Ghost B.C.

1) Ghost, also formerly known as Ghost B.C. in the United States, is a Swedish metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2006. In 2010, they released a three-track demo followed by a 7-inch vinyl titled "Elizabeth", and later their debut full-length album Opus Eponymous. The song "Ritual" was chosen by Kerrang! as one of "The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever." The Grammis-nominated album was widely praised and significantly increased their popularity. Their second album and major label debut, Infestissumam, was released in 2013, debuted at number one in Sweden, and won the Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album. The band released their third studio album, Meliora, in 2015 to much critical acclaim and high record sales, reaching number one in their home country of Sweden, and number eight in the United States. Its lead single, "Cirice", earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The band released their fourth studio album, Prequelle, in 2018. Their fifth studio album, Impera,followed in 2022. In 2024 they released Rite Here Rite Now as a soundtrack to their concert film with the same name. In 2025, they released their sixth album, Skeletá, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200.

Ghost is an easily recognizable band, owing greatly to its eccentric on-stage presence. Seven of the group's eight members, its 'Nameless Ghouls', wear virtually identical, face-concealing costumes. Lead singer and songwriter Tobias Forge portrays a character named Papa Emeritus onstage; prior to a 2017 lawsuit filed by ex-band members which revealed his identity, he remained fully anonymous and only ever appeared as Papa to the public. The character, which consists of Forge in a prosthetic mask and makeup, is described as a 'demonic anti-pope'. There have been six Papa Emerituses throughout Ghost's existence-- I, II, III, Nihil, IV, and V, each with distinct character designs and, to some extent, personalities. The band's Youtube channel publishes an ongoing web series involving some of these characters, which takes place through short, sketch comedy-esque videos. The storyline has become increasingly complex over the years, and was significantly elaborated on during the Rite Here Rite Now concert film.

From the release of the 2018 album Prequelle and subsequent world tour, Forge portrayed a character known as Cardinal Copia, who wore minimal face paint and a cassock or tightly tailored suit, in place of the usual papal robes worn by previous Papas. In March 2020, at the final show of A Pale Tour Named Death, Cardinal Copia ascended to the papacy, becoming Papa Emeritus IV. He remained for the entirety of the Impera album cycle-- at the end of which, he was "promoted" to head of the clergy, gaining the title Frater Imperator. Papa V Perpetua, the current incarnation of the frontman, is notable for being the first character for which Forge does not wear a full prosthetic mask; he instead wears a half-face metallic skeleton mask with face paint underneath. Within the Ghost storyline, Papa V is said to be Copia's twin.

Ghost's music has been categorized in many genres. Critics have classified them as hard rock, heavy metal, doom metal, pop rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, occult rock, and arena rock. Adrien Begrand of PopMatters stated 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." Speaking to Noisey.com, a Nameless Ghoul described Ghost as a black metal 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 and death metal.

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."

Tobias Forge is the sole songwriter and creative force for the band, although he often collaborates with an external songwriting duo. Pre-2017, Martin Persner, then a member of the band, occasionally contributed to songs. 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