Austin may be known as the Live Music Capital of the World, but when it comes to metal and other heavy genres the city has always be somewhat lacking. That hasn’t stopped quality acts from slowly making inroads, however, as evidenced on Monday night when anonymous Swedish rockers Ghost took the stage at Emo’s to hold service in worship of the Dark Lord.

Fellow heavies Tribulation led the procession with a blistering set abundant in corpse paint, down tuned guitars, and the ubiquitous death growl, setting the stage for Ghost’s unique blend of hook-laden metal and King Diamond-inspired theatrics. Clad in full regalia, frontman Papa Emeritus III took the stage flanked by five Nameless Ghouls to lead the crowd through nearly two hours of nonstop metal delight including hits from all three of their full length albums, a ritual Black Eucharist, and a soaring acoustic cover of legendary Texan Roky Erickson’s “If You Have Ghosts.”

It was no doubt an evening of wild revelry for Texas metalheads, and we’re glad veteran sharpshooter Carlos J. Matos was there to capture the night’s essence in appropriately inky black and white.

Photos by Carlos J. Matos

Tribulation

Ghost