By Christopher David<\/p>\n
When it comes to rock n\u2019 roll and heavy metal, let\u2019s face it: we\u2019re desensitized. Sure, occasionally, a Marilyn Manson or a Slipknot will come along and make everyone outside of the fan community fear that we\u2019re nearing the end of days if such a band can be popular on a large scale, blah, blah, blah. Then a few years and a few records go by, and the controversy dies down.<\/p>\n
One of two things happens at that point for just about every band in the world. One, they burn out. Two, they have a long-view of the fact that image and music must evolve if a band is going to stay relevant. For the best bands out there who have stood the test of musical time, number two manifests with a sigh of relief from their fans (and the inevitable cries of \u201csellout,\u201d but that\u2019s a bone to pick another time).<\/p>\n
All of this is to say that shock only goes so far, and that even the best, most gimmicky image in the world has a shelf life. Which itself is to say that Ghost–the Swedish consortium of faceless ghouls led by Satanic pope Papa Emeritus III–is already taking the long view toward Door #2, and as such, delivered one of the best shows I\u2019ve ever seen at the Riviera on Saturday, October 3rd.<\/p>\n
Ghost\u2019s themes are focused and clear – mainly that Christianity is an offensive sham and that following the \u201cDevil\u201d is the way to go. Not a new theme, but also not a theme explored in the more philosophical terms that Ghost employs. There\u2019s no Slayer-style imagery of demon armies baptizing the faithful in blood – more a focus on \u2018darkness\u2019 as a means to self-empowerment and individuality, both themes that have been prevalent in much occult rock, though not typically with the kind of grace that Ghost has for three excellent records. Which, of course, allows them to reach a broader audience than if they were discussing such stalwart black metal topics as, I don\u2019t know, raping corpses and desecrating churches.<\/p>\n
In fact, Ghost\u2019s music isn\u2019t really black metal at all – it\u2019s a more stylized approach to anthemic hard rock and (to my own delight) Italian prog rock from of the \u201870s. (Picture progsters Goblin penning hooky, radio friendly songs about taking communion from the dark lord himself and you\u2019re almost there.) Only the most sour rock fan wouldn\u2019t raise a fist for explosive choruses like the ones in \u201cAbsolution,\u201d \u201cCirice,\u201d and \u201cFrom the Pinnacle to the Pit,\u201d all highlights from Ghost\u2019s new album Meliora <\/em>(itself a Latin word for \u201cbetter\u201d), and all of which came across with even more grandeur on the Riviera Theatre stage than on record.<\/p>\n Of course, central to Ghost\u2019s performance is their image, and it\u2019s a simple one, but incredibly effective. Shifting their look slightly with each tour (something we\u2019ll come back to), the Nameless Ghouls are wearing black bodysuits with metallic Devil masks this time around, a slicker and dare-I-say sexier look than the last tour\u2019s dark robes and hoods. Papa\u2019s makeup is slightly changed, but the vestments haven\u2019t, and he\u2019s quickly joining the ranks of the more charismatic frontmen in rock.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a new album,\u201d he said, introducing \u201cMajesty,\u201d and when the crowd roared with approval, he nodded. \u201cYes, it is very, very good. Better than most others, actually.\u201d The setlist was a perfect mix of songs from all three Ghost records, with all but one song from Meliora<\/em> making an appearance.<\/p>\n It would be remiss to say that the dynamic quality of Ghost\u2019s sound and live show rests with the image, though it\u2019s not hard to make the most of such a look. At no point was this truer than on \u201cBody & Blood,\u201d when he led two attractive young women dressed as nuns onstage and instructed the fans in front to behave themselves as the nuns administered communion…which they then did, carrying trays of wine and wafers through the photo pit and letting the crowd indulge.<\/p>\n The midway point of the set, when \u201cDevil Church\u201d transitioned into \u201cCirice,\u201d Meliora\u2019s<\/em> debut single, that things really got interesting. Disappearing from the stage for a few minutes, Papa Emeritus returned – but without his Pope\u2019s attire, clad only in a black suit with the skull-paint still intact. The second half of the show featured this new, stripped-down look, and no one in attendance seemed to care, instead continuing to sing every word of every song, garnering nods and appreciative, wicked smirks from Papa E. As the band capped the night with a one-two-three punch of \u201cZombie Queen\u201d (surely one of the most rafter-shaking rock songs of the last decade), the oft-covered Roky Erickson classic \u201cIf You Have Ghosts,\u201d and \u201cMonstrance Clock,\u201d which saw the entire Riviera Theatre singing \u201ccome together as one, for Lucifer\u2019s son,\u201d it was hard to ignore the mid-set shift. To which I say…Hallelujah.<\/p>\n For\u00a0more on Ghost, the tour and music, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nBut not in a bad way. Maybe this is just speculation, but I can\u2019t help wonder if we\u2019re seeing the first major step in Ghost\u2019s imagistic evolution, one that could open them to a greater audience and would surely see them playing larger and larger venues as their music continues to gain popularity. So far, they\u2019ve managed the incredibly difficult task of making ever-better records while expanding their fan base beyond the traditional metal community, which is not something one sees often. I won\u2019t make wild predictions here – but I will say that if Ghost are playing arenas in a few years, savvily adjusting their look here and there, I won\u2019t be a bit surprised. So, when the Black to the Future tour rolls back through Chicago as it\u2019s rumored to in 2016, you\u2019d better go so you can say you saw them when. Because it\u2019s looking more and more like they\u2019re going to be one of \u2018those\u2019 bands.<\/p>\n