Ghost

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Whether inspired by frigid temperatures, pre-Christian pagan mythology or brutally long winters, the Scandinavian nations of Northern Europe have produced more than their share of black-hearted metal bands singing the praises of Satan. The dark legacy stretches from the pioneering lo-fi chaos of Sweden's Bathory and the blasphemous banshee howl of influential Danish outfit Mercyful Fate in the 1980s through the notorious rise of the Norwegian black-metal underground that left a wake of dead band members and burnt-out churches during the 1990s.

The frantic blast beats and corrosive guitars of now-iconic groups like Mayhem, Emperor, and Marduk continue to spread their sacrilegious message. But the past year has found like-minded Swedish band Ghost earning a global following with a totally different approach. Marrying the occult riff-rock of Blue Öyster Cult and Black Sabbath with Mercyful Fate's costumed theatrics and unholy lyrical psalms to Lucifer (sometimes delivered in Latin), Ghost's outlandish year-old debut Opus Anonymous (on Rise Above Records) offers up some of the most hook-laden Satanic metal ever made. Fronted by skull-painted, demonic anti-Pope Papa Emeritus and filled out by a crew of faceless, black-robed musician disciples, Ghost's striking live presentation has helped make the group one of the fastest-rising metal bands in recent memory. A Nameless Ghoul (one of the band's two guitar players) recently spoke to All Shook Down about the band's first U.S. tour and the musical roots behind Ghost's apocalyptic hymns. Ghost plays Bottom of the Hill on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 9 p.m. $13-$15 (sold out).

How was your reception in New York City and the other places you've played so far?

Overwhelming. It was really something. Especially coming back to New York and selling out for the second time there. We had a vague feeling about what to expect, but I think they actually topped that. Even though we're not particularly hard to get in terms of language... for some reason in England and the U.S., the reception is always better. People sing and there's something special about it. I guess there's some sort of will to be entertained as opposed to some European regions. So we feel very much at home in the U.S. as an entertainment group.

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R.I.P. Jani Lane

​Like us, you are probably still reeling from the news that Warrant frontman Jani Lane, died last week. Okay, so maybe it's not a "probably" situation -- maybe it's more of a "maybe" kind of thing. Come to think of it, maybe, if you were born after 1990, you've never even heard of Warrant (and that would be a genuine shame). Regardless, Jani died last week and he was only 47, so, as a tribute, and in his honor, we'd like to dedicate this list to him, featuring, as it does, many, many scantily-attired women (which we know he liked quite a bit), and probably some of his friends too. Here's the top five sexist hard rock videos he'd have loved.

5. "Legs," ZZ Top



You know what lowly shoe store attendants need? Makeovers, that's what. Makeovers conducted by three metal spokesmodels and masterminded by two old, dirty bearded men and their moustachioed side-kick. Because if you're female, it is impossible to feel fulfilled or empowered, without (a) a shopping montage and (b) wearing frilly pink ankle socks and skirts that flash your underwear to the world every time you move. As we all know, when skirts get shorter, the ability to fight back increases. Glad that's cleared up, then.

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Iron Maiden is better than Metallica.

We don't necessarily agree, but that was the contention made by Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson in a recent interview with UK magazine Metal Hammer.

"You've just got to have a sense of fearlessness," the singer said, according to a posting on NME. "I got into trouble for saying that we're better than Metallica ... and it's true!"

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Giving hope to every 13-year-old with a Gibson Explorer and a dream, metal blog Invisible Oranges posted demos of Metallica's ...And Justice For All. The Bay Area group's prog/thrash opus, released in 1988, is known for its compositional sophistication, but these incomplete demo recordings predate the bone-dry tightness of the finished album.

It's a highly informative work-in-progress snapshot for music historians, or just about any young metal band hoping to make its own metal masterpiece someday. Here's the proof even the most immaculate songs started as half-formed ideas in the practice room.

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In this year's incarnation, three of the bands come from their homeland's capital of Helsinki. Finntroll, whose brand of folk/black metal was last captured on last year's Nifelvind, is headlining again. Joining them are Ensiferum, another folk metal-leaning act, and the kitchen-sink styles of Barren Earth, a supergroup-esque outfit whose sound shows shades of stoner metal, folk metal, death metal, and a half-dozen other variations. Finally, there's Rotten Sound, the four-piece from the city of Vassa (Population: about 60,000) that plays damaged, unstoppable grindcore. After releasing their first full-length in the late '90s, the band went from a side project to a long-term investment. Cursed, the band's latest release on Relapse, does hold some nuance, but in sum, the band's approach is still bitter as it has ever been. Before the show on Thursday, All Shook Down caught up with Rotten Sound vocalist Keijo Niinimaa for an early morning chat about crust, time, and the joys of Napalm Death, the kings of grind.

Around 2000, Rotten Sound shifted from being a side project to something that you would pour a lot of touring and work into. What caused that change?
We just noticed that there was some kind of demand for us outside of Finland. We started to get offers from abroad. Maybe it had something to do with the Internet getting more active. We kind of realized that, 'Wow, if we do put some more effort into this, maybe we can try and see where we can go with the band and what we can do with grind ourselves.' It feels like the most important thing for us was to go out there and then make these albums, which are excuses to play over and over again.

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