Ghost: A Pale Tour Named Death

Last night, my wife and I went down to Omaha to see Ghost.  This is the third time we have seen the band.  The first time was a headlining tour of smaller venues with Tribulation opening up for them.  The second time they were the opening act for Iron Maiden in large arenas.  This time, they were playing on their own, which was a little surprising.

The venue was the Orpheum Theater, which was another surprise.  That theater is most often used for more theatrical, performing arts-type events such as plays.  It was a very sophisticated, upper class venue for a rock concert.  Between the venue and the fact that the tour was listed as a two-act performance, I kind of expected a big, theatrical production.  That was not quite what we got.

When Ghost took the stage, it was immediately apparent that the Nameless Ghouls have multiplied.  There were seven of them on stage.  Tobias Forge's character is now Cardinal Copia, retiring yet another Papa Emeritus.  The mannerisms are mostly the same, though he runs across the stage and generally moves a lot more, and of course the costumes are less elaborate. 

The setlist did not hold too many surprises, other than the acoustic version of "Jigolo Har Meggido", which was certainly an interesting choice.  They played close to 25 songs, so most of the better-known songs were played.  If I had one complaint, it would be that they did not play "Prime Mover", which is still one of my personal favorite songs by the band.  My wife would have liked to have heard them play "Deus in Absentia".  The highlight of the show was the trio of closing songs: "Dance Macabre", "Square Hammer", and of course the encore "Monstrance Clock".  The songs were performed with a lot of energy and that fed the crowd as well. 

This was probably my favorite performance I have seen by Ghost.  There are not many bands I have seen that many times, but due to the impressive live performances, and the fact that my wife loves the band, I probably will keep going out to see them.

Ghost: Prequelle (2018)

It has not been often that I can say that a band that I have been following for a few years is about to hit it big, but Ghost really has some hype building around them.  They won a Grammy two years ago and after a small headlining tour, turned some heads by opening for Iron Maiden last year.  Later this year, they will be embarking on their own major headlining tour.  This album released a couple of weeks ago and hit #3 on Billboard right away.  They also have a gimmick that may be losing its luster with underground metal fans, but which might just bring in a ton of new fans as the band's visibility increases.  Stardom beckons at this point.

This is the band's fourth full-length album and probably their most mainstream-accessible, a direction they have been heading for a little while now.  A lot of the Satanic lyrics have been toned way down and some of the songs are downright poppy, such as second single "Dance Macabre", a song which I would not be surprised to hear on Top 40 radio.

Prequelle is also Ghost's most varied release, an impressive feat since the band has not stuck to one single style since their debut full-length.  Lead single "Rats" features terrific Maiden-esque leads and follow-up track "Faith" bears a strong resemblance to Swedish doom legends Candlemass (a statement that I made a couple of weeks before singer Tobias Forge appeared on stage with members of Candlemass to perform "Enter Sandman").  "See the Light" is a microcosm of the album as a whole, going through a number of stylistic changes.  Then we have "Miasma", which is as close to spacey prog rock as the band has ever gotten, complete with a saxophone solo.  Several years ago I compared Ghost to Blue Oyster Cult, a comparison that seems to be becoming more and more apt.  Like BOC, Ghost has not been content to rest on their laurels with one genre with straight-ahead rock tracks, experimental tracks, and poppy classics.

One criticism that I have though is that the album feels a little bit rushed.  I get the sense that the band was knocking on the door of mainstream acceptance and decided to try to kick it down.  There was some bad press with several Nameless Ghouls leaving the band and suing stalwart Forge for breach of contract and Forge hiring all new musicians in response.  There are three instrumental tracks on this release.  The intro is not surprising, and I would not be turned off by an additional instrumental, but then the band throws in another one toward the end.  A track like "Pro Memoria" feels like the band tried too hard to get another "Monstrance Clock".  This would have made a great EP with just "Rats", "Faith", "Dance Macabre", and "Witch Image", but that may not have been commercially viable.

There are some great songs on this release, but I do feel like it was somewhat rushed.  That being said, it is clear to me that the band is headed for mainstream success.  "Dance Macabre" in particular is a song I think will catch on in a big way.  I am not one of those metalheads that would turn against the band for doing so, I really hope they do make it big.

Iron Fucking Maiden in Lincoln: July 9, 2017

I have been thinking a lot about "bucket list bands", bands I would most want to see once in my lifetime.  For a long time, Iron Maiden was absolutely at the top of that list.  So, when it was announced that Iron Maiden would be playing in Lincoln, Nebraska, I absolutely had to go.  And honestly, they were every bit as good as I had them built up in my mind.

But before we get to the Iron Maiden performance, I have to talk about the seats.  The venue was Pinnacle Bank Arena, a large structure built in the last few years and already attracting a number of large-market shows.  My wife and I have previously seen Motley Crue and Def Leppard headline shows there.  My father works for the company that built the arena and the company has luxury suite seats.  My dad got my wife and me tickets in the luxury suite.  We had free drinks and snacks, and very nice seats to enjoy the concert.  It was definitely a great night.

Opening the show was Ghost, who are embroiled in a bit of a legal controversy these days.  Singer Papa Emeritus has replaced all of the previous Nameless Ghouls with new Nameless Ghouls.  The difference is actually seemless.  We saw the band last year headlining at a smaller venue and they were just as good as they were back then.  It was obviously a shorter set, but most of the expected songs were played.  While not quite as dynamic as they were when they headlined their own show, Ghost still put on an impressive performance.

After a short set change, an animated sequence started up featuring Eddie in the rainforests of South America.  This was the Book of Souls tour, spotlighting the band's most recent double album, which was their best album since the Brave New World reunion.  Songs from the new album featured heavily, which was to be expected.  The band started things off with "If Eternity Should Fail".  The latest album has a theme revolving around the Mayan civilization and much of the stage design (and the Eddie design) reflected this theme.  The stage was set up to resemble Mayan ruins and even Nicko McBrain's drum set was shiny and gold (my wife thought it was pretty).  Bruce Dickinson at one point danced around the stage with a monkey mask on and even presented guitarist Adrian Smith with a banana, which seemed to surprise him.

Iron Maiden balanced the new songs with a bunch of old favorites.  Unfortunately due to some sort of legal dispute, "Hallowed be Thy Name" was not played.  They did play "Powerslave", "The Trooper", "Fear of the Dark", and other fan favorites.  Musically, the band sounded amazing.  It is extremely hard to believe that the members of this band are in their late 50's (especially with as much running around as they did).  They sounded extremely powerful, and Dickinson's voice was still amazing after all this time.  The band closed things off with "The Number of the Beast", "Blood Brothers", and "Wasted Years".

Between the music and the stage show, I can honestly say that this was one of my favorite concerts I have ever attended.

The Grammys Still (Mostly) Suck

Well I was reasonably impressed that Ghost won the Grammy last for Best Metal Performance.  I have seen the video of their acceptance of the award and I would have liked some reaction shots from the crowd, as Ghost definitely makes an impression visually.  Their song was the only nomination that I really like all that well.  The other bands nominated were Lamb of  God, Slipknot, August Burns Red, and Sevendust, none of whom I give a fuck about.  Ghost is apparently also going on tour soon with a concert date near here, I may have to go check them out.

2011 in Review: Best of 2010 I Did Not Hear Until 2011

For the first 2011 in Review post, I have listed five great albums from 2010 that I did not hear until 2011.

5. INQUISITION: OMINOUS DOCTRINES OF THE PERPETUAL MYSTICAL MACROCOSM
The album title and song titles are definitely a mouthful and Colombia's finest black metal band put out an album as monstrous as their vocabulary. With a sound similar to Norway's Immortal, Inquisition is easily one of the better pure black metal bands currently going. The band is clearly modeled after the aforementioned Immortal through their vocal style and riffing.

4. GHOST: OPUS EPONYMOUS
This album was not released in the U.S. until early in 2011 so it is not really my fault I missed it. This album blew my mind. Ghost sound similar to Blue Oyster Cult, but with blatantly Satanic and Anti-Christian lyrics. The lyrics contrasted stunningly with the often surprisingly beautiful music and the dry vocals. It was absolutely shocking. Unfortunately, I have a feeling this is a novelty and the next album will not be met with as much adulation.

3. DENOUNCEMENT PYRE: WORLD CREMATION
After years of releasing singles, demos, and EPs, Australia's Denouncement Pyre finally released their debut full-length album in 2010, which I promptly missed out on until 2011. The band is made up of well-seasoned veterans of Australia's underground metal scene, so there was never any doubt that they knew what they were doing. This album was absolutely crushing.

2. GRAND MAGUS: HAMMER OF THE NORTH
Grand Magus released my Album of the Year in 2008, so it was surprising that it took me nearly seven months from the release of this album to finally track it down. Once I did, obviously I was not disappointed. Grand Magus has found a way to make 1980's traditional metal sound as fresh and vital as it did back then. Grand Magus is easily one of the more interesting bands going right now.

1. WITHERED: DUALITAS
Withered took blackened death and combined it with sludge and post metal to release an album that could have easily competed for the Album of the Year last year. This album still takes my breath away every time I hear it now almost a full year later. This is a mindfuck of an album.

Year in Metal: 2010

I have finally come to the final post in this series. Go here for the larger post. As usual, here are five more albums that I missed covering in that post.

DENOUNCEMENT PYRE: WORLD CREMATION
Denouncement Pyre was covered just a couple of days ago in an Initial Impressions post. The Australian band possesses a sound similar to other groups in the scene such as Abominator, Destroyer 666, and others. With good reason too as both of the current members and all of the band's previous members have been in a number of other Australian bands. That is one of the more interesting parts of that particular scene. This is a particularly brutal album, even for the scene.

GHOST: OPUS EPONYMOUS
Subject to a ton of hype in the latter couple of months of 2010, this album actually released in the U.S. early in 2011 but was released in Europe well before that. Ghost takes 1970's hard rock groups like Blue Oyster Cult and combines them with early doom metal for a surprisingly infectious sound. At this time, there is still no information out there about who the members of Ghost are or what the band is really trying to accomplish, but it is a fun ride.

GRAND MAGUS: HAMMER OF THE NORTH
I was just not able to get my hands on Grand Magus's 2010 release during the calendar year. That is a shame too because their 2008 album was my Album of the Year so I was definitely looking forward to this one. Grand Magus did not alter their approach too much. This is still a 1980's heavy metal-inspired album with some truly catchy tracks and the amazing vocals of JB. Grand Magus should be the next big thing in metal, but nothing ever seems to work out the way it should.

INQUISITION: OMINOUS DOCTRINES OF THE PERPETUAL MYSTICAL MACROCOSM
Inquisition has become known for long album and song titles, this one certainly takes first prize in that. What we have here is good old South American black metal. Inquisition's sound is rooted in second wave Norwegian black metal with sonic ties to groups like Immortal. This is true black metal at its best. Inquisition takes the black metal torch and runs with it here. Initial Impressions to come soon.

WITHERED: DUALITAS
This album could easily have been my Album of the Year if I had found it during the calendar year. That is how freaking good it is. I had missed out on this band for a long time but when I discovered how great this album was, I realized my mistake. Withered plays black/death metal but with some droning and post-metal qualities. All of that thrown together creates a harrowing and suffocating album that is cold and miserable. What a great album.

Initial Impressions: Ghost: Opus Eponymous

Ghost has gotten an awful lot of hype over just the last few months, beginning with the praise they received from Darkthrone's Fenriz. The band essentially came out of nowhere and are one of the hotter bands right now. To go along with that sudden hype often comes scorn though and the backlash has started over the last few weeks or so.

I have heard this album a couple of times now and I have to say that I absolutely love it. I would have liked to have heard it earlier though so their place in my top albums of the year would have been clear. They would have likely come in somewhere in the Top 5.

I have read a lot of comments comparing the band to Mercyful Fate, but I think this is seriously misguided. The atmosphere of horror and darkness probably could be compared to that of Mercyful Fate, but I think the band sounds a lot more like 1970's rock bands such as Blue Oyster Cult, a group I have enjoyed for a long time. Many of the songs sound as if they could have easily been recorded by the same band as recorded "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "I Love the Night", "Death Valley Nights", and "Nosferatu".

Ghost's music is driven by heavy, doom-laden guitar riffs. The music is extremely infectious and often sticks with the listener after hearing it. The vocals too are very impressive. The singer, none of the band members are named as of yet, utilizes a clean tone almost all of the time. His vocals soar over the stunning riffs and catchy melodies.

Obviously, the aspect that gets the band so much attention is the lyrical content. Billed as Satanic ritualistic lyrics, they are clearly meant to capture attention. It is rare indeed for a metal band who sings about the kind of topics found on this album to also feature such stunningly clean vocals. Despite this, it does not feel like a gimmick to me. This band is serious about what they do, and they do it all very well.

I was looking very much forward to hearing this album after the hype machine began running. It is even better than I expected it to be. This is a great album.