Guitarist Reacts to Ghost - Spillways (Reaction & Composition Analysis)

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In this video I react to 'Spillways' by Ghost, as well as discuss the compositional tricks used that make this song so great. If you've ever wondered how they made the track, then check this out!
I am increasingly becoming more of a fan of Ghost! They blend the best of modern and classic rock/metal so well - that is what makes them special.
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This reaction was not sponsored by Toto...
Best!
Sean
#GhostSpillways
#GhostSpillwaysReaction
#Ghost
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[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Let me know in the comments what you think of the compositional analysis. Adding this extra section at the end is fun but takes a lot longer, so I'd like to know what you think 👍

[@magnusblomqvist966]

Keep it up 🤘

[@G0PFISH]

If you want something with a new compositional directive ... try Hanabie - We Love Sweets .... they started out as a Maximum The Hormone Cover Band, but now they created their own genre

[@ghostridemedia]

You missed that there were two keychanges before the first chorus, one at 1:26 and the the second that you mentioned, leading into the chorus. ;)

[@dakken74]

Every time I hear the beginning of this song I want to start singing "I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!"

[@andymolina5324]

I’m tired of people not admitting that that’s literally what this song is lol

[@lunasthemoth7774]

I FUCKIN' KNOW! ITS IN THE SAME KEY AND EVERYTHING!!

[@pokemonsnapsnap4852]

That’s personally why I like it ha

[@karlsmith2570]

Wait, That was essentially the theme from Pokemon??

[@DarkMatterBurrito]

@@andymolina5324 It reminds me more of "Runaway" by Bon Jovi, but people also say "Hold The Line" by Toto.

[@ca77721]

IMO Ghost are the best current rock band.Very unique and great composers and song writers.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Absolutely! A fresh breeze for sure. Not overly processed either like most rock/metal these days.

[@magnusblomqvist966]

You're spot on. It's so well written. Tobias takes inspiration from pop/classic rock/aor/80:s rock and blend it and at the same time makes it modern. Just one example, it's recorded in the same studio as Abba used to work in. And their old piano was still there. Tobias has said he played on it but not confirmed it is used on the album. But you could really hear it in your head that it is the same piano and you instantly think it is true or not. Genius!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks for the extra info! I go into these reactions without doing any research to make the reaction completely genuine.

[@Ram-2112]

Great video thanks for breaking this down for us. Ghost is evolving into my second favorite prog band after Rush. Glad to have a new favorite that is still active. We don't have many good rock bands anymore, I'm so thankful to have discovered Ghost when I did. Their music got me through a really hard year mixed with death, financial troubles, and moving across the country.

[@IRanOutOfPhrases]

Really glad to have finally come across a channel that takes a more analytical approach to Ghost. I feel like their biggest strength is in the composition of their songs, but I'm too much of a music noob to really understand it. Like, they don't have the most impressive vocalist, drummer, or guitarists, but there's always been something I've never been able to describe quite right in how they can assemble all of these pieces in a unique manner that I don't think very many other bands have been able to hit on quite as well.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! Truthfully you can still write amazing songs without being exceptional musically (instrumental/vocal technique etc) - and I think this is true with Ghost and what you're experiencing here. It might be that they are individually exceptional, but don't feel the need to 'show off' with this project and would rather 'serve' the song instead. Sometimes simplicity is key in music; however, what's interesting with Ghost is that their songs often seem 'simple, but are compositionally quite complex. Two things that I think personally set Ghost apart from other modern bands: 1) Ghost are taking influence from everywhere and managing to fuse these influences incredibly well - more so than other bands 2) They are the 'reversal' of the common trend of 'dumbing down music' as we see in modern pop - Ghost are using compositional techniques that were used in the past but fell out of favour in the modern era (even in rock). This band is a tip of the hat to the past while also taking the best parts of modern music.

[@CarMoves]

That first piano chord (Am) and tone are literally ABBA's "Money, Money, Money" opening chord And where was this Ghost album recorded? Metronome Studio where ABBA recorded.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Lots of influence from ABBA then! Makes sense since they were Swedish

[@jediweebz]

All the guitar parts on this album are played by Fredrick Akesson from the band Opeth.

[@pestilencepathogenic]

What a cool video! I like how you break down this song!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks!

[@juhgata1000]

That's the type of reaction that i want to see. ❤

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks!

[@GeekFurious]

The song seems so simple & catchy and yet it's relatively complex to play.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Definitely! Very clever from a compositional perspective

[@iansimmons735]

It's definitely not easy to play. The pitch itself is very low (drop C), then there are the key changes, the riffs, are a lot harder than they sound to play.

[@digitalmouse3314]

This song is the best they have written yet

[@wht5764]

Easy top 10 for sure

[@BUGHUNTER6]

Great watch, both your reaction and breakdown. Keep it up!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@lewkon]

Great reaction and really appreciate the analysis!

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Glad you enjoyed! The analysis took quite a while to make but was worth it in the end.

[@RAAZR-]

Alice Cooper - Poison

[@notmyfirstnamenotmysecondn2219]

Nice insight into composing. Thanks for sharing

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Glad your liked it :) Thanks for the comment

[@HappyHarpGirl]

Love 'Spillways'!!! Best song on the album. 💚 Anyone getting 'Poison'- or 'Living on a Prayer' -vibes from the chorus?

[@sandrall3817]

the piano part remind me of runaways from bonjovi

[@HappyHarpGirl]

@@sandrall3817 Totally!

[@TheAntiKarma]

@@sandrall3817 THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT!!!

[@fekorak]

@@sandrall3817 Or Pokemon theme :D

[@jasonfiddler9651]

For sure some Bon Jovi bass lines by you know who

[@RobbieFitzgerald]

The funny thing about the key change is that theres actually 2 back to back. Edit: You caught it in the analysis.

[@msee383]

It’s a glam rock band from the 80’s beefed up

[@johanribaeus]

He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask) ... Also Poison ... Like a mix of the two.

[@davidv5510]

Reminds me a lot of 'Only the children' by TOTO

[@mumford5410]

Poison. That's what's giving everyone deja vu

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Yes!

[@martyberger7168]

Sounds like biochemistry class! Well done

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Haha yeah pretty much!

[@rudyzoncape8233]

Greta job man! You said you know which song inspired the chorus, let us know too! Thanks

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks! Toto - Africa

[@QuickZ_]

@@SeanBennettGuitar And the intro is also surely inspired by Toto - Hold the line. The two songs Toto got tired of playing early :p

[@WhoDoctor-ny3xd]

The first 30 seconds I feel was VERY inspired by Runaway by Bon Jovi.

[@edgargonzalez1161]

Yep

[@jlahdesmaki]

And Abba's money money money

[@karlsmith2570]

6:07 I thought I'd recognized that chord

[@wesleywheeler7891]

This song gives me serious Alice Cooper vibes

[@Gatoatutube]

Poison

[@d1specdrifter]

looking for new youtubers, to me,and you got a new subscriber in me. Keep doing what ya doin. KEEP MOVING FORWARD. 🤜🤛 SHARING IS CARING 1 more subscriber for your channel towards 100k😁 This song reminds me of alice cooper music.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Thanks!

[@pauliehogg]

Metal ABBA

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

😂😂😂 totally!

[@TomSnout333]

This song has Boston influence all over it.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Absolutely!

[@driver8703]

Take away the Def Leppard tie in, I think you could take this song and put in the middle of Hysteria and you’d never notice it wasn’t Def Leppard

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Spot on!

[@lindajames978]

Not sure of Ghost....could you do more of JD & JB songs from their album

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

More will be on the way :)

[@soyedgar1831]

This song reminds. Me of Scorpions

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Me too! Cool though that it doesn’t feel like a rip off of anything. Just a beautiful blend of lots of influences.

[@littlewigglemonster7691]

Job 10:1 gets overlooked

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Which do you mean?

[@littlewigglemonster7691]

In beginning of video it says Job 10:1 bible verse which is: “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul." Just makes the song, make even more sense imo, but no one ever really talks bout it. 😊

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

@@littlewigglemonster7691 oh wow, I never noticed! Must be my complete ignorance of lyrics with being a guitar player 😂 my bad, but that’s cool though!

[@arrlowwrose]

Someone please help me find poetic devices in this song, cause im doing it for an assignment for school and i dumb and cant find any...

[@TheSmegmagician]

Im gonna take a guess at the song it share a chord prog with. I Believe in a thing called love by the darkness

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Toto - Africa (the chorus). Only a semi tone difference but same chord progression and almost the same key!

[@tarti666flette]

@@SeanBennettGuitar Now that you said it, it's obvious, but I never heard it before (and I love Africa 😅)

[@Thescottishguyreacts]

Would that song be POISON? Alice Cooper

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

Didn’t think of that one but true! Similarities definitely

[@AlvenmodFoto]

I don't mind reactors pausing, going back and do whatever to analyse the song, but speaking over and the song just get muffled, drives me insane to the point I almost had to stop watching. Love the reaction otherwise you clearly knows music.

[@lindajames978]

I don't think I'm a rock chick ( at 68 ) it's difficult to enjoy this modern music it's loud and sounds shouted at us, have played it a few times so ì could put it on my play list but I'm afraid it's not for me.

[@GeekFurious]

This song is essentially an homage to an era when you would have been in your 20s... and "loud and sounds shouted at us" feels like a bot writing a sentence.

[@patricialehrke7688]

I'm 64 and love it.I had Alice Cooper posters on my wall as a teenager .Pink Floyd,Rush,Zeppelin---great music growing up.Im enjoying Ghost alot.Its easy listening compared to a lot of metal bands.

[@iansimmons735]

I'm 63 and I adore it. I discovered Ghost recently and it's been a revelation.

[@lindajames978]

@GeekFurious certainly not a bot !!! Just saying it's not for me, i enjoyed motown. Soul, was never into heavy rock but enjoyed The Stones some Pink Floyd, Queen and as a mother of 4 Son's now all in their 40s I've heard most music from garage to heavy Rick, I didn't like punk rock nor rap but hey each to their own, and yes unfortunately I was that mum that shouted 'turn it down" sorry at least I'm prepared to listen a few times before I decide whether I like something or not

[@littlearsehole75]

Tobias has a rule for guitar solos: if you shred, you're dead.

[@SeanBennettGuitar]

I can understand that. Means more serving the song and less ego 😊

[@carolbusbey9928]

@@SeanBennettGuitar agree. i love the way their guitar solos fit perfectly into the song instead of being some long meandering shred fest.