recording the odd cover from The Beatles or ABBA, but their 2013 covers EP felt like they were jumping the shark, and it soured me on the band a little bit.

When I heard that Ghost had another EP that was mostly covers, I wanted nothing to do with a second serving of bullshit. When it was announced that Ghost was going to be opening for Iron Maiden for their US tour this summer, and I got my tickets, I decided to give those Ghost albums a spin again. I was reminded how great those records are, and in my excitement, I decided to check out their Popestar EP as well...not for the cover songs, but for the one original track that was included...Square Hammer.

Too be honest, Square Hammer is pretty much the only song that I listen to from this record. It is a great song, and while the covers aren't terrible, they don't have the same impact as Ghost's original songs.

From The Pinnacle To The Pit

People seem to either love or hate Ghost. The band got a ton of hype in 2010, and Rise Above couldn't keep up with the vinyl demand for their Opus Eponymous debut. Ghost were probably the most talked about Metal band throughout 2011 and then came the eventual backlash. By the time the follow up, Infestissumam, was released in 2013, a lot of people had written the band off as some kind of hipster joke. I didn't buy into the hate at the time, but when the If You Have Ghost EP was released full of cover songs, I'd started to feel like things had been played out. When it was announced that Ghost would have a new LP this year, I was prepared to write it off.

Doug was pretty excited about the new release, but I was dragging my feet on it. The initial listen of the first single, Cirice, failed to move me...no matter how great that video was. I quickly put the new Ghost album out of my mind, but occasionally Doug would bring it up. "Hey man, Swedish pre-orders are up for the new Ghost LP". "New Ghost single is up on youtube"! Reluctantly, I dragged myself to check out the video for From The Pinnacle To The Pit. As soon as that bass line rumbled out of the speakers, my attention was captured, and I was knocked on my ass with how great the song was. Immediately following that song, I queued up the Cirice video to revisit the song, and to my surprise I loved that song as well. Yeah, there was no way I was going to be able to let the new Meliora LP pass me by.

While I enjoyed what I heard, I wasn't going over the top and ordering the Euro box set. Instead, I waited for the regular US pressing, and was very happy to see that the band logo no longer included the additional B.C. in the name. I guess that legal battle over the Ghost name was short lived.

Very cool packaging with the booklet showcasing artwork for each song on the record.

This album was definitely the surprise of the year for me.

If You Have Ghost

Ghost always choose the strangest songs to cover. With the first album, they recorded Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles, as a bonus track. For the Secular Haze single, they had ABBA's I'm A Marionette as the B side. I enjoyed both songs, but how do I feel about an EP of covers?

The first album was epic, and the second one was a worthy follow up. This EP though...meh...it fails to excite me. I've been a huge fan of Ghost's satanic gospel, and their covers are great when they are tacked on to the end of an album, but five of them in a row is a bit too much. I don't want to say that they have jumped the shark, but while I do enjoy these songs, I'm not entirely comfortable with them. I don't know...it just seems like a cheesy joke.

Still this isn't terrible, and I find the packaging to be well done...even if it does kind of compliment the whole record as tongue in cheek. Strange that the record includes a live version of Secular Haze, but not Here Comes The Sun, which hasn't seen a proper release outside of Japan.

Holy Ghost

Ghost released one of my favorite Metal albums in 2010, with their Opus Eponymous LP. I listened to the shit out of that thing. I couldn't get enough of it. Even though I don't typically collect multiple copies of Metal records, I couldn't resist Satan's call, and I ended up buying four of the twenty different pressings for that first album.

Because I loved the first album so much, I worried that Ghost might fall on their face with the follow up, Infestissumam. Could they match the magic of their debut? Since the band's popularity grew so quickly, would there be a drastic change in sound that would put me off? If they didn't change their sound and basically did the same album again, would it bore me?

Yeah, I know...I put way too much thought into this kind of stuff.

I checked out the albums first couple of singles, including the video for Year Zero with all the boobs...but I didn't really spend much time with them, as I really wanted to hear them in the context of the album. However, once I had the album, I was still hesitant to lock myself away and spend some time alone with it. Soon, I started hearing from friends how great Infestissumam was, so I finally took the plunge. After a handful of spins, unbelievably, I'm starting to wonder if this new album is actually better than the first. Amazing.

The North America pressing is on a nice looking red colored vinyl. The drawback is that the album cover comes with the new Ghost B.C. name, after the band had to change it in the States for legal reasons. Retarded.

I'd passed on previous pre-orders of the first single from the album, the Secular Haze 10 inch. With a release date in April, I couldn't bring myself to pre-order the single from overseas when they went up for sale earlier in the year. When I saw a US distro selling a package deal that included the new album and the 10 inch, I took the opportunity to finally grab one.

The main selling point for the 10 inch single was the b-side cover of Abba's I'm a Marionette. Like their cover of The Beatles Here Comes The Sun, I'm a Marionette is hauntingly brilliant. An excellent choice for Ghost.

I've already mentioned that I'm not a fan of the new "B.C." addition to the name, and when I saw the Scandinavian pressing that Doug posted about, I knew that I needed to get my hands on one.

The clear vinyl pressing was long gone by the time that I bought a copy, and I ended up with just black vinyl. That's okay...the deluxe packaging for this version still makes it worthwhile.

Apparently there was some delay with the CD in the States, as the pressing plant had an issue with the Satanic orgy artwork. Apparently people still get uptight over this shit. The Scandinavian pressing displays the picture in it's full 12 x 12 glory on the record sleeve.

What makes this deluxe packaging so special is the booklet that is included, with each song getting it's own page with a dedicated piece of artwork. Classic.