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As a huge Ghost fan myself, I'm used to hearing people say they hate the band. However there is no other RU-vidr out there who acknowledges that his opinion is just that, an opinion, and that's why AJ Good is the best. Keep up the great videos man!
@@ev5837 you seen the video where odorus urungus play his favorite riffs ? It's bad ass . The bands Disarray and Pissing Razors kick ass too. along with Corrosion of Conformity.
I do gotta say, Life Eternal is a song that is very sentimental to me because I found it when my friend was in the hospital. And it reminds me of him. Definitely not heavy at all, but I do love the song
I'm a newly acquainted Ghost fan. I just started falling in love with their music. As for hating Tobias Forge. Underneath his mask/makeup, he's seems to be a nice person. Nice enough that he cares about his fans. Two three years ago, at a concert in Milwaukee, WI, a fan collapsed half way through the show. The fan died later on. They stopped the show all together out of respect for the family. When they came back to play the show at a later date, all the proceeds from the show went to help the family.
@@despicablememe4140 If you're not angry, why did you feel the need to reply saying that you're not angry and everyone can have an opinion? That's a pretty dickish thing to say. What you've just done is sh*t on AJ's and Foxy tnt's words by saying absolute typical pc bollocks.
I'm a pretty new fan to ghost, i have a friend whos been into them for a while longer than me and was the one who introduced me to the band around june and i got into them around september. They quickly have become a comfort band for me. An important thing ive learnt from previous fandoms is to not put anybody on a pedestal, Tobias's personality has an appeal to me, however i make a note that he isn't without his flaws. I love this band and all of their music from their earliest stuff to the new stuff like impera and i also do own the goofy cardinal plushie. I have friends who hate ghost and dont give any explanation other than "its trash" so it's a huge relief to hear an explanation as to why that may be. My current hyperfixation is still going strong and i dont see it dying down any time soon, but i find it very refreshing to hear something from a different perspective
The Kiss of our generation, goddamn. As a former Kiss fan, that's spot on. They started off great, had a dark look to 'em and played great music with some actual pretty fucking metal riffs on occasion (Parasite). Kiss will always be special to me, but their money hungry attitudes cannot be ignored, and I feel like that's where Ghost is going. You nailed it Mr. Good.
"If you're one of those people, I'm a better person than you." Funny but also true. So first I will say that I am a gigantic fan of Ghost. Everything you describe in regards to your experience of discovering them and falling in love with them has happened to me. I think the difference is I was super late to the party. I had seen someone with a Ghost T-shirt and didn't really know what it was. I assumed it was a band so I searched it on RU-vid and the first video I clicked on was Rats. So Rats was my introduction to the band and I very quickly went down the rabbit hole and devoured all of their content. (Even the chapter videos.) I like that the sound is so different from the look. I love the music, and the theatrics and they are still one of my absolute favorite bands. And Copia was my favorite "front man" probably because he was the one I was first introduced to. All that being said you definitely make some very strong points. As big a Ghost fan as I am, I can't imagine hating on someone because they don't like them or no longer like them. I don't understand being so emotionally invested in an art form that you view it as a personal attack when someone dislikes it. I love most of their T-shirts and I have a bunch but I am 100% with you on that plushie. That thing is God awful and I never really understood why people go crazy over it. It looks like I'm late to the party on this video as well but excellent job!
I was also super late to the Ghost party, I started listening to them sometime in November, and I quickly became a huge fan (I even have the goddamn plushie and am not sure why I like it so much). Copia is also my favorite even though I was first introduced to Terzo, but I also ate up all the lore there was to offer in the RU-vid videos. The fandom is cringy, I admit, but they also shut down anything negative that is mentioned about them online. I have seen on Reddit how whenever people mention what Tobias has done it is shut down real quick with backlash. I don't support what Tobias has done and continues to do but the music is so catchy and the lore is very interesting.
I'm a Ghost fan, but I hate when the fandom tries to evangelize other people. Everyone has their own taste! I like the music and the all the cringy vids/jokes, but I'm able to do that cuz I don't take it too seriously (and actually don't care about heaviness), perhaps not everyone can do that and I don't take it bad. Personally, I don't have a 100% formed opinion about mr. Forge, I like him artistically (just because of Ghost), but as person I can't swallow him completely (I have the same opinion about the old ghouls). Nice vid btw.
Agreed!!! that's why i hate fandoms generally lol i can't stand the old ghouls too (not Martin), just cuz they used tobias dead brother in some argument, that wasn't nice, but i still think they are right tho...
@@MikaJohanss0n Oh, I didn't remember it. Actually I'm just suspicious of them (and I like Omega/Martin), but nothing that serious haha and... Yeah, 7 inches is very nice and colourful musically, it was what Prequelle could've been.
Ghost used to be amazing but now they just suck like nickel back. They should just break up and make a different band like the johnny rotten did his old band and made public image Ltd. But if they make a new band don't let the lead singer be in the band he can't even play there songs right
I heard someone say that Ghost sounded like Scooby-Doo chase music and i still use that to describe them. Their live shows are fucking sick though. Just not the music for me.
Well, exactly. But the douchebags that claim they weren't scooby doo on the first album are just deaf lol. They where duped by the ominous vibe. Ghost has always been a pop infused occult rock band. Yeah, the pop element got stronger, as did the actual song writing
I love Ghost, but as someone who's been in two Ghost facebook groups, I can confirm how fucking cringe it can be. I have not had a fanbase almost ruin something for me so fast.
You're 100% the reason why I found out about Ghost. I fell in love with them and still do. Sad to see you no longer like them. I can understand why but it is what it is i guess.
Ghost is a band i enjoy. It’s a band that I can listen to with my friends and they actually enjoy it. None of my friends are metal fans but Ghost is a good entry level band. It isn’t super heavy and isn’t super thrashy. So listening to Ghost with my friends is the closest I’ll get to listening to metal with them.
As a pretty big Ghost fan myself, I have to say...damn you’re good man. A lot of people just shit on the band, and want their statements to be taken as fact. This is literally the second video of yours I’ve seen and subscribed immediately.
You’re right about almost everything on this, only thing i will say is i think the music (which is the focal point) has shifted from its early days to something honestly completely different and for a different fan base all together now! Still very enjoyable to an extent but i think its not that it’s bad but just for a different audience
Why isn't it possible to just listen to music nowadays. You don't have to be a hard core fan with a lot of merch, Facebook groups (haha) and knowing every thing about the band and their members. Just keep the neutral distance. Just because I like a bands music I don't have to know what's the singers favorite color and food is. Wtf thats getting out of control these days.
I always saw it as more of a “safe” theme-band. To me they gave more of a Blue Oyster Cult feel than deep, heavy metal when I listen. I like them, and I’m totally fine that you don’t feel the band and pointed out some flaws with it. Great video even if I Hate AJ Good.
I think a lot of people cant pick up on the obvious sarcasm Ghost is based in. Like the "cringe" youtube videos....well yea, congrats, you got the point lol. Its supposed to be cringe.
Some good points here. Particularly regarding the musicianship and the morality of firing the band. I’m an OG fan and I still like them. I still dig the music and don’t really care about his personal dealings. If we judged every band or musicians based on their morals, we’d probably have to toss out at least half our records. I’m still an unapologetic fan
it is a shame, I got into them because a lot of people compared them to Mercyful Fate, but when listening to them I found it was not the case, but I still enjoyed them on their level but then I started to notice the same issues you had, especially with the lawsuit stuff and it reminded me of Gene Simmons and how he has too big of an ego and will sue anyone for even sticking their tongue out.
It's okay to not like them. Personally, I think a lot of the change in direction on the presentation of the band comes from the fallout of that court case. After people knew who was behind the music, it got more tongue and cheek. I'm fine with it though, I like the fun playfulness that Papa IV has brought. I think I'll miss his character in the next album cycle. When they bring in the next front man character, maybe I'll feel like you. It's hard to change while keeping everyone happy, but I think it's necessary.
And I think the music goes toe-to-toe with their older stuff, surpasses it in a lot of ways. Even if they might not be in ways you appreciate. The Papa IV era is my favorite because of the strong concepts for each album. Satan is there still, but I'm glad they're diversifying their focus and perspectives. Prequelle feels like such a wild ride that peaks with Dance Macabre and Miasma and then slowly begins to fade away into quiet loneliness. It feels right for the subject matter. Impera is also great conceptually, but I don't think I'd hold it quite as high as Prequelle.
I'd also give Tobias much more credit for Ghost's early success than you do. Yeah, you can base your opinion on hearsay, but I'd rather look at the musical output from all the members after the court case. I think it's unanimous that Ghost has continued to put out critically/commercially successful new content and noticably grew their audience. Meanwhile, Magna Carta Cartel and Priest are just less impressive than Ghost current and past efforts. Both those bands haven't been able to achieve similar success after parting ways with Tobias. Priest is honestly a joke to me, and Tobias was being generous when he said, "Stinks, looks, and feels identical" in Faith to describe his former bandmate's new project. They are trying so hard to go start their own thing but can't help but rip off old ideas from Ghost and try to pass them off as new concepts. It sucks that there had to be that conflict, but the new Ghouls are an upgrade.
Thank you for making this video. I was a die hard fan to the point. I’ve had so many people ask why I’m not as into them anymore and this video sums it up perfect. I miss the nights looking deeper into the music and the musicians and finding out their identities and finding their old bands and realizing the chemistry they shared and how amazingly talented musicians they were. Now it’s not even a band. Just Tobias Forge and Co.
Tobias has mentioned multiple times that what matters is having fun so the 'cringe factory' has nothing to do with hating them. Plushies appeal to current generation, poor quality videos are TO BE EXPECTED I mean they are literally "clergy" how tf you expect them to have movies quality in their basic lore videos? As for working on notes or anything like that, he is the lead singer, the frontman, of course he won't practice to play the damn music
How is he supposed to be able to play the riffs when he doesn't play them live or have the need to practice them? You can tell he wrote all the riffs because he can work it out on that acoustic to actually remember the riffs for the most part. Tobias creates absolutely everything in that band. Nobody else writes anything. That's why Tobias has 100 percent of rights.
@@TheHouseOfMasks I was with this dude at first but yeah no, tobias I believe does truly write alot of the stuff, or atleast did in the start, but, I definetly think he isn't giving credit to previous members because members will always have influence kr a say in the writing no matter what, recently I've gotten rlly into ghost for their music, and I do think he truly does write a decent amount of stuff, but once again the previous members definetlt wrote alot aswell, especially the solos.
@@TheHouseOfMasks like I said i like him I like the band, I agree with u he doesn't write it all nor gives proper credit but he still writes a good amount
I'm a massive Ghost fan, ever since 14 year old me found Cirice, I was absolutely hooked. Listened to them a lot afterwards, and like you showed my uncle, who loved them too. I've been with many bands/singers since they were small, Starset, Grandson, etc. I'll say, even though most of their music sounds like 80s metal or Scooby Doo chase music, I really love their songs. Old and new, Square Hammer is my ringtone to this day and I have to hide my love of Year Zero from everyone I know irl. And the look of Ghost is pretty dope, I'll bite. But, learning everything Tobias did to the band + fans after their surge to fame really puts you off. I like to say 'separate creation from creator', Tobi has done some nice things like commission fan artists and did a charity show, but what he did to the old Ghouls is very saddening (i love the new Ghouls though, especially their personalities on stage, specially Aether) I honestly hope he realizes everything and either apologizes or changes his ways. I respect your opinion AJ, especially your critique and acknowledges about them.
I see where you’re coming from aj, I became a fan after the lawsuits and I enjoy prequelle just as much as I enjoy the older music, but I love how melodic ghost is, not how hardcore can we be. But to each is own my friend
I'm a huge Ghost fan but I tend to like the less hard metal music bands such as Avenged Sevenfold. Not liking a band is totally ok and it never ceases to amaze me how bent out of shape people get when someone doesn't like something that they like. We are all different and that's ok.
I got to see them back in 2012 at either the Roxy or the Rainbow in Hollywood when they were starting off. One of the best shows I've ever been to. I'll always be a fan of their first 3 albums. It's been a decline after that sadly.
Hard disagree on almost everything. Respect your opinion man but just disagree. only point I might agree on is Tobias being a bit of a control freak. I think he probably is hard to work with but at the same time it seems to be working for Ghost as they've seen huge successes with these last couple albums including Impera. I like the direction they've gone, and tbh if every album sounded like Opus I think the band would get very boring. Can their fanbase be cringy? I mean yeah sometimes I guess but to me that's about every fanbase ever. Not gonna stop me from liking the band
I just watched your video and appreciated all the info. About a year ago, I was looking for videos on Ghosts, so I typed Ghost. To my surprise a band called Ghost existed, and the video was Square Hammer. I have since listed to the song everyday!!!. I didn't know at the time that Tobias was the Ruler of Ghost and a revolving door existed for all other band members. I'm just at the starting gate of listening to all Ghost songs, but will now do it in baby steps. Great Video!!!
I've only just got into the whole ghost fad, and it's strangely addictive for some reason. I only listen to the old stuff and completely ignore the new shit. I prefer to say "I like the old ghost" than "I don't like ghost at all".
Well, I write every single riff my band has and I still bust a 3:40 more often than not. Its usually the simple shit I have the most trouble with since I'm used to muscle memory doing all the crazy riffage.
My only problem with most people who don’t like ghost, is that they hate the people that like them. People just need to like who they like. Fuck everything else
I'm new to the channel and that's one of those things I can respect that I still listen to Ghost but I've never really followed the behind the scenes stuff nor closely followed the fandom so I just learned something
I feel the exact same way about them. I used to LOVE this band so much and after the newer albums I kinda fell off the wagon. I still listen to their earlier albums just because they’re still good but I really can’t say I still support them with where they’re going
Hey there, respectable video. I’m wondering if I could get the source for “the amount of time Tobias Forge spends” part? Although i’m 2 years late, so yeah.
I’ve been a fan since 2013, my dad’s coworker saw them at hellfest and got us hooked. My mind wasn’t about the whole “satanic band” thing but got into it in 2013 where I saw them as a child. My favorite albums were the first few, and my favorite was Papa 3’s era since he was awesome on stage. Cardinal was really weird and out of place, so I strayed away for a bit- ghost was supposed to be heavy metal.. not glam rock. Don’t get me wrong I love glam rock like the band sweet, but man.. I wish they were like Avatar. Tobias kinda messed me up learning about him as I got older, but I try to think that hey papa 2 isn’t Tobias… but eh, I’ll see this tour with volbeat and they’ve gotten softer too-
I had a similar thing with Kiss. It was volume, the lore, the imagery. I was a teenager at the time and my music taste buds definitely reflected my adolescence.
I understand everything that you're saying and completely agree. I discovered Ghost back when they were still going by "Ghost B.C." but never really gave them a listen until I happened to come across the "Secular Haze" video, which is still to this day my favorite song. After that video and song I went back to listen to the entire first two albums and was hooked. I also lucked out and got to see them live in late 2015 right after "Meliora" came out, just before all the lawsuits and band issues started happening. After that it's all been very hit and miss. "Square Hammer" was a good song. "Rats" is an okay song but other than that I thought the rest of the "Prequelle" album was shit. I still love and listen to the earlier music and I still have a couple of shirts from the earlier days but I don't think I'll give any care to any newer music.
I'm in 100% total agreement with him! Everything after Papa II is shit! Tobias jumped the shark and wrote music for 12 year old girls instead of his diehard fans. When I watched the "Rats" video, I knew it was over. Tobias is a hack who uses people then shits all over them. I jumped off the wagon when Papa III quit wearing the full outfits and became a vaudeville act.
I was a pretty big fan immediately when the Elizabeth single came out, and I got the first album when it came out. I was sold on the imagery and the sound (B.O.C./Mercyful Fate/Scooby Doo). But as they got more popular, I lost interest for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. Mostly because of the "Volbeat fan" thing. All that said, I'll forgive Tobias for not being able to play or remember his own riffs. It happens to the best of us, especially if we don't have to play them for a long time. I'm not saying he wrote everything, but I can see his argument that he wrote/recorded a lot of it and forgot how to play it, especially since his live role in the band is singing.
Its like how I like slipknot but not Corey taylor respectable to an extent in the beginning but then starts kicking people out and going to court over it
Good video. It's interesting to get the perspective of someone who was with a band from the very beginning...I can definitely see how the changes in the music and the themes would alienate an old-school listener. I only discovered Ghost a couple of years ago and devoured all of their albums and EPs over the space of a few months, so the changes weren't nearly as jarring to me, and I find most bands with a Satanic theme eye-rollingly edgy, so Ghost playing up the cheesy schlock amuses me a lot.
0:20 the pictures with big face and the hand gesture, were is that from? There is a shot in the music video for the song Timekiller by Project Pitchfork, were the leadsinger does the same, with holding his hands along side his head. Is it a reference to another band or movie? o_O
Ghost, Metallica and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Things that were so cool and fun and different. Then, all the cheerleaders and Giga Chads became super Ghost or Metallica fans or their dream was to be a UFC fighter. Kinda Took the coolness out of it all.
Agreed. I was hoping they would get darker and instead they got fluffier. I still like Ghost, but it’s more about liking what they were and still enjoying that. I miss Papa II.
I absolutely expected what you would say about them, i think tastes are just different. I actually like Ghosts Evolution a lot and i'm one of those people who think Prequelle was a far more better Album than Infestissumam. I do like their musical change a lot and i think it just fits pretty well, of course it's softer and more mainstream appealing but i really don't have a problem with that because the substance is there and the music is just great. Also that they're kinda making fun out of them, or just Tobias. It's just very subjectively, i listen to more heavier bands besides Ghosts but i don't have a problem with Ghost going into the softer direction. Of course if you have liked the more mysterious and dark style of them, it's very understandable that you don't like what they've become. I can also agree on your points with Tobias. And of course maybe my opinion would be different about them if the first album i have heard would have been Opus, because i became a fan after Meliora which is still my favourite album from them. I can't really relate to what you've said about the fanbase tho, but i'm not on facebook. The only contact i had with other Fans was either on Instagram Pages, RU-vid or in concert and i only had good experiences with them probably because i don't hate their new style. Maybe i can just appreciate in generell when Bands are changing their style. With Bring me the Horizon it's the same, nearly every Metalhead is hating on their new style, but i do like it. And that is probably because i'm just having a more versatile taste in music. I do listen to Pop & EDM aswell, i love music in generell. Obviously no genre for me felt so fitting to me like Metal, but i just was sick of my immature "Anti-Mainstream" opinion i always had with music. I've realized that music is meant for everyone and that i don't have to be ashamed just because my ears do enjoy some Mainstream Music. But thanks for your opinion and there's no reason to get mad at you because of your opinion. Now this is just my opinion, with the difference that nobody will care :D
The funny part is I feel the same way ghosts really went downhill since most of members left and the first Papa was the best that's just pretty mediocre now
I discovered ghost in late 2011 on a pandora Playlist. Death knell was the first thing I've heard. Loved it. Now I respect your opinion AJ I really do, you raise good points. I will state as an O.G Ghost fan, I'm still here. Do I think they are the same as the old days? Certainly not but I still enjoy the tunes. I still enjoy the lore, yeah maybe Tobias is a prick I couldn't say but that doesn't mean too much to me. Maybe one day it will go back to how it was, I won't hold my breath though. Point is, through good/bad times. Im still here with them and I appreciate your video showing us the other side of the coin
I'm kinda impartial to ghost at this point. I mean they exist, a lot of their songs are bangers, and they've done shitty things since they blew up. But, I couldn't care less about them at this point
I'm a huge fan of Ghost and I started listening to them in 2019, and I have to say that although I like some of the songs on Prequelle, their peak will always have been those demo tapes back from 2010. They lost their retro sound that made them special.
I've been a fan since the tail end of the first album and you're correct for the most part. (Maybe entirely but I can't speak for the fanbase cuz I'm not involved.) Breaking anonymity was the tipping point for me. Kicking the good members out, stealing the spotlight outright, and suing someone for using the word ghost when he was up in arms about being on the receiving end not long ago. I still kinda like the music but they've lost their charm, are steadily going down hill, and too much Tobias. I don't even give a fuck about the aesthetic anymore and the lore has just gotten fucking dumb. I don't fault you jumping ship as they have just outright changed in every way since the beginning.
I completely agree with you, with everything. I also absolutely loved Ghost, until I heard Rats. I can understand Popestar, without looking at the videos. But Prequelle sucks for me. I never saw them live, and unfortunately I only had the chance to do so after all the OG Ghouls left. Even so, I still love their first three albums, especially Opus Eponymous. I even sometimes watch old live performances, especially with Papa II. Even if Tobias turned out to be a bad person, this doesn't make their first 3 albums bad. I still enjoy them, but I just don't think about what came out after Meliora/Popestar. You know what is weirdest? I got hooked on Ghost around the time Martin left, but I still share your opinion. Also, MCC and Priest are good. I like those as well. Shame that Ghost went the direction it went...
