Ghost - "Meliora"

Ghost's 3rd release, Meliora, finally dropped today! And after a full day of listening to it, I must say that I'm quite impressed.

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...

 
 

Goblin, Live in Cleveland 12-5-13

Goblin 2013 Tour Poster by Ghoulish Gary Pullin. Available here.

Last night I got the chance to see Goblin, the Italian prog band whose synth-fueled soundtrack scores to such horror classics as Suspiria, Tenebre, Dawn of The Dead and Deep Red made them famous.

It's hard to believe, but this is part of their first U.S. tour in their nearly 40 years of existence, and when the dates were announced and Cleveland was on the list, I grabbed a ticket and my camera...

The Beachland Ballroom was full and Goblin sounded great as they played a set that spanned their entire existence, finishing with the well-known horror film scores with accompanying video clips on the big screen behind them.

If you get the chance, go and see Goblin on their current tour and take in a piece of horror film history...

Daikaiju, Live in Canton 11-03-13

Who is the Daikaiju??? Premium action heroes deliver most high rocket music! Special reverb skill combo for full impact! Loud sonic boom for earful pleasure! Beautiful radiation of hyper-dimensional springy sound creates divine psychic wind for your special defense! Worship Psycho-surf band Daikaiju daily for good luck and health!

I got the chance to see Daikaiju play last night at Buzzbin Art & Music Shop in Canton, Ohio (I unfortunately missed the show that they played the night before at the bar 5 minutes from my house, part of a 4-shows-in-2-nights swing through Northeast Ohio).

Definitely one of the best live shows that I have seen in the past few years. Totally hilarious chaos that couldn't be confined to a small area. Daikaiju are currently on tour. If they are playing your town, it's a no-brainer. Get to the show for most high rocket music!!

Ghost, live in Cleveland 8-1-13

Finally, my favorite new band was able to set up a show in my own hometown. Last night, I got the chance to go see Ghost play at The House of Blues in Cleveland. This time, they were the headlining band and they did not disappoint. A good mix of new and old songs, together with two encores totaling almost an hour-and-a-half set.

And every note was perfect. They sounded tight and they sounded great.

Unlike seeing them last year in Pittsburgh, I was able to get in with my camera and snap at will without any club bouncers wanting to destroy me...

I was able to stand pretty close to the stage, and even though a lot of people were trying to get phone videos and wave their "devil horns" in front of me, I was able to get some decent shots:

(The money shot!)

All photos by Highbury Cemetery, 2013

And if that wasn't enough, they played "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen" in their encore:

Ghost, Live in Pittsburgh 4-15-12

Well, after 6 months of trying to see one of my favorite new bands, the stars and planets finally came into alignment. Sunday, Mrs. Highbury and I made the trip to Pittsburgh to see Ghost open for Opeth and Mastodon at Stage AE. And I must say, we were not disappointed. Outside of having the short opening set of only 30 minutes, they played most of their songs from their release, Opus Eponymous, and they sounded absolutely amazing. (To be fair, Opeth and Mastodon also sounded great, but I actually went just to see the opening band. Desperate? Certainly. Worth the trip? Absolutely!)

I was snapping away madly throughout the set, only to have a bouncer come over and tell me in a not-so-friendly tone, "no more pictures." I told him that the doorman let me in with my camera, but he was having nothing of it. Whatever. I still had the upper hand, as I rattled off 75 pics before getting shut down...

 

All photos by Highbury Cemetery, 2012