The third EP from
Papa Emeritus
and his
Nameless Ghouls
commences with a punchy but forgettable, alt rock-leaning rendition of
Television
's post-punk classic "See No Evil."
Ghost
mastermind
Tobias Forge
has never been shy about his love for new wave -- the band has applied their dark arts to material by
Echo & The Bunnymen
,
Depeche Mode
, and
Eurythmics
-- and
Phantomime
peers more profoundly into the 20th century pop abyss than ever before. Buoyed by a searing rendition of
Genesis
' 1992 televangelism satire "Jesus He Knows Me" and a muscular and majestic take on
Tina Turner
's Mad Max-adjacent "We Don't Need Another Hero,"
Forge
and company go full-tilt on their commercial aspirations while retaining enough papal shock rock weirdness to satiate their congregation. ~ James Christopher Monger