Skeleta

シアトリカル・ロック・バンドの頂点に君臨するGHOSTの第六章が幕を上げる!!複数の国で1位、グラミー賞を獲得した『IMPERA』以来約3年ぶりとなる6作目のアルバムで世界を震撼させるのだ!!

2022年3月にリリースされたグラミー賞受賞アルバム『IMPERA』以来約3年ぶりとなる6作目のスタジオ・アルバム。バンドは本作で新たなバンドの顔となるキャラクター、Papa V Perpetuaをデビューさせることを公表した。Papa V Perpetuaは「悪魔憑きで闇の力に身を委ねた存在」だ。

2022s Impera jolted Ghost out of cultdom and into the stadium, reconfiguring their black mass for the masses with a bold pop-metal makeover. Auspiciously converging with the death of the 266th pope, Skeleta marks the debut of Papa V Perpetua, who now wields the scepter after the "promotion" of Frater Imperator, his fun-loving fraternal twin, to head of the clergy after his coronation hot-air balloon ride concluding the 2024 concert film Rite Here Rite Now. With his palatial purple vestments and macabre half-veil (his real lips!), Perpetua is steelier and moodier than his predecessor, yet Tobias Forge, the man behind the mask, remains an engaging and crafty showrunner, steering Ghost into darker waters while continuing to mine the vestiges of Kevin Seal and Adam Curry-era Headbangers Ball. "Peacefield"s choral opening yields to a bright, palm-muted riff and Forges clear, reedy tenor before doing everything it can to not break into Journeys "Separate Ways." Anchored by the bands filthiest riff in years, "Lachryma" follows a similar trajectory, with its vampiric protagonist wailing, "Im done crying over someone like you," over a chorus that bears the melodic touchstones of Alice Coopers "Poison." Forges love of 80s metal is no secret, and when paired with his innate Scandipop sensibilities, the two persuasions can dovetail into something sublime. "Satanized" combines Melioras doomy aesthetics with a chorus straight out of an underworld version of Eurovision, while the galloping, radio-ready "Cenotaph" is unapologetically bright and bouncy, eschewing the lusty swagger of "Missilia Amori," a big horny rock song that makes you want to roll your windows up but will probably slay live, for something more empathetic and personal. Skeletas two ballads, "Guiding Lights" and "Excelsis," which demand waving arms and a sea of cell phone lights, echo the inverted praise & worship architecture of concert favorite "He Is," realigning the Christian ideologies that alienated Forge in his youth to a faith that rebels, embraces, and uplifts without the cudgel of judgment. The penultimate cut, "Umbra," serves as the albums horn of plenty, a cowbell-heavy confluence of all Ghosts best tics and tremors, from dimly lit occult rock and propulsive proto-metal to stately prog and anthemic Lady Gaga pop. There are bands that lavish in the fondue of modern hard rock without the cheese, but not Ghost. Ghost is fun. ~ James Christopher Monger