RETRO REVIEW: Ghost - Meliora
Ten years ago today, Ghost brought metal to the masses.
There’s a barrier to entry to metal that seems impossible to penetrate for your average listener. So leave it to a bunch of goofballs in masks and cloaks, with the ringleader impersonating an evil Pope, to break down the big metal wall for the masses. Meliora, the masterful third album from the now-iconic Swedish outfit, was released a decade ago today, and it has aged like the finest of wines since. Progressing past their simple Satanic origins, Tobias Forge (as Papa Emeritus III) and company brought together a maelstrom of not just traditional metal, but that of glam metal, hard rock, opera, hymnals and more to tell the story of a world without God.
To rise above the doldrums of singing about the devil, Forge and friends made the important acknowledgement (without ever directly saying) that their subject matter is inherently silly. It’s even sillier when you’re dressed up in Halloween costumes doing so. But despite the ridiculousness of the concept, the buy-in is what makes Meliora soar. The opening synth keys on “Spirit” don’t do anything to dispel the notion that Ghost’s music is souped up Scooby-Doo chase music; rather, it leans into it harder. It makes for a cheesy opening that slowly morphs into a wildly raucous opener with crunchy riffs and thunderous percussion. Those are hallmarks of any great metal album, and when combined with synth passages that could soundtrack a 1950’s sci-fi film, it makes for something wholly unique.
Meliora is the transitional moment from when Ghost moved towards a more popular style of rock/metal, something that irks metal fans to this day. But how can one hear a song like “From The Pinnacle To The Pit” and be turned off? Tobias Forge was born to sings songs like this; his nasally deliver that slides between snarling and soaring is engaging in a way no other metal frontman was (and is). With some of the gnarliest drums on the record backing him, Forge’s nails some damn catchy choruses that promise of a fall from grace. His lyricism across Meliora leans into the silliness of the concept, but never does he waver in his dedication to presenting this dark, dark world.
“Cirice” has become a concert staple for the group and for good reason. Nowhere else across their entire discography will you find Ghost’s powers this strong. The track builds around monstrous guitars that descend as Forge’s voice rises. Drums crash around cries of “I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart/I can see through the scars inside you”; he’s like a pentecostal preacher for dark forces. The guitar solo at the song’s first peak is an emotional roller coaster, only matched by the heights Forge reaches vocally at the song’s climax. Few metal acts have the gall to attempt something like this, let alone nail it. Even fewer have the hutzpah to write a hymnal for the devil and make it work. “He Is” is a genuinely beautiful track that’d be sung in pews everywhere in a world without God; acoustic guitars unfold as Forge sings about star-crossed lovers meant to be at the end of the world. The total melodrama is delicious when done this well, and to this day I’ve never heard another track like it.
If if all sounds absurd, it is. But the musical acumen displayed across Meliora makes “Mummy Dust”, a track with a freaking keytar solo at its heart, must-listen. It leans back into the heaviness in a pummeling way, leaving no room to breath and no need to. It’s clear Forge and the Unnamed Ghouls that back him appreciated what came before while continuing to separate themselves from the pack. Even “Majesty”, the album’s most straightforward rock song, becomes a glorious mixture of old and new with a main riff that turns boys into men. Forge’s mastery of melody sets much of these songs apart, both instrumentally and vocally. His clear voice is easy to follow along, and the ludicrous dedication to his craft makes him a magnetic showman.
“Absolution” is the album’s true ending, and I’ve always felt the signature guitar solo (preceded by more b-movie synths) would be fitting of Godzilla fighting King Kong. If you can get past lines like “Ever since you were been born, you’ve been dying” (as dumb as the record gets), you’ll find a track as climactic as it gets. A simple command of “Put your hands up and reach for the sky/Cry for absolution” is enough to get me in line when performed so thunderously. “Deus in Absentia” is the cooldown after the world ends on “Absolution”, with haunting choral vocals outroing the record that could be performed in a destroyed church after an apocalypse.
Is it a little weird to sit here and re-listen to Meliora and think of Taylor Swift’s Red as a comparison? Like how Taylor’s 4th album is the pitch-perfect combination of her country roots and her pop intentions, Meliora finds itself at the perfect midpoint of Ghost’s early metal origins and their pop future. It’s got the perfect amount of heaviness with the perfect amount of catchiness, wrapped around a ridiculous concept given life by a frontman willing to give himself into whatever crazy rabbit hole he could wander down. Forge wasn’t married to the pop formula at this point, and it resulted in some of the most incredible metal tracks of the 2010’s. It’s certainly still as celebrated in the metal world as Red is in the pop world, and if not part of any Eras Tour, it’s the starting point to Ghost’s eventual and continued popularity.
Verdict: 9.3/10
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