Hornstull Strand Etablissement

May 13, 2011

Performed at Hornstall Strand Etablissement in Stockholm, Sweden

Interview: Alltom Stockholm, Ett manifest - för Satan by Christoffer Röstlund Jonsson (via archive.org)

At last, it was time for Ghost to start headlining their own rituals. And what better day than a Friday the 13th?^[1]

“Hin Håle* himself must have had a finger or two in the game when Ghost shed blood, gritted his teeth and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. And who are these people in the band then?

We can't give you the answer to that. We simply don't know who is hiding behind the masks. No clue. The music press has been led blindfolded out into the deepest forest to their first press conference, only to leave as major question marks. On their debut album "Opus Eponymous" (Oct 2010), which is the most satanic debut Sweden has tasted, Ghost takes its smoked-down heritage from the seventies Black Sabbath doom and effortlessly fertilizes it with the grain of Witchfinder General, Mercyful Fate and Blue Öyster Cult. It is a dark manifesto in nine chapters that converts us all in a hurry and we bow deeply.

After a number of gigs, the cult around Ghost has come to conjure up tens of thousands of fans and we are just as dedicated as you might think. Comments after the show range from "Hell!" to "Satan!" and then with an emphasis on the primal desire for more, more, more, that is mustered.

Come, walk with us!” -Strand Event Press Release (via Microsoft Translator)^[1]

The night of the first headline ritual, the club is packed. Excited screams puncture the chant of Masked Ball playing over the speakers as Ghost takes the stage. As they play through the setlist, the crowd sings along, having learned every word.

Papa Emeritus exits the stage as the nameless ghouls play through Genesis and returns towards the end to highlight each ghoul for applause from the audience, and then the venue goes dark.

Already familiar with the setlist, voices in the crowd call out for ‘Ritual’, but Ghost had other plans that night.

The sounds of a baby crying are heard coming over the speakers. Confused, there are jokes about infants at a metal club and more calls for the song ‘Ritual’. The darkness continues.

Slowly, the lights fade on the stage and Ghost introduces the world to their first cover song: a devilish rendition of the Beatles Here Comes the Sun. Twisted from a hopeful song about warmth and happiness into a grim portent of the coming of the Antichrist. Here comes the Son.

But Ghost doesn’t leave the audience wanting, at last granting the calls for “Ritual” as their last psalm of the night, complete with unholy communion served by Papa himself.^[2]

*Hin Håle is a Noah word** for Satan

**A Noah word is a word that’s used as a substitution when it is believed using the name of something/someone would catch unwanted attention***

***It could be argued that ‘unalive’ is a Noah word for ‘kill’ because no one wants the algorithms attention. Almost like humans imagined a situation for so long we decided to go out and make it real. I think that’s called hubris. Truly the fate of man is that of lice.

• [1]Strand, Ghost + In Solitude. Nytt datum 13e maj! (via archive.org)
• [2]Youtube, [First Headlinging Show] Ghost - Live at Hornstull Strand, Stockholm, Sweden [2011-05-13] posted by A Ghoul Archivist

A Ghoul Archivist, Hornstull Strand, Stockholm, Sweden entry

Reddit, r/GhostBC posted by u/spokboll

Metalzye, Gost, In Solitud och Stench på Hornstulls Strand! by Chief Rebel Angel

Rock Foto, Ghost från Debaser Hornstulls Strand by Jonath Mathew

Alltom Stockholm, Gost och In Solitude och Stench (via archive.org)