Album Review: GHOST Rite Here Rite Now

Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that Sweden’s Ghost is one of the biggest rock bands around. With a highly distinctive musical and visual aesthetic, as well as a dedication to consistently entertaining and intriguing lore, it’s no wonder why their fanbase has grown monumentally since 2010’s Opus Eponymous. So, it was only a matter time before they got their own movie—2024’s Rite Here Rite Now, which we loved—and corresponding soundtrack. Although it’s an impeccably performed and captured overview of Ghost‘s newer material, the lack of earlier content and live rawness makes it simultaneously great and somewhat needless and incomplete.

Recorded across two nights at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in September of 2023, Rite Here Rite Now is as pristinely recorded and evenly mixed as you could imagine. Mastermind Tobias Forge sings as purely and charismatically as ever, and the band (including numerous backing singers) are equally clear and capable. As a result, it feels like you’re perfectly situated within the center of the show, with the music in front of you and the muffled cheers of the crowd coming from every other direction.

Similarly, the setlist is sure to delight anyone who adores Ghost‘s latest pieces. For instance, more than half of 2022’s Impera is represented, ranging from weighty symphonic prelude “Imperium” and exhilaratingly fun rocker “Kaisarion” to the menacingly sludgy “Call Me Little Sunshine” and the scorchingly carnivalistic “Twenties”. 2018’s marginally divisive Prequelle is accounted for, too, via standouts such as “Rats” and “Dance Macabre”; plus, other miscellaneous gems (“Mary on a Cross”, “Square Hammer”, “Cirice”) flesh things out further.

Likely the two main attractions, however, are “If You Have Ghosts (Chamber Version”) and closer “The Future is a Foreign Land”. The former track—a cover of a Roky Erickson composition that originally appeared on 2013’s If You Have Ghost EP—is cleverly reimagined with more classical and choral elegance. As for the latter, it’s a new track whose retro ‘60s pop/rock simplicity, catchiness, and positivity adds a slightly new shade to Ghost‘s already diverse and fearless craftsmanship.

As fulfilling and commendable as this soundtrack is, it’s also a tad underwhelming and inherently unnecessary. Obviously, a substantial amount of the movie’s appeal—the visuals and narrative—are gone, so it relies entirely on the music itself to be satisfying. Yet, the absence of anything from the group’s first two LPs—Opus Eponymous and 2013’s Infestissumam—is disappointing (especially if Rite Here Rite Now is meant to embody their career thus far). Additionally, there could be more banter between Forge and the audience, as well as more edginess and variety to the replicated songs. (After all, that’s usually a large part of the point of live renditions, right?)

Rite Here Rite Now does exactly what it should (flawlessly capture the audio of its corresponding show). Therefore, it might seem stupid to be critical of it. Again, though, the issues aren’t so much what Rite Here Rite Now is; it’s what it isn’t. Without a wider array of material and concert personality, it can’t help but come across as a mostly comprehensive and extremely enjoyable—but slightly pointless—complement to Ghost‘s first film.