Meliora is the third album by Swedish gothic rock/metal band
Ghost and was released on August 21st, 2015. My history with Ghost
goes way back to when their first album hit. I like many others was taken away
by how much it sounded like a mercyful fate album with a mellower singer. They
also really capitalized on their live stage show and still do as well. Their second
album dropped soon after and it had a lot more 60s pop elements that kind of
alienated me a bit but the album still had some great songs. Aster their covers
e.p I kind of got away from the Ghost craze as they kind of went to a more
gothic overtone that I didn’t find enjoyable as much. However when this album dropped
I figured I have to give it a try and maybe I’ll be a fan once more.
Track Rundown
1.Spirit- Opening with this very gothic cathedral sound with
a sci fi overtone, Ghost open with a very melodic rock sounding feel. Honestly
this opener feels really boring it doesn’t feel like it has a lot of power
behind it especially when the last two albums had such powerful openers. The
vocals feel like they are trying to be too eerie at times where they feel too
buried in the mix. An okay opener, but skippable to me.
2.From the Pinnacle to the Pit- I like the bass that opens
this song and the eerie guitar melodies as well. The only problem I have is
Papa Emeritus’ vocals just don’t really do it for me and I think it is because I
have grown tired of the eerie vocal style. The chorus is pretty good but again
feels like it lacks some kind of real punch to it. An improvement over the
first song yes but lets see what else there is on this album.
3.Cirice- I like the acoustic approach in this track more
with the piano behind it in the beginning. I feel this song has more of the
appeal that the first album had with more powerful riffing to it as well. But
the vocals just annoy me Its just how they are sung. It just doesn’t feel like it fits to me it
feels like it’s trying to be two things at once but it doesn’t work in my
opinion. A good track in the Instrumental department.
4.Spoksonat- I like this short piece its actually my
favorite thing on the album for how ominous it feels and how melodic it is.
5.He Is- I like this intro it is very catchy and atmospheric
and the vocals are very well done here as well. They feel more strong than I feel
they did before. This song is great because it fits Ghost’s style the most on this
album I feel it is just beautifully done.
6.Mummy Dust- This song immediately turns back into heavy territory
and I like the bend in the main riff it feels really strong catchy to me. The
vocals try a whispering feel to them and It works great as well. This is the
best heavy track on the album in my opinion.
7.Majesty- At the beginning of this song I thought I was
listening to Deep Purple with such a strong organ presence it’s pretty kickass
sounding. It’s a pretty ok rock song I just can’t really tell where it is going
at points like in the chorus it doesn’t quite feel like it got there.
8.Devil Church- A very church choir piece that is very short
and I like it but it feels like a filler more than a full track.
9.Absolution- I like the Sabbath-ish riff here and again it reminds
me of their earlier material without trying to add more to it. It isn’t very
memorable but it is a pretty okay song it’s got some good beats and is pretty
catchy during the verses.
10.Deus In Absentia- This is a very pop proggish sounding
rock song with a lot of overlapping melody’s and different sounds. It doesn’t
have a lot of guitar presents and the keys take more of an up-front approach to
it. It’s an okay closer it does some neat things but doesn’t do much for me.
Overall, I give this album a 5.5 out of 10. Really I am torn
on this record because I like maybe half of it. I just don’t feel like it is
really a “heavy metal” album like everyone keeps classifying it as. It is more
of a dark gothic prog rock album with some hints of metal influences. It has
some very cool things going for it but I feel like the band I really got into
in the beginning is something quite different and it doesn’t do it for me. If
you are a fan, then don’t listen to me and keep being a fan they aren’t popular
for nothing.
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