Ghost
Meliora + Popestar EP (Deluxe Edt.)

For me probably the best Ghost album so far, true masterpiece. I did already own regular edition of Meliora but this deluxe edition containing the Popestar EP is usually cheaper here on grooves than regular Meliora or Popestar. Comes with nice rich booklet containing artworks.

Favorite album. Everything came whole, fast enough delivery with tracking, thank you. Recommend store

I have Meliora on vinyl, but I really needed the Popestar EP, so this version with both releases in one is absolutely wonderful, especially when you look at the price.

There are not so many musical groups performing in masks, but, as a rule, their image always falls into memory and leaves open the question of who is hiding behind these masks. Some, however, cannot keep the intrigue for a long time and quickly open up (Slipknot, Mushroomhead), some initially do not hide (Kiss), but Ghost has so far managed to burn only the vocalist, although they vehemently reject this. Incidentally, he gave it out at one of the Behemoth Negral festivals, taking a selfie with him in "insta" and leaving an unambiguous comment. The personalities of the rest of the “Nameless Spirits” are still unknown to the masses. Directly about the music. Ghost play very soft occult rock from somewhere in the seventies and eighties, are revered by fans of Blue Oyster Cult, Mercyful Fate, Black Sabbath and others like them. At the same time, their music has very warm, soft intonations, which make us recall the compatriots from ABBA. The third album "Meliora" became one hundred times more melodic than the two previous ones (although I generally attribute the second "Infesstisumam" to one of my favorites). Gothic keyboards, a pathos organ and old-fashioned guitar riffs do their job, transferring the listener to an old castle for a witch ritual. The super-melodic, almost vernacular music contrasts with the lyrics, which are all about the Devil in the Flesh, which, of course, is just an artistic device, and not the real life ideology of the grotesque Swedes. The proof is the smallest and brightest ballad “He Is”, where the Unclean one was not chanted with such love and anguish (although here the song “The Opposition” by Ancient Vvisdom - cult figures of soft dark occult rock immediately comes to mind). The action movie “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” is blowing the roof - a powerful drive gadget with an overloaded bass guitar. On the whole, there are no passing songs on the album at all, everyone is remembered almost immediately, and it is often quite difficult to get rid of them. I would like to highlight “Cirice” - the first single from the album, which was planned as a long instrumental, but cut to standards under the pressure of the label. Chopped at all to the detriment of quality, but it would certainly be better if the guys somehow restored the original version and released it separately. I also can not fail to note the rare track “Zenith”, which was a bonus on the vinyl edition of the album. Vibrant keyboards, powerful riffs in the chorus and guitar busts a la Blue Oyster Cult in verses - this cannot be missed! In general, the album is very good. He is not so gloomy and psychedelic as the previous "Infesstisumam", not as guitar-oriented as the debut of Opus Eponymous, but he has his own face, bright and shocking. As the appearance of the vocalist Papa Emeritus changed from church-ritual to secular-solemn in the acoustic tour of the group (the group insists that on each album the role of the Pope is played by different vocalists, but we know ..), the music of the new album plays with new colors , becomes closer to the viewer and does not get bored. Must listen!

One of the good metal bands to come up in 2010s. Very enjoyable album.