UMUR
"Infestissumam" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish heavy rock/metal act Ghost. The album was released through Loma Vista Recordings in April 2013. "Infestissumam" was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and produced by prolific producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Alice in Chains, Deftones...etc.). The location of the studio actually provided Ghost with recording issues as they needed a choir to record some of the sections on the album, but was turned down by every local choir or individual choir singer they approached, when they read the words (the occult nature of the lyrics) they had to sing. In the end the choir sections for the album had to be recorded in Hollywood.
Stylistically the music on "Infestissumam" contineus the occult themed heavy rock/metal that was initiated on "Opus Eponymous (2010)". According to a hoax story the band have fabricated lead vocalist Papa Emeritus has been replaced by Papa Emeritus II but it´s apparent from the get go, that we´re dealing with the same singer. His voice isn´t the most powerful or distinct sounding, but he is backed up by choirs and backing vocals, which help make his performance of the melodic vocal lines acceptable. The basis in the instrumental part of the music is still heavily influenced by late 60s/early 70s occult themed heavy rock/metal with dominant use of organ/keyboards and choirs, simple hard rocking riffs, and a solid rhythm section. It´s generally not very heavy and at times even mainstream oriented, but that´s also partially due to the organic sound production where the guitars are put in the back of the mix.
The material are generally well crafted and relatively adventurous. It´s not complex by any means, but the band do try out a few new things compared to what they did on "Opus Eponymous (2010)". The sound of the two albums are overall pretty similar though. "Infestissumam" is probably the perfect sophomore release to fans of the band (enough development to not be a clone of the debut, but not so much that the music isn´t unmistakably the sound of Ghost), and Ghost are by now also a both distinct sounding and easily recognisable visual act. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.