Ghost – Opus Eponymous (Rise Above/Metal Blade)

For cosmic reasons unknown, there’s been resurgence in Satanic-themed hard rock bands, especially with Scandinavian origin. We’re not talking about black metal bands, mind you, but groups more aligned with early 70s forebears like Black Widow and Coven. Holland’s The Devil’s Blood is the most buzzworthy act of this, erm, nature, but Sweden’s Ghost (not to be confused with the Japanese acid folk band Ghost) will likely make just as big a name for itself. Like TDB, the band prefers to keep its members anonymous; also like its Dutch brethren (and sistren), Ghost eschews chaotic thrash for a more accessible, almost pretty sound than one would expect from metallic hymns to Lucifer. “Death Knell,” “Prime Mover” and “Con Clavi Clon Dio” riff hard but not at the expense of tunefulness, while “Elizabeth,” “Ritual” and “Stand By Him” boast soaring melodies that border on power pop. The nameless frontperson sings in a clear, smooth tenor that goes down like a cup of hot chocolate – the better to convert the masses, one supposes. Listeners of a more sensitive religious nature might take offense, but the rest will find it difficult to take the odes to the Adversary seriously, despite being performed with a (masked) face as straight as a yardstick. If spiritual leanings aren’t an issue for you, you’ll find Opus Eponymous a primer on the creation of melodic hard rock.

http://riseaboverecords.com
http://metalblade.com