No Filler Music Podcast - Sidetrack: Welcome Year Zero: Hail Satan with Ghost

Episode Date: October 20, 2019

We're 11 days out from Halloween night, so for our Sidetrack this week we're heading to church. Well, I guess it's maybe more of an anti-church? Cardinal Copia and his Nameless Gouls lead the worship service as one of the most evil metal bands of all time, Ghost. We've made it just in time...The Satanic Mass is about to start. Episode Tracklist From The Pinnacle To The Pit Stand By Him Year Zero Con Clavi Con Dio This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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that fill the space between the singles on our favorite records. My name is Quentin, with me as always is my brother Travis, and we're continuing our dive into metal for the month of October. And dude, I had no idea who we were talking about today. This is a band called Ghost. And just based on the 54 seconds that we listened to that song. I'm feeling some corn vibes. Whoa, slow down, bro. You're corn vibes.

I don't know why, but the bass gave me some, what, new metal vibes? Let's pretend you didn't say any of that. Have you learned anything in Metal Month, did? No, I haven't. All right, so, yeah, there's no. Nothing about this band that is new metal. All right, so these guys are called Ghost. You're right about that part.

They are, in the U.S., they go by Ghost BC for legal reasons. I don't remember what the legal reason is for that, but. So anyway, you may have seen them referred to as Ghost BC. They are a heavy metal band from... Sweden. And if you've seen pictures of these guys before, you'll know that they have sort of a gimmick to them, right? Basically, lead singer dresses in sort of like this demonic, satanic pope costume. And the rest of the members of the band wear these masks that fully obscure their face and they're wearing like sort of like cardinal robes and stuff.

And they go by, or they are referred to as the nameless ghouls. And you don't know who it is, like it could be anybody, right? Because they don't say their names, right? So a lot of people think that like Dave Grohl drummed with them on tour once and like all this other kind of stuff, you know, that famous, well-known metal musicians will sort of like rotate in and out of the nameless ghouls, you know. Oh, cool. Well, can I ask you something real quick? the singer?

Yeah. Is he also wearing a mask? Yes. But is that mask his face as a mask? No. So we, okay, here's the thing. We do know who the singer is. It's the founder of the band.

His name is Tobias Forge. But he either, like in the beginning when he went by the Pope, I guess he, all right. So he went by the name Papa Emeritus. and he wore basically like makeup that made his face look like a skull, right? Now he he goes by the name Cardinal Copia, and that is a mask that he's wearing. If you see him now, I'm going to send you some picks, Q, because this is some cool stuff.

But anyway, let me slack it to you. I'm slack it to you. I'm slack it to you. Okay. Can I ask you in the meantime, like, there's not any part of you that agrees with me on the whole corn thing. And can I explain why I think it sounds like corn? I would love to hear you try. Okay. I lied, dude. It's always, it's been a mask the whole fucking time. Okay, but, except for this one. Yeah, early on, it wasn't. Go ahead. Would you, yeah, give me them. Let me see them picks, dude. I select. Oh, shit.

I put him in the wrong channel. Dude, okay, I thought the bass, the bass line sounded like a corn song. Hello? Yeah. Do you not agree at all? Hold on, man. All right. I just slacked that in the Democratic Debates channel at my work.

What? Oh, my God. Yeah, I've seen that before, dude. That's dope. Okay. But wait, that's not a mask, though. Look at the ear, man. It's a silicon mask.

You see the ear? Man, yeah, that's really cool, dude. Yeah. All right, let's get back into it here. I'm curious to know what made you think of corn when you heard that intro that we played. Which, by the way, the intro song that we were playing was called From the Pinnacle to the Pit. I was on their 2015 album Meliora. I don't know how to fucking pronounce that.

Here's the thing about them, dude. They use a lot of Latin words and shit, so I'm going to be mispronouncing stuff all night here. But whatever. It's something that we do around here, right? Yeah, that's what we do. I just thought the baseline sounded kind of like, like it was in that corn vein.

Okay, it's probably just the bass tone, maybe. Nothing about the style like screams fieldy from, worn. All right. Well, look, dude. It's fine. Look, okay. Look, I'm just trying to, I'm just trying to, like, I'm trying to, like, assess the lay of the land. All right. And I still don't know. Okay. So, what is ghost in, like, you know, in, in the fucking landscape of metal? Where does ghost fit? Because I obviously have no clue. So, I've listened to, Honestly, they're kind of all over the map as far as like their styles, like from track to track.

Like the track we played right then or from the pinnacle to the pit, the intro track, it's a little bit heavier than some of their other stuff. Okay. His vocal styles are certainly more like traditional rock sounding than metal. He really doesn't have a metal voice at all. But I mean, they're classified as, this is what I'm talking about, dude. Even Wikipedia doesn't know what to do. the genres that they're classified under

and this is probably like what I'm saying it's like you're going to hear elements of all of this stuff hard rock heavy metal obviously doom metal which I don't agree with it all psychedelic rock progressive rock and pop rock pop rock you know what I'm saying pop rock right exactly but but

this is what I'm saying it's like there's really nothing you know they they run the gamut when it comes to like rock styles But for the most part, because of their lyric, the themes in their lyrics, the way that they dress, the whole aspect of like their performance, their live show and stuff like that, these guys are a metal band. Like, there's no way around that. But you can't put them in one box, you know? So can I ask you, I mean, this is just a side track.

Let me just ask you, I don't know if we got around to this last week when we covered chemists, but where would you put? Kimmiss? Well, you remember the whole thing that, like, they, Kimis, in particular, they don't, they don't like the, the doom metal term. Okay. And I agree that they don't, they don't, like, strictly fall in that category either. Yeah. But like they said, their goal with Kimmiss is to make metal that sounds like the kind of metal

that got them excited about metal when they were teenagers, you know, whatever that means. Like, the reason that they get the Doom Metal label is because their first album, you know, that we played a clip from last week, Absolution, has the slow, more like sludgy guitar sound. And they still have, they carry that through all the way. But, I mean, there's a lot of other things that they bring to the table. Like, they bring in elements from a lot of different metal styles.

But they're much more, I will say they're much more consistent than Ghost is. like with their sound. Okay. And before we get to the next clip, I'm realizing that it's silly to ask that question. Like, where do you think this band falls under? Because it's not like, if you're in a band, you're not like, all right, guys, what genre do you want to fall under? Yeah.

It's not like you have a sound in mind. It's just whatever comes out, you know, as a group. Right, right. Well. It's silly to ask that question. But like, you know. So the funny thing is like, remember I played that interview clip in the very beginning of last week's episode.

They have a whole segment where they talk about where Phil, the lead singer of Kim has, talks about how he thinks it's usually, he thinks it's more, it does more harm than good. The way that rock or metal kind of has fragmented themselves like that. You know what I mean? He said, we just want to be called a metal band. That's what we are. We're metal, you know. And that's where I'm struggling with. And for some reason, I keep trying to ask you, like, hoping that you have answers for me.

Yeah, there's never one answer. Because I'm just curious to know, you know, where the differences are in this genre. Because I know that there's a lot of different styles of metal. Right. I'm just curious, you know. A lot of times it's going to be, it's not going to be one, you know, genre thrown on a band. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay, so let's real quickly. Like, I talked about the nameless schools. the you know basically everybody but the lead singer is just referred to as a nameless ghoul and these masks are really the mask really really cool yeah really cool they don't have mouths on the mask you know yeah obviously for for a reason but they're wearing like a black felt mask underneath the metal ones yeah so you can't even see their skinned out of you know really cool on purpose because they're trying not to give away anything about who these people are yeah um anyway All right. So, this is going to be, you know, this is a sidetrack episode, so it's going to be pretty short. That's all you need to know about these guys. Also, I guess this is probably, could go without saying, but basically if you go see them live, it's basically like you are at a mass, like a church, Catholic mass for Satan, basically. Which is cool, right?

I like, I like, I like the, I mean, that's the thing. It's like a lot of times people say, oh, heavy metal, you know, it's all about Satan and stuff. and like a lot of bands like do that and do it in a really like corny and cheesy way yeah they do it on purpose because they think it's funny well but that's the thing about ghost not only are they doing it in sort of a cheesy way but like they they have they essentially have gone like full to that like they're leaning so hard into it that it's like everything about them is is like Satan worship basically right okay like they're they're They just put out a single last month.

The name of the single is called Seven Inches of Satanic Panic. Nice. If you look at the song names, just over their discography, they've got, you know, Satan prayer is the name of a song. Secular Hays,

depth of Satan's eyes. Devil Church. So anyway, like I said, they're leaning into it like full blown. You know what I mean? And they're not ashamed of it. And that's just like, that's what you're in for.

When you go to a concert and you see them live, like you're at a satanic church service, basically. I kind of want to go see them live now. Yeah, I would love to see them live. Yeah. Like if you look at some of the photos of like their stage, like decoration and stuff, they've got like this stained glass projections on the wall behind them. My guess is a lot of upside down crosses. Oh, yeah. Dude, it's in their logo.

Their logo, the tea and ghost is obviously like you said, upside down cross. Oh, yeah. So anyway. All right. So let's just get into it. This is like the perfect band for October, you know, because it's, it's, you know, Halloween season. You know, this is just, it's perfect, right? Let's do it.

So, like, Tobias, like one of the very first songs that he wrote, I'll tell the story. And then you guys can go listen to it on your own if you want to because I disagree with his assessment of the song. He says that when he wrote it, that it was possibly the most heavy, or he said, Probably the most heavy metal riff that has ever existed. And then he said that about a riff that he wrote himself. Yeah. Now listen to this, Q. When the chorus came to me, it haunted my dreams.

Oh, come on. Every time I picked up the guitar, I ended up playing that progression. And when I fit the words in, it seems to cry out for a satanically oriented lyric. Dude, this guy. But that's the thing, dude. I said, all right. Come on, Tobias. You know, when I read that, I was like, oh, shit.

You know, it's going to be pretty fucking heavy then, right? Yeah, like, I'm going to get chills. All right, let's just play it anyway, dude, because I want you to, I want you to, I want you to hear the quote-unquote most heavy metal riff that has ever existed. I would love to hear that. All right, so this song that he's talking about that he wrote that haunted his dreams and shit is called Stand By Him. And it's on the first album, so why don't you play a little bit of that? because let's just see about this heavy metal riff the most heavy that's ever existed. Dude, I better get some goosebumps at the very least.

Just prepare to be unimpressed, okay? Okay. This is not even PG-13 metal. No. I mean, the lyrics are corny as fuck, right? But I mean, like I said, dude. It's the Night of the Witch? Come on, bro.

I know, I know. But those are the words that haunted his dreams, Q. okay why did you why did you play this for me well i thought but how can i say that he is quoted as saying that this is the heaviest metal riff of all time and not play it so that we can then say how wrong he is so you're okay so you're you're you're you you play this for us to prove that he is wrong yes but here's the thing okay it's it's a good contrast to the to the actual song that I'm going to play for us today. Because it just shows you how much they've improved, right?

Like, this is literally... And this came out in 2010. Let's throw that up. Yeah. It's almost 10 years ago. Right, but he wrote the song in like 2006. Like, this was him. Before he even decided to name the band Ghost and do the whole thing with the mask and

the nameless ghouls and stuff, he wrote this song. So it's like, it's the first ghost song that was written. So anyway, here's another interesting thing. So he wrote this. like he was saying, the riff itself seemed to cry out for a satanically oriented lyric, as he says. So he said here that, you know, he had another guy that he had played with in another band. He was in a band called Repugnant, and he had a bandmate called Gustav Lindstrom. And so he asked him to, you know, come and record the song with him, this song standby him.

And he basically told Lindstrom that this definitely does not say, sound like two dudes that look like you and I. And so it was at that moment that he said, you know, let's make this a quote-unquote theater band and use our love of horror films and the traditions of Scandinavian metal in the band's imagery. Okay. So there you go. Cool.

Hey, let's take a quick break and then we'll get back into this. So regardless of how you feel about that song in particular and whether or not it's the heaviest metal riff you've ever heard in your life. because of that song, like that's how the idea of ghost was born. And so they've taken that idea and ran with it. And like they've definitely like, like I've been saying,

like they lean into it. And as you're going to see by this next, this next song, which is from the very next album called infestis. Dude, I can't say any of this shit. Hold on. Pronounce.

So here's the funny thing, dude. I'm glad that I'm, not the only one who has a hard time pronouncing this. I typed in, like, in, you know, the name of this album, which is infestimum. And there's an article on the, on the metal injection website that says, can you pronounce the name of the new ghost album? So they, um, okay, infestissimo. Infestimum, yeah.

Dissimam, something like that. Anyway, nobody can pronounce it. But, uh, so this song, we're going to play this next one. This is a dope-ass song, dude. This is what I'm talking about. I'm going to, if you think of, like, how would a satanic mass sound? This is the song that you're going to hear. So this is called Year Zero.

Beal, be above, B elizab, Osmodius, Satanus, Lucifer. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Yeah. Like I said, man, this is, like this is the idea of ghosts, like, perfectly realized. right here, this song. So, so let's recap what you were saying, like, the first song we heard was a, was a song that he wrote back in 2006. It was literally, yeah, he wrote it before he even decided to, to make the band who they are, right? I mean, like, it's just, he wrote the song and then, like, he said, you know what, like this, like, I need some satanic lyrics buying this. And then he said,

you know what? Yeah. If we're going to play songs like this, like, we need to not look, like, just do normal dudes. Yeah, let's just fucking go all that. And then, you know, literally, That's great. Seven years later, in 2013, when they came out with this album, like, this is what became of ghost, right? Like, they're doing stuff like this. And this is what they've been doing, you know, ever since. Okay. So, um...

Can I read the lyrics to you first, Q? Yes, please do. The choir of voices that you're hearing in the beginning, they're basically just naming off the different names for Satan. They're basically like summoning him, right? Yeah. Bileol, behemoth. Bielzebub, Asmarias, Satanus, Lucifer, right? And then like, the verse is, you know, something like this.

Since dawn of time, the fate of man is that of lice, equal as parasites and moving without eyes. A day of reckoning when penance is to burn. Count down together now and say the words that you will learn. And then the chorus is, Hail Satan, Archangelo, or Archangel. Hail Satan, welcome year zero. it's just cool shit man I mean if like I said this month I'm all about this kind of stuff dude I love watching

horror movies and just cranking up stuff like this because it's just you know it's fucking fun I just want to say this and like you know this about me one of the things that stops me from getting into metal is that I feel like it's too cheesy but like

when I listen to this these guys are doing it on purpose this is what it's all about yeah it's it's a little bit of like tongue and cheek like they know it's cheesy, you know it's cheesy, let's all just have some fucking fun. You know what I mean? Well, that I can get behind.

So maybe that's what I need to, like, that's the mindset I need to get into when I'm listening to metal, right? Yes. Is that safe to say? But that's the thing. Here's the thing. Yes.

Some bands do it and it's like, it's silly that they're doing it because, you know, like that band, some of that legitimate black metal that literally is trying to worship Satan. like personally. I don't know about it, but I'm curious. There's plenty of that in the history of metal too. And that's where it's like, okay, you actually believe this shit.

And like you're taking yourselves too seriously. Well, I mean, freaking Ozzy Osbourne like bit into a live bat. I don't know if that's true. Yeah, but that was just, it was a dove. He thought that, I think he thought it was dead, you know, something like that. Whatever. I don't know. I think he was on drugs or stuff.

You know, yes, he did do that. Yeah. But anyway. It's Ozzy Osbourne. Yeah. Whatever. No, but like, I'm into this, dude. And the fact that, like, I'm, you know, I'm staring at the album art right now.

And that's what they're going for. And that's the thing. It's like we're all in on it together. You know what I mean? Okay. I tend to like metal bands that sing about things other than Satan worship, right? Okay. I mean, there's a lot of that out there.

Ben's like Sepaltura that sing about, like, you know, the, You know, they're from Brazil. They sing about political oppression and, like, you know, issues that they, like, like, social issues and stuff like that. Metal, a lot of times is about, you're singing about things like that. Like, Metallica, you know, is done. Like the band you showed me last week, chemist was singing about sleep paralysis. Right. They're singing about, but again, it's always, you know, heavier subject matter.

It's like, yeah, they were singing about, like, personal demons. Yeah, right. Ghost is singing about, they're trying to summon the devil. They are literally worshipping Satan in every lyric that they write. And it's cool. It's fun. Dude. Yeah.

You know what? I'm into it. And I feel like I'm more into it because it's October. Yes. Like I said, dude, anytime it's October, you got to put on some ghost. You just have to. But that's the thing. I will say this, though, dude.

Not every song is as, like, fun and, like, well constructed as that one. There's a lot. That's a great song. That's a great. I would say track two on their first record. clavvy con dio is another great one anyway um it's just a fun band you got to know that it's cheesy and you got to know a lot a lot of the a lot of the songs i got to say are hit or miss most of them are hit or miss but when they do it right like this like it's really you know well done and and like

fun to listen to and just like you know pretty good like there's some really good riffs too metal riffs that that will show up on some of these albums you know so anyway um well let me just say that I appreciate that you brought this ban to the table, dude, like saying that, hey, you know, it's hit or miss. Yes. But this is a great band for the month of October. Yeah, it's a perfect band for this month. And, you know, we're, what, 16 days from Halloween?

Well, less than that by the time this episode comes out. So, yeah. Yeah. There you go. So are we doing our first Metallica episode next week? Yeah. This is the first time Metallica has been, will have been played on this album. I'm sorry, on this podcast.

Like, we've, I've mentioned Metallica quite a bit, but this is the first. Crazy to me. Yeah, I mean, the timing had to be right, you know, and Metal Month is the perfect time to do it. So we're going to talk about Ride the Lightning, which is their second album. And I got to say, it's, it's quickly becoming one of my favorites of their first, you know, five records, right? because, you know, the kind of joke with Metallica is, you know, if you're a diehard Metallica fan, well, there's two different camps, right? There's the people that their love for Metallica stops it and justice for all.

And that's, that's it. You know, there's a running joke that all the members died in a plane crash in 1988. And, you know, it's just like clones of them or something like that that started making music after that. Is that a thing, dude? Yeah, I wouldn't know. It's a joke. You know, the reason they say that because once Black album hit in 91, you know, they exploded and then they come out with load and reload and they drastically change their sound, right? Yeah.

I mean, I personally, I'm a fan of the Black album. So I, you know, I'm of the camp that like, hey, you know, it's all gravy up to, up to Black Album. And the Black Album has one on it, right? No, dude. Fuck, man. I don't know anything, dude. This is amazing to me, dude. Because Metallica is like everybody's metal band.

You know what I mean? Not mine. It's like metal 101. Just, you know, play the Black album or whatever. Play Master of Puppets. Anyway, I liked Black Album because it was really the first album that I got into from them, right? Okay. And I remember, you know, like we were the right age for Load and Reload.

Our brother was listening to that stuff. But anyway, obviously, kill them all through Injustice for All. is pre-Mel Metallica. We'll get into all this next week. But yeah, Ride the Lightning is their second album, and there's a lot of reasons where it's such a great album. You know,

it's the last album that Cliff Burton was on as a bass player. And, like, it's the first time that they really did, like a really long, like instrumental song. Like, anyway, we're going to dive into all that. And is Cliff Burton the guy with the goatee? I'm just kidding. God damn, dude. What the fuck you're talking about.

Sorry. I don't think any of them have ever had a goatee, dude. What? That's not true. I guess I guess Kirk Hammett has a goatee. Anyway, we're going to get into all that next week. All right. So that's that.

Next week is going to be Metallica. And all roads have been leading up to this moment from EQ. Really? Bringing Metallica to this podcast, sharing Metallica with you. I'm going to love it, man. I like Metallica. The thing about Metallica is there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about them as far as like history and all that. So I hope that we're just going to just dive right into the music.

I think we will. Yeah. Good. I might try to find some clips or some like that, some interview clips of them from that era talking about it or maybe even like James reflecting back on Cliff or something like that. That could be kind of cool. But anyway, that's, you know, like I said, you don't need, you're not going to learn. anything new from me on Metallica if you're a Metallica fan. But it's

more about let's just play some tunes and just talk about what makes them so great. But yeah, let's do it. All right. You can find us on the Pantheon Podcasts. You can go to their website, pantheonpodcast.com. We can find a link to our website and you can also find a ton

of other great musical podcast content. And that's that. So we will talk to you guys next week. My name is Travis. and my name's Quentin Ladies on the Minjay Don't put that in there

It's going in there What are we doing for the outro Dude? Play con clavvy condia dude What's that? It's a ghost song Diamonds has your holiday outfits sorted Be ready to wow in a wardrobe Design to celebrate the season

Revel in luxurious velvet shimmering satin elegant silhouettes and sparkling details Whether you're going full glam or keeping a casual you're sure to shine bright in our festive party wear, no matter the dress code. Just RSVP yes and let style carry you into the new year with Simons. I'm Sophia Loper Caro, host of the Before the Chorus podcast. We dive into the life experiences behind the music we love.

Artists of all genres are welcome. And I've been joined by some pretty amazing folks, like glass animals. I guess that was the idea was to try something personal and see what happened. And Japanese breakfast. I thought that the most surprising thing, I could offer was an album about joy. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, and remember, so much happens before the chorus.

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