<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0My poor mother must have had worried what exactly we were up to. \u00a0The Twig decided to learn Hoyt Axton\u2019s song <\/span>The Pusher<\/span><\/i> off the eponymous first album by Steppenwolf. \u00a0With us practicing in the basement at our normal volume (loud), there is no possible way she could have missed Mike singing the chorus. \u00a0If you haven\u2019t heard the song, suffice to say that it had a simple, no nonsense message: \u201c<\/span>&*^ \u00a0@%$# the pusher man<\/span><\/i>\u201d. \u00a0When she asked me about a lyric that I am sure had offended more than a few parents, I danced around it a little by explaining that, \u201cIt is an anti-drug song\u201d (a \u201cpusher\u201d being one who sells illegal drugs) and that \u201cIt is being played on the radio.\u201d \u00a0What I didn\u2019t say that it was probably being played on college FM radio stations that were a little less strict than AM stations at the time, but she wasn\u2019t buying what I was selling. \u201cI don\u2019t like it and I don\u2019t want to hear it in my basement again.\u201d \u00a0I made a mental note that she didn\u2019t say, \u201cNever play it again,\u201d and further concluded that she would really worry if she knew that we were listening to the earliest Black Sabbath LPs with an ear toward learning a song or two from them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Black Sabbath was always an interesting band because as a male teenage band member, they pushed all the right buttons. \u00a0Aggressive music with crunching chords, heavy riffs, bass and drums pounding away and a unique lead singer who made their music work. \u00a0What I never understood was the whole \u2018anti-Christ, Dark Prince (one of singer Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s many nicknames)\u2019 schtick. It was their prime marketing tool and it did upset some folks, but maybe that was the whole intent: \u00a0to attract attention. Yes, they were one of the originators of the whole heavy metal genre of music, but I don\u2019t recall anyone really taking the \u2018dark\u2019 thing very seriously. They began as a more traditional blues band called Earth. \u00a0John Osbourne (\u2018Ozzy\u2019 came later) originally gained admittance to the band because he had a P.A., not because he wrote sinister lyrics. No doubt the imagery and song titles (<\/span>Black Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, War Pigs<\/span><\/i> as examples) were disturbing to some and in a move to stand out from every other band, they adopted their name from the title of one of the first songs they wrote, <\/span>Black Sabbath. \u00a0<\/span><\/i>Okay, I never blasted Sabbath on the stereo when my mom and dad were home, but I never felt like listening to or learning songs by Black Sabbath put me on the hot rails to you-know-where. \u00a0Most of this history lesson is now moot as Sabbath has called it a day as a touring band. Perhaps you are now wondering why the title of this FTV is \u201cGhost\u201d and not \u201cBlack Sabbath.\u201d Let me explain.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I find that musical trends are cyclical. \u00a0The music that was once old is new again. Take the genre referred to as \u2018Rockabilly\u2019. \u00a0The earliest days of rock and roll were populated by many bands playing an early form of Rockabilly music. \u00a0Even Chuck Berry wrote a lot of songs leaning in this direction. Some years (or decades) passed and suddenly the airwaves were assaulted by The Stray Cats with their stripped down instrumentation and greased up hair playing Rockabilly (again). \u00a0The rumour about the end of Sabbath arrived about the same time I heard the band Ghost and my first thought was, \u201cWell, there is a band who might fill the void that Black Sabbath will leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Originating in Sweden, Ghost was marketed on this side of the pond as \u2018Ghost BC\u2019 for a while due to some glitch in the way band names are registered in Europe and in the USA. \u00a0When they became a little more well known, the \u2018BC\u2019 vanished but their carefully honed image did not. They didn\u2019t exactly copy the Black Sabbath template, but they certainly used it as a foundation for their own carefully crafted image. \u00a0Only recently has it been revealed that the whole affair has been orchestrated by one Tobias Forge. This information only came out because he was brought to court by some of the former musicians who felt they were not being compensated enough for their contributions to the band\u2019s growing popularity. \u00a0Forge says they were brought in only as sideman, but let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0First, let us look at their image. \u00a0The initial version of Ghost I saw featured a lead singer who looked to be going to a Halloween Ball dressed as the Pope, mitre, staff and all. \u00a0Upon closer inspection, he turned out to look more like an anti-Pope with his ghostly face makeup, black garb and upside down crucifix motifs on display. \u00a0On the first album, the singer was called Pappa Emeritus but he was then replaced by Papa Emeritus II on the second album. Papa III emerged for Ghost\u2019s third offering , 2015s <\/span>Meliora. \u00a0<\/span><\/i>The backstory for each album told how the \u2018succession\u2019 of each Papa had occurred, but make no doubt about it, each one was Tobias Forge sporting prosthetic makeup and ghostly face paint. \u00a0Keeping one step ahead of his growing fan base, Forge concocted yet another persona for their 2018 release <\/span>Prequelle. \u00a0<\/span><\/i>Shedding the Pope-like garb, he now dresses more like a black Cardinal and calls this version of himself Cardinal Copia. \u00a0Forge was very happy with his anonymity before his former bandmates (or sidemen or hired guns – you can decide) sued him in a royalty dispute. \u00a0Now he is content to tell his side of the story while still jealously guarding his privacy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Speaking of the sidemen, they were only credited as \u2018Nameless Ghouls\u2019. \u00a0On the first EP (<\/span>If You Have Ghost<\/span><\/i>), they sported long hooded robes with their faces obscured by a black veil that made them resemble Grim Reapers toting guitars, keyboards, and drums. \u00a0By <\/span>Meloria, <\/span><\/i>\u00a0the robes had given way to black pants and shirt outfits with the Nameless Ghoul\u2019s faces now covered by golden masks sprouting devilish horns. \u00a0During interviews conducted with Nameless Ghouls, they never revealed their true identities leading some to now believe that at times, they may have been interviewing Forge himself. \u00a0I had seen a video of Papa III (minus his mitre but still in the black garb and face paint) and a guitarist Ghoul giving a short acoustic concert at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. With the songs stripped down to this bare bones level, it was interesting to listen to the music with much less production, but his accent seemed to be more than a bit contrived on this occasion. \u00a0At least in this instance, there was a Nameless Ghoul taking part in the interview next to Papa III\/Forge, yet it was clear who was steering the ship.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What about the music, you ask? \u00a0Hint number one: Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) produced and played on Ghost\u2019s first EP. \u00a0Hint number two: The Foos, Iron Maiden, and Metallica have become fans and taken Ghost out on tour as an opening act. \u00a0Watching Ghost manhandle 200,000 fans at Rock in Rio says, \u201cYes, they can play live and produce music that fans react to.\u201d \u00a0Their single <\/span>Cirice<\/span><\/i> picked up US cred by winning a Grammy in 2016 and they have been topping the Swedish music charts right along. \u00a0The best description of Ghost\u2019s music I have read came from <\/span>Classic Rock Magazine<\/span><\/i> in the summer of 2018: \u00a0\u201cThe heaviness Ghost always have in reserve is leavened by giant pop choruses, artfully splicing Sweden\u2019s melodic rock and black-metal traditions. \u00a0Ghost gigs are like Queen stumbling on to the set of a Hammer horror film.\u201d Heavy pop horror music? Let us take a look at <\/span>Prequelle \u00a0<\/span><\/i>track by track and see if this description holds true.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The opening track (<\/span>Ashes<\/span><\/i>) is a slight take on the tune of <\/span>Ring Around The Rosie<\/span><\/i> ending with a little musical interlude of big chord accents and tinkling piano that lasts a little over a minute. \u00a0Before you can even think about what just came out of the speakers, a stomping, syncopated drum beat carries into the a crunchy guitar riff of <\/span>Rats <\/span><\/i>and the vocal begins with <\/span>\u201cIn times of trouble, in times like these<\/span><\/i>\u201d. \u00a0Whether he is talking about politics now or the medieval plagues of old, this track is getting enough radio play to bring in even more fans than their Grammy winning single, <\/span>Cirice<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0While it covers a rather dark topic (<\/span>Rats <\/span><\/i>could be about either the medieval or political plagues mentioned above), but there is no mistaking the guitar riffing, background chorus and vocals for Black Sabbath or Abba. \u00a0It is heavy and poppy at the same time, but yet it rocks. Like Sabbath, Forge writes songs with some dark themes, but the music is far from dark and brooding. Hearing these songs on the radio without seeing all the dark mysterious garb, it would be hard not to like the sound Ghost creates.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tracks three and four (<\/span>Faith <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>See The Light<\/span><\/i>) offer more catchy drum\/guitar interplay and a surprisingly sweet sounding vocal. \u00a0<\/span>See The Light<\/span><\/i> has another chorus that could be attributed to the politics of the day: \u00a0<\/span>\u201cEvery day that you feed me with hate, I grow stronger.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/i>Cardinal Copia \u00a0\u00a0arranges and sings themes that have multiple meanings carried by catchy melodies. \u00a0Then comes the instrumental <\/span>Miasma. \u00a0<\/span><\/i>It begins with a very churchy sounding organ swell, speeds up into a guitar riff backed by heavy drums with added synthesizer flourishes. \u00a0The pace quickens and it is heavy, orchestral, and melodic all at the same time. This ain\u2019t heavy black metal, folks, and when the sax chimes in at about the four minute mark (yes, sax… imagine sax on a Black Sabbath tune if you can), it shouldn\u2019t work, but it does. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0From the melodic instrumental of <\/span>Miasma<\/span><\/i>, track 6 begins with an infectious bass drum beat leading to a catchy verse and chorus. \u00a0The title may be <\/span>Danse Macabre<\/span><\/i> and the theme of \u2018<\/span>Just want to be, I want to bewitch you, in the moonlight<\/span><\/i>\u2019 sounds like \u2018<\/span>I want to be with you<\/span><\/i>\u2019. \u00a0\u00a0The synthesizer parts remind me more of the band Europe (<\/span>Final Countdown<\/span><\/i>) than any sort of black metal music. \u00a0<\/span>Pro Memoria\u2019s <\/span><\/i>grand introduction evokes the Moody Blues performing in a cathedral with shades of Mike Oldfield\u2019s piano work in <\/span>Tubular Bells <\/span><\/i>thrown in. \u00a0Okay, the lyrics are about death (<\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t forget about dying, Don\u2019t forget about your friend death, Don\u2019t forget that you will die\u201d), \u00a0<\/span><\/i>but despite the subject matter, in Forge\u2019s hand\u2019s it doesn\u2019t sound foreboding. \u00a0<\/span>Witch Image<\/span><\/i> is orchestration is similar to <\/span>Pro Memoria,<\/span><\/i> but the theme here is \u201c<\/span>What you sold you can not unsell\u201d <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>\u201cWhat you have done you can not undo.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u00a0A lilting flute over the now familiar solid drum and full band arrangement is featured in the second instrumental <\/span>\u201cHelvetesfonster\u201d <\/span><\/i>making me think that Tobias Forge has heard more than his share of songs by Nightwish. \u00a0<\/span>Life Eternal<\/span><\/i> closes the CD with a light piano\/vocal touch that builds (again in a Nightwish kind of epic crescendo): \u00a0<\/span>\u201cThis is the moment of letting go, Can you hear me say your name forever.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/i>The CD has two bonus tracks, <\/span>It\u2019s A Sin<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Avalanche<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0The former is an upbeat, bright piece of dance-pop while the later is the most dark and brooding track on the whole disk. \u00a0Ghost, like Black Sabbath, is a band that has a style that can be enjoyed by a large audience, but some will be turned off by the marketing<\/span><\/p>\n image that the band uses to set themselves apart from the rest. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The coda to <\/span>The Pusher<\/span><\/i> story shows that a band made up of teenagers can make good and bad judgements, at times one right after the other. \u00a0When informed that <\/span>The Pusher<\/span><\/i> was no longer allowed in our basement rehearsal space, Mike and Gene had no problem with that. \u00a0We also knew that it wouldn\u2019t cut it if played at a high school dance (both good judgements on our part). \u00a0As mentioned, bad can follow good very easily in the minds of teenage band members. We were scheduled to play at a U.P. wide church youth group gathering in Gladstone the next Saturday. \u00a0Mike was in charge of the set list with occasional input from Gene and myself, so when he was calling off the songs we as we were playing, it never dawned on him that playing <\/span>The Pusher<\/span><\/i> at this youth rally\/dance was probably not a great idea. \u00a0The youth minister from Messiah Lutheran had gotten us the gig and arranged a U-Haul trailer to get our equipment to Gladstone. On the way home, he casually mentioned, \u201cI had to convince them to not pull the plug after you played \u2018that song\u2019\u201d and immediately we knew which song he was referring to. \u00a0\u201cA good message but the wrong place to deliver it,\u201d he said, \u201cmaybe save that one for the Frat parties.\u201d We learned a bunch of performing lessons over the years, but this one taught me that different audiences require different handling. If you want to get a return gig, you better understand what they want (and in this case \u2018don\u2019t want\u2019) to hear. \u00a0Keep an ear out for Ghost on WOAS-FM 88.5.<\/span><\/p>\n Top Piece Video – Here is Ghost with Cardinal Copia and their promo video for the new single\u00a0Rats<\/em>