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/:: Artist :: Ghost ::\
:: Album :: Infestissumam ::
:: Year :: 2013 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Rock Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Universal Sweden R.date :: 12.04.2013 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: 3731913 Size :: 91,2 MB __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 268kbps : .
. Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo .
. .
Website :: http://www.infestissumam.com/
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. Infestissumam 01:42 ::
:: 02. Per Aspera Ad Inferi 04:09 ::
:: 03. Secular Haze 05:11 ::
:: 04. Jigolo Har Megiddo 03:59 ::
:: 05. Ghuleh / Zombie Queen 07:29 ::
:: 06. Year Zero 05:50 ::
:: 07. Body and Blood 03:43 ::
:: 08. Idolatrine 04:24 ::
:: 09. Depth of Satan's Eyes 05:26 ::
:: 10. Monstrance Clock 05:53 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 47:46 min ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Long before Papa Emeritus II and his Nameless Ghouls ::
:: stepped foot into a recording studio to create their second ::
:: full length record, Infestissumam, the band now legally ::
:: known as Ghost B.C. in the United States of America was ::
:: stuck between a rock and a hard place. Released on the ::
:: small UK label Rise Above, the band's debut album Opus ::
:: Eponymous managed to achieve pure sonic perfection on a ::
:: shoestring budget. Thanks in part to great word of mouth ::
:: from both fans and beloved musicians including James ::
:: Hetfield, Chino Moreno, and Dave Grohl (and not to mention ::
:: an incredible live show); Ghost went from small underground ::
:: rockers to a certified worldwide phenomenon that sings the ::
:: praises of Satan virtually overnight. So how exactly does ::
:: one follow up perfection straight out of the gate? In the ::
:: case of Ghost, you risk your extremely loyal and devoted ::
:: fan base by recording ten over-produced pop rock gems and ::
:: aiming for mainstream glory. ::
:: ::
:: The second full ritual from Ghost kicks off much as one ::
:: would expect. A short track that shares its name with the ::
:: album's title features a beautiful choral arrangement sung ::
:: in Latin before the Nameless Ghouls add their hard hitting ::
:: backing beats of thunderous drums and soaring guitars to ::
:: the mix. Infestissumam blends effortlessly into Per Aspera ::
:: ad Inferi as Papa Emeritus II intertwines Latin and English ::
:: lyrics as any man of the cloth would in front of his ::
:: congregation of loyal follows. Yet unlike your typical ::
:: Catholic Church, no children were harmed from the marvelous ::
:: vocal performance on Per Aspera ad Inferi. ::
:: ::
:: The album takes an unexpected left turn with the carnival ::
:: madness of Secular Haze. Released all the way back in ::
:: December, the swaying track was the first warning sign of ::
:: what Ghost could be with major label cash behind them. The ::
:: song is a massive undertaking with each riff or organ key ::
:: stroke calculated to penetrate the simple minded masses. ::
:: While this was the moment many metal fans began the ::
:: inevitable backlash against Ghost, Secular Haze has already ::
:: succeeded in being the highly sought after crossover hit ::
:: that major labels failed to find with the likes of Lamb of ::
:: God, Mastodon and Shadows Fall. ::
:: ::
:: Moving right along, Jigolo Har Megiddo sounds like ::
:: something you would hear on a FM classic rock station. ::
:: Where Ghost has drawn plenty of comparison to Blue ╓yster ::
:: Cult in the past, Jigolo Har Megiddo sounds like a long ::
:: lost recording from the first Boston record. The organ is ::
:: absolutely perfect much like that debut Boston record and ::
:: it truly makes the song that comes just before the band ::
:: takes flight for the most ambitious track in their brief ::
:: career. ::
:: ::
:: Ghuleh / Zombie Queen truly is two unique songs glued ::
:: together. Ghuleh features a simple, beautiful piano melody ::
:: as Papa sings softly of a succubus rising from the dark. ::
:: For a brief moment, Ghuleh sounds more like a mediocre ::
:: Disney musical number from Phil Collins or Elton John then ::
:: something you would expect from one of the most highly ::
:: anticipated heavy metal albums of 2013. Then out of ::
:: nowhere, the track jumps up and bites you in the ass during ::
:: the transformation to Zombie Queen. It's a shame Annette ::
:: Funicello died less than 24 hours before the full stream of ::
:: Infestissumam was unleashed upon the masses as she would ::
:: have enjoyed the surf rock aspects of the song. Oh well, ::
:: she will get to hear plenty of big church choir vocal ::
:: styling's much like the ones on Zombie Queen now that she ::
:: has gone on to heaven. ::
:: ::
:: It's rare in this day and age for an early album single to ::
:: be the high water mark of any particular album, yet Year ::
:: Zero is exactly that. Able to send chills up the spine of ::
:: even the most hardcore of heavy metal fans with a haunting ::
:: opening praising all things Lucifer; Year Zero is the lone ::
:: track where Ghost manages to blend the melodies and that ::
:: charming praise of Satan found on Opus Eponymous with a big ::
:: budget recording studio blessed to them by the fine folks ::
:: at Loma Vista Recordings. Year Zero is as melodic as any of ::
:: these water downed folk rock acts that choke modern rock ::
:: radio, yet scary enough to send conservative red state ::
:: parents into a fit of rage if any corporate rock radio ::
:: programmer dared spin it upon the dying format known as FM ::
:: radio. If the goal of Ghost is to bring the message of ::
:: Satan to the masses via highly melodic music, then the band ::
:: truly hit it out of the park with Year Zero. ::
:: ::
:: For those who have always felt as if there are not enough ::
:: songs about communion in popular music, fear not because ::
:: Ghost has that covered. Body and Blood pays sarcastic ::
:: tribute to the cannibalistic Christian ritual that so many ::
:: take so damn seriously. Close your eyes and it's not hard ::
:: to imagine one of the Jonas Brothers or any other pop act ::
:: crooning the lyrics His body and blood serving messiah. Do ::
:: not be shocked by the man behind the curtain, this is a pop ::
:: song tried and true and much like most songs by Ghost, will ::
:: be stuck in your head the next time you find yourself ::
:: choking down cheap wine and stale crackers on a Sunday ::
:: morning. ::
:: ::
:: Infestissumam finishes strong with the 1-2 punch of Depth ::
:: of Satan's Eyes and Monstrance Clock. Depth of Satan's Eyes ::
:: features arguably the heaviest guitar riffs found upon the ::
:: album. While it starts out of a rowdy bang, by the time you ::
:: reach the chorus, Papa Emeritus II has you hypnotized to ::
:: the majesty of Satan with melodies that would make Bruno ::
:: Mars jealous. ::
:: ::
:: With a vast musical landscape now in the rearview mirror, ::
:: Ghost wrap Infestissumam with the final bang known as ::
:: Monstrance Clock. Once again the Nameless Ghouls serve as ::
:: the perfect backdrop for Papa Emeritus II's comforting ::
:: vocals. One should not feel at ease when a man covered in ::
:: dark robes invites you to Come Together For Lucifer's Son, ::
:: yet you can't help but melt into a hypnotic state as the ::
:: song slowly builds and breaks repeatedly for the final six ::
:: minutes of the album. ::
:: ::
:: While there are indeed some strong moments on ::
:: Infestissumam, Ghost has put themselves in an extremely ::
:: difficult situation. The fact is most of the songs on the ::
:: album lack the initial charm and simplicity that fans fell ::
:: in love with on Opus Eponymous. In its place are songs that ::
:: are designed to expand on their rabid metal fan base while ::
:: appealing to the simple minded mainstream masses. While it ::
:: is understandable why Ghost would jump from the independent ::
:: world to the big leagues, the band may very well be a ::
:: victim of too much too fast. It is safe to assume that many ::
:: metal fans will hate this album as it reaches too far into ::
:: the mainstream as it fails to feature enough of what made ::
:: us rant and rave about these mysterious men in the first ::
:: place. For mainstream America, the shocking imagery and ::
:: highly Satanic message of Ghost will most likely be far too ::
:: scary for those who feast on pathetic rock acts like Hinder ::
:: and Nickleback. Even if one of these songs make the leap to ::
:: mainstream radio, there is a very strong possibility that ::
:: Ghost will end up caricatures of themselves before coming ::
:: painfully irrelevant like Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie ::
:: before them. Infestissumam is no doubt a solid rock record, ::
:: yet with the bar set impossibly high as the it metal band ::
:: of 2013, not even Satan could save Ghost from the ::
:: inevitable sophomore slump. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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