GHOST IS BACK WITH ALBUM NUMBER FIVE
Whenever a band becomes big, you will always have a segment of their fans that will gravitate to the first thing they heard by the band. For those that doubt this statement, check out how many people online prefer the first two Iron Maiden albums to anything Bruce Dickinson has done with the band.
For Ghost, a lot of people point to Meliora as being the best thing they’re released. But I think if you look at the albums objectively, Tobias Forge has progressed with each album and pushed the band further with each release. For my money, Prequelle was their best album top to bottom, until Impera.
Impera is that pivotal album that could bring Ghost to the masses. It is one of those albums where certain hard rock and metal fans have to look to see who is around before professing their love for the album. You know the popular opinion is to hate it, but they blast the album and sing along to it when no one else is around.
Tobias has always done a great job of mixing styles, and lyrics, to subliminally capture unsuspecting listeners. I still remember hearing “Year Zero” in a department store thinking “wow, no chance in hell they have a clue who or what this band is about, but this is cool!”
I bring this up because this album has tracks like “Darkness At The Heart Of My Love” and “Call Me Little Sunshine” that could easily make their way onto radio stations around the world. Or the song that a lot of people haven’t understood yet, “Twenties” with its samba beat that uses a rhythm pattern that is incorporated into every Reggaeton song you’ve ever tried to avoid. Before knocking that decision, Sepultura was using it first! But again, a calculated move to help garner a larger audience.
Imperia is strong from beginning to end. As mentioned above, Tobias keeps topping his previous releases by the band. If you’re a die-hard, I know you’re checking this album out. If you’ve never heard them, or are a casual fan, this is that Back In Black, Appetite For Destruction, “Black Album” moment by the band. It is the album for you by Ghost to check out.
Here is Ghost with the track "Watcher In The Sky" off of their latest album Impera.
Interested in checking out Impera by Ghost before picking the album up?
Pick your poison, check out the album on either Spotify or Apple Music here.
A few months back Ron Scalzo reached out to me about Return To Earth getting back together. He had been on the podcast years ago to promote Automata, the band’s previous album.
Ron has always been good to me, so I didn’t hesitate to have him back on the podcast, with Chris Pennie. As a primer to the interview, he sent me links to Big Ideas EP, and Oblivion. I have been listening to both since late last year. The day is finally here when the world can check out the latter.
As you can expect from a band that features Ron, Chris, and Brett Aveni, the album is full of over the top, chaos! The exact words said to me upon receiving both the album and EP was strap in!
As much as I profess about the album’s chaos, it is much more focused from a compositional standpoint than Automata. There is a lot more variety in what the band is putting forward on Oblivion. The melodies are tight and infectious. It also sounds sonically better than anything else the band has done in the past. It makes sense that they split Big Ideas and Oblivion up they’re two entirely different things. One compliments the other, with the listener being able to choose which of the two they prefer.
Below I have posted “Wolf Bait”, the second I heard this song it hooked me. The opening just stood out to me, the double bass, and once the chorus came in I was completely sold. The track sounds like nothing else on the album. As I alluded to above, every song on Oblivion has its own energy, it’s own chaos element to it.
If you’ve never heard of the band, this is definitely the album by them you need to check out. If you’re a fan of Pretty Hate Machine or Broken by Nine Inch Nails, latter-day Gary Numan, or any industrial metal that remotely has thrash overtones, Adrian Belew type layered guitars, mixed with some odd time signatures, well then this is the album for you.
Here is Return To Earth with the track "Wolf Bait" off of their latest album Oblivion.
Check out Return To Earth on the following platforms:
HERE ARE SOME OTHER NEW RELEASES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU
Jizzy Pearl’s Love/Hate – Hell, CA
Brandon Boyd – Echoes And Cocoons
Bastard – Rotten Blood
New Horizon – Gates Of The Gods
Mamorlis – Sturdy As An Oak
Arkaik – Labyrinth Of Hungry Ghosts
The Human Tornado – Love Is Démondé
Pillaging Villagers – Pillaging Villagers
Rizon – Prime Time
Wolves At The Gate – Eulogies
Blackslash – No Steel No Future
Famyne – The Ground Below
Konvent – Call Down The Sun
Rust N Rage – One For The Road
Bastard – Rotten Blood
Find Me- Lightning In A Bottle
Radioactive- X.X.X.
Airacobra – Midwestern Steel
Messa – Close
Shadow Universe – Subtle Realms, Subtle Worlds
Syk – Pyramiden
Interesting Times Gang – Are We OK
Claustrofobia – Unleeched
Cloven Hoof – Time Assassin
EPs
Dead Lord – Dystopia
REISSUES
Methods Of Mayhem – Methods Of Mayhem
House Of Shakira – Lint XXV
Edge Of Forever- The Days Of Future Past
LIVE ALBUMS
Kiss – Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach
Nightwish – Virtual Live Show From The Islanders Arms 2021 DVD
Grim Reaper – Reaping The Whirlwind
Support the site and the bands you love by picking up any of the albums listed above.
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TUESDAYS ON SIGNALS FROM MARS
Signals From Mars Trivia Tuesday on Twitch is a new show where, as you might suspect, I throw out a bunch of hard rock and metal trivia questions to the audience.
Last week’s game came down to the very last question, with the winner taking away a $5 discount from the Mars Attacks Podcast Merch store. Will tonight bring a new champ?
Not only do you need to know the correct answer, but you also need to be the quickest to answer correctly. The faster you answer, the more points you obtain. But answer wrong, and you’ll lose points.
What to join in on the action, or watch and hang out in the chat? Go here to do so.
Signals From Mars Trivia Tuesday 5 PM EST / 2 PM PST / 10 PM UK / 11 PM CET
FRIDAYS ON SIGNALS FROM MARS
SIGNALS FROM MARS ON FIRESIDE
Fireside is a relatively new social audio platform. It allows me to interact with guests and you the listener. It is a unique way to participate, and have your voice heard.
The pre-show covers that week’s new releases, as well as recent hard rock and metal news.
Fridays at 5 PM EST / 2 PM PST / 10 PM UK / 11 PM CET
Go here to find out how you can sign up and become part of Fireside for free!
SIGNALS FROM MARS LIVESTREAM
Check out Signals From Mars Livestream Fridays at 6:00 PM EST / 3:00 PM PST / 11:00 PM in the UK / 12:00 AM Saturday CET.
The show broadcasts simultaneously on 14 different platforms. You can watch on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, MixCloud, dlive, Trovo, NimoTV, afreecaTV, Mobcrush, Vaughn Live, Picarto, OK.ru, and FC2 Live.
On the road? No problem, you listen live via the MixCloud app on your phone. Alternately, the podcast version of the Livestream will be available next week.
If you haven’t already subscribed to the podcast, it is available on all of the major podcasting platforms.
