Year: 2023
Total Time: 23:51
Label: Loma Vista
True to the tradition that wants GHOST releasing a new EP a few months after the release of a new album, they now give us “Phantomime” EP.
Rumours that something was being prepared had begun to be discussed among fan circles when a poster suddenly appeared on the streets of Hollywood, with the face of Papa Emeritus IV and the caption “Jesus is coming” underneath.
Recorded in Mexico by Rich Costey (MUSE, BIFFY CLYRO), “Phantomime” includes 5 covers and no new tracks unfortunately as they had done respectively with the “Popestar” EP and had given us “Square Hammer” with which they now finish their live sets.
The EP opens with a cover of “See No Evil” from the classic debut of the American post-punkers TELEVISION. GHOST give it a more Hard Rock style, with the melody on the guitar reminding me of the times when John Ricco played guitar in WARRIOR SOUL.
Then we have one of the highlights of GENESIS in the 90s, “Jesus He Knows Me”. The classic hit song that criticized the TV-evangelists who made buckets of money on the backs of the faithful. A song that thematically fits like a glove to the concept of GHOST, Tobias and his friends transform this Prog Pop / Rock composition into a Hard Rock dynamite adding heavy rhythm guitars and bringing to the foreground the riffs of the great Mike Rutherford.
“Hanging Around” that follows, by the legendary THE STRANGLERS, shows once again Tobias’ love for 70s Punk. Another beautiful cover that acts as an upgrade of the original song, with the production and guitars highlighting a more classic Rock character with its Jon Lord keyboards leading the way. Among the highlights, I should also add the very beautiful solo of Fredrik Akesson (OPETH).
GHOST’s choice to cover one of Tobias’ biggest love IRON MAIDEN with “Phantom Of The Opera” is definitely one of the band’s most daring moves. Although a big fan of the gods of Heavy Metal, Tobias has kept the British influences on GHOST’s work to a minimum. This particular cover will certainly provoke several debates about whether it is good or not, with the main criterion being the melodic vocals of Pope Emeritus. Personally speaking, Tobias handled the song with the utmost respect and made an excellent effort to sing the song in a way that does not sound alien to the style of GHOST nor overly Pop. Musically, the song is played almost identical to the original composition, but with the production giving a fresh air as you can hear all the instruments crystal clear. Keyboards and a piano accompanying Akesson’s wonderful guitar solo add a bit of the characteristic style of the Swedes.
Finally, we have a great choice for the closing of the EP which is none other than “We Don’t Need Another Hero” by the late Tina Turner from the soundtrack of Mad Max 3: Beyond The Thunderdome. GHOST maintained the cool style of the song, adding a funkier beat and the necessary intensity that was missing from the chorus. Akesson once again made sure to shine in the lead and guitar solo, thus showing what a versatile guitarist, he is.
Tobias seems to have had a good time recording this mini album, honouring some of his favorite songs from the wider spectrum of Rock music. Enriching at the same time the setlist of their live performances since they have already started playing “Jesus He Knows Me”. In recent promotion interviews, it has been suggested that more covers may have been recorded, including songs by MOTORHEAD and RUSH. Hopefully someday they will find their way to another EP or bonus songs on the next album…
Rating: 7.5/10
Editor: Dimitris Benetatos
Related Link: GHOST – Official Page
