Wahlberg out to fix 'Broken City'

Walsh’s four scores leads Rangers to first win

First Posted: 11/18/2013 Sometimes a band&#8217;s image is radically irrelevant to the music they play &#8211; see Sweden&#8217;s Ghost (Ghost B.C. in the U.S.) for no better example. Led by the papal specter of frontman Papa Emeritus, and backed by nondescript, cloaked musicians referred to as &#8220;Nameless Ghouls,&#8221; the band&#8217;s visuals project a mocked sense of evil, but their sound is anything but the blatant guts and gore you&#8217;ll get from other theatrical-ripped metal acts. Ghost&#8217;s sound is more progressive, Blue Oyster Cult-meets-Adam Ant in a Black Sabbath headlock with glossed pop production &#8211; the dark side is tucked discriminately within. Ghost is, in a word, &#8220;mood.&#8221;On this, their third release and first EP, the band indulges in some obscure covers, produced by Foo Fighter Dave Grohl. Pioneering Texas Psychedelic singer/songwriter Roky Erickson&#8217;s &#8220;If You Have Ghosts&#8221; is the lead track, punctuated by Papa Emeritus&#8217; dynamically clean, subdued vocal performance. The track is notable in its ploy of the very un-metal use of sparkling, arpeggiated guitar lines and pulsing synths, adding to the decidedly goth ambience the band does so well.Abba&#8217;s &#8220;I&#8217;m a Marionette&#8221; comes across as an uncomfortable, nightmarish listen, which was undoubtedly the intention. The song&#8217;s chorus is twisted into a vortex of faux pipe organ and reverbed vocals before the galloping, Mercyful Fate-inspired guitar runs break down the doors. The lack of credits given to the musicians adds to the mystique of the band&#8217;s studio practice, although it&#8217;s been theorized that Emeritus is actually Swedish musician Tobias Forge, formerly of the bands Repugnant and Crashdiet.Army of Lovers&#8217; &#8220;Crucified&#8221; goes off the rails a bit &#8211; the goth ooze borders on the overdramatic as Emeritus&#8217; tongue-rolled, spoken-word vocals scream B-movie cheese, but is ultimately saved by a solid, boundary-challenging metal instrumental performance. Depeche Mode&#8217;s &#8220;Waiting for the Night&#8221; is perhaps closest to the trademark Ghost sound of the band&#8217;s first two original albums &#8211; a somewhat plodding, early Pink Floydian-themed atmosphere and delicately crunched guitars; say what you will about the image, but bombast is something Ghost does not practice &#8211; the artistic restraint is admirable.Sending a graveyard shiver, yet still somehow musically soothing, Ghost continues to strike the perfect balance between what is seen and what is heard &#8211; a complete sensory experience.Ghost &#8216;If You Have Ghost&#8217; Rating: W W W W

ALBUM REVIEW: Ghost defies image, conventions