Former Ghost Bassist on IMPERA: “I Turned It Off Halfway”

Lately, Linton Rubino, former Nameless Ghoul bassist for occult rock act Ghost, has been vocal about his frustrating time in the band. Now, in a new interview, Linton takes a moment to laud his work on the band’s 2016 album Meliora — and crap on their 2022 record IMPERA.

Speaking to Clint Switzer on On The Road to Rock, Rubino talks about his contribution to Meliora with great fondness:

“Just to make it clear, I toured the second album and I was fired during the recording of the third album, ‘Meliora’. When I listen to ‘Meliora’, I think it’s maybe the best album — I think it’s a superb album. And that was the album that won all the awards — Grammys and stuff. I think that album was close to being a masterpiece in the genre; I really think that.

“After that, I don’t think, actually, they’ve matched it by far. The popularity, of course, if that’s what people wanna see, that’s fine; [there’s] nothing wrong with it. But I think their last record [2022’s ‘Impera’], it’s not very good, to put it simple. It’s my taste. But I can say that ‘Meliora’ is close to a masterpiece as well. I think something had happened with the band, and you can clearly hear the difference in the songwriting there and today.”

And as for the band’s new album, IMPERA? Well, Rubino’s heard it, but truth be told, he’s not a big fan:

“I listened to ‘Impera’, the latest record. I skipped through the songs once and then I tried to listen to the whole thing. Then I turned it off halfway. I can’t, really. But I don’t have any feelings around it, really. Let them have their fun. If they think it’s fun and have a good time, let them have it.”

Check otu the full interview below: