Today is Friday the 13th, and suitably for a day associated with horrors, Swedish rock band Ghost has unleashed upon the world a new music video for their track “Umbra.” The penultimate track off their 2024 album Skeletá, the track is the latest single released for it. The new video can be found on the band’s YouTube channel.
The video, directed by Amir Chamdin, begins with a biblical passage, 1 John 2:16, which speaks about lust and earthly desires. It appropriately sets the tone for a video that “follows the trajectory of a star-crossed couple hurtling inevitably toward their mutual downfall, all under the watchful eye and narration of GHOST’s Papa V. Perpetua.” The video follows the couple running through a large, gothic mansion that feels ripped straight out of a haunted house. Cuts to Ghost’s frontman Papa V. Perpetua show him singing the lyrics, lit ominously against a pure black background. Different effects accompany each appearance, even including what’s likely a homage to the iconic composition from Bohemian Rhapsody’s music video. The song itself is intense and high energy, featuring peppy guitars and drums and even a cowbell consistently through the track. A long solo dominates the later middle half of the song, exploding into an exciting, sometimes silly burst that’s accompanied by the stars of the video dancing perfectly in tune – even small actions like a poke on the chin are accompanied by some instrumentation.
The video serves as a treat to fans of the band, as Ghost continues the final stretch of their Skeletour series which ends later this month.
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