Black Metal: Matron Talks “Real Vs Fake” Metal, New TURISAS Song, and Outrageous Sub-Genres

Post number ten! Post number ten! What a feat.

Well, not really. But anyway…

Today I’ll be discussing three things (this is how most of my posts are probably going to go from here on out, at least the weekly ones) that mostly focus on the “genre” aspect of metal: the infamous “real vs. fake metal” debate, the newest Turisas song, and outrageous and often-unnecessary sub-genres. Or rather, their names.

So let’s get started.

“Real” VS. “Fake” Metal

This whole debate…is really, really sad. I tend to try my best to ignore those who usually feel a need to say “they’re not real metal” about any band, along with anyone who feels the need to use silly elementary remarks such as the word “poser”, but every so often something happens to make me smack my forehead until its red in shame because of some members of the metal community who feel the need to say these things. Some people may be familiar with these statements being said about bands like Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Chelsea Grin, etc., and it’s a bit ridiculous. If you don’t like these bands, then stop giving them attention. I am constantly seeing people complain about these bands, constantly, to the point where I see more complaining than I do…”worshipping”, as some people like to say. I see more bitching than I do praise, and I don’t want to see it. I do not like any of the aforementioned bands, so I don’t mention them, nor do I wish to see/hear people talking about them. Yet I never fail to see people complaining about the bands, the music, and most especially the bands’ fan bases. If you dislike these bands so much, as much as you say you do, then why the hell do you keep souring your tongue by speaking their name? If you don’t like them, why do you keep bringing them up?

That’s a bit of a different topic for another time, so let me repost here a piece of something that I’ve posted on a topic on the Headbanger’s Sanctuary forums regarding Bring Me the Horizon:

                I definitely don't understand the fascination that so many people, mostly teen girls, have over them. What I hate even more, though, is people who make it their duty to alert others that they hate BMTH. If you're like me and it isn't your cup of tea, don't listen to it, plain and simple. People don't have to go out of their way to make a big deal over the fact that they don't like one band. I've seen people online who are more obsessed with making their hatred known than some fans are with the band itself, and it's kind of pathetic. The constant bashing and raging over it is pitiful. Metal's supposed to be a sanctuary for the "outsiders", the socially-unaccepted people, and yet now the metalheads are planting themselves on this huge pedestal, portraying this despicable "holier-than-thou" demeanor towards others, just because they think one band sucks. When did we turn into the ones to alienate others? That's what I want to know. We're supposed to be embracing the outsiders, not bringing out our inner elitists and shunning others just because they like one band that we don't. We, some of us (or rather, some of our kin), are turning into what we hated in the first place, and it's kind of sad, really...

And it isn't just with Bring Me the Horizon, though the overt hatred towards them above all others definitely gets no attempts to remain concealed. The same happens with bands like Asking Alexandria, Blood on the Dance Floor, Black Veil Brides, Chelsea Grin, and quite a few others. When did metalheads turn into such stuck-up elitists? I don't like any of the aforementioned bands, but I don't go out of my way to make it known to the world that I dislike them. I don't like them, I don't listen to them, I keep my mouth shut. Is it so hard? No.

And that’s basically my opinion on the matter in a nutshell. I have such disdain for people who feel the need to parade around the fact that they despise Black Veil Brides. Let’s face it, they’re mostly a bunch of pricks, so negative attitudes towards them as people is kind of understandable, but for goodness sakes, keep it to yourself! Not liking a band does not make you superior to a person that does like that band. If you think otherwise, I feel sorry for you. It’s music, it’s based on taste, and taste varies for every individual. Not a single person on earth will have 100%, the exact same taste in music, or really anything, as you. Get over yourself if you think you rank above another person on the food chain because you say Black Veil Brides is false metal.

As far as the term “false” metal goes, that’s just stupid. By today’s standards for “metal”, or what is considered “heavy” enough to be metal, Black Sabbath would not be considered metal to most people. Most people. If you think a song has to be the absolute heaviest song ever conceived in order for it to be considered “real” metal, take a look at some of what you consider to be “false” metal:

-Turisas’ The Varangian Way-Why? Because, well, it’s not the heaviest thing ever conceived, and if it isn’t the heaviest thing ever conceived it’s not considered “real” metal to you. Sucks to be you if you love Turisas and this album, but it isn’t real metal to you, and, hah, wow, really sucks to be you if you’re an elitist who only listens to “true” metal. Of course, it has its moments, such as the beginning/growled segments to “Cursed Be Iron”, but they aren’t heavy enough for you. Either you cut that “real/false” stuff out or you aren’t allowed to listen to their cover of “Rasputin” ever again. Sorry, but that’s what you want. You want “real” metal, and, by your standards, this isn’t it.

-The Rest of Folk metal-Bag pipes and flutes, are you serious?

-Blind Guardian’s A Night at the Opera-That’s right! You aren’t allowed to listen to “Battlefield” anymore because it’s not “real” metal because it’s not heavy enough! Oh, but you don’t want to give up good old LotR metal, do you? Tough. It’s not heavy enough. Hand over that CD.

- The Rest of Power metal-Sorrrrrrry, it’s not heavy enough to make the cut. It’s too cheery, too corny. Goblins, elves, fairy tales, what? This is metal, isn’t it? We like gore and death and blood! Yeah, anger and testosterone!

-Nightwish-Yep, basically all of Nightwish. No ifs, ands, or buts. I’m sure you can understand that, can’t you? You can see where I’m coming from with that?

-Behemoth’s Sventivith (Storming Near the Baltic)-Yes, I went there. You have to give up Behemoth. “Oh but Matron, Sventivith is black metal, it’s heavy enough! You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Excuse you if you think so, but this album, along with great compositions such as “Wolves Guard My Coffin”, “Hidden in a Fog”, and “From the Pagan Vastlands”, just so happens to possess the song “Hell Dwells in Ice” and oh, ho, ho, that song isn’t heavy at all! You aren’t allowed to have Behemoth anymore because they aren’t heavy enough for you.

What, that’s going too far? Giving up Behemoth is too far for you?

Then cut that stupid elementary “real” and “fake” shit out unless you want to have to not listen to Amon Amarth, Gojira, Emperor, Carach Angren, Sabaton, Opeth, Wintersun…or never discover other great bands like Asgaard, Savage Messiah, Svartsot, and countless others.

You see how annoying that was, though, probably reading that in a very condescendingly sarcastic way? Imagine if Turisas is one of your favorite bands, perhaps the one exception to your “heavy=metal” rule. Imagine having to never listen to great songs like “Stand Up and Fight”, “To Holmgard and Beyond”, “Battle Metal”, and several others. You’d have nothing to blame but your own stupidity, your own elitistm, which is practically the same thing, to me, as stupidity. It’s not worth it. It really isn’t.

New TURISAS Song-“For Your Own Good”

Speaking of Turisas...

So the other day, a song from the upcoming Turisas album, Turisas2013, was played on a Finnish radio station (I believe it was an online-only station but I could be wrong). Called “For Your Own Good”, it was basically the first time fans heard anything from the new album. After some people were a bit…disappointed with the upcoming album’s title and artwork, some with the new outfits (refer back to my most recent rant where I complained about “metal fashion”), and some even slightly let down by Stand Up and Fight, hopes were nonetheless pretty high for the new song.

From what I saw, most people seemed to enjoy it, though, of course, others were a bit disappointed. But that happens with everything, so it’s not surprising.

Here’s the course of events I shared via Twitter before and after listening to it (read from bottom to top):

Not groundbreakingly amazing, but enjoyable.

That basically sums it up right there. Though, there aren’t very many groundbreaking things very often…nothing all too new. Most of it has been done already, just with different twists on it. Perfectly fine. That was bound to happen eventually, though there is the occasional WOW band popping up that takes the metal world by storm (Carach Angren is a great example) or album that completely blows everyone’s minds (Monolith of Inhumanity, anyone?). But as far as this new Turisas song goes…if you are a die-hard fan of Battle Metal and The Varangian Way or were one of the ones slightly disappointed by Stand Up and Fight, then you may find yourself asking for your “battle” metal back upon hearing this track.

This track…doesn’t really feel much like Turisas to me besides Mathias’ vocals, of which there wasn’t much growling. The chorus was catchy, but holy symphonic. Even more so than Stand Up and Fight. The keyboard solo was a bit a curveball, too. As someone commented similarly on the post on Turisas’ official Facebook page, if I hadn’t have been told who it was, I may not have guessed it had been Turisas except maybe for Mathias’ vocals. It was very different, to say the least.

I’m not complaining. As I said, the song was enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to the new album. For Turisas, it was definitely different, but definitely not bad. I’m a bit surprised they’ve strayed so far from their roots so early on (early on as in this is only their fourth album), but it’s definitely not a bad song or negatively portentous of things to come. If the rest of the album sounds like “For Your Own Good”, it probably won’t become my favorite Turisas album, but I won’t dislike it, though only time will tell.

Plus, let's all be honest for a second. After Stand Up and Fight, who really, and I mean REALLY, expected this to be like stuff from Battle Metal or The Varangian Way? It's not a bad song by any means. It has an overall upbeat feel, a pretty tune, a catchy chorus, and that nice keyboard solo. If you don't like this, at least give the rest of the album a chance first.

And my most recent opinion on the new song, after listening to it a few more times (once more from bottom to top):

In case you missed the stream of the song or haven't heard it yet or want to hear it again:

TURISAS-For Your Own Good (link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRym6gz4bVA

Outrageous and Often Unnecessary Subgenres

Speaking of Turisas, whenever the hell did “battle metal” become a genre or form of identification? What the hell even is considered “battle metal”? Turisas and…? It’s that kind of thing that’s unnecessary. I don’t care about basic genre names such as death, black, thrash, folk, and power metal. Hell, I don’t even care if it goes to symphonic, melodic, blackened *insert basic genre name here* metal. I get annoyed at this:

                -Brutal Death Metal-Though I enjoy the genre, what the hell makes it so “brutal” that it can’t just be considered death metal? “Brutal” is a superfluous term here.

                -“Slut” Metal-Butcher Babies is a terrible band that is trying to be innovative and is only trying to get attention by having its two front women flaunt their breasts around. Nothing makes your music stand out from anything else, especially not as far as genres go. Try harder, ladies, and try being talented, too.

                -“Viking” Metal-I’m sorry, but what even is “Viking” metal? What makes a band Viking metal? Every band often categorized as Viking metal can easily be categorized as something else. Amon Amarth, predominantly. Melodic death metal. Apparently Ensiferum, too? Folk metal. Windir? Black metal. Is it the Viking theme in their lyrics? That’s silly, because I’ve never before known anyone to categorize bands based off their lyrical themes. If you want to call Amon Amarth Viking metal because they sing about Vikings, then we need Egyptian metal for Nile, pirate metal for Alestorm, ghost metal for Carach Angren, and just…no.

And shit like this:

Screenshotted and cropped down from AgentSpamCorp's upload on Youtube.

Extreme majestic technical epic melodic metal.

If this isn’t your first time tuning into my blog, you’ll know I am quite the fan of Wintersun. I even plan on seeing them during their upcoming North American headlining tour towards the end of the summer. I have the utmost respect for Jari, Teemu, Jukka, and Kai. Really. But if this is what Jari feels is necessary to define their music…this is ridiculous. If I need two hands to count the words in the name of your genre, you need to hit the brakes and shorten that down. This isn’t an attack on Jari, either. This is an attack (barely) on everyone who uses words just for the sake of using words.  Whether it’s extreme majestic technical epic melodic metal or atmospheric depressive suicidal black metal. It’s unnecessary. I’m not saying all genres are necessary, only the ones that make you think “really?” after you read them. After all, if we were to simply refer to literally everything as just “metal”, then “putting Municipal Waste, Decapitated, Iron Maiden, and Between the Buried and Me into the same category would just be silly”, even if done indirectly (quote from Headbanger’s Sanctuary member THCandroid). Sub-genres are supposed to make things easier as far as organization goes, but instead they’re doing the exact opposite. They’re nice for when someone asks you to recommend them a few black metal bands, but I have never heard anyone specifically request an “extreme majestic technical epic melodic metal” band, and I highly doubt I ever will.

Anyway, I think that’s about it for this post. All of my previous reviews have been posted on my blog, and you can find links to all of them off to the right. Reviews include Carach Angren, Hate, Devilish Impressions, Vesania, and Ghost (live). My next post will probably be another list, or more than likely something from the choices below. 

UPCOMING BLOG TOPICS (in no order):

-Wintersun

-Hate

-"Two Minutes to Midnight: Short Songs That Pack a Punch"

-"Irreligious" (a rant on obnoxious practitioners of their religions/lack thereof)

-My "Top 10" of last year

-Whatever else I feel like

VENOM-Black Metal

Vesania "Distractive Killusions" Review

Vesania

Distractive Killusions

I guess I must really like reviewing bands’ third albums, and I try to refrain from reviewing albums that aren’t extremely recent, but I couldn’t help myself with this one. Anyway, today I’ll be sitting down to review Vesania’s most recent album, released in 2007, titled Distractive Killusions. First, most people may know Vesania because of the fact that it is Orion’s – yes, the monstrous bassist from Behemoth – and Daray’s – well-known drummer who has been involved with Vader and Dimmu Borgir, to name a few – band. Often mistaken as a “supergroup”, Vesania has been around since 1997 and plays a mixture of symphonic black and symphonic death metal. Distractive tends to lean more towards the latter of the two, most especially with Orion’s vocals, and is my favorite album from the band, trumping even its much-hailed predecessor, God the Lux, which is another great album in its own right. Fitting in with the band’s small but ultimately incredible discography established before it, Distractive Killusions takes listeners on a wild ride through the demented and insane (hence the band’s name, which is Latin for “insanity”) that leaves your heart thudding and withered brain hungering for more.

I began with this album (and thus the band itself, as D.K. was my first exposure to Vesania) with the third track, “Infinity Horizon”, thinking something along the lines of ‘okay, this has to be good, I mean it has Orion and Daray in it…’ but, being that I’m extremely, extremely picky (pickiness is not to be confused with elitism) when it comes to what music I like, I didn’t think I would like it as much as I actually do. In fact, I liked it so much that I actually bought it the very same night I first heard “Infinity Horizon”. So what was it about this album that drove me into a fit of ‘oh my god oh my god oh my god I need this album in my collection now’? Well, if you want the truth, it was everything. I considered everything about this album to be as close as you could possibly get to symphonic death metal perfection. Orion’s vocals are impeccable, his lyrics and phenomenal, Daray’s drumming is not annoyingly dominating (unsurprisingly), the keyboards are fantastic (don’t think symphonic like Carach Angren symphonic, think more Devilish Impressions or Emperor symphonic), the guitar riffs are consistently enjoyable, you can hear the bass, the atmosphere is constantly worthy of applause, even the artwork and song titles are great.

So let’s tackle them one by one.

The album starts off with “Narrenschyff” (German with alternative spelling for “ship of fools”), a moderately-paced piece that has blast beats sprinkled in occasionally and tastefully until about the halfway mark where they become more frequent. Siegmar’s keyboards tend to be at the forefront whenever Orion is not at the mic and is instead serenading you with simplistic yet enjoyable guitar riffs alongside Valeo, however Heinrich’s bass is not as audible here as on other tracks. The most memorable part of this song is definitely Orion’s psychotic laughter about a third of the way through, which sets the perfect mood for this album, throughout which I couldn’t help but think of it as a roller coaster ride through a demented carnival. This mood is only sustained during the following track, “The Dawnfall (Hamartia and Hybris)”, for which I am a total sucker.

“The Dawnfall” is where Heinrich is certainly more audible throughout, though the track is not much faster than the one preceding it. I’m not exactly complaining over that, as it gives this sort of dreary feel, especially when the vocals come in. Allow me to dissect them a little, as I am an undeniably huge fan of Orion as a vocalist:

 During the chorus, which utilizes a stanza of Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol which is one reason why I am such a sucker for this song, when he occasionally opts to participate in the entire verse, Orion is echoed by a spoken recitation of the same verse. Those times that he does not, he intermittently growls the words “each man kills”, which, combined with the dry, lifeless spoken recitation, creates a feeling of despair.  About three-fourths of the way through the song, Orion himself begins to sound helpless and hopeless, as his growls become more purposely deflated and slow, adding only to the grim edge of the doomy keyboards.

After the second time the chorus is sung, there we have our guitar solo, followed by the chorus again, so this song’s lyrics rely heavily on chorus repetition. The guitar solo is a nice touch, very enjoyable, though nothing too obnoxiously complex. It, as well as the one that follows on “Infinity Horizon”, does earn Valeo some praise, however.

“Infinity Horizon” is where this album finally picks up, as Daray relies heavily on blast beats, at least until about the midway point where the keyboards become hypnotic behind a breakdown that lasts for almost the rest of the song, interrupted only by Orion performing the last verse. His vocals are a little layered here, with them becoming a bit raspy as they fade out. It’s obvious the keyboards are meant to be the focal point of this song, although this is probably what keeps this song from being a favorite. It does tend to get just a little repetitive, and finally ends just before you’re about to check how much time is left until it’s over. Enjoyable nonetheless, but not exactly a favorite. I prefer the first half of the song to the second.

Anyway, immediately after this, Vesania dives right back into the fun and insanity with “Rage of Reason”. Orion comes right at you with his vicious roars, and actually sounds like he’s have a ton of fun with this song, most especially at the beginning and end. Of course, with this song’s lyrics, who could blame him? If he hasn’t already, he certainly proves to be a wonderful lyricist with this song, and the fact that he sounds as though he’s enjoying his song makes you more inclined to enjoy it, too. This one uses a quote from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and, with it and the verse following it, subtly hints towards his irreligious ideology. The vocals then become low, reduced almost to daring whispers that are interrupted by bursts of angry roars. This is the song that makes me think “demented carnival”, because of the keyboards that are present about halfway through that accompany Orion’s alternating whispers and roars, and the rest of the keyboards I would have liked were they a bit louder in the mix, as they are quite good, though they are still clear and audible. The riffs are, again, simple and wonderful, and the bass is still audible. The latter of the two definitely starts racking up some points for this album, as most bassists go unheard in most studio recordings. I guess Orion didn’t want to share his pain with Heinrich? Whatever the reason, I’m glad it exists.

“Rage of Reason” fades out with some fabricated wind into “Of Bitterness and Clarity”, where the drums are keeping with switching back and forth between blast beats and slower rhythms. They usher the listener into the track before some very symphonic keyboards find themselves at the forefront of the song, overshadowing everything until Orion comes back in and demands all the attention. This track, to me, seemed a bit like a constant fight for dominance between everyone except Heinrich, as there were articulate keyboards between verses, blast beats during verses, and riffs during verses that may have better fit being in spots without vocals. Valeo delivers another great solo, so now the attention is shifted to him for a time, until Orion starts building his vocals up again, slowly rising above everyone else until he fades out again, as if he was trying to rise to the position of mediator to get everyone to come together and harmonize. It worked, really well, as everyone is then on the same page until the end of the song. Heinrich then isn’t afraid to let himself be heard, and everyone comes together for the last 30 seconds of the track to create a much harmonized symphony that balances everything out. I wouldn’t exactly call this song a “hodgepodge” as some people may misconceive, but I wouldn’t call it my favorite track, either. It was not a cluttered fight for dominance, but instead a rather organized one that was, compared to other songs, just a little weak lyrically. The message it possesses is not entirely clear until the second or third verse. For what it is, it is pretty enjoyable despite that it may seem as though I’ve said the contrary, and may take a few extra listens to really appreciate.

Track six brings us “Silence Makes Noise (Eternity – The Mood)”, another great track. Daray continues on as he’s been, though blast beats are a bit more common on this track than some others. The keyboards are a bit buried beneath everything else in order to create a desperate, frantic sort of atmosphere, and I think there’s even a guitar solo somewhere amongst the craziness which is obviously not meant to be the focal point of the track. Orion was the one that dragged us into this scary place, standing alone to speak the first words of the lyrics, “heartbeat, arrhythmic”, which sets off the noisy descent into madness. This is where I have some negative critique for this song, as it took me several listens in order to actually enjoy the first bit after Orion first speaks. There’s some sort of techno-like, fake heartbeat thudding thing…I don’t really even know what the hell to call it during the first few seconds of the song that seems a bit strange. Besides that, though, it is a really great track. We even get to hear a bit of Orion’s shrieks halfway through (they seem to adore the halfway mark of songs for some reason), as well as the three-quarter mark, though for more of that you’d have to refer primarily back to the first album, Firefrost Arcanum. Orion leads us out again with a more soothing voice, almost as if he’s bidding a solemn farewell to someone. Fair warning, though: if you listen to this track at a high volume, prepare your ears for the strange high-pitched…sound at the very, very end. (It must also be mentioned that the lyrics on this track were not original compositions of Orion’s, but were instead translated by him and written by T. Wroczynski.)

“Hell is for Children” comes next, featuring someone by the name of Pitor Gibner on vocals, though it is extremely hard to tell that it’s a different person except for his enunciation despite his very obvious accent. Orion hides his accent rather well while Gibner really does not, but that’s perfectly okay in this song, as it adds to the all ‘round evil feel of it. Even the name is somewhat daunting and condescending. Really, it’s a clever phrase that is summed up within the last verse:

                                So easily you play with evil

                                You read the names aloud

                                All your toys are black

                                Rebellion for show

                                Hell that you talk about

                                Ain’t no evil

                                And let me tell you:

                                You have seen nothing of evil

                                This Hell is for children

“Aesthesis” is the final actual song on this album, and is arguably the heaviest. The keyboards are almost dizzying yet beautiful, as if your mind is finally beginning to accept the insanity forced unto it. They are the definite highlight of the track, and you have to respect Siegmar for his work. Orion forces his voice lower than on any other song on the album, and we do hear a very minimal amount of layering where he blends the low with the regular before raising it a bit again. Still not shrieking to the caliber of Firefrost Arcanum, so it’s safe to say he prefers growling, which is just as great. Most of the guitar work consists of a rather fast-paced breakdown during verses, which makes it very easy to find yourself nodding along to the song. The drums meld with this perfectly during verses, and accent the keyboards with more prominent blast beats whenever Orion is sort of groaning the lyrics. A great track that has some very quotable lyrics and a catchy chorus that you can imagine fans screaming along to during shows.

“Aesthesis” ends by fading into the very last track, “Distractive Cryscendo”. This track can’t really be called a “song”, as the last one left standing is Siegmar, who himself eventually fades off into nothingness. Most of the track is a cacophony of echoing, mocking laughter, as if from an audience of sorts, accompanied by the ever-increasing ticking of clocks. It starts with one clock rising amidst the laughter much like Orion did on “Of Bitterness and Clarity”, then increases pace and number until the crowd falls silent and the clocks eventually tick for the last time and fade out to signify the end of the album. It’s a very unique closing track, and very fitting, though it’s perfectly understandable if you were to skip it while your iPod was on shuffle.

All in all, I give this album a 9.3/10 (93%, as I used percentages on my previous reviews). It was extremely enjoyable and does not bore easily. You’ll probably wish that Orion and Daray had more time to spend on Vesania to create some more great albums such as this if you listen to it, but will be sated well with this and its predecessors.

Noteworthy Tracks:

Track One: “Narrenschyff”

Track Two: “The Dawnfall (Hamartia and Hybris)”

Track Four: “Rage of Reason”

Ghost B.C. Live Review

Ghost
Live at the Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia, PA-May 12th, 2013
*Full setlist will follow the review

Simply put, this show was absolutely incredible! So much so that I haven't any idea where to begin...so I guess we'll start at the beginning.

An evening with Ghost is a night full of surprises, starting with the sheer amount of people who arrived more than an hour early. The doors of the Troc opened at 7 PM, with the show beginning at 8, and my brother and I arrived there a bit prior to 6. When we got there, there must've been at least 30 people already waiting in line, with a steady stream of early-goers still coming. The diversity of the crowd was simply spectacular: quite a bit from the older generations, some from my own (including two 15-year-olds that I stood beside throughout the show, one of whom was wearing a Burzum shirt), guys in Rush and Tool shirts, quite a few with Ghost shirts, Death to All shirts, goth-dressed girls, and members of both genders in casual dress (I saw platform boots and flip-flops last night). It was perhaps the most diverse group of fans I think I'll ever see, and yet the camaraderie at this show was no different than that at any other metal show. It made for great fun, especially towards the end, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Anyway, Ides of Gemini hit the stage a little after 8 and...well, they weren't exactly favored by the crowd. Nothing they played was all too impressive, and they played five songs, but you could hardly tell one from another. I, and several of the people around me, said it sounded like they were playing the same exact thing for a half hour. Before their last song, one guy shouted that they sucked (I wouldn't be keen to disagree), with another suggesting that they "play some fucking Slayer" (oh, there was a ton of people sporting Slayer shirts, too, unsurprisingly).

After their set, everyone came to the unanimous decision that they sucked and went about their banter while waiting impatiently for Papa and his Ghouls. And what a reception they received when they finally took the stage! Except, of course, for one drunken ass shouting insults to Papa during "Per Aspera ad Inferi", calling him a "pussy" and saying the guitarist "sucked" and should "play like Dimebag". People got fed up quickly (especially me, since he was screaming this all right in my ear so I could hardly hear anything else), but luckily he disappeared before the third song started. Knowing that Ghost tends to be a pretty tame, mellow band, and after hearing from a few people that the crowds fell in-line with that and some shows even had people "dancing", I was a bit surprised and yet not by the mosh pits. Of course, they, too, were pretty mild, and did not persist throughout the entire show, and were often short-lived during bombastic guitar solos. The entire show was a huge sing-along with Papa, most especially during "Year Zero" near the end of the set. As soon as the sound of Belial's name filled the air, we all knew and we all fell in in perfect harmony with one another. Papa allowed us to sing the chorus, and I cannot begin to describe what it was like after the final verse when every single solitary person in that packed venue raised their horns and screamed as loud as they could "Hail Satan!" and continued on with the rest of the chorus with Papa. The entire time that they were on stage, we felt like his children and he guided us through the show like a father!

Other highlights were Papa dedicating "Elizabeth" to the ladies of Philadelphia (during which he took a bouquet of flowers from a woman in the front row), the crowd's uproar over "Satan Prayer", and the last song of the set, the ever-loved "Ritual". The exchange between Papa and the crowd was quite funny, too, as one person screamed "I love you, Papa!" and he replied that Ghost was in turn "fond" of us. He then changed his mind and returned our love, and invited us to "commemorate this exchange of 'love'" by joining him in "one final ritual", during which the crowd-choir seemingly over-powered their conductor at times with intermittently clapping along to the beat, one of the short-lived pits, and everyone screaming the chorus. Papa especially enjoyed that, as it wasn't much different throughout the preceding songs.

And yet, when we thought it couldn't get much better, WE WEREN'T FINISHED.
The encore, oh the encore!
When Ghost disappeared from the stage after "Ritual", not a single person was silent. Some people chanted "Monstrance Clock" while others simply chanted the band's name, with a few screaming specifically for Papa. And oh what a present they had for us when they answered our heckling...

They played "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen" for us! For the first time ever, Ghost performed "Ghuleh", and at that point, without exaggeration, everyone just about lost their shit. I'll tell you, and so will everyone else that was there, "Ghuleh" is quite a trip live, and sounds so very very sweet. I think that was the biggest surprise of the night.

Following "Ghlueh" and Papa telling us that it was the first time they'd ever played it, and him teased us, saying, "so let's do it again! A 1, 2...no, no...nevermind that", he spotted a man in the crowd that was holding his son, who could've been no older than 3 (yes, three years old), and invited him towards the front. He asked the little boy's name, and it took about 10 or so people to tell him it was Christopher, and it's pretty safe to say that, from that, the final song of the evening, "Monstrance Clock", was dedicated to Christopher. The crowd surrounding the man and his son was incredibly calm (including the three morons that kept trying to start a three-man mosh that NOBODY wanted anything to do with), and two of the Ghouls tossed their picks to little Christopher. He didn't catch either of them, but one of the fans who did catch one went up to him after the lights came on and gave his to him.

Needless to say, I rank Ghost's performance as a 10/10, after which the crowd slowly emerged from its reverie and dispersed into the night, people making their way back to their burrows until the next show. Those that we talked to while waiting around went off in other directions, feeling as one, not by sharing names, but by sharing the terrific experience that was Ghost. The city of Philadelphia successfully came together as one for Lucifer's son.

GHOST-Ghuleh/Zombie Queen (Live)

Setlist:
"Infestissumam"
"Per Aspera ad Inferi"
"Con Clavi Con Dio"
"Prime Mover"
"Elizabeth"
"Secular Haze"
"Body and Blood"
"Stand by Him"
"Death Knell"
"Satan Prayer"
"Genesis"
"Year Zero"
"Ritual"
"Ghuleh/Zombie Queen" *Encore*
"Monstrance Clock" *Encore*

(Originally written for headbangerssanctuary.com on May 13th, 2013)