Ghost – “Skeletá” Album Review – Spotlight Report
Ghost’s sixth studio album, Skeletá, finds mastermind Tobias Forge once again reaching beyond expectations and genre definitions to craft an introspective, cinematic experience.
Known for provoking both awe and debate in the rock and metal communities, Forge – now donning the darkly reflective persona of Papa V Perpetua – continues to push the creative envelope, unbothered by those who claim Ghost is “not metal enough.” With Skeletá, he leans into gothic melancholy, baroque dramatics, and unsettling beauty, delivering one of Ghost’s most thematically cohesive albums to date.
Gone is the overt pomp of Impera. In its place stands something far more haunting and vulnerable. The ten-track collection feels like a mirror turned inward – each song a reflection of the self, distorted by shadow and truth. The opener “Peacefield” sets the tone, its eerie children’s choir evoking the sinister innocence of the film The Omen, merging the spiritual with the satanic in a way only Ghost can.
“Lachryma” drips with sorrow and restraint, a masterclass in atmospheric melancholy. “Satanized” plays like a romantic horror story, toeing the line between seduction and damnation – an auditory love letter from the abyss. Ghost‘s ability to balance kitsch and darkness has never felt so poised.
True to Forge’s playbook, power ballads make a strong appearance. “Guiding Lights” and the majestic “De Profundis Borealis” provide moments of clarity amidst the gloom, offering fragile hope within the record’s layered despair. “Cenotaph,” meanwhile, digs into Ghost’s “heavier” roots, giving long-time fans a taste of the band’s early ghostly grind.
The standout “Missilia Amori” is both poetic and seductive, a cryptic tale of lust and memory that lingers long after the final note. Closing track “Excelsis”- clocking in at six minutes – is a slow-burning meditation on mortality, reminding us that even the most divine must one day descend.
While some fans may hesitate at the album’s more somber and reflective tone, Skeletá is proof that evolution doesn’t mean abandonment. Forge’s vision remains crystal clear: Ghost is a theatrical, spiritual experience – metal or not.
