Review Summary: The musical equivalent of a classic Hammer Horror film.
Minimal budget and maximum charm was always the rallying cry of the classic horror B-movies. Sometimes when a piece of work has too much money and not enough self awareness behind it, it can lose its soul in the process and end up being generally dull. Hailing from the city of Linköping, Ghost attempt to effectively meld the AOR hard rock of the 70s (taking obvious influence from bands such as Led Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult) with the occult attitudes of the films from the same era. The product of multiple recording sessions was the doomy
Opus Eponymous.
The brief but surprisingly serene “Deus Culpa” essentially acts as a palette cleanser for listeners, allowing them to acclimatise themselves to the atmosphere of the album before truly being thrown into the deep end with the thrilling and unexpectedly heavy “Con Clavi Con Dio”. It is here that we meet the illusive Papa Emeritus for the first time, and it’s a memorable encounter indeed. Opening with the prolonged cry of “Lucifer!”, the first thing that comes to mind is how much Papa sounds like a slightly less angry Layne Staley, especially when he is harmonising with his Nameless Ghouls. It doesn’t sound out of place and it doesn’t detract from the overall experience but it is something that is instantly noticeable. However it can’t be overstated enough how good the production is for a debut album on an independent metal label. The distortionless guitars are an extremely refreshing change from the feedback drenched tones we’ve come to expect from bands in this day and age, and the drums have a real punch that you wouldn’t usually hear on a modern hard rock record. This is where the lack of a sizeable budget completely works to Ghost’s advantage, and producer Gene Walker deserves to be commended for avoiding the brick walling that has increasingly become a problem over the last decade or so.
As excellent as “Con Clavi” is, “Ritual” may just be
Opus Eponymous' finest moment. Atmospheric and emotional while also managing to be heavy, “Ritual” opens with delicately plucked guitar strings before the drums kick in and Papa delivers some of his best verses on the entire album. The riffing here is more akin to thrash metal of the late 80s, specifically Megadeth. Though it does sound strikingly similar to “Symphony of Destruction”, it would be insulting to Ghost to call it a ‘rip off’. Choosing to go for melody over technicality was an excellent decision on the band’s part because it means the songs can be memorable and catchy while still having the occasional solo, proving that they’re no slouches when it comes to instrumental prowess.
If diversity is something you like in your albums,
Opus Eponymous may not be your cup of tea. While the music itself is full of nuances and subtleties, it’s a completely different story when it comes to the lyrics. Every single song is about Satanism, witchcraft, murder, castles, and so on. The tongue in cheek style means no one is going to be offended but the lack of variation could be a major turn off for some people. If the lack of lyrical variation doesn’t bother you then from “Ritual” onwards, the album is a blast. Fan favourite “Elizabeth” once again shows off the Nameless Ghouls’ knack for writing a simple yet effective riff, and Papa is demonstrating his impressive range, transitioning effortlessly from his regular voice to a falsetto in the verses and back again for the chorus. The organ in said chorus really adds to the overall atmosphere, giving it a slightly unnerving gothic tone that compliments Papa’s eerie vocals perfectly. The band even step briefly into prog territory with an instrumental, fittingly named “Genesis”. Keyboards dart back and forth throughout, giving the track and nice pace while the acoustic guitar towards the finale ensures it doesn’t step into the territory of self indulgence like so many progressive rock bands have been accused of doing. It’s one of the only moments on the album where the Nameless Ghouls essentially lose all restraints they may have previously had, and they’re allowed to produce an eccentric and thrilling piece of music, while still keeping in with the tone of the album.
It’s not hard to see why only five years after its inception,
Opus Eponymous is considered a cult classic. It’s just weird enough to not be accepted by the mainstream but just catchy and well written enough to win over those who decide to take the plunge and enter its twisted world of occult horror and 70s hard rock homage.
