Ghost stay on their ’80s voyage – review of the latest offering “Skeletá”

The evergrowing Swedish rock band Ghost releases their sixth album “Skeletá” today. As the band’s popularity has grown, their sound has evolved with each album into a more “accessible” direction, and “Skeletá” continues quite strongly along the ‘80s-influenced path familiar from “Impera”. The influences of Scorpions, Def Leppard, KISS, and Ozzy are unmistakable. However, there are also echoes—if only slightly—of the band’s earlier material. The themes of this album are more relatable this time around, focusing on oneself, humanity and emotions that drive us. The cover art is once again done by Zbigniew M. Bielak, and Opeth’s Fredrik Åkesson returns on guitar.

As with previous albums, “Skeletá” opens with a track clearly written as a concert opener. Even if you didn’t know that, you’d likely sense it from the choir-backed beginning of “Peacefield,” which then proceeds in a Journey-esque fashion. The strong ’80s vibes of the album are immediately evident. The second track is “Lachryma,” which was also released as a single. It hadn’t been released yet when I first heard it, but after a promising intro that somewhat channels “Meliora”, the chorus veers a bit too much into pop territory for my taste.

The third track, “Satanized,” was the album’s first single. This catchy track includes some elements reminiscent of Ghost’s earlier material, and the music video even gave us a glimpse of the band’s live lineup. The melancholic ballad “Guiding Lights” offers something rare for Ghost – Tobias Forge’s vocals without backing layers or effects. This would be interesting to hear live, especially now that Forge performs without the restrictive mask. The album then shifts back to rock territory with the whirlwind of “De Profundis Borealis,” which draws inspiration from the freezing blizzards of the north. “Cenotaph,” for some reason, didn’t really stick with me after a few listens, though there’s nothing particularly wrong with it—it sounds like it could be leftovers from “Impera”.

Forge described “Missilia Amori” as a stereotypical ‘80s stripper pole song, so I expected the lyrics to follow Ghost’s usual carnal tones. If someone told me it was a cover of a long-lost KISS song, I might have believed it. The very catchy “Marks of the Evil One” contains a message that somewhat mirrors the themes of “Rats.” This one got stuck in my head, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in the live set. “Umbra” became my favorite track of the album on the first listen. The lyrics about coitus in a Christian sanctuary could easily fit on the “Infestissumam” album. The track has also made its way into the band’s ongoing world tour setlist. The album closes with a bittersweet farewell song “Excelsis,” which unfortunately lacks that “certain something.” It’s a rather flat ending, and I wouldn’t have minded if they had let “Umbra” close the album instead, ending things on a higher note.

As is often the case with Ghost’s records, “Skeletá” requires a few listens to fully open up. There’s no obvious hit track on the album. In my opinion, it’s a bit stronger than its predecessor, not least because it includes at least a few elements of the band’s earlier work, but also because it’s not quite as generic or “safe” as I felt “Impera” was. Interestingly, there are no instrumental tracks this time around—but maybe it doesn’t really need any. I’m looking forward to the band’s upcoming concert in Tampere to see how some of these fresh tracks work live, as I tend to enjoy Ghost’s material more in a live setting.