GHOST B.C. – Infestissumam

Shane | 20 June 2013 | Reply

Label: Sonet Records
Released: April 2013
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7.5/10

There’s something deliciously subversive about Swedes Ghost/Ghost B.C. – the most satanic band on the musical landscape fronted by a face painted cardinal of Evil (Papa Emeritus) and featuring his band of self-confessed ‘Nameless Ghouls’, they practically preach an evil life of service to the Dark Lord, Old Skullface himself – yet they sound more like Blue Oyster Cult than the endless procession of turgid black and death metallers that populate especially the colder climes.

From the opening Benedictine monk chanting of the title track, through the BOC-meets-carnival-hurdy-gurdy Secular Haze and the jauntily irresistablly catchy yet lyrically snide Idolatrine, the ironic juxtaposition of demonic lyrics and considerably more delicate than expected musical accompaniment lures the listener in like Kaa’s hypnotic eyes, and before you know it, you’re singing “Hail Satan, Archangelo / Hail Satan, Welcome year zero / Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer” (Year Zero). Gets you some funny looks at work or in the supermarket, let me give you the tip!

Zombie Queen is almost a departure for the band, singing a generic horror movie subject rather than a dedicated satanic ode, but the aforementioned Year Zero and Body And Blood ensure proceedings get nastily evil again very quickly.

Most startling of all is album closer I’m A Marionette. In this cover of the ABBA epic (a departure for that Swedish band at the time too), a carnival rhythm plays out a Pinocchio-like story of puppetry… but we know there’s a darker theme behind this little one-act play, and as the guitars become more insistent we slowly realise that Emeritus is not only retelling Benny & Bjorn’s tale, but also singing about all of us, puppets to The Man, or is to the false God that they so richly despise?

Satanism aside, Ghost B.C. deliver some very enjoyable hard rock – or what we would have called metal in 1983! – chock full of dark lyrics, bright melodies and great tunes.

https://www.facebook.com/thebandghost

http://www.ghost-official.com/