Definitely a step above their previous release, Infestissumam, Meliora delivers the logical progression of style with their "new singer," Papa Emeritus III.
Darker and heavier, I did have to give it a few listens before I really got into it. Overall, I do enjoy this more than Infestissumam, but the clean and polished sound is still there, a fact that keeps their first release, Opus Eponymous, as my favorite release, due to the rougher sound. Also, with the band releasing 3 singles before today's full release, I found that the 3 singles were 3 of the best tracks. But really, those are minor dings on a fantastic record...
I was hooked from the start of the first track, Spirit, with its great "Halloween-y" organ intro. And as mentioned, 2 of the 3 pre-released singles, From The Pinnacle to the Pit and Majesty are absolutely incredible songs, ranking near the top with Ritual (from Opus Eponymous). I also found the tracks Absolution and Mummy Dust as two standouts. Heavy guitars, demonic keyboards and soaring, melodic vocals abound on a release that should be in everyone's metal collection.
And be sure to catch Ghost on their new U.S. tour, starting September 22. And be sure to have a beer with me at the September 25th show over in Pittsburgh at Stage AE! Hopefully no bouncers threaten me for taking photos this time around...
LOVE this album. Probably my favorite of their's. Just incredible. It's been playing on a loop in my apartment for days now.
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