Album Review: Album Review: Ghost - 'Impera' (Out Friday March 11)

It's release week for Ghost. Hear Editor, Lili's thoughts on 'IMPERA' below:

A soft acoustic opening track, 'Imperium' lures you in as the drums build and set a tone for epic proportions right from the get-go. As the 1:40 track softens & slows down, you know you’re about to launch. And launch you do! Into the second track ‘Kaisarion’ the guitars and vocals are high pitched and high energy. I’m already ready to dance. This is how you open an album. Ghost have always been story tellers and so far ‘Impera’ is shaping up to be no different.

The next few tracks, 'Spillways', 'Call Me Little Sunshine', 'Hunter’s Moon' & 'Watcher In The Sky' mix between a classic and simultaneously new age pop-rock sound. Each one after the other brings the same epic energy and catchy AF guitar riffs.

'Dominion' serves as a circuit breaker in the middle of the record. The organ and orchestral sounds float you back down gently and buckle you in for the second half of the album. As the album launches into the most recent single ‘Twenties’ it takes a bit of a turn, sound-wise, getting a little grungier and turning up the epic with the addition of what sounds like every instrument possible in the opening section.

‘Darkness At The Heart Of My Love’ is a highlight on the album for me. I can picture this song as the opening credits of a feature film. The softer elements are utterly captivating and I know this will be a delight in future live performances by the band. It encapsulates the aesthetic of the band and this track gets 5 stars alone.

'Grift Wood' is another classic Ghost track as the album begins to draw to a close. 'Bite Of Passage' could be the album closer, and if you didn’t know the last track was coming, you’d think it was. But only because it builds into actual final track ‘Respite On The Spital Fields’. A whopping 6:43 second track that feels a little like an album itself. Touching on the previously mentioned storytelling aspect Ghost have mastered over their long career, this song is like your final adventure of ‘IMPERA’ I found these were the most descriptive lyrics on the album, which is a big call when all the lyrics tell such vivid stories. ‘We will break away together, I’ll be the shadow, you’ll be the light. Nothing ever lasts forever, we will go softly into the night’ is sung before you get a delicious guitar solo and that’s only in the first two minutes of this 6-minute track.

Overall, if you’re a Ghost fan, you won’t be disappointed. ‘IMPERA’ is everything you could have asked for without being too familiar. It takes musical jumps without compromising their sound. I’m sure all Ghost fans, new and old, will be impressed and happy to hear this record. Thankfully it’s out Friday & everything you need to know is below.

Pre-order 'Impera' HERE

Info about the album live-stream HERE

Check out the lyric video for the latest single 'Twenties' below:

IMPERA TRACK LISTING:

01. Imperium
02. Kaisarion
03. Spillways
04. Call Me Little Sunshine
05. Hunter’s Moon
06. Watcher In The Sky
07. Dominion
08. Twenties
09. Darkness At The Heart Of My Love
10. Grift Wood
11. Bite Of Passage
12. Respite On The Spital Fields