Ghost: Prequelle (Clear Smoke Vinyl, Bonus 7″ Vinyl & Poster)

SKU / Catalogue Number

• Catalogue Number / SKU: LVR00400 / LOVLP00400
  
• UPC / Barcode: 888072054936

Ghost’s Prequelle is the record where the band really nailed the balance between camp, darkness, melody, and arena-sized confidence. Released on 1 June 2018 through Loma Vista / Spinefarm, this version came as a clear smoke LP with a bonus 7-inch coloured vinyl single and a poster. The most consistent identifiers tied to this edition are UPC 888072054936 and catalogue number LVR00400 / LOVLP00400.

As a review, Prequelle is one of the strongest Ghost albums because it understands exactly what makes the band work. It is theatrical, polished, and full of hooks, but it never loses that whiff of plague-era rot and satanic pageantry that gives Ghost their identity. This is not the heaviest record in their catalogue, and it is not trying to be. Instead, it leans into mood, melody, and atmosphere with much more confidence than a lot of supposedly darker modern metal records. The result is a record that feels huge without feeling empty. It is catchy in a way that should not work for subject matter built around death, disease, and collapse, but somehow it absolutely does.

What makes Prequelle hit is the songwriting. “Rats” is one of the best Ghost singles for a reason. It is immediate, nasty in a playful way, and built to stay in your head for days. “Faith” has more bite, “Dance Macabre” is shamelessly infectious, and “Life Eternal” gives the album a bittersweet close that proves Ghost were aiming for something bigger than novelty occult rock. Even the instrumental “Miasma” feels memorable rather than filler. This album knows how to pace itself. It moves with the confidence of a band that has figured out its own scale.

That is really why Prequelle stands up so well. Earlier Ghost records had more mystery, maybe more underground charm, but this one feels more complete. It is the album where they stopped sounding like a brilliant cult act and started sounding like a major rock band with a fully developed world of its own. For some listeners that polish was a drawback. For others, it is exactly why the record works. There is no dead air here. Every chorus, keyboard line, and bit of gothic dressing is doing a job. The whole thing feels designed, but designed well.

The bonus 7-inch helps too. It includes Ghost’s versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Avalanche” and Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s A Sin,” which is a very Ghost pairing if there ever was one. Those tracks do not just pad the package out. They reinforce the band’s taste for melodrama, darkness, and sly pop instinct. They make sense as part of the Prequelle era rather than some random add-on.

For collectors, this is one of the more attractive Prequelle variants because the clear smoke LP, bonus 7-inch, and postergive it a bit more presence than a standard pressing. One thing worth noting is that later represses dropped the original “7 inch coloured vinyl” wording from the hype sticker, so if you are specifically listing the earlier version with the coloured bonus single, that is the detail to keep front and centre