Ghost : "Meliora"

Ok...here's my deal with this band. I like their first album. Hated the second. People assume I will like them because I love King Diamond, but that in it's self is a reason to not like them as they are making bank on ripping off both the King , though now in just theatrics and Blue Oyster Cult which from the first song on their new album seems to be a more accurate direction of where they are headed in fact in even more of a 70s prog direction than before as keyboards are playing such a prominent role. What they are not on this album is a metal band. The first single off of this album I did not like because I thought whatever version of Poppa Smurferretus they are on now sounds like Chester from Linkin Park.

They do pump the bass up and get a little harder on " From the Pinnacle to the Pit" . It seems like satanic lyrics are toned down if at all. If Erik from Watain had not said to my face that they were serious occultists in this band I would have assumed the whole thing was a joke and maybe he was talking about the first Poppa Smurferretus they had and now they are just trying to keep up appearances. There is a huge Blue Oyster Cult moment in this song, and if you are a fan of this band I suggest catching Blue Oyster Cult when they tour this fall. Two songs in and I'm thinking this is better than the last album and I'm ignoring the covers ep when I say this. Then comes the Linkin Park sounding vocal on the first single. This gets bitch slapped by the rule we have here that cool riffs alone do not make a good song. He can feel the thunder breaking in your heart, should be parodied by Weird Al as "I can hear the wind breaking in your fart". But like fart jokes its annoying at first but begins to grow on me.

"He is " finds the band in Moody Blues' zip code. It starts off as a folk and goes into something that would have been on adult contemporary radio in the 70s. Its pop but from another decade. They get heavier on "Mummy Dust". But even here it's no heavier than Judas Priest's wimpy 80s moments. The vocals are lower and slathered in effects and remind me a little of Alice Cooper.  The keyboards continue to take more solos than the guitar adding to the prog lite element. The vocals get a Queen / Uriah Heap layering toward the end. If you don't know your classic rock then you might think this is some next level shit , but the first riff in "Majesty" jacks a riff from "Woman In Tokyo" ...that's Deep Purple if you don't know nothing about anything. It takes a Dio like gallop with the keyboard more heavily draped over it than anything off "Sacred Heart'. Production wise aside from the synths taking over the album everything sounds great. The drummer sounds like he has really improved and the more prog direction gives them room to flex their chops.

The organ interlude "Devil Church" sets up one of the album's most metal moments "Absolution" . Which sounds like Chester from Linkin Parker singing for Iced Earth. Matt Barlow would not be happy. The  most metal moment is short lived  due to pop prog chorus changing the mood.  The you will cry part before the guitar solo sounds like 80s Yes. The album closes with "Deus In Absentina" which is very Styx. Lyrically the song is decent. This whole AOR slant the album has taken is better than the last album by a long shot. Overall compared to the first album this Ghost isn't very haunting and often gets too happy for me on the choruses. So aside from things not being as dark as I would want it's way better than their last album I'll give it a 7.5, but don't see myself needed to go back for many repeat listens.