Album Review: Ghost - "Impera"

 

It's probably stating the bleedin' obvious that you never quite know what to expect with Ghost - having made their name as a surprisingly melodic goth-metal band, they've evolved a lot and had more ups and downs than your average rollercoaster in the last decade or so. While 2016's Meliora was a disappointing effort which saw them trying to hitch a ride on the Kerrang/Metal Hammer bandwagon a bit too obviously and thus losing what it was that arguably made them special in the first place, 2018's Prequelle was an unexpected return to form and arguably their strongest album to date meaning that Impera has quite a bit to live up to.

Even allowing for the expectation though, hearing them slam into opener Kaisarion which almost sounds like a riffed-up power-pop song (for some reason I can't quite get the image of '80s Swedish hair metallers Europe out of my head while listening to it!) is a bit of a surprise and the Foreigner style staccato piano on Spillways sees them descending even further down the '80s rabbit hole. Yet these tunes have still got enough hooks to keep you listening despite the undeniable fromage factor.

It doesn't get any less cheesy as the album goes on either - Call Me Little Sunshine has the sort of shameless cock-rock riff that Whitesnake would've been proud of in the late '80s and Hunter's Moon could easily be the Scorpions covering Danzig. However, the chugging riff on Watcher In The Sky and the machine gun drums of Twenties show that Ghost can still pack a bit of a punch to keep the metalheads in their audience happy. It's only on the just-that-bit-too-OTT power balladry of Darkness At The Heart Of My Love that the formula goes slightly awry.

Impera should by all rights be completely ridiculous - a Satanic take on '80s cock rock complete with synths? Any other band would be absolutely laughed out of the building for this. Yet it's to Ghost's immense credit that they pack this album so full with killer hooks and choruses plus some suitably hard-hitting riffs to ensure that you'll be captivated throughout and quickly cue it up for a second listen once you've finished. The sneaky buggers. Well worth a listen.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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