Christ on a cracker, I do love me some Ghost. While I suspected something was on the horizon with their recent “Jesus is coming” and “Jesus Talk with Father Jim DeFroque” marketing, I did not expect a cover of Genesis’ “Jesus He Knows Me”.
Good god almighty it’s tight.
Ghost have elevated the song, stripping back the signature Genesis sound and layering theirs over it with crunchy and heavy guitars, thundering drums, and a slick groovy bass. The sound of “Jesus He Knows Me” feels as if it is a continuation of where Impera ended. Pure fucking rock.
Originally released on Genesis’ 1991 album We Can’t Dance, the song pokes fun at televangelists and the tame video lampoons those so-called men of God. Throwing virtue out the window, Ghost has upped the ante and shown the truer side of that so-called man of God. Something I imagine Genesis could not have done back in the day of saccharine MTV videos without losing their fans and label.
Luckily for us, Ghost is of a different time and era and while the video won’t be a shock to fans or those familiar with the song, the band probably has religious fanatics already up in arms at the audacity of a ‘satanic’ band for every thinking a man of God would act that way. Which is ironic if you watch the news, as it’s usually a man of God being arrested for drugs, prostitution, and so on and not a man of Satan nor a drag queen.
“Jesus He Knows Me” is one of 5 covers that will be released on May 18th on their EP, Phantomime. The EP will also include “See No Evil” by Television, “Hanging Around” by The Stranglers, “Phantom of the Opera” by Iron Maiden, and “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” by Tina Tuner. I’m really excited to hear that one! Pre-Order & Pre-Save Phantomime.
