Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott is a big fan of the new Ghost album Impera.
In an interview with Metal Hammer, Elliot spoke to how much he is enjoying the new Ghost album, even at one point referencing a part that reminds him of the Metallica album Master Of Puppets.
At first, Elliot is asked if he has heard how Ghost frontman Tobias Forge has referred to Def Leppard as an inspiration; Elliot is then asked the first time he ever heard Ghost. This is what the Def Leppard vocalist shared:
“Phil [Collen, Def Leppard guitarist] introduced me to them. He said, ‘Here, have you heard about this band Ghost? It’s like this kind of Scando goth-metal but with brilliant melodies.’ I went, ‘Well, that’s an oxymoron, cos it’s usually [makes unintelligible singing noise like someone vomiting in a bucket].’ But he played me something – a couple of minutes each of a few songs.
“I was really intrigued, so I asked him to Dropbox me the new album. I listened to it all, and I thought it was absolutely stunning. It’s like a whole new genre of music – it’s way more Toto than death metal or any of that stuff. It’s like the song Spillways. It starts off like Hold The Line by Toto or Jane by Jefferson Starship – one of those classic 70s songs that begin on the piano before these big, chunky chords come in.”
He is then asked if he has been listening to the new Ghost album Impera a lot, to which Elliot says:
“It’s been my go-to album for the last couple of weeks. I’ve got it downloaded onto my Apple Watch so I can march away and listen to it. I’ve only got a few albums on there, and Ghost are one of them.
“I like the fact that they’ve got a big intro for the album [opening instrumental Imperium]. It reminds of the beginning of Master Of Puppets, weirdly. It starts off with these flamenco-like guitars, then it gets all heavy and duelling, kind of like Thin Lizzy. It’s obviously done as a walk-on for the gigs.”
Those are some mighty kind words from Elliot! We think the new Ghost album is absolutely terrific! What are your thoughts on it? You can read our interview with Ghost frontman Tobias Forge by clicking the link below.
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Words by: Michael Pementel
