History Music / GhostBand

The band is led by a succession of {{Sinister Minister}}s, the first named Papa Emeritus I, the second named Papa Emeritus II, and the third named Papa Emeritus III. In 2017, the line of succession was interrupted when the elderly Papa Nihil (introduced as Papa Emeritus Zero) suddenly seized control of the band and had Papa III dragged off the stage in the middle of his final performance.

* PrecisionFStrike: The Papas (and Copia prior to becoming Papa IV) are well known for swearing liberally in stage banter, but in contrast, Ghost's songs are practically curse-free. The major exceptions are the second verse of "Deus In Absentia", which starts with "You're so goddamn frail", and "Twenties" from ''Impera'' which contains "Listen up, you motherfuckers!" and "We'll be taking no shit from no ''chulas''".

* {{Camp}}: Ghost is known for a deliberately campy take on RockMeAsmodeus; their overall schtick can be summed up as channeling the theatrical flair of Music/AliceCooper into a Satanic parody of Catholicism. The Papas wears papal outfits and skull-painted masks, the band is completely disguised and is only referred to as "a pack of Nameless Ghouls", stages often have backdrops like massive stained glass murals from cathedrals, and concerts are referred to as "rituals" in reference to the song "Ritual" from ''Opus Eponymous''.

* PsychedelicRock: ''7 Inches of Satanic Panic'', which, within the band's lore, was released in 1969, while Papa Nihil was fronting the band.

** It's easy to miss, but ''Respite on the Spitalfields'' mocks the bands own (in-universe) devotion to Satan in ''Year Zero'' by comparing it to the cults of personality around serial killers and authoritarian leaders who seem invincible yet inevitably fall in the end. ''Year Zero'' has the chorus "Hell Satan" (a variant of "Hail Satan") and goes:

** Meanwhile, ''Respite on the Spitalfields'' says:

* UngratefulBastard: ''Kiss the Go-Goat'' presents the devil as this. He accepts worship from his followers but never gives anything in turn.

** "Twenties" is a scathing attack against unregulated capitalism and authoritarians, which 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!"]]

--> He will tremble the nations
--> Kingdoms to fall one by one
--> Victim to fall for temptations
--> A daughter to fall for a son
--> The ancient serpent deceiver
--> To masses standing in awe
--> (To masses standing in awe)
--> He will ascend to the heavens
--> [[BlasphemousBoast Above the stars of God]]

--> He appeared to ascend
--> So we all stood there in awe
--> Now we have to pretend
--> We didn't see what we saw
--> When the curtain unveiled
--> To the sound of applause
--> That the king that we hailed
--> Was the [[{{Film/TheWizardOfOz}} Wizard of Oz]]

* SelfDeprecation: In "Chapter Five - The Call", Sister Imperator calls Papa Nihil to talk about a series of movies. Their conversation is not only a huge lampshade on the ''[[Film/TheOmen Omen]]'' films, it pokes fun at the band's own concept of Imperator taking the reins in the church and having Cardinal Copia take over for the Papas.

** "Kaisarion" might just be the most upbeat, hype-inducing song that Ghost has ever done. It's also a song about Hypatia, an innocent woman and intellectual accused of being a witch, being violently murdered by religious zealots who were manipulated by political figures.

** "He Is" is a parody of Christian praise songs (the "He" being praised is in fact ''Lucifer'').

* SmallReferencePools: Of the dozens of demons they could have mentioned in "Year Zero", they went with Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and two synonyms for the Devil.

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 final tour of the ''Prequelle'' era, 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.

* DecapitationPresentation: What Copia does to [[https://preview.redd.it/cqihaec6i8t01.jpg?width=576&auto=webp&s=9dbacb346e080f3ac5ded62810f822d4593f005e Papa Emeritus III's head]]. It's implied he eventually had it sewn back to Papa's body before it's displayed during the tour.

** Ghost's EPs consist almost exclusively of cover songs:

* CoverVersion: [[Music/WeCantDance "Jesus He Knows Me"]] was originally by Music/{{Genesis|Band}}.
** They provide a cover of "Stay", originally by Shakespears Sister, for the credits to ''Insidious: The Red Door''.
** Their 2023 EP, ''Phantomime'', consists entirely of covers [[note]] Music/{{IronMaiden}}'s "Phantom of the Opera",, the aforementioned [[Music/WeCantDance "Jesus He Knows Me"]], [[Music/TinaTurner "We Don't Need Another Hero"]], "Hanging Around" by the Stranglers and "See No Evil" by Television"[[/note]].
** The Exalted Edition of ''Prequelle'' contained a cover of [[Music/PetShopBoys "It's A Sin"]].

** Jim DeFroque's last name is a play on "defrock", which means "to strip a priest or preacher of their station".

''Right here, right now,''\\Co

''Right here, right now,''\\

* 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, as he's a GreedyTelevangelist actually leading a life of vice. 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 the beer hockey league that his church is sponsoring]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

[[AC:Other releases

** ''If You Have Ghost'' (EP) (2013)

** ''Popestar'' (EP) (2016)
** ''Ceremony and Devotion'' (Live Album) (2017)

** ''Seven Inches of Satanic Panic'' (EP) (2019)

** ''Phantomime'' (EP) (2023)

The band is led by succession of {{Sinister Minister}}s, the first name Papa Emeritus I, the second named Papa Emeritus II, and the third named Papa Emeritus III. In 2017, the line of succession was interrupted when the elderly Papa Nihil (introduced as Papa Emeritus Zero) suddenly seized control of the band and arrested his youngest son in the middle of his final performance.

--->"My name is Tobias Forge and I am the man behind the mask in Ghost. Thank you for listening."

** ''Infestissumam'' is loosely themed around the Antichrist's presence on Earth. "Infestissumam" directly references him, "Jigolo Har Megiddo" is roundaboutly about him ("I am the son of one below / The progeny of beast of woe"), "Antichristos" is being chanted in the background near the end of "Year Zero", and "Monstrance Clock" is about a Black mass dedicated to him. Addtionally, the boy in the video for "Year Zero" is implied to be the Antichrist.

* BittersweetEnding: ''Impera'' ends with "Respite on the Spitalfields". Taken on its own the song is about the aftermath of UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, [[KarmaHoudini who killed several people and was never brought to justice]] -- while in the context of the rest of the album it's about the decay and 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.

** Likewise, anyone who isn't into old men will likely find the sexualization of the Papas and Cardinal to be off-putting. Special mention goes to the shot of Papa II's bare ass in the second Papaganda video.

* 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", and the fifth, ''Imperium'', means "absolute dominion" or "supreme power". The fourth, ''Prequelle'', changes it up by going with GratuitousFrench.

* 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 things on a bittersweet note rather than having a DownerEnding.

** "Kaisarion" might just be the most upbeat, hype-inducing song that Ghost has ever done. It's also a song about Hypatia, an innocent woman and intellectual accused of being a witch, being violently murdered by religious zealots who were manipulated by a political figures.

* {{Mammon}}: "Mummy Dust" is about Mammon, a Biblical deification of money and material wealth, and his corruptive influence on humanity.

* {{Mephistopheles}}: "Call Me Little Sunshine" revolves around a person being tempted to go down a dark path that could consume or destroy them, and invokes Mephistopheles in the chorus as a way to name this nebulous tempting.
* NippleAndDimed: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in their videos, at least on [=YouTube=]. In the video for "Year Zero", as the women are changing into the Nameless Ghoul outfits, their bared breasts are covered with censor bars. However, the women being baptized at the end of the video for "He Is" are clearly not wearing anything (at least from the waist up) under their robes but their breasts aren't censored. Also, in the video for "From the Pinnacle to the Pit", uncensored topless women can briefly be seen during the industrial imagery accompanying the instrumental.

* OdeToIntoxication: "Spirit", the opening track of ''Meliora'' is about the joyousness of absinthe and how it opens up your mind.

* OminousPipeOrgan: Befitting of their subversion of Catholic imagery, the Organ instrument features prominently throughout their work.

* CatchPhrase: All of the band's official Facebook posts start with "[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY] We wish to inform you [...]" Also, [[SinisterMinister Jim Defroque]] ends his sermons and podcasts with variations of "You've been Defroqued"

* CatchPhrase: All of the band's official Facebook posts start with "[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY] We wish to inform you [...]"

* 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 the beer hockey league that his church is sponsoring]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.

* 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 the hockey league that his church is sponsoring]]. The following morning, he cleans himself up and goes back to preaching like nothing happened.