It’s time for another edition of ‘A Song For…’ and as I did last month, I wanted to pick something you may not have heard before. So, this time around, I’m going for the ballad, ‘He Is’ by Ghost. Check out the official video below…
Starting in 2006, Ghost are a Swedish band that has been described as everything from hard rock to pop-rock, heavy metal to doom metal and a whole bunch more. One thing that remains constant though is that the band broaches Satanic themes, though, by their own admission, it’s all very tongue-in-cheek.
That really shows in this video, where the imagery is very reminiscent of Christian Faith Healers, mixed with a vaguely cultish feel. It’s kinda like if Midsommar was pitched as a TV preacher show rather than a horror movie. On top of the striking video, the song itself is super catchy and feels really bombastic to me.
The song plays out really well live too. You can check out THIS VERSION, for example, to see lead vocalist Tobias Forge fully in character as the anti-Pope, Papa Emeritus. Now, the band’s Satanic gimmick has caused them some issues in the past, mostly in the United States, where they’ve been banned in several places due to this moniker and the band’s general themes.
But what do you think? Did you enjoy this one? Do you find the gimmick problematic? Let me know in the comments below!
Matt Doyle Media 