Our beloved, Satanic metal rockers Ghost played an incredibly intimate show at Rough Trade in Brooklyn yesterday and we were a few of the lucky fans who were there to witness his greatness, Unholy Papa Emeritus III along with nameless ghouls Alpha and Omega play an acoustic, 3 song set before doing a signing in the store. Papa interacted with the energetic audience and told some funny jokes in between as well. “Zombie Queen” was a highlight of the set and it was great hearing the crowd sing along to the song. You can always tell how much a band is loved when you are surrounded by your fellow enthusiastic fans who are wearing all different kinds of Ghost t-shirts. It truly was a great New York audience and we enjoyed every minute of it. A fan in the front of the stage even had a self-made cardboard cutout image of Papa on a popsicle stick that he proudly held up! That’s what having fun being a fan is all about. And I couldn’t help but notice that Papa’s appearance reminded me a little bit of David Vanian, the singer from the legendary punk band The Damned. The slick back hair, face paint and even some crooning styles in his vocals and onstage antics brought the image to my mind, which is a huge compliment since The Damned were and still are an amazing band with their craft of a good melody as well as visually, just like Ghost. Papa’s vocals sounded perfect and the Nameless Ghouls had a really cool vibe going along with their playing. Their presence was felt as they seemed to be pleasantly lost in the melodies of the songs.
After their set, Papa and the ghouls did a signing which was just as exciting as the show. Our son Elliott was able to get our copy of Meliora, their new record, signed. He was also able to get a quick photo with Papa which we were very lucky to get! And we are ever-so grateful for it. The new album, in my opinion, is their best one yet. We are hearing some classic rock & metal elements which mix well with their own, well-developed unique style. Elliott says that he hears a hint of Queen in there sometimes. He also mentioned that the opening of the album reminded him of Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” and since he mentioned it, one could possibly argue that the album’s closing track “Deus in Absentia” sounds a little Danny Elfman-esque in its delivery. To me, that is fantastic. Also, It could just be me but I even hear a slight hint of Pink Floyd’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” era in parts of the first track on the album. It’s obvious that the band is influenced by all kinds of music, from all elements of metal to punk, classic rock, psychedelic rock, 80’s alternative and much more (In Elliott’s interview from last year with A Nameless Ghoul below, they talk about some of his influences, including Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Depeche Mode). The overall production compliments every well-crafted song on this killer record and it seems like this band is only going to get bigger than they already are over time. And we’ll be there for it all! Words cannot describe the pleasure I feel when I see my son clapping and singing along to one of his favorite bands at an intimate show like this. Music has always been the biggest influence in my life, and when I see it happening with my own son, it’s just simply amazing. A band like Ghost is special because you can tell how much they are huge music fans and fellow vinyl collectors themselves by playing record stores on a special unplugged tour where they also do a signing with their own fans, and praise the fact that record stores like this still exist in this day and age. Hail Papa and the Ghouls!
Elliott’s video interview with A Nameless Ghoul last year at their show at Best Buy Theatre in Times Square is posted below, along with new photos from yesterday’s show. Thanks for reading!
