Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge has hinted that the band’s current frontman, Papa V Perpetua, will die at his post.
During a new interview with French YouTube channel Riffx, Forge, who co-founded Ghost in 2006 and has played every incarnation of the band’s papal singer, is asked whether Perpetua will stay at the mic forever, given his name is derived from the Latin word for “eternal”.
“I don’t know,” the musician answers.
He goes on to describe the idea of having an eternal leader “humoristic”: “There is nothing that is eternal, except maybe for the memory of someone. That might be eternal – as long as anyone remembers someone, that person will exist. You might beat those odds a little if you have a statue in your name or something.”
Forge then notes the irony in the death of a frontman whose name suggests ‘eternity’, adding that he’d be keen to integrate it into Ghost’s lore.
“But the concept of being an ‘eternal’ leader, and then all of a sudden that person dies and there’s a new ‘eternal’ leader, is kind of funny,” he says. “I thought that that is typically one of those funny paradoxes that I want in that universe.”
Historically, Ghost’s frontman has changed with each new album cycle. So far, the only character to stay at the mic for more than one full-length release was Cardinal Copia, who sang on 2018’s Prequelle before being promoted to Papa Emeritus IV and reappearing on 2022’s Impera.
Papa V Perpetua is leading Ghost during their Skeletá era. The new album will come out on Friday, April 25, and the singles Satanized, Lachryma and Peacefield are now streaming.
The band’s Skeletá tour started in the UK last week and they are currently making their way across mainland Europe. See all remaining dates on their global run of shows below.
Ghost 2025 tour dates:
Apr 24: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Apr 26: Lyon LDLC Arena, France
Apr 27: Toulouse Zenith Metropole, France
Apr 29: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Apr 30: Madrid Palacio Vistalegre, Spain
May 03: Zurich AG Hallenstadion, Switzerland
May 04: Milan Unipol Forum, Italy
May 07: Berlin Uber Arena, Germany
May 08: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
May 10: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
May 11: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 13: Paris Accor Arena, France
May 14: Oberhausen Rudolph Weber Arena, Germany
May 15: Hannover ZAG Arena, Germany
May 17: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
May 20: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
May 22: Linköping Saab Arena, Sweden
May 23: Sandviken Göransson Arena, Sweden
May 24: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
Jul 09: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Jul 11: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jul 12: Tampa Amalie Arena, FL
Jul 13: Miami Kaseya Center, FL
Jul 15: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Jul 17: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH
Jul 18: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA
Jul 19: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Jul 21: Boston TD Garden, MA
Jul 22: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jul 24: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Jul 25: Louisville KFC Yum! Center, KY
Jul 26: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jul 28: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Jul 29: Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, WI
Jul 30: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO
Aug 01: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Aug 02: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Aug 03: Omaha CHI Health Center, NE
Aug 05: Kansas City T-Mobile Center, MO
Aug 07: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Aug 09: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Aug 10: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Aug 11: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ
Aug 14: Austin Moody Center ATX, TX
Aug 15: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Aug 16: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Sep 24: Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes
