I contemplated not doing this review of Ghost’s EP Phantomime at all, which is why it’s out weeks after the release. Could I, as a fan, not be biassed towards Ghost, but Phantomime is great, it didn’t matter if I was biassed or not.
I wrote in a Track by Track review of Eighteen Visions’ cover album, 1996, I believe there are three ways to do a cover.
- make it an upgrade of the original while still sounding like or very similar to the original
- make it your own give it your signature sound or a unique sound
- make it an upgrade, make it your own, and douse it in the essence of the band
With the five tracks, Ghost has mostly done the latter. If one didn’t know the music of Television, Genesis, The Stranglers, Iron Maiden or Tina Turner, one would think the songs belonged to Ghost.
Kicking the EP off is a cover of Television’s “See No Evil”. At first, I thought this cover was a bit obscure. The song is from Television’s 1977 album, Marquee Moon, but after re-listening to the album, it clicked. If Ghost is “hail Satan” then covering a song from an album dripping with ecclesiastical tones, just made sense. What I love about Ghost’s cover of “See No Evil” is that it has depth. They have created succulent layers the original song didn’t necessarily have. The original was grungy and dirty (not a dig) and Ghost’s version has clean wailing guitars, crisp drums, and great vocals.
Leading up to the release of Phantomime, Ghost had teasers with “Jesus He Knows Me” and this cover of the Genesis’ 90’s hit is solid f’n gold. Taken from Genesis’ 14th studio album, We Can’t Dance, “Jesus He Knows Me” pokes fun at televangelism and if you aren’t familiar with this era of religious television, go down the rabbit hole and have your mind blown at the absurd amount of money the televangelists were making for themselves all in the name of “God”. Not only did Ghost absolutely kick “Jesus He Knows Me” up to the heavens within the song but within the video too. They took the pop hit and made it a full on rock classic and it’s gold baby.
“Hangin’ Around” is from The Stranglers album Rattus Norvegicus and I can say, I wasn’t too familiar with them before Ghost but after a deep dive into The Stranglers music catalogue and research on the song, it feels like it would fit on earlier Ghost albums. While Ghost didn’t stray too far from the vibe of the original, their subtle nuances upgraded the song and made it less goth rock and more modern rock.
From Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut album, Ghost covered “Phantom of the Opera” and it’s such a wonderful tribute to the iconic metal band. When I hear it, the wailing guitars instantly tell me it’s an Iron Maiden song but with a dash of Ghost. That dash of Ghost is the chef’s kiss on the song. As a Maiden fan, I think Ghost did a helluva job with this epic song. Loudwire reported that Paul Di’Anno criticised Tobias’ vocals by saying he didn’t try hard enough, but what I think a lot of people forget to realise is that if Tobias had gone balls to the walls, it wouldn’t have been Ghost. Tobias has a great voice be it as the voice of Ghost or his previous bands Repugnant or Subdivision. Performing as Papa Emeritus and Cardinal Copia, there’s a wonderful delicateness to Tobias’ vocals that fans, myself included, love. Ghost elevated “Phantom of the Opera”, dragging it from 1980 and solidifying it as one of the songs all new Iron Maiden fans should hear.
The last track on the EP, “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” was the song I was and still am most excited about. I hope the Queen of Rock n’ Roll, Tina Turner, heard this cover before she left this terrestrial plane. The original song appeared on the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome soundtrack and Ghost’s cover is absolutely wonderful. It’s filled with grand choruses, riveting bass lines, and spectacular guitar and drums. There is something very heart wrenching in the way Tobias sings this and his vocals hit to the core of the soul.
Like 72 Seasons by Metallica, Phantomime by Ghost doesn’t need a review. The strength of the EP is in the passion that Ghost as a band and as individuals musicians have for music. The 5 tracks have brilliant touches of what makes Ghost who they are and they elevated each track for new ears to hear and that is what makes Phantomime great.
