10 Things You Should Know About The Swedish Metal High Priests (Part 2)

If you’re a metalhead, chances are you’ve heard of Ghost B.C. – the Swedish metal superstars who have been making waves on the international stage for years now. But what do you actually know about them? In this part 2 blog post, we’ll take a look at 6 interesting finally facts about the band, from their beginnings to their current status. So read on and learn everything you need to know about Ghost B.C.!

Forge wrote the songs “Prime Mover” and “Death Knell” in addition to “Stand By Him,” and in 2008, he went into the recording studio with Gustaf Lindström, a former bandmate from Repugnant, to record them. Later, on March 12, 2010, the group’s songs were placed on MySpace, drawing the interest of record companies and managers who wanted to sign them. Forge had no idea that his brother, Sebastian, would pass away from heart disease later that day as he posted the tracks. Forge looked up to his older, by 13 years, brother and introduced him to many of the musicians who would eventually have an impact on Ghost.

6. Ghost began with a single song
Tobias Forge had played in the sleazy metal group Crashdet and the death metal group Repugnant before starting Ghost. He created what he called “possibly the strongest metal riff that has ever been” in 2006. He wrote a chorus to go with it that “haunted my dreams.” The song eventually became “Stand By Him” from Ghost’s Opus Eponymous first album, but Forge realized he couldn’t pull off such a dark sound with his trim appearance. Instead, as a platform for his fresh musical endeavor, he developed the idea and characters of Ghost.

7. Anonymity
Since the band’s creation and first album’s release in 2006, Ghost had gone unidentified at all times. All publicity duties were handled by The Nameless Ghouls; none of the frontmen ever gave interviews. These are possibly Tobias Forge, the actor who performed each of the Papa roles and is currently Cardinal Copia. Forge is also the creator of Ghost. Forge was forced to give his name when his former bandmates sued him in 2017 for royalties. By stamping the allotted alchemical symbols for earth, air, water, fire, and ether at record store signings, his backup band keeps their secrecy and anonymity.

8. Frontmen for Ghost
Four frontmen have so far been chosen by Ghost. First, on their debut album, Opus Eponymous, and the subsequent tour, Papa Emeritus handled the vocals. For the Infestissumam cycle, he was succeeded by Papa Emeritus II in 2012; for the Meliora cycle, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Papa Emeritus III, in 2015. While performing in Gothenburg, Sweden, in September 2017, Papa Emeritus III was publicly replaced by the much-older Papa Emeritus 0—later known as Papa Nihil—an ancestor to all previous Papas. However, Cardinal Copia, a “apprentice” priest who has not yet received his full Ghost regalia, was named as the new leader of Ghost in April 2018.

9. The cult of Satan
Heavy metal music has always been associated with satanism and religious iconography, and Black Sabbath was a master at fusing the two. But Ghost pushes the idea much further. During live performances, their stage is made up of a church. The concept is to portray music as salvation, with the live performance acting as a worship session. Then comes the band, led by a devilish priest-like figure dressed in papal garb and supported by a bunch of cardinals known as the “Nameless Ghouls,” who has a voice that is unexpectedly endearing and vulnerable.

10. Ghost has received numerous honors
In addition to being embraced by the general public, Ghost has garnered numerous accolades in their native Sweden. Ghost earned the Best Hard Rock/Metal Album prize at the Grammis, Sweden’s version of the Grammys presented by the American Recording Academy, for the albums Infestissumam from 2014, Meliora from 2015, and Popestar from 2016. Additionally, they received further nominations for Prequelle as Best Rock Album and “Rats” as Best Rock Song in 2019. They also took home a coveted Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2016 for the Meliora song “Cirice.”