Skeletá
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GHOST – Skeletá- ALBUM REVIEW
The build towards a new Ghost album is unlike anything else, particularly since their explosion in popularity. Enormous intrigue shrouds every little move that the band makes and they are sonically, stylistically and aesthetically analysed beyond comprehension at times.
What does ultimately make a great Ghost album? Well, this may oversimplify it but great songs. They may make an impression with their theatrics and look, but there is a substance to their music that allows them that platform to expand their imagery.
Their last record, ‘Impera’, was an 80’s inspired romp which took home our Album of the Year Award that year. Their sixth album, ‘Skeletá’, arrives now and instantly opens up in a similar vein. The viral success that the band has enjoyed in recent years has been fuelled by the poppier side of their sound and to that extent ‘Skeletá’ does sound like a natural continuation of ‘Impera’.
The issue that arises as the record progresses however is that it doesn’t quite capture the same magic that we spoke of when reviewing ‘Impera’. The album starts off hot with the three pre-release singles ‘Peacefield’, ‘Lachryma’ and ‘Satanized’. Each track is superb dose of arena pop rock which fits in well with their recent outputs.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘SATANIZED’
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Thereafter the record lulls itself in a disappointing complacency that comparatively will result in most tracks being somewhat forgettable. That however feels more of a testament to the strength of their recent work. These are good Ghost songs, they just aren’t the great songs that we hoped for and the pre-release singles teased.
The likes of ‘Marks Of The Evil One’ and ‘Umbra’ do provide some more memorable moments, and you can’t really pinpoint a bad track. A better song order would probably help expel the feeling of Ghost by numbers that seeps into the middle of the album; but it’s all too easy to criticise. This is actually a decent album, you just enter into it wanting another masterpiece.
We’ve seen the momentum of other next big thing type bands killed by bad albums, but this is absolutely not one of those. The quality of the three singles alone ensures that this won’t stifle their seemingly unstoppable momentum.
Perhaps what this album does more than anything is confirm Ghost in the upper echelons of their world. With that they naturally loose the new toy shine and some of their once captivating buzz. Thankfully for them they can still fallback on a base of substance to ensure they remain liable to worship!
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