Ghost
College Street Music Hall
New Haven, CT
April 16, 2016

Swedish doom metal band Ghost brings the Black to the Future tour back to the New England area, with support from Tribulation.

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Tribulation

Tribulation is a death metal band who, like Ghost, are from Sweden. Last year they released their third studio album, The Children of the Night, of which three of their five song setlist came from. A short set, but the songs were lengthy, so we still got a good chance to experience them.

I generally find myself uninterested in opening death metal bands, as they all tend to sound the same. It’s not until I take the time to listen to an album and hear the nuances that I determine if I like them or not. Tribulation, however, I found very interesting. The music was tight and the band had a great stage presence. They’re certainly a band I would enjoy to see again.

Setlist
Strange Gateways Beckon
Melancholia
Rånda
Ultra Silvam
Holy Libations

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Ghost

Always a favorite of mine, Ghost did not disappoint. The set was nearly the same as their visit to Boston last September, but one or two songs shorter. In place of these songs, lead singer Papa Emeritus III spent more time talking to the crowd than he or his predecessors have before. In particular, during an acoustic rendition of “If You Have Ghosts,” the band spent a long time in the middle playing the chords of the song, while Papa spoke about the origins of the elemental names of each of the Nameless Ghouls in the band. Papa can be quite funny in his stories, so I quite enjoyed this aspect of the show.

Of course we didn’t come here to hear Papa talk, we came for the music! The band was as tight as always, and this near sold-out crowd was loving it. From start to finish, the band hand the crowd in the palm of their hands.

Setlist
Spirit
From the Pinnacle to the Pit
Stand by Him
Con Clavi Con Dio
Per Aspera ad Inferi
Body and Blood
Devil Church
Cirice
Year Zero
Spöksonat
He Is
Absolution
Mummy Dust
If You Have Ghosts
Ghuleh/Zombie Queen
Ritual
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Monstrance Clock