Navigating the murky waters of a cover album can be tricky. When embarking on such a journey, artists must do justice to the chosen songs while putting their own take on the music. This is the challenge faced by Swedish heavy metal band Ghost with the creation of their new EP “Popestar.”
Hailing from Linköping, Sweden, Ghost wields a gothic, pseudo-religious aesthetic reminiscent of heavy metal icons Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Led by the skeleton faced, pope-hat sporting frontman Papa Emeritus III and his backing band of “Nameless Ghouls,” Ghost thrives with their catchy, theatrical take on heavy metal, which can be seen on the record’s only original song and opening track, “Square Hammer.”
“Square Hammer” combines a catchy, driving rock riff with an equally snappy melody to hit the sweet spot in the human brain that causes listeners to naturally start head banging without noticing. Tracks like these are Ghost’s bread and butter and are the reason Ghost has reached critical acclaim and has a growing fan base worldwide.
But how does Ghost’s signature ghoulish sound work when cast upon the works of other artists?
While it’d be logical to think Ghost could easily crank out a record full of covers of classic rock songs, that’s not the path that “Popestar” goes down. Ghost’s choice of covers is eclectic, filled with surprising choices such as Simian Mobile Disco’s “I Believe” and Eurythmics “Missionary Man.” These surprising pop selections songs allow Ghost to experiment slightly with their sound.
“I Believe” is a surprisingly low key venture that comes off a bit underwhelming, while “Missionary Man” extends to the other end of the spectrum, featuring both over-the-top female backing vocals and even a raucous harmonica solo. Despite how different these two songs are Ghost sticks to their guns on both, keeping faithful to their sound.
A slightly less surprising cover comes in the form of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Nocturnal Me.” Ghost manages this cover flawlessly and the result is a song that sounds like it could be on any of Ghost’s previous works. It’s grand, dark, and fits in Ghost’s discography like Ghost fits into the list of bands your pastor doesn’t want you to listen.
Ghost’s selection of cover songs provides an interesting window into the tastes of the mysterious band. The chosen songs may not be universal classics, but the most obscure selection is their cover of “Bible,” a track from fellow Swedish band Imperiet. While the title of the EP is “Popestar” it does come off a bit ridiculous and slightly corny to hear Ghost cover a full-fledged Christian rock song.
Disregarding the lyrical content, the track itself is not horrible, as Ghost is at their most dramatic and grandiose when delivering this Swedish ballad.
Heavy metal is not anywhere near as popular as it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but it’s definitely not dead. Not as long as Swedish weirdos like Ghost are willing to dress up like Halloween came early.
Instead of candy, they’re handing out lovingly crafted metal renditions of their favorite obscure songs the listener has most likely and never heard of.
