Ghost have announced the upcoming Phantomime, a five-song covers EP intended from the start to follow last year’s international chart-topping opus, Impera. A diverse and spellbinding sampling of the Grammy Award-winning band’s musical DNA, Phantomime is comprised of covers of classics and deep cuts by Television, Genesis, The Stranglers, Iron Maiden and Tina Turner. Phantomime pays tribute in equal measure to every one of these unlikely bedfellow, influences while stamping them all with Ghost’s undeniable sonic signature.
Speaking about the upcoming release with NME, Ghost leader leader Tobias Forge reveals: “During the demoing of Impera, I kept working on demos for what I just referred to as the ‘cover album’. Originally, the idea was to have 10 songs on this covers record, because I wanted to make a complete record and that LP was going to basically mirror Impera somehow.
“Originally the selection was a little bit more eclectic. Look, I’m not going into great detail about them, because we might use some of them at a later point. But, it was basically like a piano version of a Motörhead song.
“There was [also] a Misfits song that was really cool and a U2 track. We recorded it all. In fact, we did a really finished demo of Rush’s ‘Distant Early Warning’, and then after Impera I was just like, ‘I want to do a rock EP. A pure rock EP!’”
Read more at NME.
The announcement of Phantomime’s impending release also solves the mystery of Ghost’s recent, Jesus Is Coming campaign, as referenced in the Good Friday premiere of the newest instalment of the band’s long-running webisode series, Chapter 17: Nap Time.
Phantomime’s May 18 release via Loma Vista Recordings is heralded by Ghost’s interpretation of Genesis’ 1992 satirical stab at televangelists, "Jesus He Knows Me", available now to stream and download, and as an instant grat track with pre-orders of the EP.
This second coming of "Jesus He Knows Me" is accompanied by an Alex Ross Perry-directed video that will surely make the case that one person’s beauty is another’s blasphemy. Culminating in a climactic ritual that must be seen to be believed, Ghost's visual interpretation of "Jesus He Knows Me" rises to the occasion in unholy fashion — and then some. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Easter Sunday release of the "Jesus He Knows Me" track and video continues two established Ghost traditions: 1) Following up the release of a full length studio album with uniquely Ghost-ified cover versions, past efforts having included reinterpretations of favourites by Abba, The Beatles, Depeche Mode, Roky Erickson, Eurythmics, Metallica, Pet Shop Boys and many more; and 2) Challenging, confronting and upending societal conventions and authority figures, often taking on specific antagonists — in this case, Father Jim DeFroque, host of the evangelical radio show, Jesus Talk, with Father Jim DeFroque on KLAQ in El Paso TX — and also star of the "Jesus He Knows Me" video.
Phantomime’s release will coincide with Ghost’s first live dates of 2023, beginning with a May/June European run of festival and headline dates including appearances at Primavera Sound 2023 where the band will share a bill with Blur, Depeche Mode, Halsey and Kendrick Lamar, among others, and Sweden Rock Festival 2023, where Ghost will be one of four headliners alongside Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Motley Crue.
Ghost will then make its triumphant return to North America, for its Re-Imperatour U.S.A. 2023 summer tour with special guest Amon Amarth. Re-Imperatour U.S.A. 2023 kicks off August 2nd in Concord, CA, with stops in more than two dozen cities before its two-night finale the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 11th and — recently added by popular demand — September 12th.
Phantomime tracklisting:
"See No Evil" (Television)
"Jesus He Knows Me" (Genesis)
"Hanging Around" (The Stranglers)
"Phantom Of The Opera" (Iron Maiden)
"We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (Tina Turner)
"Jesus He Knows Me" video:
Ghost Re-Imperatour U.S.A. 2023:
August
2 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
4 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
5 - Airway Heights, WA - BECU Live at Northern Quest
7 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
8 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
11 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
12 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater
14 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
15 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
16 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
18 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
19 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
20 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
22 - Indianapolis, IN - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
23 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
24 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
25 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
27 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
29 - Simpsonville, SC - CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
30 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily’s Place
31 - Tampa, FL - MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
September
2 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
3 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater
5 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
7 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
8 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
11 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum ^
12 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum ^
^ Amon Amarth Not on This Date
(Photos by Jimmy Hubbard)
