Ghostvivor: Results
- Thread starter Collin
- Start date
Collin
Chasing Ponce De Leon's Phantoms
Sure. I was gonna be a bit busy this week anyways so that works for me too. Diesel needs to listen to the album too.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Ghost - Meliora
1. Spirit - Album #3 opens with some eerie stuff that feels straight out of a cheesy horror flick, but it works well. Not as good as "Infestissumam" but better than "Deus Culpa". Then the guitars and drums come in and the production is way better than that of the sophomore release. The rawness of the debut is back, but this one balances that out with more polish to it. The verse is pretty strong, but it's the chorus that's the best part of this song. I love this album's theme of living in a world without God and this thing does a good job of it. Took me a couple listens to get it, but I really like it. I love how the guitar in the chorus sounds too. This solo is really really good as well. There's a floating feel which sounds great. That short part before verse 3 isn't so good, but I like the drumbeat that follows. That final part where Forge goes as high as he can is great. This is a really, really solid opener which has only a couple weak spots in it. For that I'll round it down, but really, I like it. 8/10
2. From The Pinnacle To The Pit - A nice, booming bass piece opens up this song before the guitars come in. I like the verse structure and I think the lyrics are pretty. This is a groovy song, too, which can easily get your head bobbing, which I like too. The chorus that comes in after the third verse is pretty cool. This is one of the doomiest songs the band has written yet and I think they do a good job with it. There's a lot of driving stuff that sounds excellent. The longer verse 4 is good too. The final chorus is the same as the previous one, but it did take me a while to "get" it. I think this song does what it sets out to do and pulls everything off well. It also doesn't have as many weaker parts as "Spirit", so the only thing holding it back is the fact that Ghost have songs that are better than this. But really, this is quite a good song that I like a lot. 9/10
3. Cirice - A cool acoustic opening starts off this haunting Grammy winner before the heavier guitar comes in. It's a really good way to open up the song. That groovy, doomy riff that comes in is probably the most metal thing we've ever heard from the guys. It's really plodding and does its job well. The verse is solid, though the pre-chorus doesn't work as well IMO because they don't change up the riff enough. Still, it doesn't hurt the song per se. I guess it feels like a "rumble" too. The chorus itself, where everything but piano drops out, is great, with some great Forge vocals that I quite like. Since we touched it, the pre-chorus works better. I love the beginning to the second chorus, where music drops out and comes back when Forge says, "Can't you feel that you're lost.... without me?". The rest of that chorus sounds great too. The guitar solo is pretty cool, though the keyboard solo isn't so great. Some more haunting keyboard and then we come right back to the chorus which is still great. Forge really holds that one note quite well. This was the first Ghost song I heard, and I remember it being a big deal in 2015 when I was just getting into metal (though it was actually a year later that I listened to it). It didn't blow me out of the water the first few times, but I think it holds up quite well with repeated listens. I don't think it's perfect per se, and there are at least two songs to come that I prefer, but I think it's pretty strong. Good choice for a Grammy. 9/10
4. Spöksonat - Pretty cool interlude which I like. Does a good job of being eerie and preparing listeners for the next number. 8/10
5. He Is - These acoustics sound incredible, love this opening. The verse is an interesting one with Forge singing with a different style than we're used to. Cool reference to Romeo & Juliet. The chorus is fantastic, and I love the rising "symphony" thing at the end of it. The drums come in and keep up the song quite well. The second chorus works well with the addition of those drums. And that rising piece is there still. Then we come to the solo section which is surprisingly amazing for a Ghost song, and certainly an acoustic-led one. The longer third chorus still works well. I love that addition of "and we are falling..." to it. The ending lead bit sounds great too. This was a song I'd heard once before outside of the album, but it didn't draw me in. Coming back to it a couple years later, it really is a good song. Scratch that, great song. This is easily the best song on the album and probably the best Ghost song up to this point too. 10/10
6. Mummy Dust - A nice slide into a cool build-up opening with some nice drum stuff before we come into a grooving riff that has some cool keyboard stuff on top of it. The vocals have a cool feel to them given how they're recorded, and the verse is pretty solid. The chorus is... well, stupid and pretty damn cool at the same time. "In God you trust... my mummy dust. Duuuuuuuuust. My mummy dust." It's dumb and yet, I dunno, I kinda like it. I've had this song in my head all day too so... Anyway, the keyboard solo here is really cool and one of the best they've ever done, too. The outro which is basically repeats of the chorus isn't as good as the chorus itself. The rising instruments and voices combined feel very much like they came from the '70s and I don't think they work perfectly here, but it's fine overall. Another strong song which I like, not as strong as some of the others, maybe, but it's pretty cool. 8/10
7. Majesty - A pretty standard '70s style hard rock riff opens this song and keyboards come in soon after in a way that wouldn't feel remiss on a Deep Purple song. Then we get a trudging riff that leads to the verse, which is decent but not the greatest. Another round of the verse and then we get to the chorus, which is... weird, and not in a good way. It's definitely not what I like and it's not what I want from this song. There's a better bit between it and the next verse, and then back into the chorus which still does nothing for me. The instrumental section is decent but uninteresting. The chorus really hasn't gotten better by the third time, and the final piece there where they finally pop in the title is bland too. This song had a lot of potential, but doesn't go anywhere and ends up feeling pretty bland. It's easily the low point on an otherwise pretty strong album, a paint-by-numbers Ghost song that should never have been released as a single. This screams "filler" in every sense of the word. 5/10
8. Devil Church - Pretty nice organ-type piece before we go into a decent hard rock thing, but I like the other interlude better. This one does nothing for me. 4/10
9. Absolution - A pretty heavy opening smacks down on the listener before the song starts plodding its way through. The verse sounds like it could be stupid, but it ends up being fairly strong. The pre-chorus is pretty sinister, and the piano-backed chorus is actually quite cool. Another round through and there's a decent keyboard thing going on, though it's not that memorable and I don't think it's the best thing ever. We then come back to the chorus which is still good. My issue with this song is that it's pretty unmemorable outside of the chorus, which I really like, but I mean, it's still fairly strong. It's good, not necessarily great. 7/10
10. Deus In Absentia - A nice tick-tock thing that's pretty reminiscent of "Monstrance Clock" opens up this song and the verse comes in next... and it's great. It sounds like something out of a show tune and I love it. The pre-chorus is awesome, too. After another run-through we come to the actual chorus which is still pretty strong and then into a cool instrumental piece. Then back to the tick-tock and the verse comes back again. Then we end with the pre-chorus again... sike. There's a full minute and forty seconds of choir vocals just singing "Deus... Deus In... Deus In Absentia..." It goes on forever and just feels like it should've been trimmed down drastically. I'd get it if they were gonna use it for live performances, but they do that with "Monstrance Clock", so... yeah, the one downside to an otherwise great song. I'm just gonna forget that the ending exists and go with what I'd rate the rest of the song alone, because I really do like it otherwise. 9/10
Bonus: Zenith - Cool piano opening here. Are those maracas? Huh, interesting. Forge sounds like he's asleep on the verse, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The chorus isn't that great, but it's also not bad per se. Another round through and I think the chorus gets better the second time. There's an interesting sort of breakdown thing happening with choir vocals there. That final chorus is pretty decent, but I like the quiet ending better. This is a solid bonus track and could've easily replaced "Majesty" on the actual album. 7/10
Bonus: Square Hammer - A nice keyboard riff opens up this song as the other instruments prepare for the big drop in. The verse is really cool, with some of the best singing from Forge yet. And then there's that fantastic chorus the just wipes the floor with the competition. It's such a brilliant construction of a question and it sounds great. The second verse is still great and the chorus comes back and it's so. good. The instrumental section keeps up the energy the previous pieces set in play and it's all the better for it. The keyboard riff comes in just as the third chorus reprise comes in and god I love this song. It's such a poppy, catchy song, but that's exactly what makes it work so well. Everyone on this song is giving 110%, and there's little wonder it's become one of their most famous songs. In fact, it was the only song I'd consistently return to from the first ones I heard from the band. The others took a while to get, but this... this was something special. It's easily the best thing the band released up to this point, and I doubt that anything on Prequelle will be able to match it (though I remain hopeful about it anyway). Can we give out 11's here? 'Cuz this one goes to 11/10.
Meliora does take a second listen to get, but it's far and away the best Ghost album up to this point. There's more emphasis on guitars and while that doesn't mean it'll instantly be better, it does end up giving it a better sound and the material is stronger as well. There's only one bland song on here, which is surprising given the two preceding albums, but if this is any sign of the band progressing further into becoming a truly great act, then I have a strong sense of optimism for Prequelle. In other words: I'm hyped.
Rating: 80%
1. Spirit - Album #3 opens with some eerie stuff that feels straight out of a cheesy horror flick, but it works well. Not as good as "Infestissumam" but better than "Deus Culpa". Then the guitars and drums come in and the production is way better than that of the sophomore release. The rawness of the debut is back, but this one balances that out with more polish to it. The verse is pretty strong, but it's the chorus that's the best part of this song. I love this album's theme of living in a world without God and this thing does a good job of it. Took me a couple listens to get it, but I really like it. I love how the guitar in the chorus sounds too. This solo is really really good as well. There's a floating feel which sounds great. That short part before verse 3 isn't so good, but I like the drumbeat that follows. That final part where Forge goes as high as he can is great. This is a really, really solid opener which has only a couple weak spots in it. For that I'll round it down, but really, I like it. 8/10
2. From The Pinnacle To The Pit - A nice, booming bass piece opens up this song before the guitars come in. I like the verse structure and I think the lyrics are pretty. This is a groovy song, too, which can easily get your head bobbing, which I like too. The chorus that comes in after the third verse is pretty cool. This is one of the doomiest songs the band has written yet and I think they do a good job with it. There's a lot of driving stuff that sounds excellent. The longer verse 4 is good too. The final chorus is the same as the previous one, but it did take me a while to "get" it. I think this song does what it sets out to do and pulls everything off well. It also doesn't have as many weaker parts as "Spirit", so the only thing holding it back is the fact that Ghost have songs that are better than this. But really, this is quite a good song that I like a lot. 9/10
3. Cirice - A cool acoustic opening starts off this haunting Grammy winner before the heavier guitar comes in. It's a really good way to open up the song. That groovy, doomy riff that comes in is probably the most metal thing we've ever heard from the guys. It's really plodding and does its job well. The verse is solid, though the pre-chorus doesn't work as well IMO because they don't change up the riff enough. Still, it doesn't hurt the song per se. I guess it feels like a "rumble" too. The chorus itself, where everything but piano drops out, is great, with some great Forge vocals that I quite like. Since we touched it, the pre-chorus works better. I love the beginning to the second chorus, where music drops out and comes back when Forge says, "Can't you feel that you're lost.... without me?". The rest of that chorus sounds great too. The guitar solo is pretty cool, though the keyboard solo isn't so great. Some more haunting keyboard and then we come right back to the chorus which is still great. Forge really holds that one note quite well. This was the first Ghost song I heard, and I remember it being a big deal in 2015 when I was just getting into metal (though it was actually a year later that I listened to it). It didn't blow me out of the water the first few times, but I think it holds up quite well with repeated listens. I don't think it's perfect per se, and there are at least two songs to come that I prefer, but I think it's pretty strong. Good choice for a Grammy. 9/10
4. Spöksonat - Pretty cool interlude which I like. Does a good job of being eerie and preparing listeners for the next number. 8/10
5. He Is - These acoustics sound incredible, love this opening. The verse is an interesting one with Forge singing with a different style than we're used to. Cool reference to Romeo & Juliet. The chorus is fantastic, and I love the rising "symphony" thing at the end of it. The drums come in and keep up the song quite well. The second chorus works well with the addition of those drums. And that rising piece is there still. Then we come to the solo section which is surprisingly amazing for a Ghost song, and certainly an acoustic-led one. The longer third chorus still works well. I love that addition of "and we are falling..." to it. The ending lead bit sounds great too. This was a song I'd heard once before outside of the album, but it didn't draw me in. Coming back to it a couple years later, it really is a good song. Scratch that, great song. This is easily the best song on the album and probably the best Ghost song up to this point too. 10/10
6. Mummy Dust - A nice slide into a cool build-up opening with some nice drum stuff before we come into a grooving riff that has some cool keyboard stuff on top of it. The vocals have a cool feel to them given how they're recorded, and the verse is pretty solid. The chorus is... well, stupid and pretty damn cool at the same time. "In God you trust... my mummy dust. Duuuuuuuuust. My mummy dust." It's dumb and yet, I dunno, I kinda like it. I've had this song in my head all day too so... Anyway, the keyboard solo here is really cool and one of the best they've ever done, too. The outro which is basically repeats of the chorus isn't as good as the chorus itself. The rising instruments and voices combined feel very much like they came from the '70s and I don't think they work perfectly here, but it's fine overall. Another strong song which I like, not as strong as some of the others, maybe, but it's pretty cool. 8/10
7. Majesty - A pretty standard '70s style hard rock riff opens this song and keyboards come in soon after in a way that wouldn't feel remiss on a Deep Purple song. Then we get a trudging riff that leads to the verse, which is decent but not the greatest. Another round of the verse and then we get to the chorus, which is... weird, and not in a good way. It's definitely not what I like and it's not what I want from this song. There's a better bit between it and the next verse, and then back into the chorus which still does nothing for me. The instrumental section is decent but uninteresting. The chorus really hasn't gotten better by the third time, and the final piece there where they finally pop in the title is bland too. This song had a lot of potential, but doesn't go anywhere and ends up feeling pretty bland. It's easily the low point on an otherwise pretty strong album, a paint-by-numbers Ghost song that should never have been released as a single. This screams "filler" in every sense of the word. 5/10
8. Devil Church - Pretty nice organ-type piece before we go into a decent hard rock thing, but I like the other interlude better. This one does nothing for me. 4/10
9. Absolution - A pretty heavy opening smacks down on the listener before the song starts plodding its way through. The verse sounds like it could be stupid, but it ends up being fairly strong. The pre-chorus is pretty sinister, and the piano-backed chorus is actually quite cool. Another round through and there's a decent keyboard thing going on, though it's not that memorable and I don't think it's the best thing ever. We then come back to the chorus which is still good. My issue with this song is that it's pretty unmemorable outside of the chorus, which I really like, but I mean, it's still fairly strong. It's good, not necessarily great. 7/10
10. Deus In Absentia - A nice tick-tock thing that's pretty reminiscent of "Monstrance Clock" opens up this song and the verse comes in next... and it's great. It sounds like something out of a show tune and I love it. The pre-chorus is awesome, too. After another run-through we come to the actual chorus which is still pretty strong and then into a cool instrumental piece. Then back to the tick-tock and the verse comes back again. Then we end with the pre-chorus again... sike. There's a full minute and forty seconds of choir vocals just singing "Deus... Deus In... Deus In Absentia..." It goes on forever and just feels like it should've been trimmed down drastically. I'd get it if they were gonna use it for live performances, but they do that with "Monstrance Clock", so... yeah, the one downside to an otherwise great song. I'm just gonna forget that the ending exists and go with what I'd rate the rest of the song alone, because I really do like it otherwise. 9/10
Bonus: Zenith - Cool piano opening here. Are those maracas? Huh, interesting. Forge sounds like he's asleep on the verse, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The chorus isn't that great, but it's also not bad per se. Another round through and I think the chorus gets better the second time. There's an interesting sort of breakdown thing happening with choir vocals there. That final chorus is pretty decent, but I like the quiet ending better. This is a solid bonus track and could've easily replaced "Majesty" on the actual album. 7/10
Bonus: Square Hammer - A nice keyboard riff opens up this song as the other instruments prepare for the big drop in. The verse is really cool, with some of the best singing from Forge yet. And then there's that fantastic chorus the just wipes the floor with the competition. It's such a brilliant construction of a question and it sounds great. The second verse is still great and the chorus comes back and it's so. good. The instrumental section keeps up the energy the previous pieces set in play and it's all the better for it. The keyboard riff comes in just as the third chorus reprise comes in and god I love this song. It's such a poppy, catchy song, but that's exactly what makes it work so well. Everyone on this song is giving 110%, and there's little wonder it's become one of their most famous songs. In fact, it was the only song I'd consistently return to from the first ones I heard from the band. The others took a while to get, but this... this was something special. It's easily the best thing the band released up to this point, and I doubt that anything on Prequelle will be able to match it (though I remain hopeful about it anyway). Can we give out 11's here? 'Cuz this one goes to 11/10.
Meliora does take a second listen to get, but it's far and away the best Ghost album up to this point. There's more emphasis on guitars and while that doesn't mean it'll instantly be better, it does end up giving it a better sound and the material is stronger as well. There's only one bland song on here, which is surprising given the two preceding albums, but if this is any sign of the band progressing further into becoming a truly great act, then I have a strong sense of optimism for Prequelle. In other words: I'm hyped.
Rating: 80%
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Voting for "Stand By Him", "Death Knell", "Secular Haze", "Ghuleh / Zombie Queen", "Spöksonat"*, "Majesty", and "Devil Church".
*I know I gave it an 8, but it's only an interlude (unlike "Infestissumam") and I didn't wanna make Collin cry by voting for "Monstrance Clock".
*I know I gave it an 8, but it's only an interlude (unlike "Infestissumam") and I didn't wanna make Collin cry by voting for "Monstrance Clock".
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
buthedidn't
Number 6
Ancient Mariner
Scratch that. "Absolution" is the best Ghost song I've heard so far.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
But are you on the square?
Number 6
Ancient Mariner
Finished the album. Okay, this is the best Ghost album so far, excuse you. I just- I don't even know what to say. It was so much better than I was expecting, and I can't even- Ugh, I'm speechless. If Prequelle even matches Meliora, I'll be surprised. Anyway...
That being said, I did find it kinda weird how that and "Devil Church" were placed on the album. "Devil Church" sounds like a natural intro (like "Deus Culpa" and "Infestissumam" put together), and have "Absolution" follow it as the opening song would, in my opinion, open the album on a much higher note than opening with "Spirit". Oh well.
This could very well be Ghost's masterpiece, that's all I have to say. Let's see how it holds up upon repeated listens (I strongly feel like my views on it won't be affected, at least not negatively), and how Prequelle turns out.
I maintain this so far. "Square Hammer" is a close second, but "Absolution" is still my #1.
That being said, I did find it kinda weird how that and "Devil Church" were placed on the album. "Devil Church" sounds like a natural intro (like "Deus Culpa" and "Infestissumam" put together), and have "Absolution" follow it as the opening song would, in my opinion, open the album on a much higher note than opening with "Spirit". Oh well.
This could very well be Ghost's masterpiece, that's all I have to say. Let's see how it holds up upon repeated listens (I strongly feel like my views on it won't be affected, at least not negatively), and how Prequelle turns out.
Number 6
Ancient Mariner
Yeah, I read about that. It's an interesting peek into the writing process, but I think they made the right choice splitting them apart. I don't think "Devil Church" would work that well attatched to "Cirice".
Collin
Chasing Ponce De Leon's Phantoms
Shitfest?