Opus Eponymous is the first full length studio album from the Swedish band Ghost. It’s a band that I just hvsn’t listened to much. I’ve heard a few songs here and there but never a complete album I believe. I thought about it and I realized that I needed to place them and their discography in my conscience in one way or another. So, where to start? From the beginning of course.
My first impressions of Opus Eponymous are about the same as my assumptions before starting to listen to the album. I feel that there are two parts of this band. There is the image, which I think is really cool and I like how Tobias Forge evolves and changes the persona of the lead singer over time. That, of course, has very little to do with the music on this particular album, or any album for that matter.
The funny thing is, I don’t think the image suits the music at all. But on the other hand, that contrast between what is expected and what you really get is kind of amusing. But I have a hard time adapting my senses to a kind of extreme, or at least very stylistic visuals with the rather soft music. The vocals are especially “poppy” and with the visuals it would seem to be that it should sound more aggressive.
As Opus Eponymous is the first album I listen to in its entirety, it’s impossible for me to make any comparisons so far. But I understand the concept. Kind of soft music attracts a certain type of people. People who don’t necessarily are primarily drawn to metal. And the image might attract some metal heads. Genius really!
But for me, I find the music, and especially the lead vocals to be a little too dull and hollow for my taste. I expect that the instrumental parts might change a bit over time though, maybe the vocals as well. We will see. As far as this goes though, it was a debut album that I didn’t find that enjoyable.
