Ghost Rite Here Right Now Soundtrack – If You Have Ghost, You Don’t Have Everything…

RITE HERE RIGHT NOW is the second live album from Ghost. It’s also the soundtrack to the film of the same name.

What a long and interesting ride it’s been for Tobias Forge and Ghost! Mr. Forge’s own brand of melodic rock and wild theatrics have been rocking audiences for nearly two decades now, complete with his own fictional backstory. We recently got RITE HERE RIGHT NOW, the first feature film from the band, combining concert footage with fictional lunacy regarding the backstory of Forge’s character(s).

A month later, we have the soundtrack to the film, which also serves as the band’s second live album.

While the feature film had some entertaining vignettes between and during the songs, the highlight of course was the musical performances, featuring spirited and energetic renditions of many great Ghost songs. Forge’s energetic audience banter between songs really helps listeners conjure up an image of what being there for the gig would’ve been like. Getting a 2CD package combining these performances was something this fan was looking forward to, no questions asked. These may be the best officially released live Ghost performances to date, with a setlist that’s unsurprisingly heavy on tracks from IMPERA, the most recent studio album from the band. The release also includes the new tracks from the band that appeared in the film, “The Future is a Foreign Land.”

Unfortunately, there’s a not-so-pleasant catch. It’s NOT the complete concert. I thought if you had Ghost, you had everything!

You DON’T have everything with this release, which is a bitter shame. This is a severely truncated version of what’s in the film. The feature film ran for 145 minutes. This package, even though it’s across two CDs, only clocks in around 90 minutes. That’s nearly an hour of the concert missing, which would’ve easily fit on the two CDs. Tracks like “Ritual,” “Con Clavi Con Dio,” “Year Zero,” “He Is,” and “Mummy Dust,” despite being performed at the show, are all frustrating left off. I fail to see any reason for this, either, especially considering these are among the band’s biggest hits. And again, they would easily have fit on the CDs!

I’ve got mixed feelings on this release. The concert is great, and arguably the best Ghost live release available. But it’s unforgivable that so much of the concert has been left off of this release, despite the fact it could’ve fit on the CDs. Final verdict? Just stream it for now. Hold out for a physical release of the complete concert.