Ghost: Ceremony And Devotion / 2LP (2018) (2x LP) - LP

For many, a cult and one of the most important rock metal bands of today, for others an overrated band that just chews on music from the seventies. Whether you belong or will belong to one or the other group, we can agree on one. Ghost is one of the most inflected names in contemporary hard music.

The Swedes Ghost have been operating since 2008 and have three albums on their account. While with their debut “Opus Eponymous“ from 2010 they only explored the reactions of the public and musically pushed out their satanic corners, with the second album “Infestissumam“ they conquered almost the entire music world. The mysterious masked Swedes, who until recently were melting their identities, came up with an original visual and, in addition, rode on the currently popular wave of musical return to the 1970s.

The formation around itself created a unique mysterious aura. A band composed of nameless Ghouls chooses a new leader with each album - Papa Emerita. So far, three terrifying popes have taken turns. At the end of the tour, from which this record is made, the last of them, Papa Emeritus III, was overthrown and (apparently) replaced by a scary-looking old man called Papa Emeritus Zero. He said in a sternly raspy voice to his fans: “The party is over. The Middle Ages begins. “Since then, the band has been silent, but to keep the wait for the fourth album announced for April 2018, the band has released their first live record,“ Ceremony And Devotion “from the most successful“ Popestar “tour in history, recorded at a concert in the United States.

This in itself is a huge success for the European and metal band. After all, many European music stars have broken their teeth on the American scene. Not only America but also domestic Europe values Ghost. They have won countless different awards for their last two records, and in 2016 they even won a Grammy for “Cirice“. Pretty good for a satanic group, isn' t it?

But the ghost deceives the body a little. Although they retain the mysticism of the averted face of God, in contrast to typical metal infernals, they play this mainly for effect. So let' s not expect any black metal crackling, Papa Emeritus sings with clean, melodic vocals and instead of bubbling black metal they bet on a retro rock metal sound with distinctive keyboards and metal guitars. The undeniable singing qualities of their leader are proved by this very living, in which the quality and purity of singing do not differ much from the studio version. Maybe his voice is not as strong as in the case of the greatest voices in metal history, but his strong charisma and characteristic colour make him one of the most interesting vocalists of today.

The recording opens with perhaps the biggest hit of the group “Square Hammer“, which appeared on last year' s EP “Popestar“, which otherwise consisted of taken over things (e. g. from Eurythmics or Simian Mobile Disco). However, the new “Square Hammer“ attracted all the attention. A hit stone with huge hellish keys and preaching vocals is an opener like wine and an almost perfect lighter for a cauldron. In addition, the live version did not take away any of its magical magic.

However, the Swedish band has a lot of hits, which is why they could afford to burn another “From The Pinnacle To The Pit“ from the last successful album “Meliora“, which is decorated mainly with a great central guitar riff and cathedral refrain. The sound is crystal clear, the band plays at a fantastic technical level and only from the occasional enthusiastic shouts and chanting of the fans we can suspect that there are no studio adjustments in this.

They composed the Ghost setlist in a very balanced way and did not forget any major composition throughout the discography. From the debut, they could not miss the excellent “Ritual“, which closes the basic set, or the equally impressive “Con Clavi Con Dio“. From “Infestissumam“ and “Meliory“ they played practically all the hits, including the Grammy-winning “Cirice“, “Year Zero“ and at the end the additional “Monstrance Clock“, where the fans took the initiative with choral singing - their version of the chorus “Come together, together as a one, come together for Lucifer' s son, “It' s infernally cold. Of the slower songs, the even more epic ballad “He Is“ is performed live.

Waiting for the fourth album is much more bearable thanks to the successful live “Ceremony And Devotion“. For domestic fans, it is also a welcome example of how Ghost sounds live. The Czech Republic is still waiting for the premiere of Papa Emeritus and his ghouls. The more valuable the novelty is. Its technical qualities and unmistakable aura make it one of the most successful live metal works of recent years.

Content: LP 1 A1. Square Hammer A2. From The Pinnacle To The Pit A3. With Key With Part A4. Per Aspera Ad Inferi A5. Elizabeth B1. Body And Blood B4. Ghuleh / Zombie Queen LP 2 C1. Year Zero C2. Spöksonat C3. He Is C4. Mummy Dust D1. Secular Haze D2. Absolution D3. Ritual D4. Monstrance Clock