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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Ghost - He Is



Sometimes when you write out your thoughts and feelings you learn a lot about yourself. I guess I must come to terms with the fact that I really like songs about Satan.

Maybe it is the rebel in me, that is drawn to the rebellious nature of Satanism and Satanist. It could be that the spirit of rock and roll that is of revolution and defiance, and from a biblical perspective the devil could easily be interpreted as rock and roll as he literally rebels against an all-powerful god. I like the complicated character that Lucifer has become over his many iteration and the complex entity that he has now become in fiction.

There are a lot of reasons to enjoy the fictional character Satan, and there are even more reasons to like the metal band Ghost, which includes all the reasons to like Satan. Satanic music, and Satanic metal are not new, nor is adopting a persona, but Ghost is something special. I think I have made that clear with my two previous reviews. I crushed hard on Ghost when I discovered “Square Hammer” and I have confidently declared Ghost as the best Satanic band ever with the best satanic song ever in “Year Zero” however Ghost has a fantastic playlist and they have another song that should probably, or possibly, be considered their very best and that is “He Is.”

“He Is” to the best of my knowledge the only song in the history of music that comes across as a love song about the devil. A love poem to the devil. Who would think to do such a thing? Tobias Forge apparently.

The theme of Ghost is Satanism, and its presentation and visuals incorporate much of what one would expect for demonic imagery, however there is also the aspects of parody present. Everything about Popestar was a parody of the Catholic church, and obviously the Pope. While Popestar is the most painfully obvious example of this Christian parody, it is far from the only action in inversion. It is not just he visuals as well, but also the sound, again, the obvious example is the inclusion of choirs and chanting, however there is only one song like “He Is,” and it’s parody come from Christian rock.

I believe you would be hard pressed to find anyone who respects or enjoys “Christian Rock.” Rock songs with Christian themes or messages are fine, but when the music comes second, the music suffers. Ghost, turning things upside down has effectively made a Satanic Christian rock song in the form of “He Is.”

When you pause to asses the content of some Christian rock songs, you should soon discover that the message of love for Jesus is venturing uncomfortably into the realm of being in love with Jesus. This adds an unintentional element of comedy to the genre, and Ghost, mimics this wonderfully in “He Is.” It is a ballad done in the style of Christian rock song, about their affinity for the devil. It is so intense in it’s phrasing that admiration becomes love, and the love is so passionate, that it comes across like a love song.

Who knew that this was exactly what the world needed. Again, Tobias Forge apparently.

Since discovering Ghost and “He Is,” I have on several occasions related this allegory and explained the great joy of this song. I received the expected reaction every time, a great surprise that such a song could exist and an even greater disbelief that is was beautiful.

If you pause to inspect the lyrical content of “He Is” you should soon discover that it is very poetic, and indeed beautiful.

The first verse:

“We're standing here by the abyss,
And the world,
Is in flames.
Two star-crossed lovers reaching out,
To the beast,
With many names.”


The chorus:

“He is.
He’s the shining in the light,
Without whom I cannot see,
And he is,
Insurrection, he is spite,
He’s the force that made me be.
He is.
Nostro Dispater,
Nostr'Alma Mater,
He is.”


The second verse:

“We’re hiding here inside a dream,
And all our doubts,
Are now destroyed.
The guidance of the morning star,
Will lead the way,
Into the void.”


And the chorus repeats twice more thereafter.

It is impossible to argue that this is anything other than high level romantic poetry. The combination of ideas within “He Is” is such an unexpected creation that many doubt it’s existence, or fail to believe the quality of the final art piece.

Any jackass can sign about Satan, but a genius is required to make a song like “He Is.” A parody of Christian style, an inversion of expectation, and a daring to be so bold to so openly adore the devil. It should not be a real song, but it is, “He Is.”

Until next month keep on rocking in the free world.

- King of Braves

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Ghost - Year Zero



“Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub.
Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer….”


Since I discovered them last year, I have been listening to a lot of Ghost. Despite my best efforts I have had a difficult time over the past couple years of discovering new music I like, fortunately European metal has not let me down, as Avantasia, Sabaton and Ghost all had new content released last year. I talked about all three last year, but I feel like Ghost, the new comer to my music collection, deserves more discussion.

In my opinion Ghost is the most interesting musical creation in recent history. A satanic concept group where all the band are masked ghouls except for the creator and front man Papa Emeritus who is a sort of satanic pope. There was a full commitment by the band to stay in character, and play along that they were legitimate Satanist, and actual ghouls, and this made for amazingly fun live performances.

It has since been revealed that the many of band members have been replaced and none of the original line up are currently active, thus confirming the potential immortality and quasi stage show nature of the band. It has also been reveled that all three Papa Emeritus who have thus far fronted the band were in fact what most people suspected all along, the same person, and due to a legal battle between past members and Emeritus his name has become public and he is in fact Tobias Forge.

Now I have to go and learn about Forge’s earlier work.

My first discovery of Ghost was their 2016 single “Ghost Hammer,” the only original (non-cover) song from their LP Popestar. I loved it. It was greatest song about Satan I had ever heard; but not for very long.

I went to see Ghost weeks after discovering them, and since I was only familiar with “Square Hammer” and a passing knowledge of the rest of their music I was in for a night of discovery. I heard many songs I would love instantly that night, like “Gheleh/Zombie Queen” and “Monstrance Clock.” However, nothing hammers and thunders quite like “Year Zero.”

I just really like the album Infestissumam, as all three songs just mentioned are from it.

It was an impossible to forget performance that sent me home directly to find these songs, I needed to hear “Year Zero” again, and have done so probably two hundred times since then. I have try to pace myself when talking about a band, not to repeat talking about them again for at least a year, and I have literally been waiting a full year to write this. If you are comfortable with, or enthusiastic about, satanic metal music, then listening to “Year Zero” is a must.

In “Yero Zero” the drums are roaring thunder, and everything is built around it and the marching base line. It is a perfect example of a heavy metal song, as it is both loud and powerful, but it is also deadly. Demonic chanting of the many names of Satan, and Emeritus sings of the futility of man’s struggle.

“Since dawn of time the fate of man is that of lice,
Equal as parasites and moving without eyes.”


That’s the first line, it really sets the mood.

It is a song of the hopeless of our plight and the pointlessness of our existence, as the next line makes perfectly clear.

“A day of reckoning when penance is to burn,
Count down together now and say the words that you will learn.”


Which brings us to the chorus, the amazing chorus.

“Hail Satan, Archangelo,
Hail Satan, Welcome year zero.”


The chorus is less sung by Emeritus and more shouted by him. It is a dark invitation that cannot be refused, welcome to year zero. The Satanic invocation adds that something extra that makes the song even more metal; even more badass. Ghost is literally yelling at us “hail Satan.” There is no subtlety in this chorus, there is no room for it. “Year Zero” is the most in your face, Satan worshipping song I have ever heard, and it takes no prisoners.

On an amusing side note, I find it charming the way Emeritus pronounces “Satan” in the chorus, instead of saying “seyt-n” he says “sawt-n,” I do not know if there is some deliberate reference being invoked or if this is an accent thing. I mean Forge is Swedish, but the Swedish do not pronounce Satan like that. Emeritus speaks in what I believe it meant to be a fake Italian/Vatican accent, which blends with his natural Swedish accent creating a very unique voice, so maybe Emeritus just pronounces Satan like that, you know… only he never does at any other time, and he says Satan a lot. Why “sawt-n?” Maybe I’ll never know.

When considering the greatness of a song like “Year Zero” it is a fair conclusion to draw that it is in fact the best Satanic song ever, not necessarily the best song about Satan or Ghost’s best song, however it is the best tribute to Satan ever, and given that most Ghost songs are effectively just that, “Year Zero” stands high among a very fine playlist.

More Ghost Soon.

- King of Braves