Ghost have returned.
“Hunter’s Moon,” set for release on the upcoming Halloween Kills soundtrack, is a haunting return for the band who have been eerily quiet since the “Seven Inches of Satanic Panic” EP released in 2019.
The song marks a heavy return for the Swedish occult rockers, who are known as much for their theatrics as they are their music. Loosely telling the story of a secretive Satanic church bent on world domination and/or destruction, the release of new Ghost marks the movement forward for the bizarre, and often hilarious, narrative involving the ever “changing” lead singer who is charged with leading the Satanic designs of the church forward.
In reality, of course, lead singer is always Tobias Forge, leader of Ghost and mastermind behind their ever evolving sound and narrative through line. The band recently announced a co-headlining tour with Volbeat set to begin in early 2022, and Forge has previously stated a new Ghost album would not be released until they could hit the road to support it.
While previous releases have delved into Ghost’s poppier influences, “Hunter’s Moon” feels more like an evolution of the sound from Meliora, the band’s 2015 album that many fans consider their masterpiece. Recalling sort of an 80’s era Ozzy, it’s as theatrical and bombastic as fans expect from Ghost, and a triumphant return of their heavier sound.
This marks the second Ghost song unleashed in as many weeks, the previous being a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” for the tribute project, The Metallica Blacklist.
With the release of a new song and tour dates, an album announcement appears to be imminent. For now, “Hunter’s Moon” is nothing short than a blessing from these masters of evil, promising a triumphant return that has been a long time in the making.
