Words by Greg Walker
Out Now
Loma Vista Recordings
I don’t care who you are, if you don’t like Ghost I don’t trust your opinion on music. Are they metal? Are they rock? Are they pop? Are they pop-rock? Who cares! With enough hooks and anthemic choruses to parallel classic Def Leppard, enough infectious riffs to possibly rival Black Sabbath, and more occult and sinister references than BÖC, Mercyful Fate, and Danzig combined, there’s something for everyone within Ghost’s ever-growing discography and the immersive lore surrounding the irrepressible Papa Emeritus and his hordes of Nameless Ghouls.
A moment-in-time perfectly capturing all the pomp and ceremony that is a Ghost live show, the full length feature film Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now was screened in cinemas worldwide over just two nights, showcasing the ostentatious bluster that was the band’s most recent Imperatour. Rite Here Rite Now: The Motion Picture Soundtrack is a must have for anyone who caught the live concert and/or saw the film, or for anyone with even a passing interest in the group. I’m under no delusions that there’s likely layers of post-production magic on this recording, however the result still represents the full pageantry of the Imperatour. The crowd involvement, the echo on Papa’s voice, the powerful backing vocals, all authenticate the Ghost stadium experience, the illusion of grandeur completely intact.
Clearly Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge foresaw Imperium as the perfect album/concert intro, evidenced as the soundtrack opens, and the crowd is enthusiastically singing along to the triumphant building melody. Their night bursts wide open with Kaisarion, itself purpose-built with intent to kick off a concert as well as the mighty Impera album. Having witnessed the Brisbane date on Ghost’s 2022 Imperatour with my then 16-year-old son, I’m flooded with emotion when Kaisarion explodes.
A burgeoning metalhead, Ghost was his first exposure to an indoor concert, and what a concert! Having been upgraded from the Riverstage to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre due to ticket demand, Ghost were able to bring their full stage show, a literal extravaganza of production on a professional scale my lad had yet to witness. Hearing the strains of Imperium and Kaisarion crack open immediately takes me back to that moment, the sound of this release is that authentic.
Tracks from current album Impera are naturally featured heavily, but there’s a great collection of hits, deep cuts, and B-sides, like Kiss The Go-Goat, Mary On A Cross, and set closer Square Hammer which is a monumental finish indeed. All the compositions are built on with added layers of backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, to create something extra special for the live arena. Call Me Little Sunshine warrants special mention, translating as the massive tune it is, a yin-yang of almost a cappella verses and gigantic punch chorus and bridge. Tobias Forge is widely known as the driving force behind Ghost, all you see and hear is by his design and laid out sometimes years in advance, the Rite Here Rite Now film timeline one of those bold forethoughts. But Tobias doesn’t get enough credit as a world class vocalist. Studio trickery aside, having witnessed his performance first-hand I can attest to his vocal prowess, easily going between soft enticing croon to big powerful forceful deliveries as evidenced in Call Me Little Sunshine. The most striking example though comes in the form of If You Have Ghosts, the Roky Erickson song reimagined with a totally stripped back string rearrangement and haunting operatic accompaniment to Papa’s equally divine delivery, a surprising highlight with a very special message from Papa. It’s difficult to pick a favourite from an album jam- packed with favourites, but this performance of If You Have Ghosts is something very special indeed.
As you’ve gathered by now, this soundtrack is a veritable hitfest, save for the absence of a couple of songs performed live and presented in the movie yet missing on this audio release, but I’m reasonably satisfied with the shaved down tracklist in order to fit the CD format. Ritual was my first introduction to Ghost, having seen YouTube footage of a pre-Opus Eponymous live performance, with James Hetfield and Phil Anselmo both lending weight to the hype by watching from the crowd.
Also cut from the soundtrack is debut album opener Con Clavi Con Dio, the performance of which was my personal fave of the setlist. The beautifully delicate He Is is also missing, but having said that, the remainder of their back catalogue is otherwise well represented.
The addition of a brand-new studio track is a sales gimmick, but it’s a welcome one, worked into the film over the closing credits. Conceived as a “lost” Papa song from 1969, The Future Is A Foreign Land works as a retro version of the Ghost we know and love, and a clever insertion into the lore to build on the elaborate backstory. An intentional period piece, The Future Is A Foreign Land is fully characteristic of the late 1960s style of The Doors interwoven seamlessly with Ghost’s endemic sound, pulled off immaculately.
As far a live albums go, there are some average to middling examples out there. This is not one of them. Rite Here Rite Now: The Motion Picture Soundtrack is an excellent overall emulation of what it’s like to hear and feel the spectacle of a Ghost live show. With the likes of Metallica and Iron Maiden etc. nearing the pointy end of their live careers, the question of who will be the next stadium headliners has been unclear, but Rite Here Rite Now (both the film and the soundtrack) stand as testament to Ghost’s willingness and capability to fill those giant shoes when the time comes.
