Theocracy - Ghost Ship (2016)

Ghost Ship is Theocracy's long waited third studio album. As we enlightened in 2011, Theocracy burn down the road of mediocre with their album "As the World Bleeds". It is regarded as their breakthrough, the album pulled out lots of epic progressive metal tunes. They can be heard mixing the best elements of power metal, metalcore, thrash metal all the way into one umbrella in progressive metal.  To get it even intrigue, they baptized themself as Christian metal, hence the band's name suggesting. And their Christian themes are the strong one. Ghost Ship is under heavy pressure to get the band moved on from "As the World Bleeds", and the fans wait five years for it.

The wait is certainly worth it. Ghost Ship can be listen straight out of your darkest night and still it will sounds marvelous. There are no important steer turning of styles from their past. The only minor elements missing is their reduction of symphonic metal elements. The first song is "Paper Tiger" confirmed this. Instead of doing slow symphonic build up as in their song "I AM", Paper Tiger starts immediately with drum roll followed by melodic intro. Along five minutes of this song is the elements of power-thrash and progressive metal. Having power choruses is still their biggest selling point. The transition of the 2nd song is smooth, "Ghost Ship" elevated the atmosphere into darker nuances. Once should mentioned Matt Smith's clean singing is one of the trademark in Theocracy's music. "The Wonder of It All" is their faster cut. It is a double guitar riffs, as played by their axeman Val Allen Wood and Jonathan Hinds. Both trying to repeated some monumental ideas from "As the World Bleeds".

Theocracy also fluent in creating power ballad. "Around the World and Black" is their song in moderato time marking. Which leads us to their allegro-presto songs as in "Stir the Embers" and "A Call to Arms", For their finale, it is traditionally longest song, an almost ten minutes "Easter".

Ghost Ship is an album as expected from these amazing talents. Though the album happened to not repeat the ultimate epic as in "As the World Bleeds", all songs can easily absorbed as parts of their fantastic repertoire. Fans of Dream Theater will simply familiar with all their twisted progressive arrangements. Their double guitars added bits of Megadeth also. Theocracy is pacifying all the best to created their own musics. I suggested those who never listened to Theocracy to back cataloged with "As the World Bleeds" to have the best from "Ghost Ship". For longtime fans, the embers is ready to stir!

Metal Harem class : ********* nine stars out of ten


Theocracy - Ghost Ship (2016)
Buy it Here - Amazon

1.Paper Tiger
2.Ghost Ship
3.The Wonder of It All
4.Wishing Well
5. Around the World and Back
6. Stir the Embers
7. A Call to Arms
8. Currency in a Bankrupt World
9. Castaway
10. Easter

Matt Smith-Vocals
Val Allen Wood-Lead Guitar
Jonathan Hinds-Guitar
Jared Oldham-Bass