Line #220 Music/GhostBand


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/papaiv2.png]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:Just doing the work of Satan.]]
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8	->''"Are you on the square?''\
9	''Are you on the level?''\
10	''Are you ready to swear,''\
11	''Right here, right now,''\
12	''Before the devil?"''
13	-->-- "Square Hammer"
14
15	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).
16
17	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]]" (though they are assigned alchemical symbols for identification); the singer and front man, portrayed by Tobias Forge (formerly from [[DeathMetal Repugnant]] and [[PopPunk Subvision]], who ''was'' anonymous until a lawsuit forced him to reveal himself) [[IAmTheBand is functionally the driving creative force of the band]], playing every single one of the lead characters.
18
19	The band is led by a succession of {{Sinister Minister}}s named Papa Emeritus I through 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.
20
21	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 face of the band thus far.
22
23	Not to be confused with the Music/MysterySkulls song of the same name, the [[WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated music video]] based off it, or the two different Japanese bands both also named Ghost (one of them an experimental psychedelic band that was active in the '90s, and the other a Visual Kei band that was active in the 2000's).
24	----
25	!!Discography:
26	[[AC:Studio albums]]
27	* ''Opus Eponymous'' (2010)
28	* ''Infestissumam'' (2013)
29	* ''Meliora'' (2015)
30	* ''Prequelle'' (2018)
31	* ''Impera'' (2022)[[note]]includes "Hunter's Moon" which was previously released on the ''Film/HalloweenKills'' soundtrack[[/note]]
32
33	[[AC:Other releases]]
34	* ''If You Have Ghost'' (EP) (2013)
35	* ''Popestar''[[note]]Included as part of ''Meliora'' in the latter's deluxe edition released the same year.[[/note]] (EP) (2016)
36	* ''Ceremony and Devotion'' (LiveAlbum) (2017)
37	* ''Seven Inches of Satanic Panic'' (EP) (2019)
38	* ''Phantomime'' (EP) (2023)
39
40	----
41	!!Ghost provides examples of:
42
43	* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Their "13 Commandments" greatest hits album released on December 1st 2023, which appropriately has a track list of exactly thirteen of their songs.
44	* AffablyEvil: Every frontman for the band has played the part of a CardCarryingVillain who supports the reign of the Antichrist and the Devil, which the associated musicians back up. Even so, there's no denying that the band is very friendly, especially Papa III and Cardinal Copia/Papa IV. They openly make jokes and have fun with the crowd at performances.
45	* AnonymousBand: The musicians wear clothes and masks that completely obscure themselves and are referred to as "Nameless Ghouls" (even in song credits, where they're credited simply as "A Nameless Ghoul"). They refuse to comment on any speculation about their real identities, and even faked a singer switch to try to throw off speculation about the singer's identity. The band said that [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Dave]] [[Music/FooFighters Grohl]] has played with them as one at a live studio performance, and that they have had several lineup changes. A few members have been guessed, possibly successfully. [[note]]This was stated in 2014. In 2016 another significant lineup change happened when every backing band member except the bassist left, and the bassist switched to guitar.[[/note]]
46	** In March 2017, Martin Persner of the Magna Carta Cartel identified himself as the former rhythm guitarist "Ether", sometimes known as "Omega". This was the first time anyone had intentionally revealed themself as a member.
47	** In April 2017, four other former members[[note]]Simon Söderberg (Alpha), Mauro Rubino (Air), Martin Hjertstedt (Earth), and Henrik Palm (Ether)[[/note]] willingly identified themselves as being members until 2016 (some for longer than others) and identified the singer against his will as Tobias Forge (although most already knew it at this point from Forge's own projects and the past photo leak by [[Music/{{Behemoth}} Nergal]]), after claiming he'd fired them due to a pay dispute.
48	** In August 2017, Forge hosted the popular Swedish radio show ''Sommar'' and talked openly about the creation of Ghost and being Papa Emeritus.
49	--->My name is Tobias Forge and I am the man behind the mask in Ghost. Thank you for listening.
50	* TheAntichrist: While not every song on them is about the Antichrist, the first two albums revolve around him:
51	** ''Opus Eponymous''[='=] central theme is the coming of the Antichrist; "Ritual" revolves around a Satanic ritual intended to bring about his conception, "Death Knell" focuses on that conception, "Prime Mover" talks about his imminent birth, and "Genesis" is a musical representation of the birth.
52	** ''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 an orgiastic Black mass dedicated to him. Additionally, the boy in the video for "Year Zero" is implied to be the Antichrist.
53	* ArcSymbol: The "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grucifix_9.png grucifix]]", an upside-down cross with a stylized 'G' in the middle (resembling an inverted Celtic cross).
54	* {{Backmasking}}: Played with. If you play "Deus Culpa" backwards, you get [[InvertedTrope a Swedish hymn]], "Gläns över sjö och strand".
55	* BitingTheHandHumor:
56	** Against the rest of the music industry when receiving a Swedish Grammy:
57	--->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!
58	** Done again years later in "Chapter One: New Blood", with Sister Imperator referring to the band's Grammy as "that most beloved of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_calf golden calves]]."
59	* 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.
60	* 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 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 their preserved bodies being on display for fans at the very end of the video.
61	* BlandNameProduct: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVfi87yoU0A&list=PLx1Z_8Mg77sB9KLriB-uDx_1x56tGp9mF "Chapter Nine: Tomb It May Concern"]] consists of a conversation between Sister Imperator and Papa IV over a Zoom-like video conferencing app called "Doom".
62	* BloodBath: Referenced in the last verse of "Elizabeth," a song about UsefulNotes/ElizabethBathory:
63	-->To bathe in pure fresh blood / She'd peasant virgins killed
64	* CallBack:
65	** Possibly. The phrase "Secular Haze" has previously appeared in the song "Son of May" by Forge's previous band Subvision.
66	** The first verse of "Respite on the Spitalfields" has Papa Emeritus ask if anyone heard the distant thunder alluding to oncoming danger, bringing to mind a similar verse from "Cirice", asking the subject of the song if they can hear the thunder.
67	* {{Camp}}: Ghost is known for a deliberately campy take on RockMeAsmodeus; their overall shtick 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''.
68	* CardCarryingVillain: Many of their songs imply this about them.
69	* CatchPhrase:
70	** All of the band's official Facebook posts start with "[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY] We wish to inform you [...]"
71	** [[SinisterMinister Father Jim Defroque]] ends his sermons and podcasts with variations of "You've been Defroqued"
72	* ConceptAlbum: While most of Ghost's albums have a theme running through them, ''Prequelle'' and ''Impera'' are the most dedicated to an overall storyline, with ''Prequelle'' being about TheBlackDeath and ''Impera'' being about the rise and fall of a cruel and corrupt empire.
73	* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: Their cover of Music/TheBeatles' "Here Comes the Sun" changes the key from major to minor and the meaning from a happy celebration of spring to a song about the coming of TheAntichrist ("Here comes the ''Son''").
74	* CorruptChurch: The music video for "He Is" is basically a parody on how Christian churches are more a cult to the personality of the pastor or priest on duty than to worship God. Within the video, there are references such as:
75	** Papa Emeritus III playing up the "cult leader" aspect by wearing form-fitting white suits and large sunglasses while conducting the services, which include over-the-top Pentecostal-style spirit channeling and river baptisms.
76	** Two {{Freeze Frame Bonus}}es, as a form of parodying subliminal messages. 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".
77	** The ministers collecting the tithe are pocketing some of the money.
78	** A woman who receives the host is in a position, as some commentaries in the video noted, [[PerverseSexualLust to give a blowjob]].
79	** The girls in the choir, one showing her bare breasts, are the parody of Tony Alamo's "wives". This aspect goes even further at the video's end, as the women being baptized [[SexySoakedShirt are naked under their robes]], and one is almost being groped by Papa as he's lifting her out of the water.
80	* CostumePorn: The Papal Regalia are these, especially during Papa Emeritus IV's Era. Each costume became increasingly extravagant and intricately detailed as the years went on. This can also be seen by the Nameless Ghouls' costumes as well.
81	* CoverVersion:
82	** The Exalted Edition of ''Prequelle'' contains a cover of "[[Music/PetShopBoys It's A Sin]]".
83	** Aside from ''Seven Inches of Satanic Panic'', Ghost's [=EPs=] consist almost exclusively of cover songs:
84	*** ''If You Have Ghost'' has covers of "If You Have Ghosts" by [[Music/The13thFloorElevators Roky Erickson]], "[[Music/{{ABBA}} I'm a Marionette]]", "[[Music/ArmyOfLovers Crucified]]", and "[[Music/DepecheMode Waiting for the Night]]", along with a live version of "Secular Haze".
85	*** ''Popestar'' has covers of "[[Music/EchoAndTheBunnymen Nocturnal Me]]", "[[Music/SimianMobileDisco I Believe]]", "[[Music/{{Eurythmics}} Missionary Man]]", and "[[Music/{{Imperiet}} Bible]]" along with "Square Hammer".
86	*** ''Phantomime'' has covers of "[[Music/{{Television}} See No Evil]]", "[[Music/WeCantDance Jesus He Knows Me]]", "[[Music/TheStranglers Hanging Around]]", "[[Music/{{IronMaiden}} Phantom of the Opera]]", and "[[Music/TinaTurner We Don't Need Another Hero]]".
87	** They recorded a cover of "[[Music/ShakespearsSister Stay]]" for the soundtrack to ''[[Film/{{Insidious}} Insidious: The Red Door]]''.
88	* 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".
89	* DeadGuyOnDisplay: As revealed in "Chapter Three: Back On the Road", this is the final fate of the three previous Papas: they're killed and embalmed to be turned into a traveling display for VIP fan packages at concerts.
90	* DecapitationPresentation: An issue of ''Metal Hammer'' magazine shows Papa Nihil and Cardinal Copia, with Copia holding [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deadpapaiii.png Papa Emeritus III's severed head]] in his hands.
91	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: The first lines of the chorus to "Stand By Him".
92	-->Tis the night of the witch / Tis the night of the witch, tonight
93	* DoubleMeaningTitle:
94	** "Hunter's Moon", about the type of full moon that typically occurs around Franchise/{{Halloween}}, while "hunter" also denotes the [[ImplacableMan kind of person]] [[SerialKiller Michael Myers is]], and thus fitting for the soundtrack of ''Film/HalloweenKills''.
95	** "Twenties", and the lyrics within, refers to both [[TheRoaringTwenties the 1920s]] as well as the decade the song was released: [[TheNewTwenties the 2020s]].
96	* DownerEnding: ''Prequelle'' is hardly a happy album to begin with, being about the Black Plague. However, its final track, "Life Eternal", ends it with two lovers, about to die at any moment, pondering what they would do if they could live forever.
97	* ElementalPowers: Each of the Nameless Ghouls is marked with their own elemental symbol. They use stamps with the same symbol to sign merchandise.
98	** Fire ("alpha"): lead guitar
99	** Water: bass
100	** Air: keyboards
101	** Earth: drums
102	** Ether ("omega"): rhythm guitar
103	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: As revealed in "Year Zero", Satan's goal is to destroy humanity and likely the earth itself.
104	* EvilLaugh: Done at the end of the first repetition of the chorus near the end of "Faith".
105	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The video for "Dance Macabre". Two guys crash a party at a huge mansion, one enthusiastically and the other as a reluctant tagalong. They're greeted at the door by a guy who looks like a goth take on [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Riff Raff]]; he rebuffs them until he gets a good look at the reluctant one, then invites them in. Once inside, it appears to be your typical wild party, but with the revelers looking dark and gothic. Dancing girls soon show up in black robes and plague doctor masks, and later a guy wearing a goat mask and robe who the others fawn over appears. While this is happening, the reluctant one begins dancing with Sister Imperator; she then leads him being transformed into Papa Nihil, and they eventually kiss. The first guy, on the other hand, is [[ManBitesMan mauled]], and possibly killed, by the women who latched onto him when they first walked in.
106	* FallenAngel: "From the Pinnacle To the Pit", more specifically about Lucifer's fall from heaven.
107	-->You were cast out from the heavens to the ground\
108	Blackened feathers falling down\
109	You will wear your independence like a crown
110	* FanDisservice:
111	** The reveal of the Nameless Ghouls being women in the "Year Zero" music video is preceded by the women stripping down to put on their ghoul garb. The uncensored version shows them topless, though since some of them are older, it's not exactly "sexy."
112	** 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, plus him exposing himself in the last seconds of the video for "Year Zero".
113	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the video for "Square Hammer", the last shot before the film self-destructs is a stone cross with a cardinal sitting on it, a nod to the eventual transition from Papa III to Cardinal Copia.
114	* FreeHandedPerformer: Tobias Forge both played guitar and sang in his DeathMetal band Repugnant, but in Ghost, as Papa Emeritus he only sings while the Nameless Ghouls do all the instrument playing.
115	* FreezeFrameBonus: Near the end of the video for "Year Zero", there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it frame of the long-haired woman who eats the apple before Papa shows up, back in the room where the women were sitting and topless.
116	* GaiasLament: "Kaisarion" and "Watcher in the Sky" have lyrics alluding to the state of the planet -- which isn't great, to say the least.
117	* GenderReveal: The video for "Year Zero" shows the Nameless Ghouls as being all women. This being Ghost, though, it shouldn't be taken seriously but rather as a TakeThat at the speculation around their identities. As of ''Prequelle'' (2018), there have been three female ghouls: the Water Ghoul during Era III and the current Ghoulettes of Era IV.
118	* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: This seems to be the case in their songs. As an example, both "Bible" and "Year Zero" describe TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, but with God and Satan doing the deed, respectively.
119	* GodIsEvil: The [[BilingualBonus lyrics for "Infestissumam"]] mention the Trinity as the Father, Son and Evil Spirit.[[note]]In actual Christianity it's the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.[[/note]]
120	* GratuitousItalian: "Con Clavi Con Dio" features the chant "Siamo con clavi / Siamo con dio / Siamo con il nostro dio scuro" which is mixed with [[GratuitousLatin Latin]] and roughly translates to "We are with nails / We are with God / We are with our dark lord".
121	* 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, ''Impera'', means "absolute dominion" or "supreme power". The fourth, ''Prequelle'', changes it up by going with GratuitousFrench.
122	* GuiltComplex: "Spillways" points an accusatory finger at the deep-seated guilt complex that fuels the endless sin/repentance loop, calling it "the cruel beast that you feed" with "your burning, yearning need to bleed / Through the spillways of your soul" (i.e. crying from shame).
123	* HaveYouSeenMyGod:
124	** ''Meliora'' is all about the idea of God being absent in a society. The album best exemplifies this with "Deus in Absentia", which ends with a crowd calling out to God before mourning his absence.
125	** "Watcher in the Sky" is about people using technology to try to search for God.
126	* HollywoodSatanism: What their image and lyrics are all about, though the band have said repeatedly that it's not because they're Satanists, instead saying it's all tongue-in-cheek and they are "an entertainment group". They do leave it a bit ambiguous as to whether or not they're actually Satanists. When asked in an interview if they believe in the Devil, a Nameless Ghoul (who might very well be Papa in disguise) acting as the band's spokesman said, "Let's just say that he believes in us." In a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc34-8p0pGs later interview]], he says, "I'm not an atheist." Their stage show might just be a gimmick, but to what extent is unclear.
127	* HotAsHell: [[IAmSong "Jigolo Har Megiddo"'s subject]], most likely the Antichrist, describes himself as "the one who comes richly endowed" and brags up his sexual potency throughout the song.
128	* IAmTheBand: Tobias Forge is the band's sole constant member as well as its main creative force. Following the lawsuit filled by former bandmembers, he also released a statement clarifying that the other members were pretty much just his employees.
129	* IntercourseWithYou: Unsurprisingly for a rock band, a number of their songs have to do with sex.
130	** "Death Knell" is about having sex with the Devil for the purpose of conceiving the Antichrist.
131	** "Jigolo Har Megiddo" is basically about the Antichrist bringing women to worship of Satan through sex.
132	--->I am the way\
133	And you invited me to stay\
134	However fair and pure, you crave the wand\
135	You see through me what lies beyond
136	** "Monstrance Clock" is a song about cultists having a ritualized orgy in the name of the Antichrist.
137	** "Dance Macabre" is about two people going OutWithABang as they know that their deaths are imminent.
138	** While fairly tame lyrically, "Kiss the Go-Goat" and "Mary On a Cross" are still very sex-themed. {{Justified\|Trope}} as they're being "sung" by Papa Nihil in his youth, when he appeared to be as much about scoring as he was about singing about Satan.
139	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: {{Invoked\|Trope}} by Tobias during an interview with Loudwire. When asked about the "changes" in the singer, he said that part of the reason for going with a more animated and charismatic character in Papa III was to prevent the band's formula from becoming stale and causing fans to lose interest.
140	* KayfabeMusic: Sort of. While the band is famous for its image as members of a Satanic Church, the members (save for Papa) generally don't adhere to this premise outside of live performances and a few [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Jo8f95RLY in-character videos]].
141	* KazoosMeanSilliness: During Papa Emeritus III's time as the band's singer, they occasionally did [[UnpluggedVersion acoustic performances]] of their cover of "If You Have Ghosts", "Jigolo Har Megiddo", and "Ghuleh[=/=]Zombie Queen". For the latter song, Papa would play the keyboard parts on a kazoo, lending a song about an undead ruler an odd air of silliness. He would sometimes dramatically announce it as "the Kazoo of Destiny" when it came out.
142	* KillTheGod: {{Invoked}} in the lyrics of "Infestissumam". "Il padre, il filio, et lo spiritus malum / Omnis caelestis delenda est" translates to "The Father, the Son, and [[GodIsEvil the Evil Spirit]] / Everything heavenly must be destroyed".
143	* KubrickStare: Two back-to-back in the video for "Year Zero". Papa II tilts his head down and lowers his shades to do this as the choir sings "Hell Satan" immediately after the bridge, which then {{smash cut}}s to him in his makeup and regalia opening his eyes to give another one before he starts singing the first of the ending choruses.
144	* LastNoteNightmare: To be expected, given the band's premise.
145	** "Year Zero" ends with a haunting synthesizer reprise, combined with the sounds of static and someone whispering... something...that ends with "Can you hear me?"
146	** Their album closers seem to have this too. "Monstrance Clock" (rounding off ''Infestissumam'') ends with an eerie choir reprise of the song's chorus. "Deus in Absentia" rounds off ''Meliora'' with a solemn, sorrowful choir lamenting at the absence of God.
147	* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in "Chapter Two: The Cardinal". When Cardinal Copia first appears, organ music is playing, but it quickly becomes apparent that it's coming from the boombox he's carrying on his shoulder. He shuts it off before speaking to Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, then turns it back on just before leaving.
148	* LighterAndSofter: While still very dark by popular music standards, ''Impera'' is lighter compared to the 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.
149	* LineageLadder: In the lore video "[[https://youtube.com/watch?v=e_74Ijj6EpY Chapter Two: The Cardinal]]", [[SinisterMinister Papa Nihil]] is taken aback when [[DragonInChief Sister Imperator]] recommends Cardinal Copia to take over from the previous Papas, who were all Nihil's children, as the singer for Ghost.
150	-->'''Nihil:''' The bloodline has not been broken for nigh a millennium. My father was Papa. His father. His father's father. His father's father's father. His father's father's father's father's father. ''His'' father.
151	* LoudnessWar: ''Infestissumam'' suffers from ''[[Music/{{Metallica}} Death Magnetic]]'' levels of brickwalling.
152	* LyricalDissonance: Catchy, melodious '70s rock... with over-the-top Satanic lyrics. Some songs take this even further:
153	** The chorus in "Monstrance Clock" sounds like something out of "Music/WeAreTheWorld", while it's actually talking about having an orgy in a Black Mass.
154	** "He Is" is a parody of Christian praise songs (the "He" being praised is in fact ''Lucifer''). Downplayed in that the praise is genuine, and the song is the closest Ghost gets to saying SatanIsGood.
155	** "Bible", from the ''Popestar'' EP, is another uplifting praise song describing an alternate version of the creation myth from Genesis...with its second half describing the destruction of Earth and extermination of all life.
156	** "Dance Macabre" has an upbeat, almost disco feel to it. The lyrics, while not as dark as some other songs, still involve dying from the Black Plague.
157	** "Pro Memoria" has a lovely melody for the lyrics "Don't you forget about dying / Don't you forget about your friend Death / Don't you forget that you will die".
158	** "Rats" has a incredibly bouncy feeling in the instruments and apart from the chorus, the vocals are in general very upbeat. The actual lyrics are a ReligionRantSong comparing people turning to religion during tumultuous times to rats spreading disease.
159	** "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. In the context of the album, it's describing the rise of a theocratic empire that is responsible for all the suffering described through the rest of the tracks.
160	* MagicalDefibrillator: Used as a prop/set piece during live performances of "Miasma" after Copia became Papa IV. Papa Nihil's corpse is wheeled onto the stage and he's shocked back to life by a defibrillator. He stumbles about for a second, is handed a saxophone, and starts playing his part.
161	* 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]].
162	* {{Mammon}}: "Mummy Dust" is about Mammon, a Biblical deification of money and material wealth, and his corrupting influence on humanity.
163	* ManipulativeBastard:
164	** "Cirice" is based around the idea of religious leaders manipulating their congregation, first by reaching out to them on an emotional level and then creating such a level of codependency that they'll be lost without them.
165	** "Darkness at the Heart of My Love" takes the opposite route and portrays its singer (the Devil) as a loving being -- all while openly telling the listener that there are darker machinations in play despite the sweet nothings being promised.
166	* 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 "[[FunWithAcronyms Bullshit Copyright]]".
167	* {{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. Of course, it can also interpreted as a straightforward "I'm always here when you need/want me" from Satan as Mephistopheles, which the video leans heavily into.
168	* 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 under their robes (at least from the waist up) 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.
169	* NumberOfTheBeast: Both played straight and played with in "Death Knell". The first chorus starts with "Six-six-six / Invoke the king of hell", while the second chorus starts with "Sex, sex, sex / Receive the beast of evil", tying into the song's theme of the conception of the Antichrist.
170	* OdeToIntoxication: "Spirit", the opening track of ''Meliora'', uses getting drunk on absinthe, possibly fatally so, as a metaphor for the Apocalypse.
171	* OminousLatinChanting: Used frequently, most notably on ''Infestissumam''. This became a problem when they recorded ''Infestissumam'' in [[DeepSouth Nashville]]--"the Buckle of the Bible Belt"--as they couldn't find a choir that would agree to sing their Satanic lyrics. In the end, they had to turn to Hollywood to get those backing vocals. This explains why there's a noticeable lack of choirs on ''Meliora''; the band wanted to avoid the trouble they went through trying to get choirs to sing such lyrics, so they used mellotron choirs. The chanting at the end of "Deus in Absentia" is a leftover outtake from the ''Infestissumam'' sessions.
172	* OmnicidalManiac: The Devil is ambiguously implied to be this and is referred to as 'Destroyer of the Earth' in "Year Zero".
173	* OminousPipeOrgan: Befitting of their subversion of Catholic imagery, organs are featured prominently throughout their work.
174	* PaperThinDisguise: A lot of fans saw through Tobias Forge's disguise long before the lawsuit that resulted in his name being revealed. Needless to say, not many people were surprised.
175	* PassingTheTorch: The end of each era of the band has some version of this, although some more forcibly than others. 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 by Papa Nihil's bodyguards at the end of his last performance, leaving the band without a successor at the end of the era; Cardinal Copia stepped up to the plate at the start of the next era. Cardinal Copia was then anointed Papa Emeritus IV upon Papa Nihil's sudden death in the middle of the final concert of that era.
176	* PerformanceVideo:
177	** While "Year Zero"'s video is mostly a skit involving Papa II showing up to apparently make a pact with a group of women, the last two choruses have the band playing the song in a series of rapid cuts between Papa and the individual Ghouls.
178	** "Monstrance Clock"[='s=] video is a live performance with the studio track overlaid.
179	** "Secular Haze"[='s=] video is shot as if it was a live performance on a 70s-era variety show.
180	** "Faith"[='s=] original video[[note]]it was taken off [=YouTube=] for a while, with a lyric video put up later[[/note]] is a montage of shots of the band performing the song during the ''A Pale Tour Named Death'' tour, intercut with shots of the crowd rocking out to the song and concert-goers in Ghost-themed costumes and/or makeup.
181	** The first half of "Kiss the Go-Goat"'s video appears to be a black/white music video, while the latter half has the group performing at the Whiskey a Go Go.
182	* PunnyName:
183	** "Idolatrine" is a combination of "idolatry" and "latrine", which fits its theme of mocking Christian religious practices perfectly.
184	** Jim [=DeFroque=]'s last name is a play on "defrock", which means "to strip a priest or preacher of their station".
185	* 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", the cover of "[[Music/TheRollingStones Sympathy for the Devil]]" [[note]]this is technically not a ''Ghost'' song as while Tobias is indeed the singer and in his character of Papa Emeritus IV, the remainder of the band aren't from ''Ghost'', but rather ''The Hellacopters'' [[/note]] wherein in the last verse he says "I'll lay your '''fucking''' soul to waste", and "Twenties" from ''Impera'' which contains "Listen up, you motherfuckers!" and "We'll be taking no shit from no ''chulas''".
186	* ProgressiveRock: Some of the material on ''Infestissumam'', particularly "Ghuleh/Zombie Queen".
187	* PsychedelicRock: ''Seven Inches of Satanic Panic'', which, within the band's lore, was released in 1969, while Papa Nihil was fronting the band.
188	* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
189	** Because Faith. Is. Mine.
190	** '''''ZOOOOOMMMM!BIIIEEEEE QUEEEEEEEEEEN'''''!
191	* RainOfBlood: Near the end of the video for "Dance Macabre", just after Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil kiss, blood begins to rain onto them.
192	* ReligionRantSong: {{Downplayed\|Trope}}, surprisingly enough. Ghost ''has'' written some of this kind of song, such as "Idolatrine", "Rats", "Faith", "Spillways", and the music video of "He Is", but for the most part their Satanic and anti-Christian image is used to create a dark and creepy aesthetic.
193	* {{Retraux}}:
194	** Some of their videos are deliberate call-backs to older media:
195	*** "Secular Haze" resembles a live performance from a '70s variety show, including cheesy fog effects, awkward camera angles and close-ups, and a grainy appearance.
196	*** "Square Hammer" and "From the Pinnacle to the Pit" both evoke [[SilentMovie the silent film era]], with the latter having a strong GermanExpressionism theme and also incorporating material from Creator/CecilBDeMille's ''Film/MadamSatan''.
197	*** "Kiss the Go-Goat" reflects the song's PsychedelicRock sound by having it start as an apparent filmed video, complete with go-go dancers, then segueing to a live performance at the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky_a_Go_Go Whiskey a Go Go]].
198	** The artwork on the back of ''Meliora''[='s=] physical releases has a strong ArtNouveau influence.
199	* RevolvingDoorBand: A Nameless Ghoul [[http://loudwire.com/nameless-ghoul-ghost-10-lineup-changes-formation/ has admitted]] that the band has gone through ten lineup changes since its formation. The lawsuit regarding Tobias Forge indicated that the Nameless Ghouls are viewed simply as employees for recording and live shows.
200	* RockMeAsmodeus: Most of their lyrics. Again, this is done firmly with tongue in cheek.
201	* {{Satan}}: The subject of at least half of their songs.
202	* SatanIsGood: {{Subverted}} much of the time. 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. One of the only songs that portrays Satan in a positive light is "He Is", which is a devotional song from perspective of cultists claiming that the Devil gave them a reason to live.
203	* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: Zig-zagged in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Music/AliceCooper. On one hand, they play up the Satanic kayfabe as much as possible. On the other, the music itself is very much on the lighter side of metal, and they've even covered Music/{{ABBA}}, of all bands.
204	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In the video for "Square Hammer", Papa III finally has enough of the craziness in the theater, throws his hands up, and walks out with the Nameless Ghouls following.
205	* SelfDeprecation:
206	** 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.
207	--->'''Nihil''': I mean, 1, 2, and 3 are very good...but then suddenly, Christ smites our Lord at the end of 3 and that's it? What a shitty ending.\
208	'''Imperator''': And then there's number 4, which feels like an excuse to bring in a new director and try to get the ending right after 15 years.\
209	'''Nihil''': Well, whenever you have a new creative team, when you start episode 4, you have to do a lot of rebuilding.
210	** 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:
211	--->He will tremble the nations\
212	Kingdoms to fall one by one\
213	Victim to fall for temptations\
214	A daughter to fall for a son\
215	The ancient serpent deceiver\
216	To masses standing in awe\
217	He will ascend to the heavens\
218	[[BlasphemousBoast Above the stars of God]]
219	** Meanwhile, "Respite on the Spitalfields" says:
220	--->He appeared to ascend\
221	So we all stood there in awe\
222	Now we have to pretend\
223	We didn't see what we saw\
224	When the curtain unveiled\
225	To the sound of applause\
226	That the king that we hailed\
227	Was the [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Wizard of Oz]]
228	* 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\|Band}} 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.
229	* 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. [[note]] That said, Lucifer and Satanas/Satan were traditionally seen as different entities until relatively recently in Christian canon. Of course, Ghost still tends to portray them as the same figure, so the point stands.[[/note]]
230	* StoryArc: 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.
231	* TakeThat:
232	** By the band's admission, "Griftwood" is a song about America's former Vice President UsefulNotes/MikePence, an Evangelical Christian who from their perspective presents himself 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]] with absolutely no objections. Beyond the political allegory, it's a scathing attack against any religious preacher who lies to their followers in the name of financial benefit.
233	** "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!"]] It even features a brief [[{{Trumplica}} voice-a-like]] of the man in question:
234	--->''"I'm number one, [[StealthInsult you're number two]]; you've got a lotta God's work to do!"''
235	* TalentContest: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Ao4t_fe0I The video]] for "Cirice" sees a school talent show get derailed by a [[SpinoffBabies kid version of the band]].
236	* {{Theremin}}: "Spirit" opens with an theremin refrain that sounds like it's straight out of a 50s sci-fi movie, backed by a mellotron "choir", which sets the mood for both the song and the album as a whole.
237	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: "Deus in Absentia" is basically an extended, vicious rant by the narrator to someone who found religion for selfish reasons and is having an emotional crisis upon learning that God is absent as Satan takes over the world. The band likened it to Satan speaking to Jesus prior to his crucifixion.
238	* TrrrillingRrrs: Occasionally used for dramatic flair, especially by Papa III. They're very prominent in the choruses in "Rats", although said choruses only consist of "(Them) r-r-r-rats!" repeatedly.
239	* TwistedEucharist: "Body and Blood" mocks the concept of Communion by depicting Jesus's corpse literally being exhumed and consumed.
240	* UngratefulBastard: "Kiss the Go-Goat" presents the devil as this. He accepts worship from his followers but never gives anything in turn.
241	* UnresolvedSexualTension: Between Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil in "Chapter One: New Blood", particularly as their younger selves. Their two minutes of interaction was enough to get fans speculating about the nature of their relationship, ranging from FriendsWithBenefits to DryDockedShip. The video for "Dance Macabre" showed that both Nihil and Imperator were at least lovers but whether or not they remained so in the current era is unknown. Although it's clear that at least Nihil is still enamored with her, it's a bit more ambiguous on Imperator's side. As of Chapter 8, it's confirmed that this trope was resolved; while they were lovers (and it's implied that Imperator was pregnant with his child), Nihil instigated the breakup by being too flirty with his fans, culminating in him kissing a pair in front of a watching Imperator in the video for "Kiss the Go-Goat." While Nihil continued to hold a torch for her, Imperator told under no certain terms that she was done with him, staying only because the Ministry is far more important.
242	* 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 with a pleasant, clean tenor, which is higher, and friendlier, than most metal acts covering this subject matter.
243	* WhamEpisode:
244	** 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."
245	** 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.''' 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.
246	* WitchHunt: "Stand By Him" is about a woman who had an affair with a vicar, was then accused of being a witch and burned at the stake, and is brought back to life by a black Sabbath to get revenge. The prechorus starts with "The witch hammer struck her down" and a quote from the ''Literature/MalleusMaleficarum'' ("All witchcraft comes from carnal lust / Which is in woman insatiable") is said during the instrumental before the last verse.
247	* YouAreNotAlone: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with.]] The chorus of "Call Me Little Sunshine" says that the listener will never be alone and that help will always be available. Unfortunately, the singer is the Devil, who does ''not'' have good intentions and whose help is conditional.
248	----
249	->''♫ Come together, together as one''\
250	''Come together, for Lucifer's son...'' ♫

Context Music / GhostBand