I skipped Ghost for 10 years thinking I knew what they were after hearing one song. Huge mistake. Ghost's genre is whatever Tobias wants it to be when he wants it to be it. Doom metal, psychedelic metal, old school 70s metal, 80s hair metal, straight up pop rock, or even disco fusion rock, or, as with their biggest hit Mary On A Cross, 60s rock? It's whatever works best. Oh, yeah, this is a one-person band. Tobias Forge, who if you're old school like me, was the songwriter/guitarist in the death metal band Repugnant, is the only actual member of the band. He writes all the song, sometimes with other songwriters. There are no other band members who appear on the albums. The touring band is essentially hired help BUT the current lineup has been with Ghost for a while and most fans consider them now "the band" even if they don't write any of the songs.
You know you made a good song when you look out at the audience and see James Hetfield sitting there and headbanging to your song. Yes it's a true story and the video is on RU-vid. Oooh, almost forgot. Ghost won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance 2016 for this song. So yes. It's quite okay 👍
I have seen Ghost live 3 times. One concert they played 25 songs. They are also from Sweden. They came to the US around the same time Avatar did and Ghost won the popularity contest. But I discovered both bands in 2016 at a festival where I live. They both made a big push into the US market.
Some great recommendations in the comments for more videos you could check out. I'd also like to add this live in-studio version of their song From the Pinnacle to the Pit which really showcases the song & the quality of their live abilities: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ufgpr8XwLc8.html Edit: Forgot to add Absolution from the same session: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eijtJ1Fs8N0.html
Give Ghost a chance. It only gets better and better. It's really hard to think of a single one Ghost song that's not a damn earworm, but I'd suggest those below because of... being easily available with good quality of video and sound: • Faith ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qvZKwvpQAUc.html ) • Year Zero ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3pLbobCbNzc.html ) • Secular Haze ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vyQZ13jobIY.html )
Your mention of the guitar solo being reminiscent of Pink Floyd is apropos...the touring band they had at the time this song came out would do sort of a long intro live, and would occasionally throw in the intro guitar bits from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." Fantastic band - you will find more songs of theirs that you'll like better than this one.
Great reaction. Ghost definitely mines old-school metal from the 70's and 80's. They seem They seem to be filling a big void in music, in that it's not super heavy, or technical, but really memorable rock music. Check out Squarehammer, Rats or Call Me Little Sunshine next.
Ghost sound and style doesn't match their image or lyrics, but they put on one of the greatest shows in rock right now. Also the songs are just catchy as hell.
Don't expect every song to be doom-laden - Tobias covers every sub-genre of rock from late '60s pop/rock to classic metal (think Maiden and Metallica) to '80s arena rock, even prog in some songs and instrumentals. But they (or should I say, Tobias) specialise in catchy hooks that you just cannot get out of your head.
I can certainly be wrong, but I believe Ghost is one of the few Metal groups performing at SXSW along with Nemophila in March 2023. If you like the heavy stuff, like me, I’d love to encourage Metal Heads to check it out. If I’m wrong, they have played the festival before. EDIT; I was wrong. They are not performing at SXSW in 2023, but did in 2018 and are coming back to Austin on 03 Sep 2023.
@@GeekFurious You are absolutely correct. They are not playing at SXSW 2023, but they did performed in Austin in 2018. (I honestly don’t know if it was part of the festival). However, they are performing in Austin on 3 Sep 2023. I’m not familiar with the band yet, nor do I live in Austin. However, I try to support my taste in music.
I ignored Ghost a decade ago...too much religious imagery for me at the time... and have hated myself for it ever since. Ghost are brilliant, the more you hear the more it just kicks your ass. Dive in boys, you won't be disappointed.
I first saw them when they opened for Maiden a few years back and thought they were pretty good. Caught them while they were touring on their own a year later and really couldn’t get into it. I guess I liked them better in small doses, though their fans were fun to watch(an absolute freak show lol)
