GHOST - Skeletá (Review)

Written by: Blackie Skulless

Please excuse this long, rambling intro, as we’re working in territory that I’ve been an expert in for a while, and witnessed all of its nuances in real time. Swedish masterminds Ghost have evolved from a freezing but straightforward brand of traditional metallers into pop-rock icons, especially with 2022’s Impera bringing them more commercial breakthroughs than ever before.

Sticking to the theme of dropping a full-length roughly every three years, they’ve come back and done what feels like a part-two for the first time ever. The first four records had their own identities subtracted from the style choice, strictly based on vibes. Opus Eponymous was a tried and true depiction of Satan taking over the world, while Infestissumam was our campy classic horror flick. Meliora brought forth an absence of light and hope, where Prequelle was a glamorous dark-romance around the end of humanity. After this, Tobias and Co. would craft an album chock-full of dissimilar, albeit enjoyable tunes in Impera; 2025’s Skeletá does exactly the same thing.

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It going to appear that I’m being tough on a band I’ve always held in high regard, but I think since (mostly) departing the metal backbone, they’ve begun putting more focus on the individual over the community. Thankfully, many of the individuals are great in their own way. As a whole, Skeletá finds its constants in emphasizing its accessible flavors on catchy choruses, pretty bridges and transitions, or otherwise theatrical backing. You’ll still find your heavier riffs, but they’re often an afterthought to pair with the minor-toned verses. And of course, present is still the distaste for Christianity, leaning even harder into the goofy vocabulary for what’s likely a tongue-in-cheek presentation to add to the fun. (I mean seriously, what the fuck does “Satanized” mean?)

What it boils down to is finding the moments that feel memorable, to which there are many, as catchiness is something that Ghost has always had as a strong ally. After several listens, I’ve come to love “Lachryma” for its beautiful blend of the aforementioned minor-toned thick riffs falling nicely into a beautiful chorus. As funny as “Satanized” is to say out loud, it also boasts this fun personality for almost the exact same reason, under a mellower blanket of wavy rhythm; perhaps its extreme corniness is part of the gimmick. The absolute closest you can get to a full metal track is “Umbra,” a standout in the album’s second half that borders Europower metal with extra cowbell, but even then, it’s a fairly tame reach. I’ll throw some similar props to “De Profundis Borealis” thanks to its epic coatings and thunderous march, for the folks just stopping by to find the metal moments.
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However I may have reached a point where I can say the band is better with tracks that don’t even try to incorporate their metal roots. “Guiding Lights” is an operatic earworm that almost works as the most disguised mockery of Christianity you’ve ever heard, while opener “Peacefield” wouldn’t feel out of place on a Journey record. “Cenotaph” deceptively swings in with a Sabbath-oriented chop before quickly revealing itself as an upbeat alt-rocker, acting like Green Day decided to get theatrical and a little more evil. That is, until it busts out a nearly Dream Theater-esque solo covered in synthesizers out the wazoo. As awkward as all of this sounds, I do find myself enjoying much of it, but I can’t act like I’m smelling a bit of an identity crisis.

As was before, so is now. Gone is the linear flow of one idea from start to finish, and landed is all sorts of directions that just happen to be pretty damn good on their own. Skeletá drops off in that regard with the second half, holding mostly throwaways after the sixth track, but as expected, Ghost still knows how to flex their strengths. I almost wish they would just go forth and make a record that either avoids anything heavy, or one that leaps into progressive Europower territory. I’m pretty sure they want to do the former, but some focus and consistency would make this otherwise good album great. Much more of this could lead to redundancy.

Ghost - Skeletá was released April 25th, 2025 via ​Loma Vista Recordings. Find it on bandcamp here.

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Ghost can be found at their official website
Cover art by ​Zbigniew Bielak