{"id":49557,"date":"2016-09-16T00:00:50","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T00:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=49557"},"modified":"2016-11-08T18:43:00","modified_gmt":"2016-11-08T18:43:00","slug":"album-review-ghost-popestar-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-ghost-popestar-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"GHOST – Popestar EP (2016) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

GHOST
Popestar EP<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSpinefarm (2016)<\/span>
Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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There may come a time in the not too distant future when Sweden\u2019s Ghost may be considered a tad too tepid to feature in Metal Forces<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Originally, it was the ghoulish costumes and eerie mix of Blue \u00d6yster Cult and Mercyful Fate \/ King Diamond which seemed to draw the attention. With each passing release however, I\u2019ve become less and less thrilled; unwilling to really take part in the Halloween festivities, and also finding myself rather tired of the music which I actually find rather predictable at times. And so with Popestar<\/em>, we have something a tad different; a five-track EP featuring four cover songs and one newbie in the form of \u2018Square Hammer\u2019.<\/p>\n

For me, \u2018Square Hammer\u2019 is a rather predictable late 60s \/ early 70s-style garage-a-go-go fest featuring spicy organ and the usual dramatics we\u2019ve come to expect from this team of nameless fiends. As usual, there\u2019s nothing weighty about the track; Ghost are a crew happy to float rather harmlessly into our psyche while their garments suggest something more sinister, and yet I just can\u2019t fall for it. Nevertheless, \u2018Square Hammer\u2019 is a nicely gothed-up light-rock tune which is infectious all the same.<\/p>\n

Next up, we get the first of the covers. \u2018Nocturnal Me\u2019 \u2013 originally recorded by British goth rock\u2019s Echo & The Bunnymen \u2013 is a half-decent foray which brings extra weight, but necessary sincerity to the original. For me, Papa Emeritus III lacks the genuine, rainy menace of Ian McCulloch but it’s still a joyous little dark ramble that fits well into Ghost\u2019s fiendish groove, and yet a mystery trip back to 1984 it most certainly isn\u2019t. Hopefully though, it will bring the Bunnymen some new fans.<\/p>\n

Next up, we have \u2018I Believe\u2019, a strange choice considering the original \u2013 recorded by Simian Mobile Disco \u2013 emerged in 2007, but again it works with that surreal introduction of trickling plucks and those haunting yet simplistic vocal floats. It doesn\u2019t stray too far away from the original which naturally has a dance groove to it, but both tracks are rather serene and peaceful.<\/p>\n

The track I was most dreading was Eurythmics\u2019 \u2018Missionary Man\u2019 from 1986, however, but Ghost add an extra trudge \u2013 even if I was expecting Papa to break into strains of Cameo\u2019s \u2018Word Up\u2019! <\/p>\n

The Swedes stay in the 80s with a cover of \u2018Bible\u2019 from fellow countrymen Imperiet; the original being a slow-building, U2-esque soulful, if rather mournful, ballad. Ghost stay rather true to this tune, not once giving in to the lure of the sinister, but in turn this makes me wonder if Ghost may eventually give in to all-out commercialism in their quest for world domination. After all, for how much longer can they go on churning out lukewarm horror rock?<\/p>\n

Popestar<\/em> actually makes a nice break from the norm and showcases the diversity of the band, but those expecting another trip into ghoulish avenues may be disappointed. There\u2019s no denying their talent, and this EP provides an entertaining stop-gap until the next album.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GHOSTPopestar EP Spinefarm (2016)Rating: 7.5\/10 There may come a time in the not too distant future when Sweden\u2019s Ghost may be considered a tad too tepid to feature in Metal Forces. Originally, it was the ghoulish costumes and eerie mix of Blue \u00d6yster Cult and Mercyful Fate \/ King Diamond which seemed to draw the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ghost"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49557"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49560,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49557\/revisions\/49560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}