Review Summary: Your Zenith fades into eternity.
The term "Meliora" is a Latin phrase that means, "in pursuit of something better". And from the moment the opening organs, drum rolls, stop-start guitars and Tobias Forge's voice sounding a little more evil than usual roll out of the speaker, it's immediately clear that this is exactly what Forge himself has in mind for Ghost. The first of three releases to make up the "Papa Emeritus III" cycle,
Meliora has the listener in Tobias' grip from the word "go", but even moreso, Papa III's equally seductive and commanding vocal presence makes damn sure you're kneeling before his infernal altar, as he sings, "
Let none of this earth inherit/This vision of my spirit". It's one hell of a momentuous way to begin an album complete; with wacky and wonderful keyboard licks, delicious guitar riffs, and one incredibly demanding drum performance that makes sure your attention is held from start to finish of its 5-minute duration.
I could probably just leave this review at that opening paragraph, because it sums up the listening experience of
Meliora to a T, but it's worth noting as well that, although this is the album that put Ghost on the map, it was no small miracle that it did. Coming just two years after
Infestissumam, Forge's ever-revolving door of studio musicians only included one solid guitarist: Martin "Omega" Persner, who is to date the only Nameless Ghoul to make songwriting contributions, and a drummer whose identity has still not been revealed yet, and has only played on the studio recordings. This album was the first to feature live favourite Simon "Alpha" Soderberg, but unlike the pressured-yet-professional process that made up
Infestissumam, Soderberg's relaxed and jam-based style clashed greatly with Forge's insistence on following the musical directions given by both Forge and Soderberg, and the other "new ghouls" to join weren't much better, leading Forge to infamously refer to the recording process in interviews as "a lavish and stupid procedure". The impressive thing is, the musicianship on
Meliora is so tight and atmospheric that it's impossible to even tell.
Ghost don't exactly re-invent themselves on
Meliora, not that they ever really needed to. But that's not to say, either that this is a "business as usual" affair. While this album does more or less continue the sound that has already been established with fan-favourite jams such as "Ritual" and "Year Zero",
Meliora sees Ghost taking their more retro-inspired sound in a bit more of a modern direction. Second track "From the Pinnacle to the Pit" is probably the best showcase of this, with its driving and intense bassline being the comanding force of the song, intense and heavy mid-tempo riffs following the lead with one palpable sense of stomp, and Forge's sinister voice making this the perfect song to blast in your car. Other songs that follow this fine example include the Alice Cooper-esque "Cirice", to date one of the band's biggest hits (and for good reason too), the crushingly heavy yet stupidly catchy "Mummy Dust", and the mid-tempo muscular riff-driven "Majesty". It isn't hard to see why "Cirice" is as big a hit as it's become; its opening guitar intro with hints of banjo (yes, banjo), doomy keyboards, and a gradual building intensity explodes into a deliciously evil yet gloriously catchy main riff, with Forge grabbing us by the neck with the words "
I feel your presence amongst us/You cannot hide in the darkness.". The song alternates effortlessly between heavy and doomy verses and soft, atmospheric choruses, and even sees one of Forge's best vocal performances, with one hell of an earned high chest voice note near the end. "Mummy Dust", teased in-character by Forge at concerts as a "heavy motherfucker" and more recently, a song that will "wobble your asses and tickle your taints", is heavy, driving and anthemic right out the gate with a simple riff that leads into evil, whispered verses from Forge, and one gloriously ominous chorus. Possibly the highlight performance here comes from the keyboards, with a face-melting key-tar solo followed by an integration of a Bach musical motif in the third verse adding to one beautifully dark atmosphere. And that's to say nothing of "Majesty", which balaces stompy verses with beautiful choruses, hopeless lyrics about how easy people fall into religion when the end times sneak up on them, and one earned outro chat of "Your Infernal Majesty".
That's not to say that there aren't'
Opvs Eponymvs style breaks to the band's "business as usual sound. "He Is" is an absolutely beautiful ballad, dedicated to the late Selim Lemouchi, that takes cues from "Year Zero" but blends it in with a folky sound. It's hardly a wonder this is a song that has resonated so well with many Ghost fans, emotionally and spiritually. Its opening folksy riff, complimented with Forge setting the scene about "two star crossed lovers reaching out, to the beast with many names" make sure that this song won't just be seen as "the ballad" of the album. Elsewhere, "Absolution" blends "Year Zero" style heaviness, catchiness and ominousness with The Who-style bombast, full of soaring vocal melodies, catchy riffs and a middle section that makes for an excellent release after so many minutes of a building tension. And ending the album is "Deus in Absentia", a sorrowful lament at the absence of god during the end of the world, whose real highlight is an outro where a choir clearly begs out for God to save them in the midst of all this chaos, only to sorrowfully accept that they're doomed, and God has left the building. It's one haunting way to end a dark and masteful album. But if you want more, seek out Swedish Vinyl exclusive bonus track "Zenith". Considered by fans, and rightly so, to be Martin Persner's masterpiece, "Zenith" shows Ghost at their most Blue Oyster Cult, led by guitars vaguely reminiscent of "Don't Fear the Reaper" and a sorrowful piano over a catchy beat. The haunting choirs make a return during this tune, especially their chant during the song's bridge, and how they Â*Â*Â*Â*compliment Forge's declaration to the listener that "
Winds come on strong/So they do not come unleashed/You're set free". After this final chorus, a music box helps bring the song to a quietly beautiful close, and if this was the real final track on the album, though "Deus" already made a great case for itself, I would not complain at all.
There are bands that seem determined to blow all their best ideas on one album, but if the exellent following album
Prequelle is any indication, Ghost will not be one of those bands. It's almost supernatural how Forge is able to translate ideas that should be retrograde into refreshingly modern ones that make for some of the catchiest hard rock and heavy metal that any band has to offer nowadays, and sure, while you may be able to debate that any of the band's three following albums are "better", per se, there's a reason that
Meliora is the album that made sure Ghost is a force to be reckoned with:
Because it's that fucking good. Any doubts about Ghost's longevity, and by extension, the longevity of their gimmick were cast aside after this album's release, and the band's insistence on moving forward with their sound while still keeping its old school lustre and upping the production value is what makes albums like
Meliora exactly the kind of rock and roll that we all need.
