Album Review: Prequelle by Ghost

It has been three years since Sweden's Ghost released the wildly successful Meliora, which peaked at number eight on the Top 200 chart, led by its number five single "Cirice." 2017's Popestar EP hit number 16 while its single, "Square Hammer," topped the mainstream rock list. Since then, Ghost's tenure has been tumultuous: The band's "Nameless Ghouls" sued mastermind, chief songwriter, and vocalist Tobias Foge, ultimately unmasking him as all three incarnations of Satanic pope and frontman Papa Emeritus. Ghost carries on with Foge as "Cardinal Copia," fronting an entirely new cast of musicians.

Full Review >>

In the decades since Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and their ilk putrefied hard-rock radio with one dumbed-down, primitive heavy metal rager after another, there have been a few adventurous groups who have been able to break through by operating outside of the box. The most recent and most surprising has been Ghost – a morbidly theatrical collective of Swedish hard rockers who wear ghastly costumes and play their instruments as if nu-metal never happened. Ghost's latest, Prequelle, has more in common musically with hair bands like Mötley Crüe, acid rockers like Iron Butterfly and even Andrew Lloyd Webber than anything Five Finger Death Punch or Godsmack are currently infecting the airwaves with.

Full Review >>

The hype surrounding Ghost since the release of their debut, Opus Eponymous, has grown exponentially with each new record, but the quality of the music hasn't kept up with their publicity. The band's sophomore release, Infestissumam, felt like a major letdown next to its younger counterpart, and while their third record, Meliora, was an improvement, their debut remained the clear winner.   The shock rock project's fourth full-length, Prequelle, is a dynamic record with loads of interesting parts to discover, but it leaves something to be ….

Full Review >>