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Ghost is a Swedish
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band known for combining costumed theatricality, heavy metal, and
arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...
. Formed in
Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...
in 2006, the band released their debut album, ''
Opus Eponymous ''Opus Eponymous'' is the debut studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 18 October 2010, on the independent record label Rise Above. It was released in North America on 18 January 2011, and in Japan on 6 Ap ...
'' in 2010, which earned them international recognition. This was followed by ''
Infestissumam ''Infestissumam'' (archaic spelling of Latin infestissimam, a feminine superlative meaning "''o thevery or most hostile (f)"'', used by the band as "the most hostile" or "the biggest threat" in reference to the Antichrist) is the second studio ...
'' in 2013 and in 2015 by ''
Meliora is a Latin adjective meaning "better". It is the neuter plural (nominative or Accusative case, accusative) form of the adjective "melior, -or, -us". It may be used in the accusative and substantively (i.e., as a noun) to mean "better things", ...
'', which reached number one in Sweden and number eight in the US. This was followed by the albums ''
Prequelle ''Prequelle'' is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 1 June 2018 and produced by Tom Dalgety. The album's first single, "Rats", was released ahead of the album on 13 April, and as of 28 July, had peaked at n ...
'' in 2018 and ''
Impera ''Impera'' is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. Released on 11 March 2022, it was produced by Klas Åhlund who also produced the band's 2015 album, '' Meliora''. The release of ''Impera'' was preceded by three singles: ...
'' in 2022. The band's sixth studio album, '' Skeletá'' was released in 2025; it subsequently became their first Billboard number one album. Known for their costumed on-stage presence, Ghost's members, except for the lead vocalist, are known as "Nameless Ghouls". The lead-singer has performed under the persona of "Papa Emeritus", a character known for its "demonic anti-pope" imagery, while changing this for subsequent tours. In 2017, the identity of the lead singer was revealed to be
Tobias Forge Tobias Jens Forge (; born 3 March 1981) is a Swedish musician. He is the frontman, leader, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member of the masked rock band Ghost, performing live as their vocalist under the stage names Papa Emeritus, Cardi ...
after several musicians who had worked with him on the Ghost project started legal action over royalties. The single, " Cirice", earned the band a
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...
in 2016, while they have been nominated for several Swedish
Grammis The Grammis (sometimes referred to as the Swedish Grammy Awards) are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in t ...
awards.


History


Formation and ''Opus Eponymous'' (2006–2011)

Ghost was formed in 2006, when future band leader
Tobias Forge Tobias Jens Forge (; born 3 March 1981) is a Swedish musician. He is the frontman, leader, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member of the masked rock band Ghost, performing live as their vocalist under the stage names Papa Emeritus, Cardi ...
wrote the song "Stand by Him". He said, "I said that this is probably the most heavy metal riff that has ever existed ... When the chorus came to me, it haunted my dreams. Every time I picked up the guitar, I ended up playing that progression, and when I fit the words in, it seemed to cry out for a Satanically-oriented lyric." Forge then contacted his former
Repugnant Repugnant was a Swedish death metal band from Stockholm active from 1998 to 2004. The band has been cited as one of the first revivalists of the Swedish death metal movement, along with Kaamos. They recorded their only studio album ''Epitome of ...
bandmate Gustaf Lindström to record the song. In early 2008, the two entered the studio to record three songs: "Stand by Him", "Prime Mover" and "Death Knell". Afterwards Forge remarked to Lindström: "This definitely does not sound like two dudes that look like you and I". Thus Forge decided that they should be an anonymous "theater band", and use their love of horror films and "the traditions of Scandinavian metal" in the band's imagery. While other members of the band would wear black hooded robes and be called "Nameless Ghouls", Forge would go by "Papa Emeritus", dressed in Papal regalia and his face painted to resemble a skull. Forge then chose the name Ghost for the group. Initially Forge had no aspirations on becoming the band's vocalist, instead wanting to play guitar. He offered the position of lead vocalist to Messiah Marcolin,
Mats Levén Mats Levén (born 11 September 1964) is a Swedish singer. Some of his most notable collaborations have been with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, symphonic metallers Therion and doom metallers Candlemass. In 2011, due to family issues on the part ...
, Christer Göransson and JB Christoffersson, all of whom passed. As a result, Forge became the band's lead singer by default. On 12 March 2010, Forge posted the first three Ghost songs on
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
and within two days was contacted by records labels and managers wanting to work with the group. Ghost spent a few weeks in a basement studio in the band's hometown of
Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...
recording their debut album. In June 2010, the band released their first single "
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...
". Ghost released their first studio album, ''
Opus Eponymous ''Opus Eponymous'' is the debut studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 18 October 2010, on the independent record label Rise Above. It was released in North America on 18 January 2011, and in Japan on 6 Ap ...
'', on 18 October 2010, on the independent record label
Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death. Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoing pos ...
. The album earned them international recognition. The album reached number 50 on the
Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from IFPI Sverige. It was formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and has been known by its current name si ...
and was well received by critics, being nominated for the 2011 Grammis Award for "Best Hard Rock" album. Ghost played their first concert on 23 October 2010 at the Hammer of Doom festival in
Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...
, Germany. Ghost supported gothic metal band
Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...
on their "Draconian Times MMXI" tour in April 2011. On 29 May, Ghost made their United States debut at the
Maryland Deathfest Maryland Deathfest (often abbreviated to MDF) is an annual American extreme metal music festival founded in 2003 by Ryan Taylor and Evan Harting. The festival is held in Baltimore, Maryland during Memorial Day weekend, and it features many bands ...
. The band performed at
Download Festival Download Festival is a rock festival created by Andy Copping, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2019); Flemington ...
in
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
on 11 June. Following their performance,
Phil Anselmo Philip Hansen Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American musician best known as the lead singer for groove metal band Pantera, southern metal supergroup Down (band), Down, and Hardcore punk, hardcore band Superjoint, amongst other musical proj ...
, lead singer of the band Down, performed wearing a Ghost T-shirt and invited three members of the band to join him on the main stage, where they performed Down's "Bury Me In Smoke" together. In December 2011, Ghost took part in the "Defenders of the Faith III" tour with
Trivium The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The trivium is implicit in ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the term was not used until the Carolin ...
,
In Flames In Flames is a Swedish Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990 out of the Swedish death metal, Swedish death metal scene. Their lineup has changed several times, with vocalist Anders Frid ...
,
Rise to Remain Rise to Remain was an English, London-based heavy metal band formed in 2006 and disbanded in 2015. The band made appearances at Download Festival, Sonisphere Festival and extensively toured the UK and Europe. The band released three EPs, the m ...
and Insense. The band then embarked on their first US tour, "13 Dates of Doom", beginning in New York on 18 January 2012, and ending on 2 February in Los Angeles. Afterwards Ghost joined
Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
and
Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. The band incorporates folk music, folk, blues, classical music, classical, and jazz elements into its usually lengthy compositions, as well as strong influences from deat ...
as the opening act on the Heritage Hunter Tour throughout North America during April and May 2012. In June, Ghost received the award for "Breakthrough Band" at the
Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards The following is a list of the ''Metal Hammer'' Golden Gods Awards winners. History The awards were conceived by Chris Ingham, John O'Sullivan & Dave Bianchi, and first held at the Kentish Town Forum in London 2003. The show was owned by Future P ...
.


''Infestissumam'' (2012–2014)

In February 2012, a Nameless Ghoul revealed that the band had completed writing their second album. Ghost entered the studio in October to record their second album in Nashville, Tennessee, with producer
Nick Raskulinecz Nick Raskulinecz () (born February 4, 1970) is an American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Production career Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville ...
. The band had planned to record the album at the turn of 2012, but after starting their US tour in January, they were offered another tour immediately after. At the same time the band, their management and Rise Above Records all agreed that the group's next album should be released on a different label. Thus Ghost signed with
Loma Vista Recordings Loma Vista Recordings is a record label founded by Tom Whalley, former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Executive of A&R at Interscope Records. The label was initially a joint venture with Republic Records and is based in Beverly Hill ...
in partnership with
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
a division of
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
. On 15 December 2012, Ghost played a show in Linköping, where they debuted a new song titled "
Secular Haze "Secular Haze" is a song by the Swedish rock band Ghost. The track was released as the lead single from the group's second studio album ''Infestissumam''. The song reached number 22 on The Official Finnish Charts. Background and release On Decembe ...
", which was released online earlier that day. The band also released a cover of
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
's "
I'm a Marionette "I'm a Marionette" is a song recorded by the Swedish pop group ABBA from their fifth album, '' ABBA: The Album''. Written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the song was originally part of a mini-musical called ''The Girl with the Golden Hair ...
" with
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
. During the same show, the band introduced Papa Emeritus II as the successor to the first Papa Emeritus. On 20 December, the band announced that their second album, ''
Infestissumam ''Infestissumam'' (archaic spelling of Latin infestissimam, a feminine superlative meaning "''o thevery or most hostile (f)"'', used by the band as "the most hostile" or "the biggest threat" in reference to the Antichrist) is the second studio ...
'', would be released in early 2013. On 5 February 2013, the band announced a name change to "Ghost B.C." in the US for legal reasons. A Nameless Ghoul said: "B.C. is obviously a pun on 'Before Christ', but it's just an amendment. In our world, we're just gonna be called Ghost ... The B.C. is silent, and as soon as we can, it's gonna be taken away forever." They officially dropped the amendment from their name in 2015. From 23 February to 4 March 2013, Ghost toured Australia as a part of the Soundwave Festival. ''Infestissumam'' was originally scheduled to be released on 9 April 2013, in the US, but the band could not find a US company that would manufacture the CD. Four US CD manufacturers rejected the job because the artwork for the deluxe edition of the album was described as "basically a 16th century illustration of an orgy." Rather than delay the album further, the band decided to use the artwork from the regular edition for the US pressings of the deluxe edition and announced the new release date of 16 April. All European copies and the US vinyl versions include the controversial artwork. ''Infestissumam'' charted in seven countries, including at number one in Sweden, eventually going
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
. The album was also well received by critics, winning the Grammis Award and the P3 Guld Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" of 2013. Ghost began their "Haze Over North America" tour on 14 April 2013, at the
Coachella Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorad ...
, which continued until 18 May. On 27 July, Ghost began the "Still Hazing Over America" tour, which ended in Chicago at the
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
festival. Immediately after, Ghost toured South America supporting
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
and
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
, which included a performance at
Rock in Rio Rock in Rio is a biennial Brazilian multi-day music festival held at City of Rock in Rio de Janeiro. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Ten incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeir ...
. In October 2013, Ghost opened for
Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead gui ...
and
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and tu ...
on their US tour. In November, the band toured the UK with
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AiC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Voca ...
, before a tour of Europe. On 20 November 2013, Ghost released the EP '' If You Have Ghost'', consisting almost entirely of cover songs. It was produced by
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
of
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
and
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
fame. In January 2014, Ghost received six nominations at the Loudwire Music Awards. From 17 January to 2 February 2014, the band toured Australia as a part of the
Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...
festival. They then embarked on the "Tour Year Zero", which lasted from 17 April until 17 May 2014, in North America. In July, the band performed at the European
Sonisphere Festival The Sonisphere Festival was a touring rock music festival which took place across Europe between the months of June and August. The festival was owned by John Jackson and Kilimanjaro Live. It was jointly promoted by K2 and Kilimanjaro Live. It h ...
.


''Meliora'' (2015–2017)

Ghost's third studio album, the follow-up to ''Infestissumam'', ''
Meliora is a Latin adjective meaning "better". It is the neuter plural (nominative or Accusative case, accusative) form of the adjective "melior, -or, -us". It may be used in the accusative and substantively (i.e., as a noun) to mean "better things", ...
'' was released on 21 August 2015. In an advertisement for the album that aired 28 May on
VH1 Classic MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American pay television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. It was originally launched in 1998 as "VH1 Smooth", an adult contemporary and smooth jazz channel. It ...
, it was announced that Papa Emeritus II was "fired" and that his successor Papa Emeritus III is his younger brother by a full three months. The song " Cirice" was released on 30 May, and won the 2016
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for
Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...
. Papa Emeritus III was officially unveiled with a debut performance in Linköping on 3 June 2015, where the band also performed new songs from the upcoming album. The album was first promoted in August by a five date acoustic tour named "Unholy/Unplugged" of record shops in the US. Here Papa Emeritus III sported slicked-back jet black hair without his trademark
mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...
, and performed alongside the two guitarist Nameless Ghouls; accompanying them on the
kazoo The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a ''buzzing'' timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (itself a membranophone), one of a class of instruments that modify the player's v ...
. A tour of the US titled "Black to the Future" began on 22 September and ran until 1 November. This was followed by a North America tour that took place in the spring 2016. On 12 September 2016, the band released a new track on a radio show titled " Square Hammer" and a new EP, ''
Popestar ''Popestar'' is the second EP by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It consists mainly of covers and was produced by Tom Dalgety. The EP was released on 16 September 2016, by Loma Vista Recordings. The band began the Popestar Tour of North America f ...
'', was released on 16 September, the same day the
Popestar Tour The Popestar Tour was a concert tour by Swedish rock band Ghost in support of their second EP, ''Popestar''. The EP was released on September 16, which coincided with the first show of the tour in Rochester, New York. They toured Europe in the s ...
began. Following the conclusion of the North American tour that concluded on 12 November, was the European tour of the same name which started in late March and finished in late April 2017. They were the opening act for
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
on their 2017 North America tour from June to July 2017. A Nameless Ghoul stated that after the tour was over, they would be writing and recording the new album which they stated would be much darker than ''
Meliora is a Latin adjective meaning "better". It is the neuter plural (nominative or Accusative case, accusative) form of the adjective "melior, -or, -us". It may be used in the accusative and substantively (i.e., as a noun) to mean "better things", ...
'', with Tobias confirming in an interview that the fourth album would be released in 2018. In early 2017, Tobias Forge was sued by former Ghost members Simon Söderberg, Mauro Rubino, Martin Hjertstedt, and Henrik Palm as part of a royalties dispute. The four, who left Ghost in 2016, filed the suit in the district court of Linköping, Sweden and accused Forge, who was in charge of the band's business affairs, of withholding financial information and payments to the other members. The former members also claimed that "Our vocalist and former friend is now attempting to, in an underhanded and shameless way, transform Ghost from a band into a solo project with hired musicians." Forge claimed that "no legal partnership" ever existed between the other members and himself; they were paid a fixed salary to perform and execute the band's image as he instructed as "musicians for hire". He also stated that he refers to Ghost as a solo project, "Even though I've never wanted it that way, but at the end of the day, that is what it is. I mean, I started it in 2006, and no one that was ever in the band in 2016 was even on the first record. Call it solo, if you want to, but I call it a project." The legal action against Forge is what revealed his identity. On 24 August 2017, the band released their final music video from ''Meliora'' for their song " He Is". During the final show of the Popestar Tour on 30 September 2017, Papa Emeritus III was dragged off stage at the end of the performance. A new incarnation called "Papa Emeritus Zero" was introduced on stage, later named "Papa Nihil". The band released their first live album titled ''
Ceremony and Devotion The Swedish Rock music, rock band Ghost (Swedish band), Ghost has released six studio albums, two live albums, four extended plays (EPs), two compilation albums, twenty-four Single (music), singles and twenty music videos. Formed in Linköping i ...
'' digitally on 8 December 2017, with a physical release following on 19 January 2018.


''Prequelle'' (2018–2020)

On 13 April 2018, Ghost released a new single, titled "
Rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
", along with an accompanying music video. This marked the first release from the band, with their "new" frontman Cardinal Copia. Additionally, the band welcomed a new character,
saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
Papa Nihil, extending Ghost into a
septet A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry ...
. The album was titled ''
Prequelle ''Prequelle'' is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 1 June 2018 and produced by Tom Dalgety. The album's first single, "Rats", was released ahead of the album on 13 April, and as of 28 July, had peaked at n ...
'', and it was released on 1 June 2018. A second song, " Dance Macabre" was released ahead of the album on 17 May, and was later released as the album's second single. To promote the album, Ghost began the Rats! on the Road tour in the US which ran from 5 May until 1 June. The band was an opening act for
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
in Oslo, Norway on 19 July 2018. Ghost began A Pale Tour Named Death in London, England at
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
on 9 September 2018. A North American tour of the same name began later in the fall that year featuring two headlining arena shows in Los Angeles and New York City. An early 2019 European tour of the same name was announced on 10 September 2018. In March 2019, the band performed in Australia and Japan as part of Download Festival. Ghost was later announced as the opening act for
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
's
WorldWired Tour The WorldWired Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their tenth studio album '' Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', which was released on November 18, 2016. It is also their first worldwide tour after the Wo ...
from May to August 2019. A second North American tour was announced on 1 April 2019, with
Nothing More Nothing More is an American rock band from San Antonio, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band spent much of the 2000s recording independent albums and struggling to maintain a steady lineup or attract record label interest. Towards the end of the de ...
as support. A European tour at the end of 2019 with All Them Witches and
Tribulation In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation () is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end. At , "the Great Tribulation" () is used to indicate the period spoken of by Jesus. u ...
was announced on 8 July 2019. The band released their second music video for the song "Dance Macabre" on 17 October 2018. A third music video, "
Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
" was released on 20 December 2018 following the band's first North American leg of their tour. Ghost announced their standalone single ''Kiss the Go-Goat / Mary on a Cross'' which was released on 13 September 2019 under the title '' Seven Inches of Satanic Panic''. A video for "Kiss the Go-Goat' was released at midnight on September 12 as "Chapter 8" of their ongoing web series. In an interview on 25 September 2019, Ghost confirmed that other than one show in Mexico City on 3 March 2020, there would be zero touring next year. The year would be spent working on a new studio album which is expected to be released at the beginning of 2021. At the final show of the tour in support of ''Prequelle'', the band introduced the new frontman for the next album cycle, Papa Emeritus IV to which Tobias Forge had stated would be the next frontman.


''Impera'' (2020–2023)

On 8 October 2020, Ghost confirmed that they would release their fifth studio album in winter 2020. There was a tour planned for March 2021, but it had been postponed to the fall of 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On the same day, the band was given the Music Export Prize of 2019 by the government of Sweden. On 21 October 2020, Ghost later announced that they would be entering the recording studio in January to begin recording the album for a late 2021 release. Ghost announced on their Facebook page on 30 December 2020, that 'several big things' were being worked on for 2021, indicating new music and live performances. Papa Emeritus IV made his public debut on the Swedish television game show "
På spåret ''På spåret'' () is a popular Swedish TV game show series broadcast on SVT since 5 September 1987. The show, which is intended to be humorous yet educational, has remained one of the most popular TV shows in Sweden, attracting an average of 2 ...
" on 22 January 2021, joining alongside
The Hellacopters The Hellacopters are a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson (vocals and guitar), Andreas Tyrone "Dregen" Svensson (guitar), Kenny Håkansson (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). Andersson (sometimes known as Nic ...
to perform a cover of the
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
' "
Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership. It is the opening track on the band's 1968 Studio album, album ''Beggars Banquet ...
". Ghost later released a music video for "Life Eternal" on 3 March 2021, which featured live footage from the previous show in Mexico City the year before. Ghost became a featured artist on Metallica's tribute album ''
The Metallica Blacklist ''The Metallica Blacklist'' is a various artists Cover version, tribute album featuring covers of every track from Metallica's Metallica (album), 1991 self-titled album (commonly known as ''The Black Album''). The collection was assembled in con ...
'' which was released on 10 September 2021, in which they perform "
Enter Sandman "Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist ...
". On 30 September 2021, the band unveiled their single, " Hunter's Moon", which is featured on the soundtrack of the 2021
slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...
''
Halloween Kills ''Halloween Kills'' is a 2021 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, and co-written by Green, Danny McBride, and Scott Teems. It is the sequel to ''Halloween'' (2018) and the twelfth installment in the ''Halloween'' franchise. ...
''. In an interview on 30 October 2021, Forge announced that the concept of the album would be based on "the rise and fall of empires". On 20 January 2022, the band released the single, "Call Me Little Sunshine" as the second from their fifth studio album, ''
Impera ''Impera'' is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. Released on 11 March 2022, it was produced by Klas Åhlund who also produced the band's 2015 album, '' Meliora''. The release of ''Impera'' was preceded by three singles: ...
'', which was released on 11 March 2022. On 2 March 2022, the band released the third single from the album, "Twenties". On 8 March, the band announced its sponsorship of the
JD Motorsports JD Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It was owned and operated by Johnny Davis (NASCAR), Johnny Davis. It last fielded the No. 4 part-time for multiple drivers. The team uti ...
No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro SS driven by
Bayley Currey Bayley Alexander Currey (born October 29, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports. He has also compet ...
at the 12 March
NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level NASCAR Cup Series, Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a Undercard, support ...
race at
Phoenix Raceway Phoenix Raceway (formerly known as ISM Raceway from 2018–2020, Phoenix International Raceway from 1964–1973 and 1976–2017, and FasTrack International Speedway from 1973–1976) is a Oval track racing#Unique shapes, dogleg oval track in A ...
. Ghost would later make an appearance on
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
to perform "Call Me Little Sunshine" which had previously been postponed due to touring commitments. On 27 July 2022, the band released a music video for the album's fourth single, "Spillways", which was rereleased in January 2023 with
Joe Elliott Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August 1959) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of the David Bowie tribute band the ...
as a featured guest. Ghost kicked off on the
Imperatour The Imperatour was a concert tour by the Swedish Rock music, rock band Ghost (Swedish band), Ghost in support of their fifth studio album, ''Impera''. Following its announcement on 20 September 2021, the tour began on 25 January 2022 at the Reno ...
in the US from January to March 2022, co-headlining with
Volbeat Volbeat are a Danish Rock music, rock band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll and Heavy metal music, heavy metal. Their current line-up consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Michael Poulsen, drummer Jon Lars ...
and Twin Temple. Ghost later announced a European tour of the same name on 23 November 2021, with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Twin Temple joining as support. Ghost was featured as a headliner for
Hellfest Hellfest (), also known as Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one o ...
in
Clisson ''For other uses, see Clisson (disambiguation)'' Clisson (; Gallo: ''Cliczon'', ), is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, in the region of Pays de la Loire, western France. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Sèvre Nan ...
, France on 18 June 2022. On 17 May 2022, the band announced the second North American leg with
Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
and
Spiritbox Spiritbox is a Canadian Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, originally from Victoria, British Columbia, publicly established by guitarist Mike Stringer and vocalist Courtney LaPlante in October 2017. The band's full lineup comprises married co ...
as opening acts. During an interview on 12 September 2022, Forge confirmed that there would be more touring in 2023, and later revealed further touring plans for Asia and Oceania, as well as stating that he was working on the follow-up for ''Impera''. On 13 February 2023, the band announced that they would be touring the US again from August to September 2023, with
Amon Amarth Amon Amarth () are a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, Sweden, Tumba, formed in 1992. The band take its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking myt ...
as special guests. On 1 February 2023, the band temporarily hosted an archival exhibition in Los Angeles, in celebration of the band's "1969 era" which had featured Papa Nihil and other items from that era. Upon release of Chapter 16 in the band's web series, speculation began to spread that Papa Emeritus IV will be "killed off" at the end of the Imperatour, following the announcement of a second show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood. A South American leg was announced on 4 April 2023, which was the band's first time headlining in Brazil and Argentina, following reports that Ghost would release new music before their second European leg on the Imperatour. Prior to the second Europe leg, the band announced their fourth EP, '' Phantomime'', a covers EP which was supported by a single of the band's cover of
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
' " Jesus He Knows Me". The EP was originally set to be released on 18 May 2023, but was postponed to 19 May. Ghost later collaborated with actor Patrick Wilson and released a single of their cover of
Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister are an alternative rock, alternative Pop rock, pop and rock musical duo that was formed in 1988 by Irish people, Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo a ...
's "
Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...
", which was released on 7 July 2023 and featured in the 2023 film, '' Insidious: The Red Door''. On 7 September 2023, the band received its first
platinum certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
for the single "Mary On A Cross", from their EP, '' Seven Inches of Satanic Panic''. After their performances in South America, the band concluded the Imperatour in October 2023 with three shows in Australia, in which the Brisbane performance on 7 October 2023 was the final show to feature Papa Emeritus IV. Forge later announced on 11 October 2023, that a Ghost movie was in the works, confirming that the Inglewood performances in September 2023 were filmed.


Film and ''Skeletá'' (2023–present)

On 1 December 2023, Ghost released a
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
titled ''13 Commandments''. This release marked the global release of '' Meliora Redux's'' exclusive track "Zenith" via streaming services, whereas before it was only available on physical formats. In an interview with Metal Hammer on 9 December 2023, Forge confirmed that work on the next studio album had begun, stating that a few songs had been written, and later acknowledged in a New Year's message that there was "lots to come" in 2024. The band published a teaser for the movie on 4 April 2024. Without revealing the movie's title, the teaser depicted Papa Emeritus IV on stage and announced that the movie would be released worldwide soon. Later, the band revealed the film's name, '' Rite Here Rite Now'', which was released on 20 June 2024. A single, "The Future Is a Foreign Land", was released on 21 June 2024, a day after the film was released. The
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
for the movie was released on 26 July 2024 through
Loma Vista Recordings Loma Vista Recordings is a record label founded by Tom Whalley, former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Executive of A&R at Interscope Records. The label was initially a joint venture with Republic Records and is based in Beverly Hill ...
. On 28 October 2024, the band announced a then-untitled world tour beginning in 2025. The tour began with its European leg from 15 April to 24 May, followed by the North American leg from 9 July to 16 August. It is set to conclude in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
on 25 September, with an additional date already added. The band has also confirmed that more dates will be announced. The tour was later called "Skeletour". Papa V Perpetua was revealed as the new frontman for Ghost on 5 February 2025. A month later, Ghost released the single, "Satanized", with an accompanied music video, as well as announcing the title of the sixth studio album, '' Skeletá'', which was released on 25 April 2025. The album's second single, "Lachryma", was released on 11 April 2025. The album's third single, "Peacefield", was released on 22 April 2025. On 28 April, a music video was released for the song. In May 2025, the album topped the Billboard 200 album charts, driven by a combination of sales and streaming that "accumulated 86,000 "equivalent album units".


Musical style and influences

Ghost's music has been categorized in many genres, including
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
, heavy metal,
arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...
,
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
,
doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
,
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
,
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
,
occult rock Occult rock (also known as doom rock or witch rock) is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s to early 1970s, pioneered by bands such as Coven and Black Widow. The genre is influenced by hard rock, proto-metal, psychedelic ...
,
shock rock Shock rock is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...
,
symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-genre style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitars ...
, and
gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...
. Adrien Begrand of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' stated that Ghost recalls "the early sounds of
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle around ...
, and
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
, as well as the progressive and psychedelic rock of the late '60s." Speaking to Noisey.com, a Nameless Ghoul described Ghost as a
black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band in the traditional sense, but said that they probably do not fit into the norms of the current black metal scene. This Nameless Ghoul described Ghost's music as a mix between
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
and
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
. In an interview, a Nameless Ghoul said they are influenced by "everything ranging from classic rock to the extreme underground metal bands of the '80s to film scores to the grandeur of emotional harmonic music." A member of the band said the Swedish and Scandinavian black metal movement of the early '90s plays a major role in their act, and said that each member has come from a metal background. However, the band has stated several times that they do not aim to be a metal band. For their second album, Ghost chose a more diverse songwriting style; a member said, "we tried to deliberately have every song have its own signature." Only a few members actually write songs. The writers compose an acoustic outline of songs before other instrumentation is added so it sounds like a group, rather than being dominated by guitar. In 2017, Forge claimed that he was the main author of every song except "Year Zero" and "Zenith", which were Persner's ideas. Asked how he keeps Ghost's sound intact despite large lineup changes, Forge said he has to teach them to play like he does; explaining that while he is a good guitar player, he is only an "okay" drummer, bassist and keyboardist. So it is a matter of getting them to "underperform aughstogether." Their lyrics are often Satanic in nature; one Ghoul said, "the first album is about the forthcoming arrival of the
Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
, spoken very much in biblical terms, much like the church will say that doomsday is near. 'Infestissumam''is about the presence of the Devil and the presence of the
Antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...
." However, the band has said several times their image is all tongue-in-cheek, citing that "We have no militant agenda. We are an entertainment group." The band uses humor during their shows. ''Infestissumam'' also deals with "how people relate to a deity or God, themes like submission and superstition, the horrors of being religious." Additionally, a Nameless Ghoul said the second album is about "how mankindpredominantly menwhat they have deemed to be the presence of the Devil, throughout history and even nowadays. And that's why the record is so fueled with sexual themes and females ... the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
was basically men accusing women of being the Devil just because they had a hard-on for them." The group's theatrics are influenced by
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
and
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
, but a member said they are more influenced by
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
. A Ghoul later cited
Death SS Death SS (later also intended as a contraction of In Death of Steve Sylvester) is an Italian heavy metal band formed in 1977. They have sometimes been described as "horror metal". History Death SS was formed in 1977 in Pesaro by Steve Sylveste ...
as an influence on their "gimmick" but not their music.


Controversies

Ghost's Satanic theme has proven problematic for the group, especially in the US. While recording ''Infestissumam'' in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, they were unable to find choral singers who would sing their lyrics, forcing them to record the parts in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
. The group was unable to find a record manufacturer in the US to press the album because it featured artwork showing nudity, which resulted in a delay to the album's release. When one interviewer suggested that the band's music had become more "radio-friendly" and that they were being accepted into the US mainstream, a Nameless Ghoul replied that in the US their music was banned from major chain stores, most late-night television shows, and most commercial radio stations. He said, "So, yes, mainstream America is absolutely welcoming us with open legs." During an interview with Loudwire in October 2015, a band member stated that , the US had become more accepting of their music and imagery, further evidenced by their appearance as the main musical guests on ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...
'' on 30 October 2015, during a
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
-themed episode. This was Ghost's first live television appearance in the US. Chicago heavy metal-themed restaurant
Kuma's Corner Kuma's Corner (Kuma's) is a burger restaurant with a heavy-metal theme based in Chicago, Illinois. History Kuma's Corner first opened in 2005 in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood. Since then Kuma's has opened locations in Chicago's Fulton Mar ...
added a hamburger called "The Ghost" to its menu in tribute to Ghost. Its recipe includes goat shoulder, red wine reduction, and a communion wafer. A local Catholic food blogger acknowledged that while the unconsecrated wafer is not the
Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
, it is still symbolic, and that "it is a mockery of something that is holy". The restaurant's owner acknowledged the controversy and stated they respected religion while refusing to remove the burger, citing the
First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
. To demonstrate his respect for opposing views, he also donated $1,500 to Catholic Charities of the Chicago Archdiocese.


Members

*
Tobias Forge Tobias Jens Forge (; born 3 March 1981) is a Swedish musician. He is the frontman, leader, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member of the masked rock band Ghost, performing live as their vocalist under the stage names Papa Emeritus, Cardi ...
– lead vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion (2008–present) ** Papa (2010–2017; 2020–present) *** Emeritus I (2010–2012) *** Emeritus II (2012–2015) *** Emeritus III (2015–2017) *** Emeritus IV (2020–2025) *** V Perpetua (2025–present) ** Cardinal Copia – vocals performance (2018–2020) * A Group of Nameless Ghouls – guitars, bass, keytars, drums, percussion, keyboards, organ, synthesizers, backing and choir vocals (2010–present) * Papa Nihil – saxophone (2018–2020; 2022–present) The members of Ghost mimic the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, but have reversed the image to worship
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
instead of the
Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
. From 2010 to 2017, the band's instrumentalists, referred to as the "Nameless Ghouls", each represented one of the five elements, typically attached to their instrumental role; the lead guitarist was fire, the bassist was water, the keyboardist was wind, the drummer was earth, and the rhythm guitarist was
ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula , where R and R� ...
, and wore their respective
alchemical symbol Alchemical symbols were used to denote chemical elements and compounds, as well as alchemy, alchemical apparatus and processes, until the 18th century. Although notation was partly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists. Lüdy ...
on their instruments. With ''Meliora'' each Nameless Ghoul had all five elemental symbols embroidered on the right breast of their costumes, with the elemental symbol representing the individual Ghoul being highlighted to show the identity of the wearer. In 2018, the band's line-up was expanded to include a third guitarist, two female keyboardists referred to as the "Ghoulettes", and Papa Nihil on saxophone.


Papa Emeritus

The group's vocalist usually portrays the band's mascot character, a Satanic priest known as Papa Emeritus. There have been four different characters taking the name Papa Emeritus. They first welcomed the second Papa Emeritus on 12 December 2012, in Linköping. On 3 June 2015, the second Papa Emeritus welcomed his younger brother as the new Papa Emeritus in Linköping after being "fired" due to not performing his duty in overthrowing governments and churches. Papa Emeritus II and Papa Emeritus III were stated to only have a 3-month difference in age. On 30 September 2017 during a show in
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, Papa Emeritus III was dragged off stage by two men, who then escorted a new character, Papa Emeritus 0, to the stage to introduce the band's next chapter. Papa Emeritus 0 is portrayed as being significantly older than the previous Papas, making use of a walker and oxygen tank whilst walking on stage. On 19 January 2018, the band shared a video that features a character, implied to be Papa Emeritus IV, listening to ''Ceremony and Devotion'' on
8-track tape The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic-tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, ...
while critiquing Papa Emeritus III's vocal abilities. The character's face is hidden offscreen, but he is shown to wear red vestments similar to a
cardinal priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...
. He was later revealed to be Cardinal Copia. At the final show of the tour in support of ''Prequelle'', Papa Nihil had collapsed and "died", and Cardinal Copia became Papa Emeritus IV. Papa Nihil was later resurrected during the European leg of the
Imperatour The Imperatour was a concert tour by the Swedish Rock music, rock band Ghost (Swedish band), Ghost in support of their fifth studio album, ''Impera''. Following its announcement on 20 September 2021, the tour began on 25 January 2022 at the Reno ...
. In March 2025, the band announced in social media that Papa V Perpetua was to be their next frontman. All versions of Papa are actually the same vocalist, Tobias Forge. Peter Hällje, a former bandmate of former Ghost member Martin Persner, claimed he designed the Papa Emeritus character in 2005, prior to the formation of Ghost. Hällje never performed as Papa Emeritus and agreed with Persner to let him use the character for his then-new band. His claim was later confirmed by Forge.


Cardinal Copia

In April 2018, it was revealed that the "new leader" of Ghost would be Cardinal Copia, who made his live debut with the group at a private acoustic show on 6 April; he is not a part of the Papa Emeritus lineage. Instead, Forge described the situation as "That's why we have a new guy," Forge explains. "The Cardinal is not the boss. He's just the toastmaster. A cardinal is junior to a pope figure. We still have Papa Emeritus ero, a.k.a. Papa Nihilbut he's passing on. He needs to teach the Cardinal to become a pope, to earn his skull paint." Copia's costume consists of either cardinal vestments or a black or white tuxedo; he also sports a prosthetic mask with black eye makeup and multi-colored eyes, as with the prior Papa Emeritus characters. In promotion for their 2018 US tour, a video showed that Papa Emeritus one through three had been killed and their bodies embalmed. In an interview the following month, Forge stated that unlike Ghost's previous frontmen, Cardinal Copia is planned to be around for about five years. The band also welcomed Papa Nihil, the first band member besides Forge to receive a character name. Originally introduced as Papa Emeritus Zero, Nihil is the ancestor of all previous Papa Emeritus characters, and after the "deaths" of his descendants, was the only surviving member of the Papa Emeritus lineage that we know of. During the final show of the tour in support of ''Prequelle'', Cardinal Copia was "elevated" to become Papa Emeritus IV.


Identities

Anonymity is a major characteristic of Ghost; prior to 2017, the members had not publicly revealed their names, and the group's five instrumentalists are only referred to as "Nameless Ghouls". During signings, the Nameless Ghouls sign the merchandise by stamping their individual alchemical symbol, while Papa Emeritus signs with his stage name or the letters "P.E." One Ghoul said the idea that the band's members remain anonymous to gain attention is a misconception, and that the idea was to remove their personalities to allow their audiences to focus upon the artwork itself. He also said, "Had not the music been rocking, I don't think that people would have gone gaga just about our looks". In 2011, a Nameless Ghoul said, "We're often mistaken for roadies, which is helpful. We've almost been thrown out of venues we've played. Forgetting our backstage pass is a big problem." In early 2012, a member of the band said he enjoyed being an individual and that he could easily "step outside the bubble" when he wanted to. In May 2013, a Ghoul disclosed that they had started to reveal their membership in the group to their local friends and family "for house peace." In an August 2013 interview with
Jack Osbourne Jack Joseph Osbourne (born 8 November 1985) is a British-American media personality. He is the son of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne. He starred on MTV's reality series '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005), along with his ...
for Fuse News, a member of the band said that
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
has dressed up as a Nameless Ghoul and secretly performed with Ghost. In April 2014, a Nameless Ghoul revealed that the group has had several member changes through the years. The Swedish Performing Rights Society was rumored to have Tobias Forge, vocalist of Swedish bands Subvision and
Repugnant Repugnant was a Swedish death metal band from Stockholm active from 1998 to 2004. The band has been cited as one of the first revivalists of the Swedish death metal movement, along with Kaamos. They recorded their only studio album ''Epitome of ...
and former guitarist for
Crashdïet Crashdïet (often stylised as CRASHDÏET) is a Swedish sleaze rock/glam metal band formed in Stockholm in 2000. The group consists of Martin Sweet, Peter London, Michael Sweet and John Elliot. They have released six albums: 2005's '' Rest in ...
(using the alias Mary Goore in the latter two), credited with songs as "A Ghoul Writer". All of the band's songs are credited to "A Ghoul Writer", causing people to suspect that Forge was Papa Emeritus. The online database for US-based performance rights society ASCAP, when having the name Tobias Forge entered into its search box, revealed all of Ghost's original songs (even though many of the tracks use the pseudonym "A Ghoul Writer" in the database itself) At the time, Ghost stated they would not comment on any rumors of their identities. Following a lawsuit in 2017, Forge's identity as Papa Emeritus was revealed. In March 2017, Swedish musician Martin Persner of the band Magna Carta Cartel claimed in a short video clip that he was the rhythm guitarist, also known as Omega, from 2009 to July 2016. This marked the first time that someone has publicly identified themselves as a member of Ghost. A few months before Persner's announcement, the band recruited a new bass player who was suspected to be Lez Zeppelin bassist Megan Thomas, later confirmed by Forge. A lawsuit against Forge in April 2017 on behalf of four past members revealed their names, as well as the names of several more past members. When asked about the complete lineup change at the end of 2016, Forge stated that Ghost "was always sort of... I guess a Bathory sort of band, where there was people playing live, and the people playing live
ere Ere or ERE may refer to: * ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal * ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies * Ere language, an Austronesian language * Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...
not necessarily the same that played on the records." The lawsuit was dismissed by the court on 17 October 2018.


Timeline


Stage names / Character identities

As a band with a unique and complex theatrical presentation, the musicians in Ghost's live performances do not perform as themselves, but each play a character. Emphasis is placed on the singer, currently "Papa V Perpetua". The rest of the band are officially deemed "Nameless Ghouls" but there are general categories based on the roles of each of the "ghouls". The five
classical element The classical elements typically refer to Earth (classical element), earth, Water (classical element), water, Air (classical element), air, Fire (classical element), fire, and (later) Aether (classical element), aether which were proposed to ...
s of fire, earth, water, air, and aether were originally used to identify the ghouls with symbol patches on each ghoul's stage outfit, but with the touring cycle coinciding with the 2018 release of ''
Prequelle ''Prequelle'' is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 1 June 2018 and produced by Tom Dalgety. The album's first single, "Rats", was released ahead of the album on 13 April, and as of 28 July, had peaked at n ...
'', the live lineup expanded to include 7 ghouls, and thus the elemental symbols were no longer displayed or officially used. As a general rule, Ghost does not directly identify any of the ghouls through their official accounts or spokespeople, but in recent years, they have become more relaxed in allowing this information to become public. Because of the band's long-standing practice of using NDAs, the ghouls are not allowed to discuss their involvement in the band publicly while they are active members, though the avid fanbase tends to deduce the ghouls' identities rather quickly once they've appeared on stage.


Real identities


Discography

Studio albums * ''
Opus Eponymous ''Opus Eponymous'' is the debut studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 18 October 2010, on the independent record label Rise Above. It was released in North America on 18 January 2011, and in Japan on 6 Ap ...
'' (2010) * ''
Infestissumam ''Infestissumam'' (archaic spelling of Latin infestissimam, a feminine superlative meaning "''o thevery or most hostile (f)"'', used by the band as "the most hostile" or "the biggest threat" in reference to the Antichrist) is the second studio ...
'' (2013) * ''
Meliora is a Latin adjective meaning "better". It is the neuter plural (nominative or Accusative case, accusative) form of the adjective "melior, -or, -us". It may be used in the accusative and substantively (i.e., as a noun) to mean "better things", ...
'' (2015) * ''
Prequelle ''Prequelle'' is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 1 June 2018 and produced by Tom Dalgety. The album's first single, "Rats", was released ahead of the album on 13 April, and as of 28 July, had peaked at n ...
'' (2018) * ''
Impera ''Impera'' is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. Released on 11 March 2022, it was produced by Klas Åhlund who also produced the band's 2015 album, '' Meliora''. The release of ''Impera'' was preceded by three singles: ...
'' (2022) * '' Skeletá'' (2025)


Notable tours

* Heritage Hunter Tour (2012) *
Popestar Tour The Popestar Tour was a concert tour by Swedish rock band Ghost in support of their second EP, ''Popestar''. The EP was released on September 16, which coincided with the first show of the tour in Rochester, New York. They toured Europe in the s ...
(2016–2017) * A Pale Tour Named Death (2018–2020) *
Imperatour The Imperatour was a concert tour by the Swedish Rock music, rock band Ghost (Swedish band), Ghost in support of their fifth studio album, ''Impera''. Following its announcement on 20 September 2021, the tour began on 25 January 2022 at the Reno ...
(2022–2023)


Awards and nominations

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
Bandit Rock Awards
Grammis Awards The Grammis (sometimes referred to as the Swedish Grammy Awards) are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in t ...
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia, iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platf ...
Kerrang! Awards The ''Kerrang!'' Awards was an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''Kerrang!'' and focusing primarily on rock music. The annual awards featured performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards ...
Loudwire Music Awards ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive in ...
''Metal Hammer'' Golden Gods Awards P3 Guld Awards


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control 2006 establishments in Sweden Bands with fictional stage personas Grammy Award winners Loma Vista Recordings artists Masked musicians Metal Blade Records artists Musical groups established in 2006 Occult rock musical groups Swedish doom metal musical groups Satanism in popular culture Swedish heavy metal musical groups Swedish pop rock music groups English-language musical groups from Sweden Musical groups from Linköping Spinefarm Records artists