What Genre is Ghost? A Melodic Metal Band Redefining the Occult Rock Landscape
At its blood-soaked heart, Swedish rock sensation Ghost is a heavy metal band. But limiting them to just one genre undersells the band‘s singular sound and mystical allure that has bewitched critics and fans alike. By fusing metal with vintage hard rock, prog, and even ABBA‘s infectious pop, Ghost produces an intoxicating melodic brew they fittingly dub "Satanic doo-wop."
The Devil‘s Music: Ghost‘s Musical DNA
While impossible to pin down, Ghost‘s music contains traces of multiple metal and rock styles:
- Black metal – the harsh, anti-religious foundation heard in tremolo riffs and venomous vocals
- Doom metal – the lumbering, sinister tempo of tracks like "Ritual"
- Classic heavy metal – the bluesy, chromatic guitar harmonies of Black Sabbath and Mercyful Fate
- Hard rock – the stomping drums and singalong choruses reminiscent of Blue Öyster Cult
- Prog rock – the lush textures and dynamic shifts within songs
According to mastermind Tobias Forge, these influences boil down to "everything ranging from classic rock to Pink Floyd to extreme underground 80s metal." He sculpts Ghost‘s songs to be catchier than traditional metal while retaining a dark, defiant edge.
Forge also cites an unlikely influence – Sweden‘s iconic pop group ABBA. He admires their "great, glorious-sounding production" and wants Ghost to produce that kind of primal, pleasure-center response. You can hear ABBA‘s DNA in infectious tracks like "Dance Macabre." Ultimately, Ghost synthesizes decades of rock and metal to yield their signature evil/uplifting duality.
Key Influences on Ghost‘s Sound
| Ghost Song | Key Influence | Similarities |
|---|---|---|
| "Ritual" | Black Sabbath – "Black Sabbath" | Doomy tempo, occult lyrics, iconic riff |
| "Cirice" | Mercyful Fate – "Come to the Sabbath" | Soaring vocals, guitar harmonies, Satanic themes |
| "Year Zero" | Blue Öyster Cult – "(Don‘t Fear) The Reaper | " |
| "Miasma" | Pink Floyd – "Brain Damage" | Haunting organs, prog dynamics |
| "Dance Macabre" | ABBA – "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" | Infectious melody, disco beat |
The Congregation Cometh: Amassing An Unholy Fan Legion
Ghost quickly amassed a ravenous fanbase they affectionately dub "The Congregation." Their disciples span both metalheads and mainstream rock fans drawn to catchy songs and mystique.
In 2012, MTV crowned The Congregation as music‘s "Best Fans" – even beating pop juggernauts like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. Clearly Ghost offers something special that forges profound connections. "Being part of the Ghost phenomenon makes you feel like you‘re part of something exciting and new," gushes Reddit user /u/GhostIsBestBand.
The band rewards their loyal supporters, naming their 2013 album Infestissumam after them. A decade since their unholy genesis, The Congregation only grows more possessed. Their videos tally hundreds of millions of views, while 2019 arena tour grossed $7.5 million.
By The Numbers: Ghost‘s Devoted Following
- 2.1 million monthly Spotify listeners
- 1.3 million Instagram followers
- 622,000 YouTube subscribers
- 519,000 Facebook fans
- Sold over 1 million concert tickets globally
Ghost and their fans feed off each other‘s dark energy to sustain this juggernaut. As devotee @NamelessGhoul puts it: "the crazy world they created, we kinda want to inhabit it with them!"
Raising Hell in Style: The Art of Ghost‘s Satanic Seduction
Beyond killer riffs, Ghost‘s success stems from meticulously honed aesthetics thatComplement their music. Masters of image, the band appears in face-obscuring masks and papal garb as "Nameless Ghouls" backing frontman "Papa Emeritus." Their look evokes both priestly authority and occult menace.
According to the Michigan Daily, Ghost uses costumes "to maintain their namelessness and focus solely on the music." Indeed, their visuals center the sinister themes in songs like "Ritual" or "Year Zero." Like metal greats Iron Maiden before them, Ghost realize imagery strengthens music‘s power.
Ghost‘s spectacle also resonates by manipulating religious iconography. Subverting sacred symbols like crosses and chalices to preach blasphemy holds a dangerous, delicious appeal. As metal journalists observe, "Ghost has built its church on the thrill of profane pleasure." The band welcomes outcasts searching for meaning with open arms.
Finally, Ghost derives visual inspiration from classic horror films. Papa Emeritus‘ demonic visage resembles monsters from black-and-white classics like Phantom of the Opera. Horror historian Dr. Rebecca Bannon praises how Ghost integrates "both the aesthetics of vintage horror and the chaos of heavy metal into an unholy amalgamation." This wicked combination enraptures all who witness their black masses.
Raising Hell Album by Album
While impossible to imprison in any one subgenre, Ghost‘s musical arc shows an ever more ambitious embrace of melody and showmanship.
The early primal fury of their debut Opus Eponymous stays faithful to their metal roots. Sophomore LP Infestissumam introduces more ornate instrumentation like keyboards along with lyrics lampooning organized religion.
On 2015‘s breakthrough Meloria, Ghost discovers the power pop hooks and anthemic songwriting that convert even non-metalheads. Slick production and ever catchier choruses consume 2019‘s Prequelle which cracked Top 5 on mainstream album charts.
Latest opus Impera indulges metallic aggression and disco-rock decadence in equal measure. Rolling Stone applauds the band‘s "commitment to writing perfect, plastic-bag pop songs about the dark lord." Ultimately, Ghost seduces via strength of songs that bore into our brains.
Come Worship at the Altar of Ghost
Like devout followers, rabid fans flock to Ghost‘s live rituals rather than mere concerts. Shows feature costume changes, pyrotechnics, choreographed dancers, and more rock opera theatrics. Like Rammstein and Rob Zombie before them, Ghost morphs arena rock into a profane passion play.
At their most recent Milwaukee stop, MetalSucks hailed the band‘s command of dynamics and power to work 20,000 fans into a heavy metal lather:
"Ghost has graduated to bonafide headliner status and their epic production showed why. Their catalog provided one fist-pumping anthem after another while Papa Emeritus cemented his role as one of modern metal’s greatest frontmen with magnetic charisma and pipes to spare."
Through hellfire brotherhood with their fans, Ghost has ascended metal hierarchies to claim their unholy throne.
The Unconquered March: Ghost‘s Lasting Legacy
In just a decade of ungodly deeds, Ghost stands alongside contemporary metal stalwarts like Slipknot, Lamb of God and Mastodon. They‘ve won two Grammys plus countless European accolades. However, their importance transcends sales and streams.
Arguably no band since My Chemical Romance has built such an immersive universe out of defiant outsider energy and given alienated youth an identity. Ghost speaks for the weirdos, rebels, heretics and blasphemers with catchy odes proclaiming:
“Believe in Ghost/To Hell with the rest”
Ultimately they embody the enduring allure of heavy metal – that thunderous power and catharsis for casting out inner demons or societal sin. Even as sounds evolve, new generations need that ritual purification.
In that sense, Ghost carries the torch first lit by Black Sabbath into a precarious future. Their sui generis sonic stew distills metal‘s might and majesty into a potent new brew. Generation after generation we all crave music that connects to our souls and makes our burden feel lighter. That timeless, animating impulse will forever fuel merciless marauders like Ghost.
The corpse paint may fade and costumes crumble to dust, but the spirit behind them persists eternal. So long as lost souls wander the earth needing shelter, Ghost will be there tempting them toward the left-hand path with open arms and hooks aplenty.
We all Embrace the Darkness in the end.
