I’ve been a fan of Ghost since the summer of 2015, before even the release of Meliora or Tobias Forge’s public outing as frontman. I thoroughly enjoy and prefer the band’s first three albums, but Skeletá is an amazing album unto itself. It’s dramatically different from all their prior releases, while still maintaining the essence of what truly makes a Ghost album a Ghost album. Doubtless newer fans will latch onto this one immediately, but to any older fans or even newer fans with a preference like mine, I implore you to listen to this album with an open mind. When Prequelle released, I was genuinely floored and even believed initially that Ghost had lost its way, but today it remains one of my favorite albums of all time. I hold all five in the highest regard for varying reasons: I listen to Opus Eponymous when I want to rock hard and be irreverent as fuck, I listen to Infestissumam when I’m vibing and feeling saucy, I listen to Meliora when I want everything to feel cinematic and grandiose, I listen to Prequelle when I need to remember life is short, death is coming, so we should all party while we have the chance, and I listen to Impera when I feel like fighting someone two feet taller than me. Now, with Skeletá, I have an album to listen to when I’m contemplating the complex and vast intricacies of life and human emotion. Don’t count Skeletá out, if you’re a true Ghost fan, give it a chance. It may just change your outlook on life.