History Music / GhostBand

* SinisterMinister: While the Papas are the most prominent examples, Father Jim [=DeFroque=], first introduced in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r17b-FfepuQ Jesus Talk with Father Jim DeFroque]]" and shown fully in the video for their cover of "[[Music/{{Genesis}} Jesus He Knows Me]]", is an example in the actual church of the "hypocritical big-name preacher who is a man of God in name only" type. The video starts with [=DeFroque=] giving a sermon that openly milks the congregation for money. He then takes their money and spends the night [[HookersAndBlow buying and using drugs, getting serviced by a prostitute, having a wild party in his Humvee, and having an orgy with male prostitutes]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

* VocalDissonance: Considering the dark subject matter of the songs, the transgressive lyrics, and the imposing masks depicting elderly religious leaders, one would expect Papa Emeritus to have a heavily guttural voice -- and while he's capable of growling from time to time, he mostly sings pretty clearly in the tenor range, which is higher than most metal acts covering this subject matter.

'''Discography:'''

* SinisterMinister: While the Papas are the most prominent examples, Father Jim [=DeFroque=], first introduced in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r17b-FfepuQ Jesus Talk with Father Jim DeFroque]]" and shown fully in the video for their cover of "[[Music/{{Genesis}} Jesus He Knows Me]]", is an example in the actual church, of the "hypocritical big-name preacher who is a man of God in name only" type. The video starts with [=DeFroque=] giving a sermon that openly milks the congregation for money. He then takes their money and spends the night [[HookersAndBlow buying and using drugs, getting serviced by a prostitute, having a wild party in his Humvee, and having an orgy with male prostitutes]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

* StoryArc: For a metal band, ''this is pretty surprising''. Following the start of Era III (with Papa Emeritus III), Ghost began to establish lore about itself. The band is a key element to what's implied to be a church dedicated to spreading the word of {{Satan}}, with a Papa being the front man and of the same bloodline. Around the start of Era IV however, it's revealed there's a much older Papa called Papa Nihil (the one seen when Papa III was ousted) who used to be the band's singer and is the father of the first three Papas. However, Sister Imperator reveals to him that the Church has decided to go with a different front man of Ghost, a cardinal known as Cardinal Copia. After almost two years, Papa Nihil dies during the band's only show of 2020, and Copia becomes Papa Emeritus IV. The video for "Kiss the Go-Goat" also subtly implies that Copia is the child of Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, and the Chapter videos drop several additional hints about this connection.

* SinisterMinister: While the Papas are the most prominent examples, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r17b-FfepuQ Jesus Talk with Father Jim DeFroque]]" introduces the titular priest as an example in the actual church, of the "hypocritical big-name preacher who is a man of God in name only" type. This is made even more clear in the video for their cover of the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Jesus He Knows Me", which starts with [=DeFroque=] giving a sermon that openly milks the congregation for money. He then takes their money and spends the night [[HookersAndBlow buying and using drugs, getting serviced by a prostitute, having a wild party in his Humvee, and having an orgy with male prostitutes]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

* SinisterMinister: While the Papas are the most prominent examples, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r17b-FfepuQ Jesus Talk with Father Jim DeFroque]]" introduces the titular priest as an example in the actual church, of the "hypocritical big-name preacher who is a man of God in name only" type. This is made even more clear in the video for their cover of the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Jesus He Knows Me", which starts with DeFroque giving a sermon that openly milks the congregation for money. He then takes their money and spends the night [[HookersAndBlow buying and using drugs, getting serviced by a prostitute, having a wild party in his Humvee, and having an orgy with male prostitutes]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

* HookersAndBlow: All over the place in the music video for their cover of the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Jesus He Knows Me." By day, the subject of the song is a devout preacher, leading his flock to salvation as a GoodShepherd. By night, the priest is buying bricks of cocaine, hiring hookers, and having an orgy with male prostitutes. The following morning, the priest cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

* PunnyName: "Idolatrine" is a combination of "idolatry" and "latrine", which fits its theme of mocking Christian religious practices perfectly.

* HookersAndBlow: All ''over'' the place in the music video for their cover of the Music/{{Genesis}} song "Jesus He Knows Me."

When the band returned on tour, Cardinal Copia became the band's new front man, which was revealed in a series of lore videos produced by the band -- which also showcase news updates and announcements on top of telling a story. Things took a drastic change at the end of the tour, when Nihil suddenly died in at the end of his saxophone solo. Cardinal Copia was subsequently anointed as Papa Emeritus IV and has remains the band's leader, making him the longest-running FaceOfTheBand thus far.

* GodIsDead: Implied by "Deus in Absentia".

* GratuitousLatin: The titles of their first three studio albums. ''Opus eponymous'' means "our work", "Infestissumam" means "bitterest" or "most hostile" [[note]]and not really "infested", though the Latin root is where the English word "infest" does derive from[[/note]](which could be them taking a jab at the 'sophomore slump' trope) and "Meliora" means "to improve or make better". The fourth, ''Prequelle'', changes it up by going with GratuitousFrench.

* MaleFrontalNudity: In the video for "Year Zero", as the music ends Papa II abruptly pulls the front of his robe over his head, revealing that he's naked underneath it... And has a [[GagPenis huge censor bar]].

* MaleFrontalNudity: In the video for "Year Zero", as the music ends Papa II abruptly pulls the front of his robe over his head, revealing that he's naked underneath it...and has a [[GagPenis huge censor bar]].

* SatanIsGood: Mostly {{Subverted}}. Satan is usually presented as evil in Ghost's music; "Con Clavi Con Dio" states that Satan wishes to destroy the earth and "Year Zero" implies he's plotting to destroy humanity.

* VocalDissonance: Considering the dark subject matter of the songs, the transgressive lyrics, and the imposing masks, one would expect Papa Emeritus to have a heavily guttural voice -- and while he's capable of growling, he actually sings pretty clearly in the tenor range.

When the band returned on tour, Cardinal Copia became the band's new front man, which was revealed in a series of lore videos produced by the band -- which also showcase news updates and announcements on top of telling a story. Things took a drastic change during the final performance of one of the tours, when Nihil "died" in at the end of his saxophone solo. Copia was subsequently anointed Papa Emeritus IV and has remains the band's leader, making him the longest-running FaceOfTheBand thus far.

When the band returned on tour, Cardinal Copia became the band's new front man, which was revealed in a series of {{lore}} videos produced by the band -- which also showcase news updates and announcements on top of telling a story. Things took a drastic change during the final performance of one of the tours, when Nihil "died" in at the end of his saxophone solo. Copia was subsequently anointed Papa Emeritus IV and has remains the band's leader, making him the longest-running FaceOfTheBand thus far.

Ghost (known as Ghost B.C. in North America from 2013 to 2015) is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedish]] HardRock[=/=]HeavyMetal band that combines melodic '70s rock and metal with [[HollywoodSatanism Satanic themes]] (imagine a cross between Music/BlueOysterCult, Music/BlackSabbath and Music/MercyfulFate). They are an interesting example of an AnonymousBand: the band members dress all in black, wear masks that completely conceal their faces, and only identify themselves as "[[SomebodyNamedNobody Nameless Ghouls]]"[[note]]though they are assigned alchemical symbols for identification[[/note]], while the singer (Tobias Forge, formerly from [[DeathMetal Repugnant]] and [[PopPunk Subvision]], who ''was'' anonymous until a lawsuit forced him to reveal himself) is a succession of {{Sinister Minister}}s called Papa Emeritus. The Papa character was seemingly retired in 2018 and replaced by Cardinal Copia, along with the reveal of an elderly Papa called Papa Nihil. However, Nihil "died" in 2020 and Copia became Papa Emeritus IV.

%%* OminousPipeOrgan

--->Doing the Devil's work through singing and clapping and dancing and cults of personality and idolatry... well, that's not something only we are doing, but ''everyone'' in here. So thanks for letting us help!

* BlackComedy: While there's a dark undercurrent to the "Chapter" videos, overall they're very tongue-in-cheek and highlight the goofiness of the Nihil and Copia characters. Even [[spoiler:the three previous Papas being killed to be made into a display piece]] is played for comedy, as they're playing ''TabletopGame/{{UNO}}'' in street clothes and one of them has his cards the wrong way, and there's a voiceover advertising [[spoiler:their preserved bodies being on display for fans]] at the very end of the video.

** Two {{Freeze Frame Bonus}}es, as a form of parodying subliminal messages. [[spoiler:The image in question belongs to Tony Alamo, a Evangelist pastor who was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and sexually abusing children he called his "wives".]]

* DeadGuyOnDisplay: As revealed in "Chapter Three: Back On the Road", this is the final fate of [[spoiler:the three previous Papas]]: they're killed and embalmed to be turned into a traveling display for VIP fan packages at concerts.

* IntercourseWithYou:

* StoryArc: For a metal band, ''this is pretty surprising''. Following the start of Era III (with Papa Emeritus III), Ghost began to establish lore about itself. The band is a key element to what's implied to be a church dedicated to spreading the word of {{Satan}}, with a Papa being the front man and of the same bloodline. Around the start of Era IV however, it's revealed there's a much older Papa called Papa Nihil (the one seen when Papa III was ousted) who used to be the band's singer and is the father of the first three Papas. However, Sister Imperator reveals to him that the Church has decided to go with a different front man of Ghost, a cardinal known as Cardinal Copia. [[spoiler:After almost two years, Papa Nihil dies during the band's only show of 2020, and Copia becomes Papa Emeritus IV. The video for "Kiss the Go-Goat" also subtly implies that Copia is the child of Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, and the Chapter videos drop several additional hints about this connection.]]

** On March 3rd, 2020, the band performed in Mexico for the last part of A Tour Called Death, which was aptly named "The Final Gig of Death." It was their sole show of the year, and it whammed '''hard.''' [[spoiler:At the end of the saxophone solo in "Miasma", Papa Nihil fell, his handlers panicking. As the good Cardinal came out, the handlers revealed that Nihil had died. A briefly sorrowful Copia pays his respects, before an entourage of Sisters of Sin appear, surrounding him. When they pull away, he has donned papal robes and the Papa face paint, becoming Papa Emeritus IV.]]

* PassingTheTorch: The end of each era of the band has some version of this. The succession from Papa Emeritus I to Papa Emeritus II, and from Papa Emeritus II to Papa Emertius III, occurred normally, with the leaving front man agreeing to let his successor perform a final, never-before-heard song to close out the ritual. This was thrown for a loop when Papa Emeritus III was violently seized at the end of his last performance by Papa Nihil's bodyguards, leaving the band without a successor until Cardinal Copia stepped up to the plate. Cardinal Copia then became Papa Emeritus IV upon Papa Nihil's sudden death in the middle of the final concert of that era.

** ''Phantomime'' (2023)

* {{Backmasking}}: Played with. If you play "Deus Culpa" backwards, you get [[spoiler:[[InvertedTrope a Swedish hymn]], "Gläns över sjö och strand"]].

* BittersweetEnding: ''Impera'' ends with "Respite on the Spitalfields". Taken on its own the song is about the aftermath of UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, while in the context of the rest of the album it's about the fall of an authoritarian empire. The song references the hysteria around Jack the Ripper and how it seemed like he was going to keep on killing people unstoppably, but actually he just vanished without a trace never to be heard from again. The message seems to be that something terrible happened, but that it ultimately ended. The song also ends with a repeat of ''Imperium'', [[BookEnds which started the album]], showing how the rise and fall of empires is a cycle.

* LighterAndSofter: While still very dark by popular music standards, ''Impera'' is lighter compared to many earlier albums. The music goes fully into RockAndRoll over heavier metal sounds, the Satanic and ReligionRantSong elements, while still present, are toned down and the last song ends thingson a bittersweet note rather than having a DownerEnding.

** "Twenties" also has some direct jabs at Donald Trump, most notably [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_Access_Hollywood_tape "We'll be grabbing 'em all by the hoo-has!"]]

* MarketBasedTitle: From 2013 to 2015, they were known as Ghost B.C. in the US, thought to be related to the prior touring presence of a Japanese rock band that is also called [[Music/Ghost1984 Ghost]]. They eventually got it sorted out and are now back to being Ghost. Tobias joked that it stood for "[[FunWithAcronym Bullshit Copyright]]".

* MarketBasedTitle: From 2013 to 2015, they were known as Ghost B.C. in the US, thought to be related to the prior touring presence of a Japanese rock band that is also called [[Music/Ghost1984 Ghost]]. They eventually got it sorted out and are now back to being Ghost.

* TakeThat: By the band's admission, "Griftwood" is a song about America's former Vice President UsefulNotes/MikePence, an Evangelical Christian who from their perspective pretends to be an adherent man of faith in order to further his ambitions as a politician, while also [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump serving under a man who embodies none of the aspects of his religion]]. Beyond the political allegory, it's a scathing attack against any religious preacher who lies to their followers in the name of financial benefit.

* CallBack: Possibly. The phrase "Secular Haze" has previously appeared in the song "Son of May" by Forge's previous band Subvision.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Meliora'' had shaped into this, and the final show of Papa III with Papa Zero declaring a message that "The Middle Ages have begun" seem to hint this for Era IV.

** The final show of Papa III became this: Papa III was hauled off the stage by strange men in suits and a similar ''very older'' sinister pope (complete with oxygen tank and mask!) who identified himself as ''Papa Zero'' came on stage and declared a haunting message in Italian: "The party is over. The Middle Ages have begun".

* TakeThat: By the band's admission, "Griftwood" is a song about America's former Vice President UsefulNotes/MikePence, who from their perspective pretends to be an adherent man of faith in order to further his ambitions as a politician, while also [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump serving under a man who embodies none of the aspects of his religion]].

* StoryArc: For a metal band, ''this is pretty surprising''. Following the start of Era III (with Papa Emeritus III), Ghost began to establish lore about itself: The band is a key element to what's implied to be a church dedicated to spreading the word of {{Satan}}, with a Papa being the front man and of the same bloodline. Around the start of Era IV however, it's revealed there's a much older Papa called Papa Nihil (the one seen when Papa III was ousted) who used to be the band's singer and is the father of the first three Papas. However, Sister Imperator reveals to him that the Church has decided to go with a different front man of Ghost, a cardinal known as Cardinal Copia. [[spoiler:After almost two years, Papa Nihil dies during the band's only show of 2020, and Copia becomes Papa Emeritus IV. The video for "Kiss the Go-Goat" also subtly implies that Copia is the child of Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, and the Chapter videos drop several additional hints about this connection.]]

* VocalDissonance: Considering the dark subject matter of the songs and the transgressive lyrics, along with the imposing masks one would expect Papa Emeritus to have a heavily guttural voice -- and while he's capable of growling, he actually sings pretty clearly in the tenor range.