Ghost
– Impera
Some bands lean into spectacle. Ghost inhales it, exhales it, and turns it into a full-scale, fire-and-brimstone rock opera with just enough wink to remind you that, yes, they’re having a blast doing it. Impera is their most grandiose statement yet—less about the eerie cathedral doom of their early work and more about arena-sized hooks, glossy production, and a swagger that suggests they’ve fully embraced their role as metal’s ultimate theatrical showmen.
This album is pure excess, but in the best way possible. The riffs are massive, the choruses are built for fists-in-the-air singalongs, and the whole thing feels like a lost ‘80s rock epic, reanimated with Ghost’s signature sinister grin. The melodies stick like glue, the guitar solos rip, and there’s a sense of carefully constructed melodrama in every soaring vocal line and symphonic swell. It’s metal, but polished to a high shine—evil with a sense of humor, dark themes wrapped in anthemic bombast.
Beneath the theatricality, Impera pulls at threads of history, power, and the inevitable collapse of empires—though it does so with more glam than gloom. The lyrics hint at decay, corruption, and downfall, but they’re delivered with such slick charm that you might not notice the dread creeping in. It’s a record that balances the apocalyptic with the absurd, the heavy with the undeniably catchy. In short, it’s Ghost at their most ambitious, dialing everything up to a level that feels almost absurdly over the top—but isn’t that the whole point?
Choice Tracks
“Kaisarion”
Opening with a triumphant scream and galloping into full-blown ‘70s rock glory, this track is Ghost at their most bombastic. It’s theatrical, anthemic, and impossible not to sing along to, even as it barrels through weighty themes.
“Call Me Little Sunshine”
A slow-burning hymn that slithers and shimmers, this one trades pure aggression for an eerie, hypnotic groove. The vocals lure you in, the chorus burrows into your brain, and before you know it, you’re under its spell.
“Hunter’s Moon”
A perfect fusion of Ghost’s gothic roots and their modern arena-rock ambitions. It’s cinematic, infectious, and dripping with sinister charm, making it one of the album’s most immediate standouts.
“Watcher in the Sky”
A fist-pumping, riff-heavy beast that feels like it was built for massive festival stages. This is where Ghost leans into classic metal worship, delivering a song that wouldn’t feel out of place in the golden age of big-haired, bigger-sounding rock.
“Respite on the Spitalfields”
The grand finale, and what a way to close the album. It starts slow, haunting and reflective, before exploding into something much bigger—equal parts sorrowful and triumphant, with a final riff that leaves Impera ringing in your ears long after it’s over.