When Swedish metal veteran Tobias Forge first birthed the idea of Ghost back in 2006, it would probably go without saying he had no idea about the sort of future that lay ahead of him.
Though it was indeed 16 year ago that the seeds of Ghost were first sewn, it wasn’t until 2010 that Forge had amassed his group of Nameless Ghouls to record and release ‘Elizabeth’, the debut single from their first album, Opus Eponymous.
But it was this very action that kickstarted a chain of events that would soon see Ghost rise through the ranks to become one of the world’s most exciting and commanding metal outfits.
Finding widespread success as the decade continued, it was hard to go anywhere without seeing Ghost receive increasing acclaim. Their next three records topped the charts in their native Sweden, the latter two hit the US top ten, 2016’s ‘Cirice’ scored them a Grammy for Best Rock Performance, and all the while, they were performing unmissable live shows.
Thanks in part to their iconic theatrics, masks and personas (Forge himself would adopt a number of monikers, including the most famous, Papa Emeritus), widespread mystery (was Dave Grohl secretly a member?), and high energy, high-intensity live shows, it made perfect sense that Ghost soon became regarded as one of the century’s most important bands.
In early 2020, Ghost found themselves in something of an enviable position, having wrapped up their latest touring cycle (and introducing Papa Emeritus IV as their latest frontman) just weeks before the global pandemic shut things down for almost every facet of the music industry.
Check out Ghost’s ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’:
Hitting the studio a few months later, Ghost began the sessions for what would become their fifth album, eventually sharing the first taste of their work by way of ‘Hunter’s Moon’, which featured on the soundtrack to Halloween Kills.
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It wasn’t long though before it was revealed that the band would unleash Impera in March of 2022. Preceded by singles such as ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ and ‘Twenties’, it soon became clear that this was on track to be one of the group’s most exciting works to date.
In true fashion, Impera is a record that sees Ghost referencing their myriad musical influences as they forge ahead and break new ground by way of an album that is arguably their most accessible so far. Brutal, crushing riffs are paired with arena-ready vocals to help create a record that is as equally true to their hard-rocking origins, while still remaining as progressive and forward-thinking as ever.
As always, the group’s blistering sound is paired with their usual form of subject matter, with the 12-song cycle features lyrics of the rise and fall of empires, prophecies of the skies filling with celestial bodies both divine and man-made, and the self-promoted hype of man-made messiahs around the world. If it all feels as though it hits a bit too close to home, well, then it’s probably because that’s exactly what you get when Ghost fire on all cylinders.
Check out ‘Twenties’ by Ghost:
While Impera might be one of Ghost’s best releases in their already-storied career, it remains to be seen just when we might get a chance to rock out to it in person. Having last visited the country in support of their Prequelle album at the 2019 Download Festival, Ghost are in the midst of a US tour, which will then see them head along to the UK and Europe soon after.
Will they make their way down to Australia soon after? It might be too early to tell, but at least we’ve got one of their best records to date to help tide us over in the meantime.
Ghost’s Impera is out now.
