SKELETÀ: Vinyl LP

Produced by Gene Walker and mixed by Andy Wallace and Dan Malsch, GHOST’s sixth psalm, Skeletá, is its most unflinchingly introspective work to date. Where previous GHOST albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter – such as IMPERA’s meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor Prequelle’s evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues – Skeletá’s lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a singular collection of timeless, universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view. However, Skeletá is so much more than the sum of its tracklist. Its songs form a thematic arc that begins with the ascendant and anthemic “Peacefield,” then delves into progressively darker spiritual territory by way of the bittersweet melodies of “Lachryma,” demonically hooky first single “Satanized” and soul-searching epic ballad “Guiding Lights.”