“Infestissumam”, the album from the mysterious Swedish band GHOST gained the #28 position on The Billboard 200 chart in it’s first week of release, selling over 14,000 copies in the United States alone. The CD also topped the official chart in Sweden after selling four times as many copies as the #2 album, MISS LI’s “Wolves”.
The release date of “Infestissumam” was pushed back a week to April 16 after four compact disc manufacturers allegedly refused to print a piece of artwork that was to appear on the deluxe version of the new album. The manufacturers took issue with the sacrilegious imagery inspired by the work of Gustave Dore, which showcases what appears to be a forest nymph orgy.
A source close to the buzz group told SPIN.com: “We kept on getting turned down because of the CD art, which is basically a 16th century illustration of an orgy. [The bandmembers] weren’t surprised. The comment was ‘Well, I thought this would have happened sooner.’ The artwork was meant to provoke some sort of thought, but it’s been one obstacle after another.”
The controversial art is still on vinyl and European copies of “Infestissuman”. “Vinyl manufacturers don’t have a problem with the artwork. Neither does Europe,” the source told SPIN.com.
GHOST was also recently forced to modify its name in the U.S. and Canada to GHOST B.C. for “legal reasons.”
A live video clip of “Secular Haze” is available for viewing below.
“Infestissumam” track listing:
01. Infestissumam
02. Per Aspera Ad Inferi
03. Secular Haze
04. Jigolo Har Megiddo
05. Ghuleh / Zombie Queen
06. Year Zero
07. Idolatrine
08. Body And Blood
09. Depth Of Satans Eyes
10. Monstrance Clock
