Ghost, Satanized | Song Review

Grammy-winning Swedish metal band Ghost ‘brings the heat,’ and a heaping dose of blasphemy, damnation, heresy, and satanism, on “Satanized.”

“There is something inside me / And they don’t know if there is a cure.” Oh, snap! “A demonic possession / Unlike any before.” Damn.  More like, damned! Regarding Ghost, the Grammy-winning Swedish band excels at blasphemy, heresy, and Satanism.  “Satanized”, the promo single from Skeletá (arriving April 25, 2025), is no exception. Tobias Forge brings the heat – hellish heat! Forge, Salem Al Fakir, and Vincent Pontare composed an infernal, religiously skeptical listening experience.  Gene Walker produced it.

Despite the darkness of the minor key, “Satanized” features an exuberant music backdrop.  The guitars roar in sinfulness! Forge delivers clear and expressive vocals. He brings the melodies to life and catches our ears with those sharp, damning lyrics. “I’ve invested my prayers / Into making me whole,” he adds in the first verse.  In the second and third verses, Forge’s character, Papa V Perpetua, is skeptical of the church, God, and religion.  “Through a life of devotion / I’ve been quelling my urges to burst,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “I’ve been fighting the notion / To, by love, be coerced.” Damn, again! In the third, he asserts, “I have begged God for the remedy / But I’m no longer sure.” The centerpiece is the chorus, where Papa V Perpetua has switched to the left-hand path, full throttle:

“Blasphemy, heresy

Save me from the monster that is eating me

I’m laicized

Blasphemy, heresy

Save me from the bottom of my heart I know

I’m satanized.”

Holy shit! Feels like an appropriate response. Even if you are a God fearing Christian, you cannot deny how much ass Ghost kicks on this blasphemous, heretical, and satanic gem.  “Satanized” rocks!

Ghost // Skeletá // Loma Vista Recordings // 4.25.25

[: Loma Vista Recordings]