Ghost

Ghost is a Swedish rock band renowned for their distinctive blend of theatricality, heavy metal, and arena rock. It was formed in Linköping, Sweden, in 2006, the band quickly gained attention with their 2010 three-track demo, followed by the 7-inch vinyl “Elizabeth” and their debut album, Opus Eponymous. This album, nominated for a Grammis and featuring the song “Ritual”—which Kerrang! listed as one of “The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever”—catapulted them to international recognition.

Ghost’s second album and major-label debut, Infestissumam, was released in 2013. This album topped the Swedish charts and won a Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album, further solidifying their presence in the rock world. Their ascendancy continued with their 2015 album Meliora, which reached number one in Sweden and number eight in the US. The album’s lead single, “Cirice”, earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.

The band is renowned for its unique on-stage presence, where all members except for the lead vocalist are known as “Nameless Ghouls”. These Ghouls perform in matching, face-concealing costumes, adding to the band’s mystique. Until a 2017 lawsuit filed by former members of Ghost, the band’s frontman, Tobias Forge, performed incognito under the persona of “Papa Emeritus”, a character known for its “demonic anti-pope” imagery. This theatrical element has been a hallmark of Ghost, with Forge adopting various incarnations of Papa Emeritus and other characters. For the 2018 album Prequelle and its supporting tour, A Pale Tour Named Death, Forge introduced the character “Cardinal Copia”. In 2020, during the final show of this tour, Forge’s Cardinal Copia character was promoted and transformed into “Papa Emeritus IV”, a persona he continued with for the 2022 album Impera and the corresponding Imperatour.

Ghost’s music spans a wide range of genres, including hard rock, heavy metal, arena rock, pop rock, doom metal, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, occult rock, shock rock, symphonic metal, and gothic rock. Adrien Begrand of PopMatters noted that Ghost recalls “the early sounds of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and Judas Priest, as well as the progressive and psychedelic rock of the late ’60s.” A Nameless Ghoul described their music as a mix between pop music and death metal, influenced by everything from classic rock to extreme underground metal bands of the ’80s, film scores, and emotional harmonic music.

The band’s lyrics often explore Satanic themes, though they have stated that their image is tongue-in-cheek and they are primarily an entertainment group. Their first album, Opus Eponymous, discusses the forthcoming arrival of the Devil in biblical terms, while Infestissumam delves into the presence of the Devil and the Antichrist. Ghost’s theatrics, influenced by Kiss, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, and Pink Floyd, enhance their live performances, adding layers of depth to their musical narratives.

Ghost’s songwriting process involves a few key members who compose an acoustic outline of songs before adding other instrumentation, ensuring a cohesive group sound rather than one dominated by a single instrument. Tobias Forge, the band’s main songwriter, claimed in 2017 that he authored almost every song, with exceptions like “Year Zero” and “Zenith”.

With their unique blend of music, theatrical performances, and thought-provoking lyrics, Ghost has carved out a distinctive niche in the rock and metal scenes, earning critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase worldwide.