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Sweden's Ghost is one of those bands that seem to generate a fair share of "love 'em or hate 'em" reactions and I put myself in the first category. The combination of occult-influenced, spacey Hard Rock from the 70s and early NWOBHM melodic riffing is like candy for my ears. I really enjoyed the debut Opus Eponymous but wasn't sold on the follow up Infestissumam. Ghost's third album, Meliora, picks up where the debut left off (for me, anyway) and is chock-full of great riffs, creepy acoustic passages and some of the most insanely catchy choruses I've ever heard. If you aren't singing along with "He Is," "From the Pinnacle to the Pit" or "Absolution" after the first listen, it's time to get your hearing checked. This isn't the heaviest album you'll ever hear and that isn't what Ghost is going for, but it fits perfectly with the transitional sounds of the early 80s when the twin-guitar attack ruled. The wonderfully cheesy and satanic lyrics are more thoughtful and less overt on this album, showing Ghost maturing and not just content to be a novelty act cranking out the same album over and over.

I can't stop playing and I realize Meliora won't be for everyone, but if a musical mix of early Iron Maiden, Uriah Heep, Mercyful Fate and Pink Floyd combined with KISS' ear for hooks from the 70s sounds good, you won't be able to either.