The new Ghost album Impera is one of our favorite releases of this year, and that got us thinking… Let’s rank all the Ghost albums!
Ghost is by far one of the most polarizing bands in the music world; when it comes to the metal community, it seems like the band is either loved or hated. But for all that drama, there is no denying how seriously impressive and awesome Ghost is. One of the things we love about the band is how they blur the line of creepy and entertaining; from their early days, they leaned hard into an occult rock attitude and atmosphere. Over time however, while they’ve kept to some of that chilling attitude, they’ve also embraced a lot more rock and roll and pop-like sensibilities.
At the time of this writing, there are five Ghost albums. From Opus Eponymous to Impera, we went over each of the band’s releases and ranked each Ghost album worst to best. Which Ghost album do you think we have ranked as number one?
–
5. Infestissumam
The second Ghost album Infestissumam was released in 2013, and is the follow-up to the band’s debut. At this point in time, the band were still leaning deeply into that Blue Öyster Cult-esque occult rock. That said, the first Ghost album, Opus Eponymous, packs a creepy touch that Infestissumam lacks. That isn’t to say it’s a bad record by any means, but there’s an air of eeriness missing from the songs that make up this album.
4. Impera
The latest Ghost album is Impera (which came out earlier this year). While it is one of our favorite albums of this year, compared to other Ghost albums, it is lacking a punch as well. While we appreciate the thrilling sense of pop, rock, metal, and theatricality that the band present throughout the record, we’d love to hear more of that horror atmosphere the band used to offer. That said, every time we listen to this Ghost album, we have a blast doing so!
3. Prequelle
With 2015’s Meliora, the music of Ghost would come to embrace more pop-rock flavor. 2018’s Prequelle sees the band doubling down on that flavorful blend, offering audiences a plethora of banging tunes. That said, it’s also here where the band starts to move away from that playfully creepy tone that was present in their early days. Besides that though, this Ghost album is a consistent joy ride of thrills and style.
2. Opus Eponymous
The band have yet to release anything that captures the spooky atmosphere of the first Ghost album. Opus Eponymous makes for a delightfully fun and eerie work of occult rock and roll; while it doesn’t offer an intense level of theatrical production that the band have come to embrace over the course of their career, there is so much style to this record. The use of minimalism allows the band to present a gripping atmosphere, with each song exuding an air of creepiness.
Well, given that there are only five Ghost albums, you can easily guess as to what our pick for best Ghost album is…
1. Meliora
Honestly, we feel that Meliora is the perfect blend of what Ghost are capable of, and therefore, the best Ghost album. 2015’s Meliora has everything in it: Stunning theatrical production, bangin’ tunes, and songs that embrace the band’s spooky vibes. This Ghost album holds onto many of the qualities that make Opus Eponymous and Infestissumam intriguing, while also giving audiences an added boost in theatrical rock-pop flair. While the band has gone on to create a plethora of heavy songs, Meliora provides a great array of exciting cuts that still get folks headbanging to this day.
Do you agree with our Ghost album ranking? What do you think is the best Ghost album?