Popestar Ghost 2016 Loma Vista Records/Rise Above Records/Spinefarm Records Ghost are a difficult band to categorise, they play a blend of Heavy Metal that also encompasses elements of Doom and Gothic Metal with massive Pop overtones that give Ghost huge replayability and allow them to appeal to a wide audience demographic. Popestar is the 2nd EP released by Ghost and follows up to 2015’s 3rd acclaimed studio album, Meliora. Popestar is the sound of a band who are maybe having a little fun, it features only one original song with the single Square Hammer, with the rest of the album paying tribute to the bands that at closer listen appear to have influenced Ghost. Ghost are ever secret about their line-up and other than the obvious ‘change’ in vocalist from Papa Emeritus II to Papa Emeritus III from Infestissumam to Meliora, the rest of the band, composed of the Nameless Ghouls, stick to their alchemical elemental symbols. The production of Popestar, as expected, follows in the very polished, Pop sheen that made Meliora so catchy with Popestar this time being produced by acclaimed British Indie producer Tom Dalgety. Dalgety has worked previously with the likes of Royal Blood, Simple Minds and Pixies, but also shows a side that would give him the shortlist for a producer for Ghost, having also worked with Killing Joke and Siouxsie. Dalgety has given Ghost exactly what they need and want by making Popestar sound like an extension from the Meliora sessions and that certainly isn’t a bad thing, his work is fantastic. Popestar contains only 5 tracks, clocking in at just under 25 minutes. As the only original song on Popestar, it was only natural to choose Square Hammer as the single. Square Hammer is everything that you would expect from Ghost, however, there are times where it fails to stick and may require a few plays to actually enjoy. The remaining 4 songs from Popestar are, as stated above, covers. Ghost take on Echo & the Bunnymen’s Nocturnal Me from their famous album Ocean Rain released in 1984. Ghost take Nocturnal Me and make it their own, in fact, it’s very difficult to even pick out that this was originally a Bunnymen song with most traces of the Bunnymen’s signature sound gone completely. Ghost also take on Missionary Man by 80’s Synthpop band, Eurhythmics. A strange choice, yet it seems to suit Ghost nigh on perfectly and although Ghost don’t really mess with the structure of the song as they did with Nocturnal Me, Missionary Man is more of a straight up cover and possibly the catchiest song on the EP. The remaining two covers of I Believe and Bible are more obscure covers, I Believe is a cover from English Electronica duo, Simian Mobile Disco, whilst Bible is a stadium style, lighters in the air anthem from cult Swedish band Imperiet and is given the epic Ghost treatment. Popestar is a definite grower of an EP. At first listen, it can be a little off-putting, especially if the choice of covers isn’t to your taste. However, once more Ghost show that they are not just a one trick pony with Popestar having the sound of a band having fun and enjoying what they do, refusing to stay still and rest on their laurels with the success of Meliora. 7/10 Adam Square Hammer (Ghost)
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