Halloween is the perfect time for a Ghost concert. The Swedish heavy metal band is in costume year-round, with the masked members known only by spooky pseudonyms (frontman Papa Emeritus and backing musicians all labeled Nameless Ghouls). The current singer of Ghost is actually Papa Emeritus III, although it’s not clear whether he’s a different person from the first two Papa Emeriti, or the same person with a slightly different outfit and stage persona. That kind of mystical mysteriousness is a big part of Ghost’s charm, although if they didn’t back it up with musical ability and accomplished songwriting, it wouldn’t mean much.
Luckily the band is just as good at creating memorable heavy metal as they are at creating a memorable image. The band’s third album, Meliora, which was released earlier this year, was produced by Klas Åhlund, better known for his work with pop singers like Katy Perry, Kesha and fellow Swede Robyn, and it mixes the band’s trademark dark, Satanic themes with accessible, classic-sounding heavy metal. All Music called it a collection of “beautifully written, hook-laden, hard rock songs” and “some of the most compelling hard rock out there.”
Ghost has toured with heavy metal titans like In Flames, Mastodon and Avenged Sevenfold, and also performed at indie-leaning festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. The band’s 2013 EP If You Have Ghost was produced by the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, whom the band members say has donned his own Nameless Ghoul costume and performed with them onstage in the past. With Ghost, there’s no telling who might be behind the mask this Oct. 31.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 8 p.m. Oct. 31, $25 plus tax and fee, 18+. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
