Ghost — Phantomime — EP Review

Metal | Rock

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Ghost have been a band that I had known for quite some time, and honestly, that should come as no surprise. The Swedish band’s campy, gothic, and retro brand of metal, along with their aesthetic to match, allows Ghost to really stand out as one of the most unique metal groups out there.

Despite all this, my first real experience, when it came to fully diving in to the music of Ghost, would be through their critically acclaimed 2018 album Prequelle. Through this album, all of the elements that made up the bands aesthetic and musical style felt fully realised, resulting in what was one of the best metal/rock albums of said year.

And having been introduced to Ghost properly through this album, my hopes were certainly high for what came next. Unfortunately, the band’s following album, 2022’s Impera, did not quite meet what I was hoping for. Instead, the band maybe took it a bot too overboard with the campiness that makes up part of their overall style, which resulted in an album that was more silly sounding than anything else. Pairing that with more uninspired lyrics than in the preceding effort, and you have an album that was ultimately disappointing.

Despite this, though, Ghost didn’t take long to follow this album up with something new; an EP that has arrived to us almost exactly one year later. Titled Phantomime, this EP carries with it a solid listing of five tracks, and an overall run of nearly 24 minutes. So while carrying the industry standard of tracks one could expect from an EP, listeners will still have a generous experience to dig into.

What is interesting about this EP as well, is that each of the tracks are actually all cover songs, including those of Genesis’ “Jesus He Knows Me”, The Stranglers’ “Hanging Around”, and Tina Turner’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (may she rest in peace).

These covered are done with…varying results. However, one thing that I noticed on this EP, which I wish was more abundant on the last album, was the heightened level of energy that this EP brought to the table. It definitely felt like Ghost were having way more fun creating their covers to add to this EP; I just hope they have just as much fun with whatever studio album they bring out next.

While, of course, the idea of an EP entirely dedicated to cover songs is a fun premise in and of itself, it still does little to win me back over following the disappointment brought by Impera.

And obviously with this being a covers EP, it’s also a difficult one to review. But I can unfortunately say that when it comes to the original songs compared to these new covers from Ghost, I would still rather listen to the originals for the most part.

Favourite Track: Jesus He Knows Me

Loma Vista Recordings | Concord

Final Score: ⭐⭐⭐