Tobias of course wrote the solo but it's played by Fredrik Åkesson from Opeth. The missing ingredient you missed is reggaeton. Tobias got the inspiration from a Brasilian musician he saw on tv.
Haha that is so cool about reggaeton! My knowledge on reggaeton is pretty non-existent which will be why I didn’t pick up on it. I deliberately don’t research any rehearsal footage/interviews about the songs I react to in order to keep the reaction authentic. I feel like it would be cheating in a way. How cool that Tobias thought about getting the guitarist from Opeth on there 👍🏻 thanks for the info and comment! I will be checking out Reggaeton today 😊
@@magnusblomqvist966 Not really reggaeton btw, reggaeton is not that popular here in Brazil. Especially back then whe he saw the documentary. He said he doesn't remember very well who it was, but it probably was a Brazilian Funk artist or "Baião"
Is great how ghost knew how to try different things to escape their predictable glam sound, this time creating a pretty ironic song with some Danny elfman vibes, it sounds like a musical to reflect the shitshow of modern politics, (but with references to the 1920 decade too). The rhythm is common in reggaeton, but to be fair it has been used in metal before reggaeton monopolized it, like Jet pilot by System of a Down or Morgenstern by Rammstein. This experimental sound could be perfectly in a Diablo swing orchestra song, wich is a good thing, rock needs to take this kind of risks.
Musicians generally play things too safe and cliche happens far too often within genre - this track is a great example where this is not the case. Thanks for the comment! Ghost have definitely gone up in my estimations after hearing this track.
It's a great song and what a production value. Tobias has these easter eggs in Ghost songs. Similar what Dave Grohl does with Foo Fighters. Like you expecting the chours to start and there are few extra bars of suprise for the listener. What Tobias has is a holistic view for the song, what it needs to become an experience. In twenties its the beat, the heavy riff, the lyrics, the vibe, the harmonies its just a complete package. Also Ghost songs are basicly pop songs wrapped up in whatever. Spillway could be Bon Jovi song, runaway like piano riff, big harmonies and that ticking ride on the chorus + key change.
Good explanation! I agree, it’s full of surprises this track. I really like the use of chromaticism and pauses too which I forgot to mention in the video. Tobias is obviously not afraid of pushing the boat out musically. We need more artists like that in this day and age!
With the prog mentions, if you find yourself in the mood for a thick slab of slightly adulterated classic prog, check out Absolution from one of their earlier albums. Fun song if you've got an appreciation for 70s prog rock. The chorus in particular makes no attempts to hide the influences.
Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely check it out. Been getting into Ghost more and more since releasing this reaction. Interested to see how their sound has changed since the earlier material.
I really hope this review is some sort of big ironic joke because everything about this track makes me want to go permanently deaf. The vocals are absolute garbage with some weird effects put in over them, the guitar tone is absolutely nothing special at all. It's like listening to some edgy kids from middle school write a song, except it's professional artists with a lot of money and outside talent to back them up.
Each to their own - music is subjective. I think that there are some clever compositional tricks here, unlike with songs usually on the radio or in the top 10 these days. There is creativity going on in the track and these are merits regardless of the vocals. The same thing can’t be said for pop artists who don’t write their own songs at all. I agree with you about the guitar tone being nothing special, but then again it’s a dense mix with little space for the guitars and so they would have been EQ’d to death to fit. I doubt that Ghost as a band make a shed ton of profit individually, but only they would know that. I’m sure they do well enough but not a lot of bands are rich these days. The solo is great in this track though! I appreciate you have a different opinion and that’s fine - just my two cents.
@@SeanBennettGuitar I think I did miss the fact that people can like whatever music they do. Ghost is more talented than the pop stars we have in big media, and their whole production team definitely works harder than whoever made 'I love It' by Ye and Purple Drank man.
I agree. Not a fan of this song in particular at all. "Little Sunshine" had me quite excited, however. I think the main thing to remember is that Ghost has always been very experimental, and will play some weird shit. There's probably 1 song on every album from them that I wholeheartedly dislike.
It’s very risky to be experimental as an artist because you immediately risk reducing the scope of your potential fan base. Most of society wants to hear music that’s very familiar with other music they’ve already heard. It’s much easier to take the path of bland but successful cliches within your style - it’s the path of least resistance. I actually really like the pauses in this track and the use of chromaticism too - quite unusual these days alarmingly.
This song is meant as a satire against, from what I can tell, the previous POTUS. It's very musical theater-esque and reminds me of something I might hear in a rock opera, a la Repo! or something similar. Musically, this song is so fun and interesting. The vocal effects on the whispers are meant to make it sound like a group of people, since this is supposed to be kind of like a speech of prosperity. The other thing to keep in mind is that this entire album is a concept album, as Tobias himself has stated, and this track especially fits into that type of aesthetic. It's really unfortunate you dislike this song so strongly since it's the strongest song on the album imho. This entire album is bangers, but this one especially.
I think it's awesome to hear actual musicians appreciating Ghost songs.
Thanks! Glad you like 👍🏻
Tobias of course wrote the solo but it's played by Fredrik Åkesson from Opeth. The missing ingredient you missed is reggaeton. Tobias got the inspiration from a Brasilian musician he saw on tv.
Haha that is so cool about reggaeton! My knowledge on reggaeton is pretty non-existent which will be why I didn’t pick up on it. I deliberately don’t research any rehearsal footage/interviews about the songs I react to in order to keep the reaction authentic. I feel like it would be cheating in a way. How cool that Tobias thought about getting the guitarist from Opeth on there 👍🏻 thanks for the info and comment! I will be checking out Reggaeton today 😊
@@SeanBennettGuitar No problems. Fredrik plays on the whole album. He and Tobias are friends.
@@magnusblomqvist966 Not really reggaeton btw, reggaeton is not that popular here in Brazil. Especially back then whe he saw the documentary. He said he doesn't remember very well who it was, but it probably was a Brazilian Funk artist or "Baião"
The anthem for this decade.
Definitely an anthem and a half to say the least!
Is great how ghost knew how to try different things to escape their predictable glam sound, this time creating a pretty ironic song with some Danny elfman vibes, it sounds like a musical to reflect the shitshow of modern politics, (but with references to the 1920 decade too). The rhythm is common in reggaeton, but to be fair it has been used in metal before reggaeton monopolized it, like Jet pilot by System of a Down or Morgenstern by Rammstein. This experimental sound could be perfectly in a Diablo swing orchestra song, wich is a good thing, rock needs to take this kind of risks.
Musicians generally play things too safe and cliche happens far too often within genre - this track is a great example where this is not the case. Thanks for the comment! Ghost have definitely gone up in my estimations after hearing this track.
Something about this song is addictive
Agreed!
Great reaction, very thoughtful breakdown and insightful commentary! Thanks, looking forward to more!
Thank you for the kind words and feedback! Appreciate you checking out the video 👍
@@SeanBennettGuitar Certainly!
Symphonic metal reggaeton... New genre.
Indeed haha!
It's a great song and what a production value. Tobias has these easter eggs in Ghost songs. Similar what Dave Grohl does with Foo Fighters. Like you expecting the chours to start and there are few extra bars of suprise for the listener.
What Tobias has is a holistic view for the song, what it needs to become an experience. In twenties its the beat, the heavy riff, the lyrics, the vibe, the harmonies its just a complete package.
Also Ghost songs are basicly pop songs wrapped up in whatever. Spillway could be Bon Jovi song, runaway like piano riff, big harmonies and that ticking ride on the chorus + key change.
Good explanation! I agree, it’s full of surprises this track. I really like the use of chromaticism and pauses too which I forgot to mention in the video. Tobias is obviously not afraid of pushing the boat out musically. We need more artists like that in this day and age!
Don't forget the Whitesnake "Still of the Night" part after the solo.
Tobias has said in interviews that he wanted the guitar part to be like "an angry bie" just chugging and driving the whole song forward.
It definitely worked!
If you like the Habanera rhythm, you’ve come to the right place. 😂
Been checking them out since doing this review! Heard them many times it just so happens without knowing it! 🤣 especially the main three
With the prog mentions, if you find yourself in the mood for a thick slab of slightly adulterated classic prog, check out Absolution from one of their earlier albums. Fun song if you've got an appreciation for 70s prog rock. The chorus in particular makes no attempts to hide the influences.
Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely check it out. Been getting into Ghost more and more since releasing this reaction. Interested to see how their sound has changed since the earlier material.
The beginning of the track reminds me of Diablo Swing Orchestra …
Reaction starts at 0:47
If you would like to react to an artist you might not have heard of, I recommend Aesthetic Perfection with Gods & Gold
If you listen to watcher in the sky next i challenge you to do a guitar cover of it 😀
Whole video dedicated to reacting and learning the song? Or full blown cover video? :)
@@SeanBennettGuitar React in one and learn in another?
Quero muito ver eles tocando essa música ao vivo.
¡Yo también compañero! Gracias por el comentario
Drawing the parallels between the 1920’s and the current day political circus that is Trump and MAGA is brilliant!! 🤘🏼👻
Try 50 to 60 years of awesome music lol.. good review.. accurate.. great band.. well basically Tobias Forge is Ghost...
Haha yeah definitely! Thanks for commenting. Ghost have grown on me much more since this review 👍🏻
I really hope this review is some sort of big ironic joke because everything about this track makes me want to go permanently deaf. The vocals are absolute garbage with some weird effects put in over them, the guitar tone is absolutely nothing special at all. It's like listening to some edgy kids from middle school write a song, except it's professional artists with a lot of money and outside talent to back them up.
Each to their own - music is subjective. I think that there are some clever compositional tricks here, unlike with songs usually on the radio or in the top 10 these days. There is creativity going on in the track and these are merits regardless of the vocals. The same thing can’t be said for pop artists who don’t write their own songs at all. I agree with you about the guitar tone being nothing special, but then again it’s a dense mix with little space for the guitars and so they would have been EQ’d to death to fit. I doubt that Ghost as a band make a shed ton of profit individually, but only they would know that. I’m sure they do well enough but not a lot of bands are rich these days. The solo is great in this track though! I appreciate you have a different opinion and that’s fine - just my two cents.
@@SeanBennettGuitar I think I did miss the fact that people can like whatever music they do. Ghost is more talented than the pop stars we have in big media, and their whole production team definitely works harder than whoever made 'I love It' by Ye and Purple Drank man.
I agree. Not a fan of this song in particular at all. "Little Sunshine" had me quite excited, however. I think the main thing to remember is that Ghost has always been very experimental, and will play some weird shit. There's probably 1 song on every album from them that I wholeheartedly dislike.
It’s very risky to be experimental as an artist because you immediately risk reducing the scope of your potential fan base. Most of society wants to hear music that’s very familiar with other music they’ve already heard. It’s much easier to take the path of bland but successful cliches within your style - it’s the path of least resistance. I actually really like the pauses in this track and the use of chromaticism too - quite unusual these days alarmingly.
This song is meant as a satire against, from what I can tell, the previous POTUS. It's very musical theater-esque and reminds me of something I might hear in a rock opera, a la Repo! or something similar. Musically, this song is so fun and interesting. The vocal effects on the whispers are meant to make it sound like a group of people, since this is supposed to be kind of like a speech of prosperity. The other thing to keep in mind is that this entire album is a concept album, as Tobias himself has stated, and this track especially fits into that type of aesthetic. It's really unfortunate you dislike this song so strongly since it's the strongest song on the album imho. This entire album is bangers, but this one especially.