{"id":29458,"date":"2013-05-06T12:22:58","date_gmt":"2013-05-06T17:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=29458"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:35:46","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:35:46","slug":"ghost-b-c-infestissumam-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/ghost-b-c-infestissumam-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghost B.C. | Infestissumam<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist\/News Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Ghost\"After months of speculation, controversy and sheer hype, we finally have the new album from Swedish band Ghost \u2013 or Ghost B.C. as they\u2019re calling themselves in the U.S. Ghost, of course, made a huge splash with their 2011 debut Opus Eponymous<\/em>, and since its release their buzz has only increased, leading to a reported seven-figure deal on a major label. Naturally, expectations were very high going into their sophomore album, which is titled Infestissumam<\/em>. Fans of the debut weren\u2019t exactly put at ease when the first single \u2013 \u201cSecular Haze\u201d was released. It\u2019s heavy use of circus-like organ seemed like a huge departure from the simple, catchy retro metal of the debut. Well, if \u201cSecular Haze\u201d threw fans for a loop, the rest of Infestissumam<\/em> will definitely have some jaws dropping.<\/p>\n

The formula for Opus Eponymous was simple \u2013 retro sounding heavy metal that sounded more or less like King Diamond writing lyrics for a Blue Oyster Cult album (with a bit of Angel Witch-y NWOBHM for good measure). The easiest thing for Ghost to do here is serve up another 8-9 catchy Satanic rockers to satisfy their fans. Instead, the band reached even further back into \u201870s prog and even \u201860s rock for an album that is both catchy and complex, and for all its Satanic trappings is a layered, progressive and perhaps even artistically brilliant work.<\/p>\n

Opus Eponymous<\/em> was effective for a reason, and Ghost hasn\u2019t forgotten that here. Infestissumam<\/em> still has a handful of catchy heavy metal songs like \u201cJigolo Har Megiddo,\u201d \u201cDepth of Satan\u2019s Eyes\u201d and especially \u201cYear Zero\u201d that should satisfy the way \u201cSatan Prayer\u201d and \u201cDeath Knell\u201d did. It\u2019s songs like the gloriously morbid King Diamond does King Crimson \u201cGhuleh\/Zombie Queen\u201d and the epic \u201cThe Monstrance Clock,\u201d with its Summer of Love turned Summer of Satan vibe, that show just how creative this band really is behind the robes and makeup. You hear it just as clearly on \u201cBody and Blood,\u201d which has a strong Kinks sound, and the bouncy \u201cIdolatrine,\u201d which for all its dark lyrical focus has the kind of vocal harmonies and guitar tone you\u2019d expect from a vintage Beach Boys tune.<\/p>\n

Now if you just read that and thought \u201cwhy the hell do I want to hear Ghost sounding like the Kinks or the Beach Boys,\u201d that\u2019s totally understandable. If you just want another Opus Eponymous, you\u2019re not going to get that here. Even the most jaded listener is going to be won over by Infestissumam<\/em> though. This is the kind of album that shocks you on the first spin, but definitely gets its hooks into you, and with each listen you hear something new and eventually realize that the album is nothing short of a triumph. All of the album\u2019s disparate elements come together brilliantly in the end, and while you\u2019ll no doubt have your favorite songs, like the debut Infestissumam<\/em> works best as a complete experience.<\/p>\n

There will no doubt be fans who just can\u2019t get into what Ghost is doing here, and there will be skeptics who question whether the band is worth the hype (or the money) they receive. They\u2019re going to be the minority though, as Infestissumam<\/em> is every bit as mesmerizing and memorable \u2013 albeit in a very different way \u2013 as its predecessor. It is, quite simply, the most amazing album 2013 has to offer so far.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: There are several versions of Infestissumam<\/em> available. The basic CD comes in a flimsy digipack, while the deluxe edition comes in a jewel case with full booklet and two bonus tracks \u2013 \u201cLa Mantra Mori\u201d and a very creepy cover of Abba\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m a Marionette.\u201d The standard LP edition is on red vinyl, while the European version has a deluxe gatefold packaging.<\/p>\n

Genre: Heavy Metal, Occult Rock, Progressive Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nPapa Emeritus II and a Group of Nameless Ghouls<\/p>\n

Track Listing<\/p>\n

1.\tInfestissumam
\n2.\tPer Aspera Ad Inferi
\n3.\tSecular Haze
\n4.\tJigolo Har Megiddo
\n5.\tGhuleh\/Zombie Queen
\n6.\tYear Zero
\n7.\tBody and Blood
\n8.\tIdolatrine
\n9.\tDepth of Satan\u2019s Eyes
\n10.\tMonstrance Clock<\/p>\n

Label: Republic<\/p>\n

Website: www.ghost-official.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 10\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Senior Columnist\/News Editor — After months of speculation, controversy and sheer hype, we finally have the new album from Swedish band Ghost \u2013 or Ghost B.C. as they\u2019re calling themselves in […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":29459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,1845,7508,2491,3456,7511,334],"class_list":{"0":"post-29458","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd","9":"tag-ghost","10":"tag-ghost-b-c","11":"tag-heavy-metal","12":"tag-progressive-rock","13":"tag-republic","14":"tag-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}