GHOST THE BAND
by .neoleo.
Welcome to my slides on Ghost ! This powerpoint will cover basics you may need ! [ lore , papas , irl dates , eras , ghouls / masked members ]
if you are worried about seeing any unmasked ghouls , dont worry ! I will only be covering the ghouls IN their masks ! No individual ghouls will be covered , i will only run through ghoul basics !
As a start, you should probably know that Ghost as a band is just one man- Tobias Forge. The Ghouls are all hired musicians and are NOT permanent to the band. The ‘Papas’ (frontmen) of all eras are all Tobias. The reason they all look different is because he is hidden behind a plethora of masks.
TRIGGER WARNINGS : death , murder .
THE CLERGY :
Before we get into any lore, it’s best you know what ‘The Clergy’ is.
The Clergy is the (fictional) organisation in charge of the band Ghost. Their goal is to spread the word of Satan through music- which is what the Papas do in their rituals, spreading the word of Satan through music. In charge of The Clergy and the Ministry (HQ of The Clergy) is Sister Imperator and later on Frater Imperator.
Ghost started with their first era, ‘Opus Eponymous’, in October 2010. It continued until 2012 and was fronted by Papa ‘Primo’ Emeritus/Papa Emeritus I. As they stepped to the stage, they were immediately shrouded in mystery, as their members were all hidden behind masks. Primo’s vibe was dark and serious- almost frightening at times, truly taking the role of a Satanic Pope. This era not only introduced Ghost as a band, but the start of a long line of Emeritus’ and Ghouls.
Primo had no music videos + one album released.
THE ERAS :
FUNFACT : Primos mask was the only non custom made mask for the Papas - it was a premade mask called ‘Walter Grey #103’
Ghost’s second era was ‘Infestissumam’. This era ran from April 2013-2015. The frontman at this time was Papa ‘Secondo’ Emeritus/Emeritus II and is the brother of Primo. Unlike his brother, Secondo was a lot more..’raunchy’. He would be dubbed ‘mr world wide’ by fans. Despite being raunchy on camera, he too would bring a dark and sinister aura to stage. His performances were more theatrical than Primos.
Infestissumam had 2 music videos , 1 album + EP - ‘If you have Ghosts’
FUNFACT : During this era, Ghost had to change their name to ‘Ghost B.C’. This was due to conflict with a company already under the title of Ghost. ‘B.C’ stands for ‘Because of Copyright’ while also parodying ‘Before Christ’ [ and personally I think its genius and hilarious ]
THE ERAS :
THE ERAS :
The third era of Ghost was ‘Meliora’, leading into ‘Popestar’, an EP and tour from Sept 2016-April 2017. The Meliora era ran from 2015-2018. During these eras, Ghost was fronted by Papa ‘Terzo’ Emeritus/Papa Emeritus III, The brother of the two past Papas. Terzo, like Secondo, was very raunchy on stage. Terzo brought an energetic feel to the stage, moving about, interacting with Ghouls and making jokes. This era was the first to have stage outfits for the frontman that wasn’t their regular satanic robes.
In 2016, Ghost won a grammy for ‘Best Metal Performance’ for their song ‘Cirice’. Terzo’s reign was ended by him being dramatically dragged from stage. Papa ’Nihil’ Emeritus/Papa Emeritus came on stage to talk after this. This was his 1st appearance.
Terzo has 4 music videos, 2 albums (Live album ‘Ceremony and Devotion + Meliora) + 1 EP (‘Popestar’)
FUNFACT : Terzo being dragged from stage was planned, but not shared. The reactions you see from the Ghouls are all genuine, as they were not informed on what was to take place. They also changed back to just ‘Ghost’ instead of ‘Ghost B.C’. Extra ff: at the start of his reign, Terzo wore his brother Primos makeup before finding his own!
THE ERAS :
Ghost’s 4th era was Prequelle. It ran from June 2018-2022. The frontman was different this time- not being a Papa, but being a Cardinal to the Clergy. His name was revealed to be Copia. Later on, Copia would also be revealed to be the bastard son of Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil. Sister would give him the nicknames “Cardi” and “C”. Copia brought an unserious and humourous atmosphere to stage, dancing and riding his tricycle. Copia, just like II and III, was a very raunchy and explicit character.
Copia released 3 music videos + one album.
FUNFACT : Copia was thought to be the first Papa not descended from the Emeritus bloodline as Sister had given birth in secret.
THE ERAS :
‘Impera’ marked the start of the 5th era. Starting March 2022-October 2023, Papa Emeritus IV took the stage. However, the Cardinal who fronted prior had not yet been replaced, this time, he had been promoted! From Cardinal to Papa, Copia still brought his entertaining and raunchy antics to the stage. On June 20 2024, ‘Rite here rite now’ was released. RHRN was a film released which marked the end of this era. Alongside its concert footage, RHRN also contains lore. We see that Copias time as Papa is coming to a close and he doesn’t want it to- he’s enjoying being Papa. However, nothing ever lasts forever. That being said, at the end of the film, Sister Imperator-his mother- dies. This promotes Copia to the role of Frater Imperator, head of the Clergy- a role we learn he does not want.
Emeritus IV released 6 music videos, 2 albums, 1 film + EP Phantomime.
FUNFACT : Copia had face altering plastic surgery! This was also the era i officially got into ghost! In 2022 I, along with many, was a fan of their song ‘Mary on a cross’ (which we’ll get to later) but only decided to check them out properly on June 27 2024, and since then, i’ve spent SO much money on them- even seeing them live on their Skeletour before Skeletá was officially released (Skeletá next slide)
THE ERAS :
The 6th, most recent and current era is ‘Skeletá’. From March 2025-current day, it is already the most successful era of Ghost! The frontman is Papa Perpetua Emeritus/Papa Emeritus V. Revealed to be Copias fraternal twin! However, Copia isn’t too fond of him as he has taken the role of Papa. Perpetua, like his twin, is a fun loving and raunchy frontman, throwing jokes and skipping around stage as he performs! On the 19 of April, at the O2 Arena (I WAS THERE AA!!!!!!), Perpetua reveals Primo, Secondo and Terzo to be his uncles, which contradicts the idea fans had of Copia being brothers to those past papas. Perpetua is also the first Papa to not have a full face silicone mask. He instead has a half face skull, with the lower half of his face painted.
Perpetua has released 3 music videos + one album.
FUNFACT : Skeletá achieved #1 spot on the Billboard 200!! The Skeletour also introduced GTV (Ghoulbangers ball) as the tour is a no phones tour. Perpetua also performed on the tonight show with Jimmy Falon and performed in Black Sabbaths last show, ‘Back to the beginning’ (R.I.P Ozzy Osbourne. Rest well Prince of darkness.)
THE ERAS :
This era of Ghost is different. It was not an actual tour era, however, in the LORE of Ghost, ‘Seven Inches of Satanic Panic’ was Papa Nihil Emeritus/Papa Emeritus’ album. In the lore, Nihil fronted Ghost in 1969. Satanic Panic has songs such as Mary on a Cross, Kiss the Go-Goat (both released 2019), and The future is a foreign land (Released alongside RHRN in 2024.) Nihil is the brother to Primo, Secondo and Terzo, the father to both Copia and Perpetua, and the (in lore) original Papa.
(In lore) Nihil has released one album, and although he has no music videos, he is featured in 4)
FUNFACT : For instrumental song ‘Miasma’, Nihil used to come on stage and play his saxophone solo, however, since his death, he is brought out in a glass box, ressurected to play, and re dies after.
LORE :
Ghost lore is shown through many things- one of these main things being ‘The Chapters’ on Ghosts official music videos. These Chapters give story to a lot of Ghost. I won’t be going through them as it is a lot, however I will mention a very important part : the Papas deaths.
In Ghosts third chapter, “Back on the road”, Primo, Secondo and Terzo are all killed whilst playing a card game. They are seen to have been given injections. Terzo was later beheaded for a photoshoot [ which I would show but for TW sake, I wont- even though its nothing bad] , however, in the chapters, you can see Terzo’s foot twitch. We don’t know what it means- if he’s alive or if it was just a filming error.
If you pay, you can see the ‘deceased’ Papa’s bodies in their glass coffins, along with Sister Imperator and Nihil.
It’s also important to note that each Papa has the Emeritus mark - a green right eye and a white left eye.
THE LAWSUIT :
In 2017, former members of Ghost would file a lawsuit against Tobias Forge (the man who fronts the band). The members claimed they were owed money from their time in Ghost. Without getting into much detail here, Tobias won the case. Why do I mention the lawsuit here, you may ask? Well, thats because Tobias and his Ghouls were anonymous prior to this case. This lawsuit forced Tobias to reveal who was really behind the many Papas.
GHOULS :
The ghouls are a big part of Ghost! They play instruments, sing backing and provide entertainment via interactions. I won’t be getting into individual Ghouls, as there are many different that have come and gone from era to era, however, I will tell you the factors that people use to differentiate the ghouls. I will also tell you their elements and what they mean!
Differentiation can be hard with the Ghouls, especially because they’re all dressed in the same attire! It takes time to be able to tell Ghoul from Ghoul, but here’s what people use to help!
Height and body — each individual has a different build, they are real after all!
Instrument — each ghoul plays their own instrument! Like drums, keytar, etc! Knowing them by instrument can help a lot when seeing them on stage!
Position — different ghouls have different places on the stage! At the back, the left, the right, etc. Although the ghouls can move around, they usually have their main areas- like FNAF animatronics!
Small costume details — for some eras, the ghouls have very small, unique details on their costumes. They can be hard to spot at first, but if you know what you’re looking for, it becomes increasingly easier! E.g, in the Impera era, ghouls may have different horns!
GHOULS :
Elements are linked to members instruments! They’re usually also a heavy impact on HC designs! The elements and instrument links are:
fire — lead guitar
water — bass
air — keyboards/tars
earth — drums
quintessence — rhythm guitar
multi ghouls handle multiple instruments and may provide backing vocals!
fire water quintessence air earth
WHY I LOVE GHOST :
Ghost is something very special for me. A lot of things are (such as Heathers, my other biggest fixation— I had a really hard time choosing what this would be about- Ghost or Heathers)
I know Ghost is just a band- it’s nothing groundbreaking or insane. But something about Ghost is so accepting. Ghost’s music has inspired me to do so much- make new friends, start dressing how I want to, embrace new music, create art, etc. The first concert I ever went to was Ghost-On April 19 2025 in the O2 Arena in London- and I don’t care how many other bands I ever see in my life, Ghost will always be the best concert I will ever attend. Everyone I saw was dressed up and excited, people were handing things they had made out and everyone was excited and you could tell. The day I arrived in London for the show, I saw tons of people in Ghost merch on the street before the concert, my hotel was even packed full of Ghost fans, and they all were the sweetest people. Strangers in Ghost shirts would see me wearing mine and smile at me, people would talk to me and my mom about how excited they were to see Ghost live that night. I’ve only been a Ghestie for a year and a month (exactly at the time of writing) but I can already say that it’s the most beautiful community i’ve ever been in. People are creative and talented and the sweetest people ever. I can’t wait to keep making friends and creating art inspired by this band. Thank you Ghost.